Greek sponge diver Mike Petrakis (Gilbert Roland) and his son Tony (Robert Wagner) are struggling to make ends meet in the over-farmed waters of Florida. After diving in the 'glades, angering rivals Thomas Rhys and Arnold Dix in the process, the pair decide to try their luck on the dangerous 12-mile reef. When Mike suffers a fatal accident, he leaves Tony to take over the business, who, with help from Rhys' feisty daughter Gwyneth (Terry Moore), decides to pay one more visit to the reef
A corny, 1950s, escapist romantic adventure set on and under the ocean, Beneath the 12-Mile Reef is most renowned for its stunning Cinemascope underwater visuals—which is great, unless you happen to be watching one of the many poor public domain DVDs out there, in which case the sub-aquatic action is almost as dull as the tiresome 'Greeks versus Conchs' drama that takes place out of the water (actually, I doubt a perfect transfer would have improved matters much, such is the corniness of the script). Also failing to impress is Bernard Herrman's predictable score: nothing says 'underwater' like a glissando on a harp, and Hermann uses this trick at every available opportunity.
A corny, 1950s, escapist romantic adventure set on and under the ocean, Beneath the 12-Mile Reef is most renowned for its stunning Cinemascope underwater visuals—which is great, unless you happen to be watching one of the many poor public domain DVDs out there, in which case the sub-aquatic action is almost as dull as the tiresome 'Greeks versus Conchs' drama that takes place out of the water (actually, I doubt a perfect transfer would have improved matters much, such is the corniness of the script). Also failing to impress is Bernard Herrman's predictable score: nothing says 'underwater' like a glissando on a harp, and Hermann uses this trick at every available opportunity.