Part
comedy, part adventure, part travelogue, part exercise in showmanship, AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS ($27) is certainly one of the most unique and
enjoyable films to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The
brainchild of producer Michael Todd, this adaptation of Jules Verne novel
is a delightful cinematic spectacle the greatly benefits from gorgeous
Todd-AO cinematography, plus a bevy of all star cameos, that almost reads
like a who’s who of the golden age of motion pictures. Sure, younger
generations of film fans may not be enraptured by the pleasures of
watching AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, but anyone who loves classic
movies and old time movie stars is certain to be thrilled by this motion
picture experience.
The
seemingly simple plot of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS concerns a
positively punctual Victorian English Gentleman named Phileas Fogg (David
Niven), who enters into a high stakes wager that he can circle the globe
in a mere eighty days. Traveling very lightly, Fogg and his newly hired
Gentlemen’s Gentleman Passepartout (Cantinflas) set out to prove that
steamships, trains and other forms of modern transportation (or the late
nineteenth century equivalent) have made it possible to travel around the
world in the time allotted. Along the way, Fogg and Passepartout have
their share of adventures, as well as running into a series of interesting
characters. The cast AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS also features
Shirley MacLaine, Robert Newton, Finlay Currie, Robert Morley, Noel
Coward, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Charles Boyer, Evelyn Keyes, José
Greco, Gilbert Roland, Cesar Romero, Cedric Hardwicke, Melville Cooper,
Reginald Denny, Ronald Colman, Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, George Raft,
Red Skelton, Marlene Dietrich, John Carradine, Frank Sinatra, Buster
Keaton, Joe E. Brown, Andy Devine, Victor McLaglen, Jack Oakie, Beatrice
Lillie, John Mills, Glynis Johns and Hermione Gingold.
Warner
Home Video has made AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS available on DVD in
an approximately 2.20:1 widescreen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. For this release, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80
DAYS has been restored to its roadshow length, and for the most part,
its complete1956 cinematic luster. In general, the image appears sharp and
produces a terrific level of detail. Of course, there is the errant shot
that appears slightly soft, as well as some slightly dated looking
opticals that give away the film’s true age. The film elements used for
the transfer haven’t been given a complete digital overhaul, so they do
exhibit occasional blemishes, but nothing particularly distracting. There
is a bit of grain here and there, but that too is inconsequential. Colors
appear gorgeous throughout the presentation and are rendered with a level
of vibrancy, which would make one almost think they were watching a
vintage IB Technicolor print. Blacks appear velvety, white are stable and
the picture boasts excellent contrast and shadow detail for the era in
which it was produced. Due to its length, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
is spread across two discs, which helps to keep digital compression
artifacts very well concealed.
For
this release, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS has been upgraded to a
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound mix. Considering that this film is rapidly
approaching its fiftieth anniversary, this 5.1 channel track sounds
absolutely marvelous. There is plenty of activity in all of the channels,
with nice separations all around, plus some surprising use of the split
surrounds. Musical fidelity is quite nice, with Victor Young’s score
coming across in a smooth and relatively rich sounding manner. Sound
effects usually hold their own, although, there is an occasional sound
that isn’t wholly convincing. The bass channel never approaches modern
depths, but there is just enough there to meet the film’s requirements.
Dialogue is always completely understandable, plus the voices have a
reasonably natural timbre. A French language track has also been encoded
onto the DVD, as have English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Music
underscores the DVD's basic interactive menus, which provides one with
access to standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the
supplemental materials, which have been spread across both discs of this
set. Disc one starts off with an eight minute introduction by Robert
Osborne, who can be seen regularly introducing films on the Turner Movie
Classics. Also featured is a running audio commentary by BBC Radio film
historian Brian Sibley (which concludes with the movie on disc two). This
is a rich and detailed commentary that offers insight into the film’s
production, as well as the actors appearing on the screen- a must listen
for any film buff. Since an excerpt appears in the prologue to AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, disc one also includes a complete version of the
1902 Georges Melies’ silent A TRIP TO THE MOON, with a Robert
Osborne introduction. Osborne is also on hand to introduce an outtake reel
that runs approximately seventeen minutes. A still gallery, a theatrical
trailer and a re-release trailer close out disc one.
Moving
on to disc two, one will find the rest of the supplemental programming.
Hosted by Orson Wells, Around The World With Mike Todd is a
fifty minute 1968 biography of the showman that follows his life and
career, with a special emphasis on the production of AROUND THE WORLD
IN 80 DAYS (this program also features an introduction by Osborne).
Osborne also introduces clips from the film’s Los Angeles and Spain
premieres, as well as footage from the Academy Awards ceremony where AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS came off the big winner, plus excerpts from the
Playhouse 90 broadcast of Around The World In 90 Minutes,
which celebrated the film’s one year anniversary. Finally disc two
offers a Cameo List of all the stars that appeared in AROUND THE WORLD
IN 80 DAYS.
AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS is probably the most unique film to ever take
home the Oscar for Best Picture, not to mention being a cinematic treasure
that movie buffs can revel in. Warner has done a marvelous job with the
DVD, offering a wonderful looking and sounding presentation, in addition
to some great supplements. If you have never experienced AROUND THE
WORLD IN 80 DAYS, then by all means check out this terrific DVD.
However, if you are a serious movie fan, then this is a must have DVD.
Highly recommended.
