Review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) by Lanky Man P — 17 Sep 2014

Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is a robust adventure movie, filled to the brim with visuals ranging from awe-inspiring to bizarre, wall-to-wall excitement, and a constant air of intrigue and wonderment. Even in the hands of the Walt Disney Studios, there was plenty of room for the production to falter. Jules Verne's classic novel features deep characterizations and drips with mystery, and the pressure to soften the story in order to appeal to younger audiences was surely intense. Thankfully, Walt Disney and director Richard Fleischer did not give in to temptation. Like the greatest films of the science-fiction genre, including George Lucas's "Star Wars" trilogy, it tells a lively and exciting tale of mystical technology and worlds unknown where richly drawn and colorfully visualized characters happen upon the likes of a steel leviathan that plunges to unimaginable fathoms, man-eating sharks, a tribe of blood-thirsty cannibals, and a monstrous giant-squid.

Three very different characters find themselves at the center of the action. Paul Lukas is Professor Pierre Aronnax, a famous French marine biologist, who along with his apprentice, Conseil (Peter Lorre), depart for Saigon on a United States warship from San Francisco in hopes of coming across a rumored sea monster that has struck fear in the hearts of every sailor on the Pacific Ocean. Also on the ship is cocky harpooner Ned Land, played with great zeal by Kirk Douglas, who is convinced that no such creature exists.

After the ship is sunk by the monster, a giant beast with glowing yellow eyes, the three men are left adrift on the open sea. Soon, they discover that the monster is in fact the Nautilus, a mighty steel submersible that is commandeered by the brilliant but deeply disturbed Captain Nemo, who is brought to stunning visual life by the great James Mason. After much deliberation by Professor Aronnax, Nemo takes them aboard the ship and a marvelous voyage ensues.

The sight of the Nautilus sets the tone of the entire production. Its exterior is a formidable steel vessel that looks like a cross between an alligator and a shark. Its interior, however, is the perfect manifestation of Nemo's imagination and in an ironic sense, the fantastical minds of both Jules Verne and Walt Disney. Despite the severity of its construction, its many rooms and corridors are lined with fine Victorian furnishings including an enormous pipe organ and a collection of red carpets and tapestries. These surfaces are topped with an assortment of obscure objects and devices that suggest the work of a genius is at hand. One room features a giant porthole that acts as a glass eye into the strange world of the ocean depths while another holds the atomic furnace that propels the craft on its many missions.

Most of the drama takes place inside the Nautilus. Nemo, who has vowed vengeance on the terrestrial world, is a complex figure who is neither hero nor villain. Over the course of the story, Nemo's inner being is slowly revealed, more often to Professor Aronnax, who despite his sensible mind, begins to slowly find empathy and understanding for the Captain's antics. This causes distrust of Conseil who finds friendship with Ned Land, who constantly is looking for a way out of Nemo's stronghold.

"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is a masterpiece of art design and special effects. While the Nautilus provides the visual anchor for the entire story, the image most people take from the film is the epic battle with the giant squid. With its writhing tentacles and its menacing beak, it is still a fearsome sight for the average moviegoer. Also notable is the matte paintings by Peter Ellenshaw, who brought San Francisco's harbor and the island of Vulcania to vivid life.

Watching "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" again after many years, it became clear to me why it has endured for so long. Despite living in a time when computers are used for even the slightest effect, I still found myself lost in the production. The special effects have taken on an almost unattainable mystical quality in the same way that King Kong, the land of Oz, and Kane's Xanadu have done. The endless marine landscape and the beautiful yet claustrophobic interiors of the Nautilus inhabit a world that is all its own without rules and limitations and the adventure within is one of the greatest of all time.