20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Saw this for the first time when I was 9 years old and had to wait 25 years before it came on TV and was made available on video. The UK DVD is very good but only has a few special features. If you want a complete package you need to buy the US 2-disk region 1 only version. The special features are legion and amazing, especially the lengthy "making of" programme. The film itself is well photographed, well scripted, well cast and well acted. Not entirely true to the book but enjoyable nevertheless. James Mason is amazing as Captain Nemo. Other actors have tried to play this part (Herbert Lom, Robert Ryan, Jose Ferrer, Michael Caine, Ben Cross and Patrick Stewart amongst others) but have never come close to James Mason's brilliant potrayal. For 1954 the special effects were pretty good and Walt Disney had another success on his hands. Most people will remember the film for the submarine, a beautiful interpretation by designer Harper Goff of Jules Verne's Nautilus. As a child I thought it was real and not a series of models and a full size mock up of the deck. No other film version has a Nautilus as striking as Harper Goff's and it's a pity the submarine was restricted to one film only as it was the real star of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!

Watched this one recently and was delighted to find it stands the test of time as one of the better Disney live action films on the market. A quality take on Jules Verne's advanced story of subs and the atomic threat that was to become ever so prominent in the public conscious. This adaptation is a corking sci-fi adventure that benefits from great work from all involved. The cast are just smashing, James Mason is the stand out as the barmy but intelligent protagonist Capt. Nemo, gruff and menacing with a dandy slice of camp into the proceedings. Then we have Kirk Douglas who out Popeye's Popeye, tough and rugged with a song and dance to help moral along, and even taking time out to befriend a seal to help jolly the film in heart. Peter Lorre is solid as ever, and Paul Lukas almost steals the show as the conflicted Professor Pierre Aronnax. The sets are wonderful, the direction seamless, and the special effects make it hard to believe this was made back in the early 1950s, but ultimately its a story for adults and an adventure for the kids. Containing a giant squid sequence that sees Mason & Douglas fighting it to the death serves as proof positive that 20000 Leagues Under the Sea is an unadulterated joy. 9/10

What a great film, as great now as when I saw it as a child. True family entertainment with action, adventure, comedy and just pure enjoyment. James mason as Captain Nemo is aloof and menacing but also unpretentious and vulnerable. The nautilus is a marvellous creation and is the iconic version of the submarine boat, it looks like a monstrous fish speeding through the water. Kirk Douglas is a joy, Ned Land is a cocky, swaggering rogue but you dont hate him as he is an everyman hero, perfect for Douglas. The extras include a rejected squid sequence, and you can see why it was rejected, the sequence in the movie is a show-stopping amazing sequence. The rejected sequence is languid and boring! Also included in the extras is a sequence from and old tv "making of" show with Peter Lorre and kirk Douglas, this was worth the price of the dvd for me. An almost perfect film, enjoy!

In its time (1954) Disney's rendering of Jules Verne's novel was an epic of high adventure. Starring Kirk Douglas at the height of his fame, and cool, enigmantic James Mason, we have all the ingredients for excitement. There's a strange submarine that is so ugly it's beautiful, rather like Cameron's Alien queen many years later. There's battles with an amazingly realistic giant squid that compares favourably with modern CGI. There's conflict, story and wonder. And being Disney - there's also comedy. It's for kids as much as adults. Today, it's not quite so exciting in its impact, but this should be measured against its near-60year vintage. The Disney DVD supplied by Amazon is still an amazingly detailed and clear print. There is no mention of remastering in the blurb, yet I'll swear detailing is finer than the remastered `Journey To The Centre Of The Earth' which followed from another studio a few years later. Colouration is still excellent, the sound score crisp & clear. Run time is given as 122mins, and there's a 2.55:1 widescreen ratio. Viewer rating is `U'. Tastes have changed in the passing of time, and most viewers beyond primary-school age may find the thoughtful interludes begin to drag a little. Nice subtle details abound, but these may pass unnoticed by a modern audience for whom special-effects and CGI can render them commonplace. It is still far superior to a recent Micheal Caine remake. I've given it 4 stars on account of its vintage and quality, but as a piece of entertainment today it might only pass muster for 3. It certainly needs a BIG screen to give its best. There's a bunch of extras, mostly about squids, that I haven't watched yet. Worth a punt, but don't chase the price; it's already jumped 50p since my purchase on 17/8/2011.