Part
comedy, part adventure, part travelogue, part exercise in showmanship, AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS ($27) is certainly one of the most unique and
enjoyable films to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The
brainchild of producer Michael Todd, this adaptation of Jules Verne novel
is a delightful cinematic spectacle the greatly benefits from gorgeous
Todd-AO cinematography, plus a bevy of all star cameos, that almost reads
like a who’s who of the golden age of motion pictures. Sure, younger
generations of film fans may not be enraptured by the pleasures of
watching AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, but anyone who loves classic
movies and old time movie stars is certain to be thrilled by this motion
picture experience.
The
seemingly simple plot of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS concerns a
positively punctual Victorian English Gentleman named Phileas Fogg (David
Niven), who enters into a high stakes wager that he can circle the globe
in a mere eighty days. Traveling very lightly, Fogg and his newly hired
Gentlemen’s Gentleman Passepartout (Cantinflas) set out to prove that
steamships, trains and other forms of modern transportation (or the late
nineteenth century equivalent) have made it possible to travel around the
world in the time allotted. Along the way, Fogg and Passepartout have
their share of adventures, as well as running into a series of interesting
characters. The cast AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS also features
Shirley MacLaine, Robert Newton, Finlay Currie, Robert Morley, Noel
Coward, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Charles Boyer, Evelyn Keyes, José
Greco, Gilbert Roland, Cesar Romero, Cedric Hardwicke, Melville Cooper,
Reginald Denny, Ronald Colman, Charles Coburn, Peter Lorre, George Raft,
Red Skelton, Marlene Dietrich, John Carradine, Frank Sinatra, Buster
Keaton, Joe E. Brown, Andy Devine, Victor McLaglen, Jack Oakie, Beatrice
Lillie, John Mills, Glynis Johns and Hermione Gingold.
Warner
Home Video has made AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS available on DVD in
an approximately 2.20:1 widescreen presentation that has been enhanced for
playback on 16:9 displays. For this release, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80
DAYS has been restored to its roadshow length, and for the most part,
its complete1956 cinematic luster. In general, the image appears sharp and
produces a terrific level of detail. Of course, there is the errant shot
that appears slightly soft, as well as some slightly dated looking
opticals that give away the film’s true age. The film elements used for
the transfer haven’t been given a complete digital overhaul, so they do
exhibit occasional blemishes, but nothing particularly distracting. There
is a bit of grain here and there, but that too is inconsequential. Colors
appear gorgeous throughout the presentation and are rendered with a level
of vibrancy, which would make one almost think they were watching a
vintage IB Technicolor print. Blacks appear velvety, white are stable and
the picture boasts excellent contrast and shadow detail for the era in
which it was produced. Due to its length, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
is spread across two discs, which helps to keep digital compression
artifacts very well concealed.
For
this release, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS has been upgraded to a
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound mix. Considering that this film is rapidly
approaching its fiftieth anniversary, this 5.1 channel track sounds
absolutely marvelous. There is plenty of activity in all of the channels,
with nice separations all around, plus some surprising use of the split
surrounds. Musical fidelity is quite nice, with Victor Young’s score
coming across in a smooth and relatively rich sounding manner. Sound
effects usually hold their own, although, there is an occasional sound
that isn’t wholly convincing. The bass channel never approaches modern
depths, but there is just enough there to meet the film’s requirements.
Dialogue is always completely understandable, plus the voices have a
reasonably natural timbre. A French language track has also been encoded
onto the DVD, as have English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Music
underscores the DVD's basic interactive menus, which provides one with
access to standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the
supplemental materials, which have been spread across both discs of this
set. Disc one starts off with an eight minute introduction by Robert
Osborne, who can be seen regularly introducing films on the Turner Movie
Classics. Also featured is a running audio commentary by BBC Radio film
historian Brian Sibley (which concludes with the movie on disc two). This
is a rich and detailed commentary that offers insight into the film’s
production, as well as the actors appearing on the screen- a must listen
for any film buff. Since an excerpt appears in the prologue to AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, disc one also includes a complete version of the
1902 Georges Melies’ silent A TRIP TO THE MOON, with a Robert
Osborne introduction. Osborne is also on hand to introduce an outtake reel
that runs approximately seventeen minutes. A still gallery, a theatrical
trailer and a re-release trailer close out disc one.
Moving
on to disc two, one will find the rest of the supplemental programming.
Hosted by Orson Wells, Around The World With Mike Todd is a
fifty minute 1968 biography of the showman that follows his life and
career, with a special emphasis on the production of AROUND THE WORLD
IN 80 DAYS (this program also features an introduction by Osborne).
Osborne also introduces clips from the film’s Los Angeles and Spain
premieres, as well as footage from the Academy Awards ceremony where AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS came off the big winner, plus excerpts from the
Playhouse 90 broadcast of Around The World In 90 Minutes,
which celebrated the film’s one year anniversary. Finally disc two
offers a Cameo List of all the stars that appeared in AROUND THE WORLD
IN 80 DAYS.
AROUND
THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS is probably the most unique film to ever take
home the Oscar for Best Picture, not to mention being a cinematic treasure
that movie buffs can revel in. Warner has done a marvelous job with the
DVD, offering a wonderful looking and sounding presentation, in addition
to some great supplements. If you have never experienced AROUND THE
WORLD IN 80 DAYS, then by all means check out this terrific DVD.
However, if you are a serious movie fan, then this is a must have DVD.
Highly recommended.
