20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (DVD)

I can remember when the Wonderful World of Disney came on saturday nights, and great family films aired. This was a film that came up every so often over the years, and such was the quality that my school actually showed it to us in class when I was in 6th grade. I loved the film then, and when I saw it was available to rent from Amazon, I grabbed it. I mentioned we were watching it to my Mom, and she then bought us a copy, and sent it to us from ...
...Region 1 disc that are not on the Region 2 disc. I will go into that in a bit.

Firstly, in case you are not familiar with the Jules Verne story, or have not seen the film either, you should know that it is a story that takes place under the sea. Wow, you did not see that coming from the title, did you? The premise is that shortly after the American Civil War, several ships are sunk "by a whale with a great horn". Professor ... more

I can remember when the Wonderful World of Disney came on saturday nights, and great family films aired. This was a film that came up every so often over the years, and such was the quality that my school actually showed it to us in class when I was in 6th grade. I loved the film then, and when I saw it was available to rent from Amazon, I grabbed it. I mentioned we were watching it to my Mom, and she then bought us a copy, and sent it to us from the US. Once again, there were many features on the Region 1 disc that are not on the Region 2 disc. I will go into that in a bit.

Firstly, in case you are not familiar with the Jules Verne story, or have not seen the film either, you should know that it is a story that takes place under the sea. Wow, you did not see that coming from the title, did you? The premise is that shortly after the American Civil War, several ships are sunk "by a whale with a great horn". Professor Ned Land (Paul Lukas) decides he must discover the truth about the fabled beast, and undertakes a sea voyage with his aide Conseil (Peter Lorre). Their ship is sunk, and they, along with the ship's harpoon master (Kirk Douglas), discover the whale beast is actually a metal submarine called The Nautilus and captained by the despotic egomaniac Captain Nemo Jason Mason). They are taken aboard, and shown the future nemo envisions, with advanced diving equipment and sea farming, and experience adventure and wonders whilst aboard ship.

The visualisation belies the era it was filmed (1954). Even the Technicolor it was filmed in was used for best visual impact as the heroic professor's bright clothes speak volumes against the gothicly clad Nemo, setting the mood and tension between the characters. The Nautilus itself is reminiscent of modern day set design; the sub itself is dark, and neo gothic in feel and provide the heritage ship sets of current design all sprang from. So while the story has moments of great humour, and is rated U, the story is darker than many Disney family films.

The visual effects are stunning. A full scale miniature was used, and it set the precedent for successive films shot in water, rightfully won Oscars for their massive achievement. The giant squid attack looks much more realistic than most present day CGI effects, and show the gold standard used in making the FX. They are sufficiently high tech and well executed that they stand up very well today; indeed ,many of the methods employed are still in common use today in modern film making.

Now that you know what to expect from the film on the dvd, let's talk about the dvd itself. The region 2 version is a 1 disc set. It contains the film, which has been lovingly restored. It is 118 minutes long, and has a few special features. They are:
• Jules Verne & Walt Disney: 'Explorers of the Imagination'
• Monsters of the Deep
• The Humbolt Squid: 'A Real Sea Monster'
• Tour of the Nautilus

Excellent special features they are, as well. 'Explorers of the Imagination' is an interesting piece about Walt Disney and Jules Verne with famous modern day science fiction writers Samuel R. Delany and Gregory Benford and a few other notables offering their insight on both the original book and the Disney film adaption, discussing the men behind each and their visions. Monsters of the Deep is entertaining, but admittedly fluff. It is a 6 minute clip introducing Kurt Douglas and Peter Lorre in their film roles, and is a showcase for movie clips, storyboards, and a look at the sets. The Humbolt Squid: 'A Real Sea Monster' is a fascinating short feature in which filmmaker Scott Cassell gives us the facts about the actual creature and we get to see live clips of one filmed at the bottom of the ocean. To add to its "niftyness" they made this so it is if we are in a submarine, looking out a porthole at the creature. Tour of the Nautilus is the final special feature on the region 2 1 disc version, and it is splendid. It shows us diagrams of the sets and splices them footage from the film, giving a closer look of the machine that I must say enhances later viewings of the film.

The film is also available on a 2 disc special edition set, for about the same money, as a region 1 import. I have to say this is well worth doing. Not only do you get the digitally remastered film, with Dolby 5:1 audio, but on disc 1 you get an audio commentary with director Richard Fleischer & film historian Rudy Behlmer and the original cartoon film short that accompanied it in cinemas, "Grand Canyonscope". It is the audio commentary that is the best value of the two in enhancing enjoyment of the box set. Director Fleischer's commentary about the film is fascinating, with information on difficulties that occurred filming the epic, and what was occurring at Walt Disney Studios at the time. This is particularly insightful, as apparently Disney staked his entire reputation and most of his assets into making this film. The animated short is amusing on its own, but its only addition to the quality of the set is that it completes the original theatrical presentation of the film. It is a not quite 7 minute short featuring Donald Duck on a trip to the Grand canyon and the trouble he gets into with a park ranger. The film and these two special features complete this version's disc 1 content, with disc 2 containing the bulk of the special features.

Disc 2's features are:
"The Making Of '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea'"
Jules Verne & Walt Disney: Explorers of the Imagination
The Humboldt Squid: A Real Sea Monster
Lost Treasures: The Sunset Squid Sequence
1954 Disney Studio Album
Production Gallery
The Musical Legacy of Paul Smith
Touring The Nautilus
Storyboard-to-Scene Comparison
Monsters Of The Deep
Unused Animation
Biographies: Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, James Mason, Paul Lucas, Richard Fleischer
Advertising: Lobby Cards, Posters and Merchandise
Documents: Production Documents & Harper Goff Letter
Screenplay Excerpt: Nemo's Death
Movie Merchandise
Trims
Theatrical Trailer
Production Gallery
most of these are self explanatory, and I have already told you what some of these are as they are on the Region 1 versions, so i will shorten this review to the exciting parts of these features. The making of special feature is by far the best of additional features not found on the Region 2 disc. It is feature length, being over 87 minutes long, giving a very in-depth look of all aspects of how they made the movie. Chock full of interviews, it covers literally everything from details on the script, the actors, the sets, the shoot, and the final release, all presented carefully with relevant archival footage. The other features ae interesting, but to be honest, I have only watched the others once. It is nice having them for completeness, however.

So, my verdict is that this is a nice piece of entertainment, suitable for the entire family, and perhaps only a very little dated thanks to it's setting in the past and the extremely high quality of the special effects. If you are a film buff, or interested in cinematography, get the Region 1 version. If you just like to watch your movies, then go ahead and just get the Region 2 version.  

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