The Mysterious Island (1929): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1929, The Mysterious Island is an adventure, romance and science fiction film directed by Maurice Tourneur, running about 95 minutes. “Actually filmed at the bottom of the ocean off the Bahamas, imperiled by hurricane and storm.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. On a volcanic island near the kingdom of Hetvia rules Count Dakkar, a benevolent leader and scientist who has eliminated class distinction among the island's inhabitants. Dakkar, his daughter Sonia and her fiance, engineer Nicolai Roget have designed a submarine which Roget pilots on its initial voyage just before the island is overrun by Baron Falon, despotic ruler of Hetvia. Falon sets out after Roget in a second submarine and the two craft, diving to the ocean's floor, discover a strange land populated by dragons, giant squid and an eerie undiscovered humanoid race.

Who’s in it. The Mysterious Island stars Lionel Barrymore as Andre Dakkar, Jacqueline Gadsden as Sonia Dakkar, Lloyd Hughes as Nikolai Roget and Montagu Love as Falon, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.2/10, The Mysterious Island has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Mysterious Island page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Mysterious Island tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception, Interstellar and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.