Around The World In 80 Days [DVD] [1956]

Thanks paul great dvd

This is the best of the bunch when you see all the version's of this film.

Enjoyed

I was a very young boy when my father took me to see it and it has left me an everlasting impression. I've seen this film over and over again during the years, each time with the same pleasure, discovering new facets and details. One has no words to present the great David Niven, unique in his genre and the one and only Phileas Fogg. I possess the three versions of this film. One could say, this one is the original, a trip around the world, oldfashioned and romantic. The one with Pierce Brosnan is more adventurous and a pleasure to watch. Brosnan, as are many English actors, is a gentleman and a very convincing Fogg' I loved his character. The third one with Jackie Chan is completely different, tailored for Jackie Chan and his monkey tours. Different, imaginative and very pleasant. Three films, three epochs, three convincing ways of interpreting Jules Verne history.

The film takes its time to unravel its story but the unravelling is done with such good grace, economy and spectacle that it is still a delightful entertainment. A witty screenplay, careful direction by Michael Anderson, splendid photography by Lionel Lindon, and pitch-perfect performances by David Niven and Cantinflas. A host of stars in cameo roles as Phileas Fogg, accompanied by his resourceful servant Passepartout, responds to the wager that he can't circumnavigate the world in 80 days. Unforgettably melodic Oscar-winning music by Victor Young, Shirley MaClaine as an Indian princess and a twist at the end. And those animated end-credits by the brilliant Saul Bass are well worth watching! What's not to like? Still the best filmed version.

I love this film and I love the story it is based on by Jules Verne.The main concept is that a wager is set that you can travel around the world in 80 days, Fogg is a man of schedules and timetables and this is a wager that he takes on. There are delays and troubles along the way and this adds a little tension. The film is one I loved watching as a child and now I have it on DVD I can watch it whenever I want.Highly recommended family viewing.

Having read many of the reviews before I bought this I felt that they were rather harsh, with very negative comments and low star ratings. But having watched it by now I have to agree in part. I have not watched any of the extras, just the film itself so far. The cinematography was brilliant, the score unforgettable , and the colourful scenes and costumes wonderful. I managed to recognise most of the actors. David Niven was perfect for the role, although Shirley MacLaine did not shine. Many of the scenes were overlong, especially the bull fighting episode. I also found Passepartout difficult to understand. At the time this film would have wowed the audiences. After all, in those days people did not travel further than their British seaside holiday. The dvd was good value for money, and I enjoyed it but would not rave over it. The problem is, I had watched Michael Palin’s version last week, and that was brilliant.

A perfect example, along with HOW THE WEST WAS WON, of how the Cinerama(Todd-ao)technique(3 cameras for a 160 degrees angle in some scenes) can be used to offer us a change from our gloomy daily routine : just buy yourself a projector, gather the kids from your family or friends and sit with them surrounded by the spectacular remastered 4.0 sound of 1956(great orchestration for this score) on a trip around 16 countries of the world: you'll experience wonder, fun, sights, suspense....Plus as a bonus in this deluxe edition you'll have the pleasure to relive the spectacular lifetime and exhuberant personality of Mike Todd, the man behind this "almost impossible" gamble of film in company of the people who knew him:Liz Taylor, Orson Welles...