''Atlantida'' (french: L'Atlantide) is a

fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...

by French writer Pierre Benoit, published in February 1919. It was translated into English in 1920 as ''Atlantida''. ''L'Atlantide'' was Benoit's second novel, following '' Koenigsmark'', and it won the

Grand Prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

of the

French Academy French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. The English translation of ''Atlantida'' was first published in the United States as a serial in ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

'' magazine. The story inspired several films.

Plot summary

It is 1896 in the French Algerian

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. Two officers, André de Saint-Avit and Jean Morhange investigate the disappearance of their fellow officers. While doing so, they are drugged and kidnapped by a Targui warrior, the procurer for the monstrous Queen Antinea. Antinea, descendant of the rulers of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

, has a cave wall with 120 niches carved into it, one for each of her lovers. Only 53 have been filled; when all 120 have been filled, Antinea will sit atop a throne in the center of the cave and rest forever. Saint-Avit is unable to resist Antinea's charms. By her will, he murders the asexual Morhange. Ultimately, he is able to escape and get out of the desert alive.

Inspiration

According to some, Pierre Benoit was inspired, for the character of Antinea, by the Berber queen

Tin Hinan Tin Hinan was a 4th-century Tuareg queen. What may be her monumental tomb is located in the Sahara, at Abalessa in the Hoggar region of Algeria. Queen of the Hoggar Legends Tin Hinan is sometimes referred to as "Queen of the Hoggar", and by th ...

. In the book Pierre Benoit also draws upon the memories of his youth. As the son of a colonel, he spent his early years in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, where his father was posted, and then attended school in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. In Algeria, Pierre Benoit also fulfilled his military service. In an article in ''

L'Écho de Paris ''L'Écho de Paris'' was a daily newspaper in Paris from 1884 to 1944. The paper's editorial stance was initially conservative and nationalistic, but it later became close to the French Social Party. Its writers included Octave Mirbeau, Henri de ...

'' dated 2 February 1920, Pierre Benoit explained: This statement follows an allegation by reviewer Henry Magden in October 1919 that Benoit had plagiarised Sir Henry Rider Haggard's novel ''She'' (1887); in the ensuing lawsuit for libel, Benoit stated this to be untrue as he could neither speak nor read English. Indeed, no French translation of Haggard's book had been available at the time.http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/atlantide.htm

Film adaptations

The first film adaptation of ''L'Atlantide'' was made during 1920 (and released in 1921), directed by

Jacques Feyder Jacques Feyder (; 21 July 1885 – 24 May 1948) was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930 ...

. During 1932–1933, famed German film director

Georg Wilhelm Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...

made three films based on the novel, one each in German, French and English, as was common in the early to mid-1930s. They were titled ''Die Herrin von Atlantis'', '' L'Atlantide'' and ''The Mistress of Atlantis'' respectively. An American film version of the story was released in 1949 under the title ''

Siren of Atlantis ''Siren of Atlantis'', also known as ''Atlantis the Lost Continent'', is a 1949 American black-and-white fantasy-adventure film, distributed by United Artists, that stars Maria Montez and her husband Jean Pierre Aumont. It was the first feature sh ...

'', starring

María Montez María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a List of people from the Dominican Republic, Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring i ...

. The Italian-made peplum film ''

Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis ''Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis'' ( it, Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide, lit=Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis) is a 1961 film directed by Vittorio Cottafavi and starring Reg Park in his film debut as Ercole/Hercules. It was origina ...

'' (''Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide'', 1961), directed by

Vittorio Cottafavi Vittorio Cottafavi (30 January 1914 – 14 December 1998) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1943 and 1985. His film '' Il diavolo sulle colline'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at th ...

, drew heavily on the plot and characters of the book, having Queen Antinea capture

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

and his companion Androcles, and imprisoning them in her red-lined underground palace. Androcles takes the Saint-Avit role and tries to murder Hercules, who (unsurprisingly) is able to resist Antinea's wiles and eventually saves the day. The film incorporates an

anti-nuclear The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, natio ...

theme and has been praised by critics as one of the better peplum (" Sword-and-sandal") films. However its alternative US title – ''Hercules and the Captive Women'' – makes clear the audience it was expected to attract. Another Italian film, the comedy ''

Totò sceicco ''Toto the Sheik'' ( it, Totò sceicco) is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.Curti p.145 It is a parody of desert films such as '' The Son of the Sheik'' and ''Siren of Atlantis''. Plot Antonio is the hum ...

'' (1950) starring

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

, is a parody of the story (and in particular of the 1949 film ''Siren of Atlantis''). A European co-production, '' Journey Beneath the Desert'' also filmed in 1961 was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer who replaced an ailing

Frank Borzage Frank Borzage (; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning American film director and actor, known for directing '' 7th Heaven'' (1927), '' Street Angel'' (1928), '' Bad Girl'' (1931), '' A Farewell to Arms'' (1932), ''Man's ...

. A 1972 French television film '' L'Atlantide'' was directed by Jean Kerchbron. In 1992, another film adaptation of the novel was made, '' L'Atlantide'', directed by

Bob Swaim Robert Frank "Bob" Swaim, Jr. (born November 2, 1943) is an American film director. Life and career Swaim was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Eleanor (Connor) and Robert Frank Swaim. He grew up in the Reseda area of Los Angeles and gradua ...

and starring

Tchéky Karyo Tchéky Karyo (; born 4 October 1953) is a French actor and musician of Turkish origin. Beginning his career as an actor on stage in classical and contemporary works, he began to work as a character actor in films in the 1980s. He has acted in nu ...

Jean Rochefort Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999. Life and career Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to ...

, Anna Galiena, and the famous Spanish actor,

Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (La Coruña (Spain), 20 September 1917 – Madrid (Spain), 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, i ...

References

''L'Atlantide''
* * A facsimile of the 1920 English translation was published by Bison Books under the title ''Queen of Atlantis'' in 2005.

External links

''Atlantida''
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

(scanned books original editions color illustrated) * * (French version) * (French version) {{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantida (Novel) Fiction set in 1896 1919 French novels 1919 fantasy novels 1919 science fiction novels Atlantis in fiction French adventure novels French fantasy novels French novels adapted into films Novels set in the 19th century French novels adapted into television shows Novels set in Africa Novels by Pierre Benoit

Plot summary

Inspiration

Film adaptations

See also

References

External links