Ladies and gentlemen,
it's amazing how much we know about the surface of our globe.
In the last 100 years, men have progressively studied this.
Explorations have reached the North, the South Pole.
There are really relatively only a few square miles left
of the surface of our globe that are not known.
During the same years, men have reached out into the stars,
three times further in your lifetime and mine,
three times further into space than men have ever been able to go before.
Amazing knowledge we have of that and of this.
What's inside this globe?
What is there beneath our feet as we stand on the Earth?
No one knows, of course.
And science ponders about it and all men are curious, but no one knows.
Primitive man, going into caves,
reaching back and back, and down and down,
wondered what lay beyond, and in terror he fled out.
And he remembered strange sighs and noises.
Now you go back to Mesopotamia and the beginning of Western civilization,
and you have the great hero Gilgamesh going down into the underworld.
And so, too, with the Greeks. All down through time.
Religions of the past have postulated the existence
of this inner habitable world.
All through the Middle Ages, people believed of
something under the surface.
Dante, the great Dante, saw great cone-like cavities
stretching down to the very center of the Earth.
There's nothing new about this.
It's as old as man, this belief that under the surface
there may be areas inhabitable by man.
And in our time and in the last 100 years,
there've been a number of theories, very curious and strange theories,
about what goes on in the center of our planet.
This is a very famous and interesting and odd one.
A soldier... Rather, a minor hero of the War of 1812
was a man named John Cleeves Symmes.
And he had a sudden idea that inside our world, like onion layers,
there were globes within globes, five of them,
some of them inhabited,
and that if you were to travel up through the icy wastes of our world,
the northwest edge of Siberia, you could go down through a hole,
and go successively to these various spheres.
Unfortunately, he was thoroughly obsessed with this,
went around lecturing, and in fatigue,
died before he could make this experiment.
Now, here's another theory much closer to us.
This is 1870, about.
A young American physician named Cyrus Reed Teed had a revelation.
We are not living on the outside of the globe, said Teed, but on the inside,
that when we think we're looking out at the Sun,
we're really looking in at the Sun.
Strange, strange.
Questing mind of man that tries to find answers
to things that he can't understand.
This was a theory by Karl Neupert, in Germany, in the 1920s.
He, again, imagined that we're living on the inside,
rather than the outside of the globe.
And here's a real Sun, and a real Moon,
and then a rather shadowy and formless
mass of electric potentiality with little bright sparks in it.
And they give us the sense of our stars.
So in this picture you're about to see,
you'll see the culmination of a long series of such desires to look into the Earth.
One might well believe, philosophically, that some ancient culture,
engulfed by a great and tremendous upheaval of nature might linger on
in some pocket of Earth.
This is science fiction, of course. It's a fiction.
It's a fable beyond fiction,
for l think if you'll study this picture and think about it,
when it's over, you'll realize that this is something more than just a story told.
It's a fable with a meaning and a significance for you and for me
in the 20th Century.
Thank you and goodbye.
Dr. Bentley! Dr. Stuart! Come quickly.
Bellamin! Lafarge! Come on!
Some sort of stone tablet.
What's it doing in this strata?
The cuneiform writing... But it is not possible in this part.
You mean it's not probable, Lafarge.
In archeology, all things are possible.
The fact is we found it below the Great Flood level,
so it must be at least 5,000 years old,
which would make it one of the oldest human records.
- What about the inscription? - Sumerian.
It's the dedication of a temple or a public building.
Stuart, every time I think of how many civilizations have crumbled,
fallen apart, rotted from the inside, or cracked from the outside,
I shudder when I pick up the front page of a newspaper.
- The translation, Bentley. - Sure.
The first part reads, "I, Sharu, King of Kings,
"son of Sharu Ad..." It breaks off there.
Sharu?
Well, that's a new one on me. Mean anything to you, Lafarge?
Dr. Bentley, do you remember the Gilgamesh tablets George Smith found?
