20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writer:

Earl Felton (screenplay)

Stars:

Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kirk Douglas	...	Ned Land
James Mason	...	Captain Nemo
Paul Lukas	...	Prof. Pierre Aronnax
Peter Lorre	...	Conseil
Robert J. Wilke	...	First Mate of the Nautilus
Ted de Corsia	...	Capt. Farragut
Carleton Young	...	John Howard
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Old Billy
Percy Helton	...	Coach Driver
Ted Cooper	...	Mate on 'Lincoln'

Storyline

The oceans during the late 1860-92s are no longer safe; many ships have been lost. Sailors have returned to port with stories of a vicious narwhal (a giant whale with a long horn) which sinks their ships. A naturalist, Professor (Pierre) Aronnax, his assistant, Conseil, and a professional whaler, Ned Land, join an US expedition which attempts to unravel the mystery.

---

Plot Keywords:

submarine | giant tentacle | submarine captain | submarine crew | futuristic submarine | 

---

Taglines:

The adventure written a hundred years before its time becomes a motion picture to remember forever!

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jules Verne's 20000 Leagues Under the Sea

Filming Locations:

Negril, Jamaica

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Walt Disney briefly considered English actor Ralph Richardson for the role of Captain Nemo.

---

Goofs

When an attacked ship explodes, the men of the Nautilus are thrown AWAY from the explosion. If there was a real explosion, the Nautilus would be blown away from the explosion, and the untethered men would be thrown TOWARDS the explosion.

---

Quotes

Conseil: I want to escape, too! You said you had a plan.
Ned Land: I do have a plan. Trouble is, it won't work.

---

Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'U' rating. All cuts were waived in 1985 when the film was re-rated with a 'U' certificate for home video.

---

Connections

Referenced in Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil: Thumb Fun/Living Doll/Beanyland

---

Soundtracks

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Played by Captain Nemo on organ

User Reviews

See the special edition of this Disney classic on DVD.

The Disney studio's first American-made live-action spectacle remains one of its best,thanks to James Mason's portrayal of Jules Verne's anti-hero submarine commander,Captain Nemo,as a misguided Victorian-era terrorist. Mason brings such feline assurance to the part that he makes Kirk Douglas' hound-dog overacting as captive harpoonist Ned Land a forgivable counterpart. Disney milked every promotional angle for the film's debut which was the studio's first feature to filmed in widescreen Cinemascope and breathtaking Technicolor. It went on to become of the top ten highest-grossing pictures of that year,going up against contenders like "On The Waterfront",not to mention a horror-film as well intitled "The Creature From The Black Lagoon". It also went on to win several Oscars for special effects and for its cimematopgraphy. It was included in the Best Actor category with a nomination for James Mason's brilliant performance as Nemo.

The film is a classic and it stands behind several other Disney films which include "Old Yeller","The Parent Trap",and also "Mary Poppins".

The DVD version is out on this which includes several batches of goodies including the excerpts from the classic Disneyland TV show cannily plugging the picture,and also includes the theatrical trailer,and interviews with actors Kirk Douglas,James Mason,director Richard Fleischer with footage of scenes where the film was being shot at on locations in Florida and in the Bahamas. The movie itself is a breathtaking achievement and it includes the scene where the submarine the Nautilus rams a ship into the abyss,and the scene where the crew tangles with a bloodthirsty squid,and an encounter with a giant octopus under the depths. See It On DVD in the widescreen format! Rating: 5 stars.