Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)

Review #175
Michael Todd Company, 1956
Mov No. 18088
Genre: Adventure Comedy
Rated: G
Directed by: Michael Anderson
Staring: David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine and about 2 doz. stars in cameo roles!
Oscars: 5 Wins (Picture, adapted screenplay, score, cinematography, film editing),
8 nominations (Director, art/set direction (color), costume design)
AFI 100 years, 100 _____ tributes: None
Runtime: 3h 1min
Best quote: "Monsieur! Your are now addressing the second most celebrated balloonist in Europe!" "And who is the first?" "He is not available. He was... buried last Tuesday." - Monsieur Gasse, Travel Agent & Phileas Fogg

Phileas Fogg (David Niven) has made a wager of �20,000 Pounds with some gentlemen friends. He bet that he can travel around the wrold in 80 days. They don't belive he can. With the help of his butler-like servant, Passepartout (Cantinflas), Fogg sets off on his whirl-wind trek with no doubt that he will win the wager.

Fogg will travel to every corner of the world: Spain, India, the USA and elsewhere, taking any mode of transportation available in order to win his wager. But with sometimes deadly obsticles in his path, can he really win his wager?

Personal Comments

Around the World in Eighty Days is a fun romp through all corners of the world. With memorable characters and a plethera of stars in cameo roles, the action never ceases and only increases as the film progresses.

I found the length of the film to be a tad long, and it was definatly slow in a couple places. With so many different locations visited by Fogg and co., it was almost impossible to avoid a lengthy movie. The 2004 film version was fit into two hours, so some important scenes must have been cut out or ignored alltogether. This ruins the story. I guess i'm saying that I would like to have seen the film "tightened up," if you will.

Around the World was, and will always be, producer Mike Todd's legacy. He really did a bang up job with the classic Jules Verne novel. The locations used were terrific, and casting was exceptional, as well. It was ingenious of Todd to cast so many famous stars in cameo roles. It's interesting to hunt for them throughout the picture... see if you can find them all!

Plot:
The film is based on the classic Jules Verne novel of the same name. It is an interesting story, actually, and was retold in film format very well.

Visual Effects:
Cinematography was exceptional; the various locations used for filming provided ample, exotic back-drops for the locations Fogg visits. Cinematographer Lionel Lindon captured all of the action of the film while still capturing the mood of each scene.

Sound:
The incredibly memorable score of Around the World is very up-tempo, warm and bubbly. Very unique and kinda zany, you'll be humming the score long after the film has finnished.

Character Development:
One problem with some films is that there is no change in the protagonist or antagonist. They do not evolve (develop) in any way. Such is the case in Around the World in Eighty Days. Philease Fogg does not change at all... he stays the same throughout the entire film.

Atmosphere:
The film is long... just over three hours long. It could have been tightened up in places where it draged, but due to the material to be covered, this was not possible in many places.

Realism:

Warren�s Rating:

Movies it was nominated with for Best Picture:
Friendly Persuasion; Giant; The King and I; The Ten Commandments

FINAL RATING

Is the movie worth your time to watch?

14-04-05