Yeah. They told a legend about a dynasty
that suddenly disappeared from the face of the Earth.
Right. It also referred to a King of the dynasty,
one called Sharu or Charul.
Well, what does the rest of it say?
"He who with malice destroys, effaces,
or removes from its place this, my signed attestation,
may he be denounced by Ishtar."
"May his name, his seed in the land,
"be destroyed."
Earthquake!
We'll have to open new trenches tomorrow
along the north line, Jud.
Most of the old ones caved in.
That earthquake put us behind at least a month.
You know, Bellamin, we shouldn't complain about the work.
I think we were fortunate.
The epicenter of the earthquake was only 25 miles from here.
Do you think the goddess of Ishtar is punishing us
for removing the tablets, Lafarge?
The inscription said "He who removes it with malice."
But we aren't malicious, are we?
We want to rescue the Sharu dynasty from oblivion.
That's what archaeologists are for, no?
Archaeologists are underpaid publicity agents for deceased royalty.
This shepherd boy found something.
What, another one?
This boy came a long way, Dr. Bellamin.
You buys your ticket and you takes your chance.
I believe in grabbing for the gold ring every time.
Hey! Where'd you find this?
Kuhitara. High, high.
Kuhitara, the epicenter of the earthquake.
It's a kind of moss that is native to this region.
It grows only on the rocks of Kuhitara,
but not where the boy found it. Much, much higher.
The earthquake must've dislodged it and rolled it down to the plateau.
But how did it get up on Kuhitara to begin with?
Maybe Bentley has the answer. How's it coming, Roger?
It's an oil lamp all right, shaped like a boat.
The engraved figures are of a man, a woman and different animals in pairs.
The Sumerian version of Noah's Ark?
Exactly.
The Flood's been proven to be a historical fact.
Why not a Sumerian version?
According to the inscription they got wet, too. Listen.
"I, Sharu, King of Kings, son of Sharu Ad."
"From water I emerged. I caused to embark within the vessel
"all my family, my relations,
"my craftsmen and my slaves, and the beasts of the field,
"and made my home in the ark. We floated on the waves
"until we found the land of the snow near the goddess of Ishtar."
The top of the mountain.
The Sharu dynasty was saved from the Flood on Kuhitara.
But was never heard of again.
Of course not. No one would look for human beings on top of Kuhitara.
We're going to.
Oh, it's impossible.
The summit is less than 20,000 feet.
It's treacherous. Always wind and snow. Nothing's there, nothing.
Then we shouldn't be afraid of nothing.
Gentlemen, Kuhitara is a treacherous mountain to climb.
Do you think we can make it?
l think so.
We shall establish three camps.
The porters will carry enough supplies to establish a base camp
here at the foot of the snow level.
We will then climb to here,
which is 2,000 feet from the plateau on Kuhitara, and establish a second camp.
The next day we shall attempt the final climb.
All this risk and money because of a vague poetic inscription
on an ancient oil lamp.
Don't you trust poets, old man?
No, l don't.
Schliemann did.
He found the ruins of Troy by trusting Homer,
the biggest blabbermouth of all.
When can we start, Nazar?
My men are ready, sir.
Tomorrow morning, then.
Kuhitara.
That's a lot of mountain.
We're only going to the plateau.
ls that it on the right face, Nazar?
No, Dr. Stuart.
Tomorrow we may be able to see it, if we keep to our schedule.
Then let's keep to the schedule.
We'll make camp here.
Peaceful-looking, isn't she?
The thing that impresses me the most is the complete and utter silence.
You can almost hear it.
Don't let her fool you, Mr. Bentley.
When she wants to, she can scream so loud as to make you deaf.
And you will hear her and quite soon.
l think perhaps even tonight.
Tremendous invention, gasoline.
Yeah, l'm well-done in front and my back teeth are chattering.
Cheer up, Jud. If this storm clears,
we'll be on the plateau of Kuhitara by tomorrow night.
