20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Jules Verne (novel)
Earl Felton (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 December 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Walt Disney's Mighty, Magnificent, Memorable 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!

Plot:

A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | Ocean | Captain | Captain Nemo | Atlantis

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Ned Land
James Mason	...	Captain Nemo
Paul Lukas	...	Prof. Pierre Arronax
Peter Lorre	...	Conseil
Robert J. Wilke	...	First Mate of the Nautilus
Ted de Corsia	...	Capt. Farragut
Carleton Young	...	John Howard
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Old Billy
Percy Helton	...	Coach Driver
Ted Cooper	...	Mate on 'Lincoln'
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Daheim	...	Nautilus Seaman (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Reporter from The Post (uncredited)
Harper Goff	...	Minister in San Francisco Steam Packet office (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Casey Moore (uncredited)
Harry Harvey	...	Ticket Agent (uncredited)
Dayton Lummis	...	Reporter from The Bulletin (uncredited)
Eddie Marr	...	Shipping Agent (uncredited)
Laurie Mitchell	...	One of Ned's Girlfriends (uncredited)
T. Monaghan	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Gloria Pall	...	Blonde Girlfriend (uncredited)
Jack Pennick	...	Cannon Mate Carson (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	...	Police Detective (uncredited)
S. Tarnell	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Herb Vigran	...	Reporter for the Globe (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Fleischer

Writing credits
Jules Verne		(novel)
Earl Felton		(screenplay)

Produced by
Walt Disney	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Paul J. Smith		(as Paul Smith)

Cinematography by
Franz Planer

Film Editing by
Elmo Williams

Production Design by
Harper Goff		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
John Meehan
Harper Goff		(uncredited)

Set Decoration by
Emile Kuri

Makeup Department
Louis Hippe	....	hairdresser (as Lou Hippe)
Louis Hippe	....	makeup artist (as Lou Hippe)
Emmy Eckhardt	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Dan Greenway	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Gustaf Norin	....	makeup supervisor (uncredited)
Lillian Rader	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Fred Leahy	....	production manager
Frederic Leahy	....	production supervisor (uncredited)
Ed Ralph	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Connors Jr.	....	assistant director
James Curtis Havens	....	second unit director (as James Havens)
Russ Haverick	....	assistant director
J. Matane	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bruce Bushman	....	sketch artist
Adam John Backauskas	....	property maker (uncredited)
Art Cole	....	property master: second unit (uncredited)
Arden Cripe	....	property master (uncredited)
J.C. Delaney	....	assistant property master (uncredited)
Juan Esquinta	....	painter (uncredited)
Sandy Grace	....	lead man (uncredited)
Juan Haquinta	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)
John Harris	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)
John Hench	....	production illustrator (uncredited)
Roland Hill	....	interior design consultant: Nautilus (uncredited)
De Nunsic	....	painter (uncredited)
James Owens	....	assistant property master (uncredited)
Russell Ray	....	laborer (uncredited)
Freddie Stoos	....	production illustrator (uncredited)
Art Sweet	....	laborer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound recordist
C.O. Slyfield	....	sound director
G.R. Danner	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John Hench	....	special effects
Joshua Meador	....	special effects (as Josh Meador)
Jim Donnelly	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Lou Gray	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Robert A. Mattey	....	special effects director (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Peter Ellenshaw	....	matte artist
Ralph Hammeras	....	effects photographer
Ub Iwerks	....	special processes
Charles Bovel	....	director of photography: visual effects unit (uncredited)
Marcel Delgado	....	miniatures (uncredited)
Warren Wray Hamilton	....	miniature technician (uncredited)
Andy Lane	....	back projection supervisor (uncredited)
Chris Mueller	....	model sculptor (uncredited)
Fred Sersen	....	visual effects supervisor: second unit (uncredited)
Albert Whitlock	....	titles designer (uncredited)

Stunts
Norman Bishop	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
Ricou Browning	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
Joe Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Daheim	....	stunt double: James Mason (uncredited)
F. Donahue	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
Al Hansen	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
Stubby Kruger	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank McGrath	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank McMann	....	stunt double: James Mason (uncredited)
Eddie Parker	....	stunt double: Robert J. Wilke (uncredited)
Gil Parker	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunt double: Kirk Douglas (uncredited)
Charles Regan	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
George Robotham	....	stunts (uncredited)
D. Rochlen	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
Ed Stepner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Sterling	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Stropahl	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
Louis Tomei	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carl Vernell	....	stunt double: Kirk Douglas (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunt double: Kirk Douglas (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Wilson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Zendar	....	stunt diver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Til Gabani	....	underwater photographer (as Till Gabbani)
Charles P. Boyle	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Edward Colman	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Tom Eddy	....	electrician (uncredited)
John Farrell	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Jim Grady	....	electrician (uncredited)
Hadley	....	camera grip (uncredited)
Paul Hill	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Dick Johnson	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Kauffman	....	camera technician (uncredited)
James V. King	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Morris Rosen	....	key grip (uncredited)
Charles Russell	....	grip (uncredited)
Don Stott	....	chief lighting technician (uncredited)
Hal Swanson	....	assistant chief lighting technician (uncredited)
Anthony Ugrin	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Norman Martien	....	costumer
Harrington	....	costume assistant (uncredited)
Herman	....	costume assistant (uncredited)
Robert Martien	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Robert Olivas	....	costume assistant (uncredited)
Ottras	....	costume assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Joseph Dubin	....	orchestrator (as Joseph S. Dubin)