I remember watching this film when I was little with my dad, and on rediscovering it many years later it still remains as captivating and exciting as the first time I saw it. If you love good old fashioned rolicking adventure yarn type films, as I do, then this is definitely one to check out. The amazing fight with the squid that apparently flooded the set at disney is a great piece of entertainment, but is only topped by my favourite part of the film which would be Kirk Douglas' rendition of #whale of a tale#. If you like big action blockbusters with cgi and the like this film probably isn't for you, but if you love the kind of adventure that could only be inspired by a Jules Verne novel, then buy it- you won't be disappointed.

This movie is based on the book by which was one of the first science fiction writers. It is fiction based on fact as a lot of the things used in the story were around at the time of the middle eighteen hundreds. The story also loosely uses and discusses using the natural resources of the planet for food and for energy. It also mentions nuclear power. There is both a conscience about the environment as well as an amusing story. There is the odd comic song based on a play on words. It is a Disney made movie for children and adults . Wonderfully creative ways in which the story is told. The backgrounds and machines would be true to the period they refer to. Fabulous product. Thanks

This Disney film have not lost any of his charm in the 50 years+ since I first saw it. Bought it for the memories that it brings but even to the younger generations that probably never saw it it will be a pleasant experience. I purchased it 2nd hand in amazon marketplace and it was in excelent condition costing practicaly nothing. Seller is to be comended on this. The extras also were interesting and is not a waist of time to watch them. On the whole I recomend this film to whoever wants to see a good movie by himself or in the company of your small children or grandchildren without many complications.

I reckon this film gives a fairly good depiction of the Jules Verne novel. Older films often do. Jules Verne gave good descriptions of undersea life, which is like another world. That was even before it was began to be explored. The film also does somewhat. Perhaps one can also get some good ideas for nice seafood recipes. There are people similar, or were similar, to Nemo in real life, with a dislike of humanity. And, sometimes escaping from humanity. Nemo in Latin means Nobody. He probably, at least in this film, also considered himself a nobody - having low self-esteem. Thus, contributing towards it. Nemo also didn't want humanity using the Nautilus technology for destructive purposes, but he was. There probably is technology held back from humanity, which humanity would abuse. The Nautilus, in any case, would be a good pleasure submarine - even today. It could just get upgraded. I was wondering if that metal rowing boat would work. The end of the film has a good saying, and is still relevant. I reckon that Kirk Douglas was a good actor. I knew someone who didn't like him, due to the big dimple on his chin. The Whale of a Tale is a good song. There should be an extended version of this film. That's the modern trend of improving them. This time having a section on Atlantis. (Atlantis is said to have been a continent, with a civilisation more advanced than currently. It turned bad, decadent, corrupt, evil, and so on. It thus submerged.) They don't show any faces, and have same sounding voices. It could e.g. just be looking out the window, as in an animated version. I think it was an important part of the book left out. All other film versions tend to have it. I like to sometimes watch films with German, or Dutch in this case, subtitles. Can pick up some of the language. Another good advantage, is usually giving amounts in Metric - the system I'm familiar with. Pity that films don't have optinal Metric subtitles.

It's a great movie

この作品のノーティラス号（喧しい事を言えば厳密にはナウティルス なのでしょうが）の造形は素晴らしいの一言に尽きます。 PAL形式のDVDでランタイムは122分なので（劇場上映時間は127分） VLCメディアプレイヤーの再生速度をx0.96（122÷0.96≒127)にして 視聴しています。

Muy buena compra para coleccionistas, la calidad de la imagen es aceptable con este DVD, el único pero es que no cuenta con subtitulos en español, pero si con los subtitulos en ingles sale uno al paso

snelle levering en natuurlijk schitterende film

Arrived in record time. Thanks again Mike. Much appreciated. Blu-Steel is a Great seller