Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

A Victorian Englishman bets that with the new steamships and railways he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days.

Directors:

Michael Anderson, John Farrow (uncredited)

Writers:

James Poe (screenplay), John Farrow (screenplay)

Stars:

David Niven, Cantinflas, Finlay Currie

Won 5 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cantinflas	...	Passepartout
Finlay Currie	...	Andrew Stuart
Robert Morley	...	Ralph - Bank of England Governor
Ronald Squire	...	Reform Club Member
Basil Sydney	...	Reform Club Member
Noël Coward	...	Roland Hesketh-Baggott - London Employment Agency Manager (as Noel Coward)
John Gielgud	...	Foster - Fogg's Ex-Valet (as Sir John Gielgud)
Trevor Howard	...	Denis Fallentin - Reform Club Member
Harcourt Williams	...	Hinshaw - Reform Club Aged Steward
David Niven	...	Phileas Fogg
Martine Carol	...	Girl in Paris Railroad Station
Fernandel	...	French Coachman
Charles Boyer	...	Monsieur Gasse - Thomas Cook Paris Clerk
Evelyn Keyes	...	Tart - Paris
José Greco	...	Flamenco Dancer (as Jose Greco and Troupe)

Storyline

When this movie is made in 1956, one could circumnavigate the globe in a little less than two days. When Jules Verne wrote the story "Around the World in Eighty Days" in 1872, he predicted that one day man could accomplish the task in eighty hours, but which most considered folly to do in eighty days in current times, that is except for people like Englishman Phileas Fogg, a regimented man who believed all it would take is exacting work, the skills he possesses. He just has to make sure a train's schedule meets the required sailing schedule which meets the required coach schedule and so on. As such, he takes up what ends up being the highly publicized twenty thousand pounds sterling wager from his fellow members at the London Reform Club to do so, losing the bet which would ruin him financially. Along for the ride is Fogg's new, loyal and devoted valet, the recently arrived Latin immigrant, Passepartout, who possesses unusual skills which could be major assets, but whose all consuming...

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Plot Keywords:

hot air balloon | race against time | victorian era | based on novel | englishman abroad | 

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Taglines:

See everything in the World worth seeing! Do everything in the World worth doing!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the second Best Picture Oscar winner shot in widescreen format, following On the Waterfront (1954). Wings (1927), the first Best Picture winner, contained some widescreen sequences, although in this case, they were conventional images enlarged to what was described as "Magnascope" through the use of special projection lenses only at selected theaters that were so equipped.

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Goofs

At the unstable bridge, the engineer backs up the train to cross it at 30 mph. He doesn't back up far enough to accelerate to that speed.

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Quotes

Mr. Fix: Follow that ostrich!

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Crazy Credits

Several important crew credits appear in the closing credits with an animated procession. In order: Music over the leaders on horseback, Orchestration over a marching band, Screenplay over soldiers, 1st AD over rabble-rousers carrying picket signs, DOP over more musicians and a huge bass drum, and the 2nd unit DOP over firemen.

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Alternate Versions

When Warner Bros. bought the rights to this film from Elizabeth Taylor (to whom United Artists lost control of the film in the 1970s) for its later re-releases, some prints were heavily edited. An uncut print of the 35mm version has been shown on cable TV.

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Connections

Version of Festival of Family Classics: Puss-in-Boots (1972)

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Soundtracks

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)
(1850) (uncredited)
from "Lohengrin"
Written by Richard Wagner
In the score after the marriage proposal

User Reviews

Short Story Long

What astounds me is how things change. Here's a film that was celebrated in its day.

In fact, I remember my third grade class taking the day off to go to this. (The year previously, we had gone to see a Cinerama movie in the same theater.) We had reserved seats and popcorn was disallowed. We sat through maybe 20 minutes of overture, three hours of movie and 20 minutes of intermission.

And I loved it. This was a lifealtering experience, so grand, so exotic. And yes, for a seven year old, romantic.

Everyone loved it. In its day, most everyone got caught up in the sheer audacity of thing, the cinematic scope, the number of stars and extras, the locales (which we thought were genuine). The introduction by Ed Murrow seemed apt for something so newsworthy.

I haven't seen it in 50 years. And now, even in the full ToddAO experience it is dull except for the wonderfully bombastic score. There's really nothing to it except that it exists.

It reminds that many films I see, new and old, depend on context. The new ones are simple. Things we get excited about now will seem juvenile in just a short time. "Die Hard" was eclipsed on its own terms in short order. "Speed" even more so.

But the old ones...

Sometimes they are so strongly evocative of an era that watching them pulls us into that era, giving us a whole world by association. Others cannot pull us, or aren't set up to, but are so weak they fall apart. Its a slippery game, watching old movies.

But in this case, it is simple. Big bowl — thin soup. But a grandly shaped bowl.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

17 October 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Michael Todd's Around the World in 80 Days

Filming Locations:

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Honshu, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$42,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$42,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Michael Todd Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

167 min 167 min (35 mm) 183 min (with entr'acte and exit music) 135 min (video) 182 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Mag-optical) (35 mm prints) (1956) Mono (optical) (35 mm prints) (re-release prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) 4-Track Stereo (Perspecta Sound encoding) (35 mm magnetic prints) (1956)

Color:

Color (Eastman Color) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1