20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Jules Verne (novel)
Earl Felton (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 December 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Walt Disney's Mighty, Magnificent, Memorable 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!

Plot:

A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | Ocean | Captain | Captain Nemo | Atlantis

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Ned Land
James Mason	...	Captain Nemo
Paul Lukas	...	Prof. Pierre Arronax
Peter Lorre	...	Conseil
Robert J. Wilke	...	First Mate of the Nautilus
Ted de Corsia	...	Capt. Farragut
Carleton Young	...	John Howard
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Old Billy
Percy Helton	...	Coach Driver
Ted Cooper	...	Mate on 'Lincoln'

Also Known As:

Jules Verne's 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (USA) (complete title)
Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 (1955) | Finland:K-8 (1976) | Canada:G (video rating) | New Zealand:G | Australia:PG | Canada:F (Ontario) | France:U | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #17073) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | USA:G (re-rating) (1970) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Sections of the film were photographed on location in Jamaica and the Bahamas, by director Richard Fleischer and a crew of over 400 technicians.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film opens on what purports to be a copy of Jules Verne's original novel. The book is turned to Chapter One, which is titled "Alarming Rumours!" The actual title to Chapter One in Verne's novel is "A Shifting Reef."

Quotes:

Captain Nemo: Eat your pudding, Mr. Land.
Ned Land: I ain't sure it's puddin'.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Saturday Night Live: Kelsey Grammer/Dwight Yoakam (#19.17)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Great and Funny Adventure

In 1868, shipping becomes a nightmare, since vessels are vanishing the in the South Seas. The tabloids attribute the disappearances of the ships to an existence of a sea monster. The US government invites Prof. Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas) and his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre) to investigate what is really happening and they embark in a ship navigating to the Orient. In the crew, Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) is a happy member. After a long period on the open sea, a submarine, the Nautilaus, commanded by Captain Nemo (James Mason), attacks the steamship. Prof. Arronax, Conseil and Ned are rescued by the submarine, and share the dreams and madness of Captain Nemo. Although being a 1954 film, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is a great and funny adventure, which has not aged. The adaptation of Julio Verne's novel "on the screen" is a great entertainment recommended for all families. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "20.000 Léguas Submarinas" ("20,000 Leagues Submarines")