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

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.

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!

Great price and fast service

Lovely Disney classic film. Good fun watch.

I first saw this great movie when I was 7 and went to see it many times as a young boy. I was so taken with it and I couldnt find a fault in the story, the actors and the star of the film the Nautilus. James Mason was a great actor and out of all the Captain Nemos in many films he was Captain Nemo in my opinion. In the top 5 films Ive seen in all my life was so gald to watch all the extras on the DVD. The organ which it doesnt mention is now in the Ride in Disneyland California " The Haunted Mansion "in the Ballroom

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。

"20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" is, IMHO, one of the greatest Science Fantasy's ever brought to the silver screen, and the one true unquestionable masterpiece from the "House of Mouse!" Being the wrong side of 40, "20,000 Leagues" is one of my earliest cinematic memories, and watching this superb Disney DVD - in wide screen for only the first time since I saw it as a child! - brought the magic of those long ago years flooding back in an instant! The Amazon review above will give you the bare bones of the story; a terrible "sea monster" - all glowing eyes and "breath like a furnace!" - is sinking ships just after the end of the American Civil War. Things have gotten so bad that maritime trade is being crippled; ships can't sail without a crew, the crews themselves having deserted in fear of the "monster." Almost in desperation, the authorities organize a hunt for the creature, and invite the famed oceanographer, "Professor Arronax," and his research assistant "Conseil," along, on a US warship, to lend the expedition scientific gravitas. Also along for the ride is a fearless harpooner, "Ned Land," looking for adventure, and the rewards of being the man who kills the "monster." After more than a month at sea, and with no sighting of anything unusual, they are about to head for home when they see a ship, some miles distant, explode with enormous force. They race to the spot and arrive in time to see the vessel slipping beneath the waves with all hands. A lookout sees the creature in the distance, moving away from the area; they fire on it and it turns towards them. Slicing through the waves, the creature races towards its attackers with a hellish shriek, its eyes alight, just as the stories said, with an unearthly glow. Panic ensues on the ship, the gunner's fire repeatedly, but cannot find their range; the creature is covering the distance between them at incredible speed! The resulting impact is shattering; Arronax, Conseil, and Land, are hurled into the sea, where they are separated. Arronax and Conseil watch helplessly as the crippled warship limps away into the distance, listing badly. After hours in the water, and completely lost in a fogbank, Arronax and Conseil come across the "monster" floating on the surface. They soon discover that what they thought was a supernatural beast, is, in fact, a fantastic vessel, a "sub-marine boat," capable of travel beneath the surface of the sea. Seemingly deserted, they enter the ship and start to explore, soon to be joined by Ned Land, who paddles into view on an upturned skiff. From a massive view port, they see the crew outside the ship working on the seabed; once the crew returns, the three friends are quickly apprehended... now their adventure, and ours, is about to REALLY begin! The ship they are on is called the "Nautilus," a technological wonderland, it's commanded by "Captain Nemo;" his crew, all of them to a man, absolutely loyal. The Captain has scant time for Conseil, and even less for Land, but he is pleased to meet the renowned Pierre Arronax, a man he sees, at least as far as their mutual fascination for the sea is concerned, as a kindred spirit. Nemo takes Arronax under his wing, slowly revealing to him the secrets of the deep through which they travel, and the fantastical secrets of the Nautilus itself. Nemo also shares his own terrible secrets with the oceanographer, experiences that have shaped him, and driven both him, and his crew, to disown any allegiances to any and all terrestrial governments and flags. Nemo is portrayed by James Mason in a magnificently layered, complex performance. At first cold, austere, dark, and brooding, Mason slowly reveals the tortured soul of the man, driven by his own demons to do what he knows are terrible things, for, he hopes, the betterment of mankind. Neither hero nor villain, Mason's performance is beautifully nuanced, and his final scenes are especially moving. The three other central characters are also played to perfection, Kirk Douglas, especially, has a blast with Ned Land, one moment slap-sticking his way through his song, "A Whale of a Tale," the next butting heads with Nemo, and plotting escape. Peter Lorre, as Conseil, is the perfect foil to Douglas' larger than life character, and the two of them seemed to have formed a genuine friendship on the set, something which shows through in the "hair" scenes... you'll know them when you see them! Paul Lukas is pitch perfect as Professor Arronax, all at once in thrall to Nemo's genius, but at the same time horrified by the terrible deeds he's capable of. And a final word has to go to the `biggest' character of all, the Nautilus itself; a gothic masterpiece, it's quite simply the greatest fantasy vehicle ever created for the silver screen... EVER! The Nautilus departs quite extensively from Verne's description, but, just like the film itself, it's completely within the spirit of the original story, more so than just about any film adaptation of classic Science Fantasy that I can think of! One minor gripe, Nemo, as I have said before, is an incredibly complex character, so I was saddened to see on the back of the DVD case, the following; "...can the captive crew (Arronax etc) expose his (Nemo's) evil plan before he destroys the world?" After all that Disney has done to make this a landmark release, with hours of extras, including an incredible 90 minute(!) "making of" featurette, it's such a shame that Nemo is misrepresented so crudely. Almost half a century(!) later, this is still Disney's crowning glory, and a glowing testament to visionary film making... HIGHLY recommended!!!

Producto perfectamente recibido. Con el doblaje original al Castellano y calidad es la de la época, se disfruta perfectamente. Muy aconsejable. Si te gusta el género de aventura no puede faltar en tu colección esta gran película.

Excelente presentación. Gran imágen y calidad en el vídeo y el Audio ! Para todos los amantes del cine fantástico creado en los años 50's éste artículo no los desepcionará.