20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Produced by Walt Disney. Directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre. Runtime: 127. Reviewed by Michael A. Turton
This cinema classic still moves the heart and stirs the imagination even after so many years have passed.
It is the middle of the 19th century. A strange creature, perhaps a ship, has been preying on the shipping of the world. Sent to find and fight it, three men, Ned Land (kirk Douglas), Professor Aronax (Paul Lukas) and his faithful servant, Conseil (Peter Lorre) accidently find themselves aboard the submarine of Captain Nemo (James Mason), who is moved by powerful, mysterious passions which cause him to terrorize the world. A stirring adventure story which everyone has read, _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ remains a classic of high ... er... low adventure.
Disney spent a bundle on sets, models and special effects, and all have held up well over the years. The scenes of the men moving underwater, the submarine ramming the ships, the ships exploding undersea, and other effects still excite, while the sets of the submarine, outre to begin with, have become appropriately outlandishly age-of-iron over the years. Sadly, the acting is spotty. Mason handles the smolder of Nemo well, but his impassioned outbursts sound forced. Lukas' monotone efficiently packs the maximum of incomprehensibility into the minimum of emotion. Peter Lorre is badly miscast, sounding conspiratorial rather than timid. Contrariwise, Kirk Douglas is so full of vim and vigor, he sticks out like Sinbad at a garden party. Though the story too often depends on cliches, like the use of an undiscovered island in the S. Pacific where Nemo has his base, its great reach and stunning vision compel respect even in an age of technological miracles.
Despite its flaws this film remains a great favorite of young males, many of whom fondly remember it into adulthood. A good offbeat choice for those nights when the video store offers nothing but frustration. 4 out of 5.
Copyright 1998 by Michael A. Turton
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