20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - revisited

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 4/6/13, Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects, 1954

This movie is one of the few that I have seen before but wanted to watch it again to make sure I still felt the same way about as I did when I first saw it. The answer is yes. It was made in 1954, but the colors are still strong and vibrant, and it still held my interest. The movie stars James Mason, Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre and Paul Lukas (not as well known as the other three). The story tells the tale of a mysterious sea monster that is destroying ships in the Pacific Ocean. Paul Lukas plays Professor Aronnax who is asked to determine the existence of this sea monster; Peter Lorre is his assistant; Kirk Douglas plays harpooner, Ned Land, and the inimitable James Mason is Captain Nemo. I'm sorry to say I have not read any of Jules Verne's stories, but have seen them brought to life on the screen, so that's all I have to go on, and I really do like this movie. You would think that almost 60 years later the effects would seem very dated and the story irrelevant, but Verne and Disney (who produced the movie) showed incredible prescience in the ideas and the technology in the movie (just to be clear, Verne wrote the story in 1870, so he probably should get more 'future points').

Captain Nemo is like many zealots, he may have valid points and a noble goal, but he fails in that he believes he is the only one capable of understanding and implementing his plan, which leads to acts of arrogance and destruction. Mason is awesome as Nemo; the beard and his fabulous voice, he is Nemo. Douglas brings a humor and physical presence that he has done so many times before (Spartacus - although that's not funny, exactly; or one of his later roles with Burt Lancaster Tough Guys). Lukas, playing Professor Aronnax, narrates the tale and tries to find a balance between his desire for research and understanding Nemo's goals and methodologies for living almost completely underwater versus Nemo's occasionally brutish ways of doing it. Lorre plays the Professor's assistant, but is actually a sparring/comedic partner to Douglas. Their interactions provide some good laughs (throw in the seal, and you have a great act for the Catskills). There are talks of a remake, so please see this first.

I think this is a great family movie, it might be a little scary for kids under six (the giant squid scene at the end), but older kids may enjoy the fantasy story of a huge underwater vessel, more than a submarine, and the idea of farming underwater. It also might be an interesting exercise to see what Verne (and later Disney) imagined over a century ago and what exists today. Or not, and just enjoy it. On another note, Mason starred in another Jules Verne adaptation, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 1959; it was nominated for a couple of Academy Awards, including Best Set Design, but did not win. I love this movie for the same reason I love 20,000 Leagues; it's fun, it's imaginative, it's a little scary and it has James Mason (and Pat Boone, if you're interested). WUAB channel 43 (shout out to my hometown of Cleveland) used to play this movie at least once a year on Saturdays for many years when I was growing up, and I watched it every time. If your kids (or you) like dinosaurs, this has a few of those (cleverly disguised lizards, really). It is also set in Iceland, which gets it an automatic mention from me.

As for me, I think I need to read me some Jules Verne this summer.