Tomorrow night
is 24 hours and 3,000 feet of thin air away.
Avalanche.
This mountain's hundreds of square miles in area.
You're only occupying one square foot.
Sitting here is a lot safer than crossing Times Square.
There's an avalanche. Come on!
Well, the goddess of Ishtar isn't smiling so sweetly this morning.
Look!
The avalanche must've brought it down from the plateau.
Can anyone be living up there now?
In this thin air, it's possible to imagine anything.
The ruins of a Sumerian temple.
I don't understand.
They usually built their cities near their temples.
Where are the rest of the buildings?
Five thousand years is a long time.
To make any sense out of all this is going to take a while.
I think we ought to send Nazar back for his men
and set up permanent camp here.
Dr. Bentley, Bellamin, take a look at this.
The goddess of Ishtar?
Right.
How did the inscription on the oil lamp go?
"We floated on the waves till we found the land of the snow,
"near the goddess of Ishtar."
Wait till Stuart sees this.
Paul!
l can't see the bottom. We got to get down.
Get your ropes, Nazar.
- It's getting warm. - Yeah.
We must've come down at least 200 feet.
You gonna be all right?
Oh, sure. l'm fine.
l found him!
We are trapped here.
Say, this isn't a natural cavern.
It's been excavated.
You all right?
We are trapped here. No food, no water.
There seems to be a draft. There must be another opening.
Come on, let's look for it.
There's another tunnel.
You better take a look at Lafarge.
- What's wrong? - It's the air.
It's hard to breathe.
Give me a hand with him, Jud.
There's light.
What do you make of the light?
Probably some chemical in the rocks.
There must be some rational scientific explanation for this.
Look!
It's an exact duplicate of the head we found on the plateau.
Here, gentlemen, is your city.
It's fabulous.
The city must have been built on a thick crust of earth,
over a volcanic bubble strong enough to support the city
until an earthquake came along.
What we found on the plateau were the suburbs.
You're right. Look here.
"The temple of Ishtar have I built with the stones of the mountain.
"Sharu."
That's how the Sharu dynasty ended.
They ran away from a flood right into an earthquake.
The children of Noah survived and the children of Ishtar died.
There's going to be some history rewritten when we get out of here.
How do you know there's a way out?
There has to be.
We'll keep looking.
How long can we keep looking?
We've been on our feet now over 15 hours.
Yeah. We got to get some rest.
Well, this is as good a place as any.
I think I'll sleep forever.
How is it?
It's as if the whole mountain were lying on my chest.
We're going to get out of here. Don't worry.
Now get some sleep.
What was that?
I didn't hear anything.
Is there anything alive in here?
Oh, nothing dangerous. Dwarf lizards, small bats, things like that.
Go on to sleep.
What were they? I couldn't see a thing.
I couldn't either.
Jud, come here. Take a look at this.
Claw marks, or maybe a hand. There are four cuts.
Some hand.
And whoever it was needs a manicure.
It can't be.
Save your battery, Rog. There's no way out of here.
We were brought in. There has to be a way out.
What do you think, Jud?
I'm no anthropologist.
I wouldn't know whether they were Cro-Magnon or Neanderthal.
I don't think an anthropologist could classify this one either.
All we can say for sure
is that they walk erect
and they have a skull large enough to house a brain with associative areas.
And this one died as a result of a blow from a heavy, blunt instrument.
Well, that's a sign of higher civilization.
Bentley!
- What is it? - Look!
Don't move.
He wants us to go with him.
No, don't.
Gentlemen, we are in 3,000 B.C.
In my hand I hold the magic eye of Ishtar.
The sacred weapon of Ishtar.
The golden rod, the secret of death.
There, O King, are the evil ones
who were captured by the beasts of the dark.
Bring them here.
Who are you?
We are friends.
We are different from you, but we are your friends.
He speaks our tongue.
We come from a world where your tongue can be studied on ancient tablets.
