Solidrariol
Am I Missing Something?
Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Raymond Sierra
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
HotToastyRag
Ladies, get out your handkerchiefs! No, you won't be crying, but you'll definitely be mopping up your drool while watching the curly-haired, bright-eyed, cleft-chinned, gorgeous, grinning, charming, singing sailor-also known as Kirk Douglas in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Out of all the extremely yummy roles he's had, this one might be the yummiest. As always, he's a likable bad boy, but thankfully-or regretfully, depending on how bad you like him to be-he's much more a scoundrel than an actual villain. In the story, he, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre come across a mysterious submarine that's been the demise of many sea ships. When the captain invites them aboard, Paul is anxious to learn more of the futuristic vessel, Kirk is suspicious and wants to escape, and Peter agrees with whoever he's talking to at the moment.Those of you out there who prefer your men to be a little smarter and full of emotional depth, you're in luck. James Mason plays the famous Captain Nemo, and he has plenty of swoon-worthy scenes as he wallows in pain, memories, and conflicted emotions. The characters and story of Jules Verne's classic are immortalized by the cast in this second film version; the first was a silent film that no one really remembers. Even though there have been countless remakes and spin-offs of Captain Nemo, his submarine, and the Mysterious Island, Disney's original is the best. Even today, the special effects used in 1954 are pretty exciting, and the Captain Nemo's sustainable creations are an inspiration. The film won two very deserving Oscars, for Art Direction and Special Effects. If you haven't seen this version yet, or have never experienced the story, this is a great one to rent. It's exciting, adorable, and even has a trained seal in the supporting cast! But seriously, the acting is great and the production values stand the test of time. James Mason fans will find a gem in this film-it's no wonder that Hollywood cast him in Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1959! And I know Spartacus is the go-to Kirk Douglas classic, but I liked this movie infinitely better. It has a much more original story, is less upsetting, and has just as much eye candy and shirtless scenes. What else is there?
Filipe Neto
This film is no more than the adaptation of one of Jules Verne's most notable novels. Abundantly read, disseminated and translated, its difficult to spoil, telling the voyage of the Nautilus, a mysterious submarine commanded by Nemo, a misanthrope haunted by his own past and who found in the depths of the sea a refuge, far from civilization. The cast is led by James Mason, Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas and Peter Lorre, four acclaimed actors who don't let us down. Their work is excellent. The film was made for the young but its not necessarily childish. In fact, among the moments of humor (especially brightened by Douglas, the most comic actor in the cast) there are many situations of dramatic tension and philosophical reflections around human nature, cruelty and the notion of civilization. Mason was able to give psychological depth to Nemo, a character who, otherwise, would be just cruel and inhuman. Douglas's character may sometimes seem selfish or materialistic, but the actor has also managed to give him a cheerful, sometimes generous soul. Ned Land is someone who loves freedom and who finds himself imprisoned, fearing what may happen to him. The film has great scenery and underwater scenes are impressive. The submarine was thought to the smallest details, matching well the mysterious technology with a certain retro visual style of pleasant Victorian flavor. All this gives visual beauty to a film that, although already ancient, still worth it.
Coventry
I've never been much of a reader, but I am a giant fan of Jules Verne and I particularly worship his legendary novel "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" … I read every letter of that book with the utmost fascination and the story even becomes more brilliant when you realize that Verne wrote it in 1870; when many of his ideas and designs didn't exist yet and thus were qualified as genuine science fiction. The novel is incredibly intelligent, mature, versatile and convoluted, and thus during reading I also often wondered how unbelievably difficult it must have been to turn this subject matter into a motion picture. The harsh truth is that "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" can't be made into a movie and still remain as powerful as the book; and most definitely not by the Walt Disney corporation! Now, don't get me wrong, I love Disney and many of their (live action) adventure movies belong to my favorites since childhood already (like for example "Island at the top of the World", "The Watcher in the Woods" or "Something Wicked this way Comes"), but the wise and detailed imagination of Jules Verne is too unfathomable even for the most creative scriptwriters and set designers over at Disney Studios. Of course, the film is only a disappointment in case you constantly keep comparing it to the book, what yours truly obviously couldn't stop doing! On itself, I reckon "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" is an exciting and hi-tech (especially for the year 1954) adventure movie with solid performances, Oscar-worthy special effects & set decorations and a handful of sequences that are still enormously spectacular to look at, with the giant squid battle sequences as the obvious highlight! But in case you're an avid fan of the book and practically know it by heart, you'll primarily notice that numerous (and awesome) parts are missing and that relationships between the protagonists are entirely different in the film than in the book. Some of my favorite book chapters that aren't featuring here are the encounter with a school of violent sperm whales, the Nautilus' race against time to navigate underneath thick layers of ice at the South Pole before running out of air and – naturally – the discovery of the lost continent of Atlantis. With regards to the characters, especially Peter Lorre's Conseil underwent a drastic metamorphosis. In the book he's a docile, loyal and obedient apprentice with a fetish for classifying sea creatures, but in the film he's more rebellious and at one point even revolts against his master, Professor Arronax. The performances are definitely stellar, with a beautiful and integer performance from James Mason as Captain Nemo and a charming but stereotypical role for alpha male Kirk Douglas as the singing harpooner Ned Land, who takes his shirt off one too many times.
v_haritha_in
Disney's take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Natural historian Prof. Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas), his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre) and harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) set out on a government funded ship, in search of a rumored sea monster. The three of them get separated from the ship and stumble across the supposed "monster", which is in fact a highly advanced submarine called Nautilus. It is led by the enigmatic Captain Nemo (James Mason). He and his devoted crew have shunned civilization and adopted to the aquatic way of life. The visitors are not allowed to go back as Nemo does not want his secret to get out. Prof. Arronax has no objection as he is deeply fascinated by the underwater world and wants to study it. But as Captain Nemo starts showing his brutal side, Land is desperate to escape.This movie is dated, be it its political incorrectness, the science depicted in it, Prof. Arronax's method of study, or its special effects. A sautéed unborn octopus would be an environmentalist's nightmare today, yet it was a delicacy in its time. Similarly, no present-day natural historian would want to kill a rare species and place it in a natural history museum, but that is exactly what Prof, Arronax intended to do with the sea monster. It also depicts American natives as cannibals. The Nautilus defends itself by passing electric current over its surface when we now know that electricity and water should not be mixed. Disney made quite a few changes to the original material and ironically, the novel, written more than eighty years before the movie came out, has aged better.However, the movie has its own charm. Its heart is in the right place. We find yourselves smiling at its quirks as they remind us of the time when it was made. Kirk Douglas is the life of the movie; he is winningly riotous, effervescent and his energy pervades the entire movie. Another highlight of the movie is Captain Nemo and Prof. Annorax's stately friendship.Good to watch once.
