20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Written by Earl Felton from the novel by Jules Verne
1954/USA
Walt Disney Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Captain Nemo: I am not what is called a civilized man, Professor. I have done with society for reasons that seem good to me. Therefore, I do not obey its laws.[/box]
This is a good Disney live-action adventure with a surprisingly strong cast.
It is 1868 and ships have been disappearing at sea. It is rumored that a sea monster is the cause. A government enlists scientist Prof. Pierre Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and his apprentice Conseil (Peter Lorre) to investigate. The ship they are on also sinks in a burst of flames but Aronnax and Conseil survive. A third survivor is Ned Land (Kirk Douglas), a boisterous harpooner. The three are picked up from the sea by the Nautilus, the submarine responsible for the sinkings.
The men are introduced to Captain Nemo (James Mason). He appears to be slightly (or more) insane. Anyway, he has created this fabulous vessel, a unique source of energy to power it, and the ability to survive solely on products harvested from the sea. Ordinarily, survivors are killed but in this case Nemo lets all of these survive for the sake of conversation with the learned professor.
Ned is looking for a way to escape from the moment he boards the sub. The professor, however, is more interested in learning Nemo’s secrets. The rest of the story deals with the adventures of the sub and Nemo’s guests/hostages. These include a battle with a giant squid.
I don’t think I have seen this movie before. My main connection to it is the submarine ride at Disneyland. Disney certainly spared no expense on the production or the host of A-list actors. This is one of Douglas’s most light-hearted roles. He is good at it and even sings a couple of sea shanties. The effects are fairly seamless for 1954 and a good time should be had by all who enter into the spirt of the thing.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color and Best Effects, Special Effects. It was nominated for Best Film Editing.
Trailer
This movie rocks! It seems like it was on TV all the time when I was a kid (i.e., the 1970s).
When I was about six, my parents took my brother and me to the drive-in to see a double feature of “20,000 Leagues” and “Darby O’Gill.” That was pretty awesome. For years this was the only movie I’d ever seen with Kirk Douglas or James Mason. (Of course, we knew Peter Lorre from “Five Weeks in a Balloon” and “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and “The Raven.”)
It’s been a while since I saw it. I need to keep an eye open for the next time it’s on.
It must have been awesome on the big screen!