There is no world beyond ours.
There is only heaven, where we lived a long time ago
until we were expelled for our sins amidst thunder and fire.
This is the world and we are its people. You are not of us.
There is heaven and only the Gods live there.
Would you tell us that you are Gods?
The greatest find of all time, and we're buried with it.
In the name of the King, l declare sentence upon you.
If you are evil spirits, you must be destroyed.
If you are mortal, as you claim, our world cannot support you.
In either case you must be destroyed.
You will die in the fire of Ishtar.
Bentley!
Come on!
Bentley!
The light. Their eyes can't tolerate the light.
Help him up, Jud.
Stop! Stop! Do not run!
Guards! Do not run!
We won the first round.
Look at him. No pigmentation.
Without sun or ultraviolet rays they turn into albinos.
The pupils are enlarged to let in the maximum amount of low-intensity light.
The optical nerve must be hypersensitive.
That's why they couldn't stand the light.
And how have they survived here? What do they eat?
What happened to the mind,
the memories of the past in the world of light?
So many questions. So many questions.
And why is it necessary for them to kill us?
They have to kill us
because we made them doubt their world is the only world,
their answers the only answers.
Look out!
Lafarge, wait!
Wait!
We must get away from them. We have to get out of here.
If we go back to the temple, we are lost.
All right, Lafarge, all right.
We've been going down all the time. It's getting hotter and hotter.
The air is getting worse. I can hardly breathe.
- What was that? - I don't know.
Lafarge, you wait here.
Come on, Jud.
Listen.
Beasts! Guards! Get them!
- The button's jammed! - Come on, let's go.
- Come on, Lafarge! Come on! - It won't work.
Forget it. Come on!
I can't go on!
You have to! Come on!
Lafarge, wait!
Well, at least Lafarge is at rest where he always lived,
in a world of the past.
Oh, we're right back where we started.
There's bound to be a way out of here.
There's fresh air. It has to come from somewhere.
Why don't we get back to the river and try and swim out?
Now, you know as well as I do that river runs underground for miles.
In the King's name... Do not use the burning light.
We come to you as friends.
I wouldn't count on that.
What do you want?
Since you have shown that you possess the divine fire of Ishtar,
the King is now convinced that you are holy messengers.
Are you speaking only for your King?
The King's will is law for all.
He has ordered me to assure you of his friendship
and to invite you to a royal feast.
We are most grateful.
Where is the absent one?
He was called back to heaven by Ishtar.
Follow me.
And why did Ishtar send you to our kingdom?
To see how you live, to learn of your needs so she can help you.
Does she not know us through our prayers? Does she not reward us for our sacrifices?
Does she not see us with her all-pervading eyes?
We are her eyes.
Then you will see.
Our kingdom is your home.
Mushrooms?
Why not?
It's one of the few things that can grow without the Sun.
Come here!
Do not interfere. The King's will is the law.
The fire of Ishtar is the law.
So be it.
You have fondness for her, have you not?
Yes.
She belongs to you.
Go.
The Gods do not favor trading human beings.
Human? She is a marked one.
- Are there many like her? - No.
Rarely is one born with the mark of darkness.
And the others like yourselves. How many are there?
Twice and a half times 60.
Well, that's not very many.
It is a sacred number.
The highest number that our sacred food can nourish.
Well, what do you do when your population exceeds that number?
We kill them.
We sacrifice them in the fire of Ishtar,
the like of which you possess within that cylinder.
Speak.
The beasts of the dark have desecrated our dead.
They took the body of the guard that was slain by the intruders.
When they were finished with it, they left it in the tunnel.
All the flesh had been torn from the body.
You've apprehended them?
l have, O Priest.
Kill them.
Let us now bless the spirit of the Earth.
Ishtar has given us the food of the tunnels, the fish of the river,
and the sacred milk of the goat.
