I would very much like to see the 1956 version of Around the World in 80 Days in a cinema with a big screen.
Meanwhile I’m making do watching on a laptop and a lot is lost: superb cinematography and music, especially. It runs for almost three hours and I only saw the first hour last night but it led me to read the full and informative entry on Wikipedia. Then I had to watch most of it again. I had not recognised Ed Murrow playing himself as the American who introduces the film. Neither did I clock, first time round, either Noël Coward or John Gielgud and a host of other cameo roles by members of the Reform Club. I did notice some of the Guardsmen outside Wellington Barracks had either five of six button groups on their tunics. I don’t need to tell you the Irish and Welsh Guards were formed in 1900 and 1915 respectively; Jules Verne’s book is set in 1872. However, in scenes in Paris there are no sightings of the Eiffel Tower; it opened in 1889.
The bullfighting scene is boring on a laptop but gains interest when you know that 10,000 Spanish extras are used (no CGI in 1956) and the Mexican actor playing Passepartout had done (a little) bullfighting. Most of the film was shot on location; producer, Mike Todd, said in every country portrayed in the picture, including England, France, India, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Spain, Thailand, and Japan.
“The cast, including extras, totaled 68,894 people; it also featured 7,959 animals, including four ostriches, six skunks, 15 elephants, 17 fighting bulls, 512 rhesus monkeys, 800 horses, 950 burros, 2,448 American buffalo, 3,800 Rocky Mountain sheep and a sacred cow that eats flowers on cue. There is also a cat at the Reform Club. The wardrobe department spent $410,000 to provide 74,685 costumes and 36,092 trinkets. This is allegedly the most costumes ever required for a Hollywood production.” (Wikipedia)
It took Phileas Fogg eighty days to go around the world; it took Mike Todd just seventy-five filming days to make the movie. It cost $6 million, it grossed $42 million. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and won five (including Best Picture) and garnered other prizes. It is one of the few Best Picture winners not to be nominated in any acting category; bad luck David Niven (Fogg) and Cantinflas (Passepartout). But don’t watch it for the script or the acting; watch it as a spectacle, a comedy caper and look out for the cameo roles. I’m looking forward to the next two hours. We are watching it on BBC iPlayer where it’s available for another month or so but it would be much better on a wide screen.
I can’t agree more, Christopher! It’s definitely a film that must be seen in the cinema rather than on the telly or a computer. But still great fun to watch.
Given the travel options at the moment, the perfect film for showing at an outdoor cinema event!
I first saw it as a small schoolboy in Glasgow at the epic and huge Cinerama cinema just by the Citizens’ Theatre. And in those days there was a proper scale of cinema with vast screens that is impossible to grasp now in our much diminished wee multi-screen film houses. I can still remember the sheer fun of the whole experience of seeing the film. It took your breath away. Glasgow then had, and probably still has, a very strong cinema culture. So it was part of that. Huge cinemas everywhere. And greater freedom for we children. On one occasion, at around the age of nine, my cousin and I were dropped off at the Tudor cinema in Giffnock to spend the afternoon on our own seeing Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. We enjoyed it so much we watched it, as you could in those days, for a second time around. Much to the consternation of collective parents waiting for us outside. But it was typical. Films enveloped you and you were lost within them.
I was left by my mother in a cinema in Dublin that showed cartoons on a loop. I saw them come round at least twice as she was a slow shopper. Not much child safe guarding in those days. The first time I went she was surprised to find me sitting on my flipped up seat. It wasn’t very comfortable but I didn’t realise it flipped down – anyway I got a better view.