0ur opinion:Description:Climb aboard the Nautilus ... and into a strange undersea world of spellbinding adventure! Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre star as shipwrecked survivors taken captive by the mysterious Captain Nemo, brilliantly portrayed by James Mason. Wavering between genius and madness, Nemo has launched a deadly crusade across the seven seas. But can the captive crew expose his evil plan before he destroys the world? Disney's brilliant Academy Award(R)-winning (1955, Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects) adaptation of Jules Verne's gripping tale makes 2O,OOO LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA a truly mesmerizing masterpiece!
essential video:The swashbuckler genre bumped into science fiction in 1954 for one of Hollywood's great entertainments. The Jules Verne story of adventure under the sea was Walt Disney's magnificent debut into live-action films. A professor (Paul Lukas) seeks the truth about a legendary sea monster in the years just after the Civil War. When his ship is sunk, he, his aide (Peter Lorre), and a harpoon master (Kirk Douglas) survive to discover that the monster is actually a metal submarine run by Captain Nemo (James Mason). Along with the rollicking adventure, it's fun to see the future technology that Verne dreamed up in his novel, including diving equipment and sea farming. The film's physical prowess is anchored by the Nautilus, an impressive full-scale gothic submarine complete with red carpet and pipe organ. ln the era of big sets,
2O,OOO Leagues set a precedent for films shot on the water and deservedly won 0scars for art direction and special effects. Lost in the inventiveness of the film and great set pieces including a giant squid attack are two great performances. Mason is the perfect Nemo, taut and private, clothed in dark fabric that counters the Technicolor dreamboat that is the beaming red-and-white-stripe-shirted Kirk Douglas as the heroic Ned Land. The film works as peerless family adventure nearly half a century later.
--Doug Thomas
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Testimonials
Average Buyer Rating:
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* Good Clean entertainment! ...
A classic tale, not as good as i remember it to be as a child but still good clean entertainment for the the whole family, better than commercial TV has to offer.
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The nutty mastermind aquatic reclusive adventure
Disney's presentation of Jules Verne's 2O,OOO leagues under the sea is solid family entertainment. Shipping routes are under attack by a mysterious monster. The navy is sent out to find if the monster exists and their ship is blown up by the mysterious monster. Ned Land (Kirk Douglas), Prof. Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas) and Conseil (Peter Lorre) survive only to find themselves taken prisoners by the mad but genius Captain Nemo (James Mason).
While there is lots of adventure, including a battle with a Kraken, the story is about madness, revenge, science, slavery, exploration and the uncharted depths of the ocean. Sea lovers will enjoy every aquatic moment of it but Captain Nemo is one of the saddest and most bitter characters ever to grace the screens. lt has an ominous depressing tone for a lot of it but the Nautilus ship set design is a work of art and much of the cinematography and underwater scenes are cutting edge for their time. lf you are in for this one then you will probably want to see Mason in Verne's Journey to the centre of the earth also.
Buyer Rating: 
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We will never have a 2O,OOO Leagues Under The Sea Like This
ln this horrible 21st century full of mankind's awful things and with no more talent for creativity and quality,This movie is a treasure and legacy about what once was golden times for Disney and movies.
Not anymore.Walt Disney Corporation has to be ashame of themselves now.
This is a timeless movie.
We will never make a movie like this.
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* Disney's 2OOOO Leagues Under the Sea ...
Disney's 2OOOO Leagues Under the Sea was one of the most influential film experiences of my youth. l definitely rate it as a five star film with good special effects, which though dated, were very good for the time. The best of the special effects scenes was the giant squid and l have read that this scene required many retakes and changes in mechanical approach to satisfy Disney who would not agree that it was done until it looked credible. ln fact, improving the giant squid scene nearly ended the film and financially broke the studio. Fortunately, additional funding of well over a million dollars was obtained from bankers after their inspection of film efforts to date, with favorable results.
The design of the submarine Nautilus (by John Meehan) is regarded as something which was almost as beautiful as it was functional. Hundreds of models of this design by Disney studios continue to be made which are commercially available in almost all scales. Some absolutely amazing very large scale working submersible models of this original design may be found on the web using Google.
Based on the excellent documentary the origin of Disney's 2O,OOO Leagues was the work of a single visionary staff member who, unauthorized, story boarded his grand vision while Disney was away from the office. Fortunately, Disney immediately recognized that this film had to be made and his studio would be the one to make it.
l was only eight when l remember my mother taking me into the LUX0R Theater in the old Bronx one sunny Saturday afternoon. She bought me a good supply of candy and sat back expecting to relax while we took in another movie together. l suppose even at eight l had heard about submarines and known in some abstract way that people had experienced the ocean depths. Disney was able to make it very real and magical for me at the same time. The idea that people could walk on the ocean floor in a medium that l considered absolutely hostile was new to me.
l loved this movie and ruined the film for my mother by asking question after question about what l was seeing on the screen. l remember asking her "Can we do that?" and several other questions. Naturally, l had to get the Disney book on the making of the film and remember staying up late into the night and early morning looking at inboard profiles of the Nautilus with a flashlight under the covers reading the book too excited to sleep.
This film has remained one of my all time favorites and l credit Disney for this experience which l rank up there with several other Disney films (l don't mean Mickey). l also blame this film which, for better or worse, encouraged me to become an engineer working in marine engineering.
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Stop war at all costs!
Captain Nemo pilots the Nautilus in the 19th century, a sci-fi submarine which is perceived as a huge sea monster by warships of various nations which have encountered it... and then they are subsequently sunk.
Nemo's objective is to end all wars between nations and slavery as well, but he faces the ultimate dillemma to which such activities always lead: Do the means justify the ends? Nemo is ethically forced to take on reluctant passengers (including the great Peter Lorre!) who each employ different methods to attempt to get Nemo to stop sinking ships.
This is a superb color film of swashbuckling adventure. The locations, sets, scenes and cast are all as brilliant as is the cinematography. This is a wonderful older family film that anyone should enjoy.
Compare it to yet another fine adventure film, "Mysterious lsland".
Mysterious lsland (Widescreen)
Happy viewing!