Above all, we glorify Ishtar
for giving us power over the beasts of the dark,
that they may till the Earth beneath us,
so that Sharu, King of Kings, his children and his children's children
may live in strength and rule the world.
So be it.
Well, even if there is a way out, we'll never find it.
Not without help.
- You mean the albinos? - No.
Well, surely you don't expect the beasts of the tunnel to help us.
Why should they, after what's been done to them?
Five thousand years of slavery.
The planned degeneration has turned men into beasts.
There's no help there, Jud.
Thank you, Adad.
Lie down, my Lord.
Well, go right ahead, Rog. Don't mind me.
l will watch you while you're away.
- Away? - In your dreams.
What about you? When do you sleep, Adad? Or do you?
l sleep when my sleeping time comes.
Your sleeping time?
But how are you able to tell?
Here, in my heartbeat.
One, two, three.
But you're not counting all the time, are you?
No, l just feel it all the time.
What happens when your heart beats faster?
It matters not. It is my heart, it is my time.
Look, Adad, you'd better go home.
This is my home. The King has ordered it so.
Well, never mind the King. You're free to go. Understand?
Free? What is free?
Well, if you wish to go, you go, and if you wish to stay, you stay.
That's being free.
Then l am free, because l wish to stay.
But you're in danger.
Danger? Why?
Because we're different than your people.
They fear us and may try to harm us.
You're different, too, and if you're with us, it may remind them.
What are you going to do?
Try to get back to our world.
There's nothing beyond darkness, my Lord.
Are you sure of that?
Have you never in your life heard of a world of light above the darkness?
No, my Lord. Never.
Well, then, let me tell you about it.
The world of light changes color with every heartbeat.
There are mighty rivers and places where the land is covered with living things.
And then there are the cities.
Beautiful cities filled with many people like you and me.
You're speaking of heaven, my Lord.
Maybe l am. Maybe l am.
Well, that's one way of doing it.
What is it?
Steam from an underground spring?
Something hotter than that. Lava.
Figure this one out.
You tan hides with tannic acid made from tree bark, right?
What do they use?
Want me to ask them?
No, not now. Let's go.
The Egyptians were able to weave very fine materials out of wool.
The stuff they're weaving here looks like burlap.
Well, the finer cloth is loomed by the priests.
One of their trade secrets.
l sure would like to get out of here.
And that is not all.
The King has shown weakness and poor judgment.
He believes in the divinity of these intruders.
Dealing with the divine is our office.
It we abandon the smallest particle of it to outsiders,
our position will soon come to naught.
But are these outsiders not divine?
No, they are mortal.
Do they not eat when they are hungry? Do they not sleep when they are weary?
When the guards attacked them,
did not their faces show the fears of mortal men?
But do they not possess the power of heaven?
The cylinder they carry possesses it.
If you had that cylinder, or you, or you, you could use it, too.
And if it is the power of heaven, is it not we who should possess it
and use it to control the beasts of the dark, the people, and yes, if need be,
even a faltering King himself?
You will therefore follow these intruders wherever they may go,
and bring me that cylinder.
Here's something.
No, that's not it either.
That's hopeless, Roger.
Not as long as we're alive.
Why don't we just give up and apply for Sumerian citizenship?
I don't like mushrooms.
Now, don't complain, Rog. Last night we had cave rat for dinner.
No, why don't we settle down? Especially you?
Why especially me?
Well, there's Adad.
Just imagine what some future archaeologists would think
if they happened to rediscover this world
and the wild theories they'd concoct in order to explain
the presence of dozens of little Bentleys
speaking Sumerian with a Harvard accent,
and playing baseball in front of the temple of Ishtar.
The Ishtar Nine, champions of the Little Mushroom League?
Come on.
- Let's look around some more. - Yeah.
- Is all in order? - In order, Captain.
Shall I feed them? They're getting weak.
You have your orders.
They're not to be fed until you're told otherwise.
Guards! Sixty lashes!
Please don't interfere. The beast has committed a crime.
He was hungry.