Other crew
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Harper Goff	....	production developed by
Morgan Padelford	....	consultant: Technicolor
Fred Zendar	....	diving master
Dick Anderson	....	dive equipment master (uncredited)
Elliott Barns	....	wrangler (uncredited)
Art Black	....	first aid (uncredited)
Dr. Bryan	....	first aid (uncredited)
Howard Davis	....	assistant production coordinator (uncredited)
Thomas Michael Dyers	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
W.F. Fitzgerald	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
Hazel George	....	first aid (uncredited)
William Hunter	....	life guard (uncredited)
Howard Lightbourn	....	liaison: Bahamas locations (uncredited)
Howard Lydecker	....	consultant (uncredited)
Theodore Lydecker	....	consultant (uncredited)
Jack Peterson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Robertson	....	liaison: Jamaica (uncredited)
Marvin Weldon	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions

Distributors

• Buena Vista Film Distribution Company (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Pictures (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• Suomi-Filmi (1955) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista Film Distribution Company (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1955) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Kinosto (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Abril Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Arcade Movie Company (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• TV3 (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Walt Disney Home Video (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Walt Disney Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)

Also Known As:

Jules Verne's 20000 Leagues Under the Sea (USA) (complete title)
Walt Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 (1955) | Finland:K-8 (1976) | Canada:G (video rating) | New Zealand:G | Australia:PG | Canada:F (Ontario) | France:U | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #17073) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | USA:G (re-rating) (1970) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Stage 3 and its tank were built at the Disney studio for the production of this film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When an attacked ship explodes, the men of the Nautilus are thrown AWAY from the explosion. If there was a real explosion, the Nautilus would be blown away from the explosion, and the untethered men would be thrown TOWARDS the explosion.

Quotes:

Captain Nemo: Eat your pudding, Mr. Land.
Ned Land: I ain't sure it's puddin'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

A Whale of a Tale

A parable, an exemplary sci fi story, a classic tragedy

This is by far the most literate, the most moving, and the most cinematically sophisticated film Disney has ever made. Those of the reviewers at this (IMDb) site who dismiss it as a kiddie movie, or who sneer at the special effects ("time has not been kind" to this film, one of them says; according to another, "the thrill is gone") seem simply prejudiced, rather like those who automatically deride any film that features Charlton Heston or deals with a biblical theme. It is indeed quite amazing that any special effects filmed in 1954 would continue to stack up so well. (I suppose Lucas or Spielberg could improve on the giant squid today, but so what?)

The acting is almost uniformily superb, although I seem to be in the minority in my opinion that Kirk Douglas' yo-ho-ho cliché sailor is rather wooden. (v. following paragraph) James Mason portrays Captain Nemo as a tragic hero in the classic sense, neither "byronic" nor a "mad scientist": a man so far ahead of his time that the world can only see his invention as a monster to be hunted with harpoons---and yet he is so tragically wounded by the whose malice and envy of lesser men that he has indeed become, in some ways, a monster. Paul Lucas is equally heartrending as Professor Arronax, the good-hearted bourgeois academician who truly believes that anyone can be made to "see reason" and become, in effect, a nice guy. Between these huge opposites are the robust common man of action, Ned Land ("Nemo's cracked", "I want to escape!"), the Professor's worry-wart servant, Conseil (Peter Lorre), and Nemo's equally devoted, spookily laconic First Mate (Robert J. Wilkes).

(I may as well say at the outset that to my mind the characterization of Ned Land, along with Kirk Douglas' stiff and utterly unnuanced portrayal, remains the major fault of the film. I would have liked to have seen an attempt at capturing Verne's taciturn Ned, half-mad from the tension between his enforced submarine claustrophobia and his romantic longing to once again swab a deck, reef a sail, or entrust himself to winds and currents; indeed, according to the novel's Aronnax, Ned's recitals of his adventures are worthy of a "Homer of the North". Most unfortunately, the wisecracking, womanizing Ned of the film seems to reflect Douglas' momentary screen persona more than Verne's character, since it bears so little resemblance to the latter. Also, the fact that Douglas out-bills Mason in credits and advertisements is as weird as the ubiquitous poster art in which Douglas' head is two sizes larger than Mason's.)

Leaving aside my pet peeve (i.e., Douglas), there are many Shakespearean qualities here in addition to the tragedy of Nemo. For one thing, much of the action takes place inside the characters' heads: First Arronax, Conseil and Land analyze Nemo, assaying a most dangerous attempt to ferret out his motivations. Then Nemo analyzes Aronnax who, almost in retaliation, develops his own analysis of Nemo. Then Conseil and Land analyze Aronnax analyzing Nemo. Meanwhile, the claustrophobia of the submarine boat acts on their minds like an amphetamine drug, causing the latter to function more and more frantically for good or ill.

Also like Shakespeare, the dialog (and it is wonderful dialog, grave but also lively with repartee and wordplay--just see the digest of quotes preceding these reviews!) alternates with comic relief and action scenes. As to the former, worry-wart Conseil is extremely funny, one of my favorite lines being his dismissal of Ned's message-in-a-bottle idea: "That went out with Robinson Crusoe! This is the nineteenth century!" And action scenes, as the famous fight with the giant squid, serve the same purpose as the ghosts, sword fights, etc. that the Bard provided for the groundlings---so that it is indeed "family entertainment"; people of all ages can watch this film with pleasure.

Masterfully, the film contains almost precisely the necessary updating to make the story meaningful to modern audiences. The common notion that Verne foresaw atomic power is certainly apocryphal; the Vulcania scenes are adapted from Verne's novel Facing the Flag, even if his super-nitroglycerine "Fulminator" is replaced here by nuclear fission. Nonetheless, Verne's speculations on power do make a good symbolic match with the notion of atomic energy, birthing a very credible meditation on the nineteenth century in the light of its successor. The somber and frighteningly beautiful finale causes us to wonder just at what point before 1900 this or that fateful corner was turned.