George_Chabot's Full Review: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
The natives on that island are cannibals. They eat liars with the same enthusiasm as they eat honest men. Captain Nemo
Jules Verne was one of the original science fiction authors and this film adaptation of one of his finest books has been a favorite of mine since my childhood.
A Walt Disney film, directed by Richard Fleischer (The Vikings, Soylent Green) the script holds closely to Verne’s original story of the sea monster that sinks a warship. The time is 1868 and the government mounts an expedition to find and destroy the sea monster. That warship combs the Pacific and is also eventually sunk. Three survivors are washed up and find themselves on the back of the monster. The three are harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) Professor Arronax (Paul Lukas), and the professor‘s aide Conseil (Peter Lorre). It turns out that the monster is a fantastic contraption that is capable of traveling undersea, under the command of Captain Nemo (James Mason). The three are taken aboard and become participants in the fantastic voyage of the Nautilus.
Needless to say, the three shipwrecked companions have many adventures with the fanatical Captain Nemo and the Nautilus; the film has nary a dull moment, with undersea cities, giant octopi, etc.
The film has a perfect cast and who can better play the hero than Kirk Douglas (The Vikings, Paths of Glory, Spartacus)? When we were kids, my brother used to say he wanted to be Kirk Douglas when he grew up and he was referring to this movie. James Mason (The Blue Max, The Cross of Iron) makes a perfect villain, the misunderstood Captain Nemo, who wants to end war by destroying its implements. The debonair Paul Lukas (Dodsworth, 55 Days at Peking) makes a perfect esteemed professor, and Peter Lorre (M, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca) one of the finest character actors ever, added lots of color with his Conseil. I would be remiss without mentioning the fantastic Nautilus, which is a star in itself. The sets, costuming, and special effects are unparalleled as is the fantastic music score by Paul Smith in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The film won a pair of Academy Awards for Art Direction and Special Effects.
The recent release Disney DVD presents 20,000 Leagues in all its Technicolor 2.35: 1 Cinemascope glory. It has a second disk that has a Director’s Commentary, a making-of documentary, several featurettes, and to many other attractions to list. The film is also available in VHS format in 4X3 television format.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a film the whole family will enjoy. For fans of this film, I also recommend
Jules Verne's Captain Nemo sinks a ship and brings survivors aboard his luxury submarine, the Nautilus. Directed by Richard Fleischer.More at HotMovieSale.com
Walt Disney's fun live-action adaptation of Jules Verne's classic science-fiction story features some of the best special effects produced in the 1950...More at Family Video
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