My orders are to keep them hungry.
Captain, look.
Do you realize you're bringing disaster on our heads, and yours, too?
Did you learn that song as a child?
I did not learn it, I found it.
It's beautiful. As beautiful as you are.
No, I'm a marked one. The priests said so.
They are so right.
It's not only the color of your eyes and your hair and your cheek that mark you,
but your heart also. It beats with tenderness.
The love of your ancestors is there.
Love? I do not understand.
Well, if somebody has hurt and his hurt gives you pain,
or if somebody has joy and his joy gives you pleasure, that's love.
Adad, do you believe, as your King believes, that I'm one of your Gods?
No, my Lord.
Our Gods are always angry and give orders. You smile.
If I ever get out of here into my world...
The world of light and flowers?
...will you come with me?
Yes, my Lord.
My Lord.
What is it?
The King wishes to see you at once.
The Captain of the Guards has been found murdered.
The beasts of the dark have done it.
It is possible they intend to revolt.
What about your guards?
Cowards. They tremble at the sight of their own shadows.
We do not want unnecessary bloodshed. We need the beasts.
But with your cylinder of fire, you could bring them under control.
We will not take part in any plan to punish your slaves.
They are against us. They are evil.
Ishtar has sent them.
I say to you that she has not.
Take their magic cylinder away from them and you shall see then
that they are powerless, and we will have their power.
No, Elinu. We will not challenge Ishtar.
Have the guards arrest three of the beasts and beat them until they are dead.
It's dead.
And so are we.
As long as they think we're armed, they'll stay away from us.
Come on, help me with these chains.
You're gonna release them?
We can't leave them here.
Why, they attacked us the last time.
The guards forced them to.
Go!
He was trying to say something.
They don't have the power of speech, but they can reason.
And all we can hope is they try to help us.
Ishtar has turned her face away from us because we have sinned.
The intruders are the sinners, and we are to starve because of them.
They are behind the rebellion. It is they who encourage disobedience
so that the beasts of the dark do not produce enough to feed us all.
If we cannot produce enough food, we must reduce our population
as it is inscribed on the sacred stones.
We will offer them in sacrifice to our goddess so that the others can live.
In my hand I hold the golden rod, the secret of death.
For death shall appease Ishtar through the spirit bride of sacrifice.
Ishtar, who is married for life to the spirit of our world,
to the glory of death.
I have something to show you, Priest. Please come with me.
Wait. The King must see for himself.
The divine messenger who has gone to heaven.
He was mortal, as we are mortal.
And he is dead, as we shall soon be dead if we do not deal with the intruders.
What do you advise?
Give me freedom to act.
You have it. Destroy them!
Did you ever hear of anyone smoking dried mushrooms?
What?
Oh, nothing. Skip it.
What a pleasant surprise. Where'd all the food come from?
Slaves back at work?
I don't know, my Lord.
The food keeper was very generous.
Delicious.
Sit down, Adad.
Well, why don't you eat?
Royal food is not for servants.
Haven't I told you before that you're not a servant?
Yes.
And what else have I told you?
That I'm just like you.
Correct. Now eat.
In your presence, my Lord, I cannot eat.
Adad, I...
I want you to...
My Lord. My Lord!
They poisoned me.
Seize them.
Guards! Kill them!
We've nothing to fear. I have the burning light.
The eye of Ishtar.
Adad.
Sunlight.
To your people it was a burning death, but to us it's life.
You see, a long time ago your people came from our world.
You're a living proof that that's true.
But they didn't understand. That's why they called you the marked one.
It's warm. It's beautiful.
And deadly for our friends of the tunnel.
That's right.
I'm afraid the world of darkness is theirs forever.
The priests must have had this secret for thousands of years.
Then finally the Sun became too strong even for them.
You will take me with you?
Well, welcome to our world, Adad.
It's even more beautiful than I imagined.
Hey, Rog, look! There's our gear.
Adad!