20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (A-)
	STARS... Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas, James Mason, Peter Lorre, Ted Cooper, Percy Helton, and Jim Kerrigan. PLOT SUMMARY... In the 1850's, a man invents the first submarine and wages a war against surface ships. QUICK SCAN... This film could be compared to "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea". James Mason is superb as the undersea Captain Nemo. Kirk Douglas' banjo playing and singing are a bit much. Director of Photography Franz Planer gives us great screen imagery, particularly during a giant squid battle. The Music, by Paul Smith, is heavy handed.
DIRECTOR: Richard Fleischer YEAR & RATING: 1954 (NR) BEST BETS: Mysterious Island Journey to the Center of the Earth	SYNOPSIS... In the 1850's a "sea monster" is destroying ships in the ocean. Three shipwrecked men end up inside of the "monster", which turns out to be a submarine. The three men travel with the ship's commander, Captain Nemo, as he explores the ocean bottom and attacks more ships. A giant sea squid attacks the sub, but is killed. After Nemo's island base is invaded, he blows it up rather than having his secrets discovered. When Nemo and his crew choose to scuttle the Nautilus on the ocean bottom, the three passengers escape to safety.
Review: Director Richard Fleischer's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is a fun, family oriented Sci-Fi adventure flick. James Mason ("Heaven Can Wait") is strong and masterful in the role of Captain Nemo, under Fleischer's assured direction. Mason brings a soul and dignity to the role that elevates the level of the film by several notches. Kirk Douglas' performance is a bit too much. Smiley and energetic, he also gets to play the guitar and sing three songs. Ugh! Kids will probably enjoy a trained seal who appears in several scenes with Douglas. The seal's naturalistic underplaying is a nice contrast to Douglas' overly caffinated dramaturgy. The Nautilus itself is the big treat of this flick. It looks like a fish/sea monster on the outside. Inside it's a strange world of metal, and wood, and thickly upholstered furniture, courtesy of Art Director John Meehan. Peter Lorre ("Casablanca") is wasted in the role of assistant to Paul Lukas' scientist character. Interestingly enough, he also appears in the similarly themed "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", where he has a more important role. The film's script is reasonably faithful to the Jules Verne source novel. Earl Felton gets the Screenplay credit. My favorite scene is when Nemo and the others battle a giant squid during a storm. This well staged sequence is exciting, though maybe a bit too intense for the very small fry. The Director of Photography (Franz Planer) gives us great images, particularly during the giant squid battle. And while the Nautilus looks pretty cool cruising around submerged, courtesy of Underwater Photographer Till Gabbani, the ocean is under populated by both fish and vegetation, looking rather much like the water tank it obviously is. The Music is a bit heavy and old fashioned, even for the time. Paul Smith is the responsible party, with Orchestration by Joseph S. Dubin. 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. James Mason fans will really enjoy taking the plunge. 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is a voyage well worth taking. Dive, Dive!  MovieMonday.com * Super Star Index * Specials * Award Winners * CelebrityFrame.com