Around the World in Eighty Days

Spot the cameo in 5 Oscar winning epic.

Based on the wonderful writing from Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days is just shy of three hours, this was my first ever visit to the film and my reaction is mainly positive, though tempered with a small sense of unfulfillment.

Phileas Fogg takes a wager from his fellow London club members that he can't circle the globe in 80 days, this it should be noted is 1872 where transport was not of the fast and dynamic variety. Fogg and his trusty servant Passepartout, set off on a journey that brings many adventures, and many humorous scrapes. They meet a wonderful array of characters and travel on many forms of transport, it is in short a magical journey.

The production here from Mike Todd is gargantuan, the sets are incredible, the multiple locations befit the multi cast of actors that grace the film (have fun playing spot the star in this one). The costumes and the score are spot on, while Lionel Lindon's cinematography rightly won the gold award because it's lush and cloaks the delightful story with a number of treats for the eyes. David Niven is perfect as Fogg, whilst Cantinflas as Passepartout is perfect foil for Fogg's staid stiff upper lippery.

Yet in spite of it's obvious beauty the film is a touch overlong, some scenes are padded far too much when surely a shorter take would have made its mark equally enough? I was surprised by the ending being so short and sweet, yes, sure it's fitting, but after sitting through just under 3 hours of film you are not being unreasonable to expect a grand fanfare type of ending. Still, it doesn't take away from this being a good cinematic achievement. As to if it stands up to repeat viewing? I'll have to see on that one... 7.5/10

I so wanted to like this film. An unsurpassable cast delivering a story depicting the ultimate in compendium storytelling. What could go wrong? Well, sadly - quite a lot. David Niven is fine as the dapper sophisticate "Fogg" who along with his gentleman's gentleman of one whole day "Passepartout" (the acrobatic Cantinflas) accepts a bet from some toffs in the Reform Club that he cannot circumnavigate the world in 80 days. Steam trains, balloons, ships, camels, horses, even a paddle-steamer facilitate their travels with just about every movie star on the books joining in as our tour of the world offers us colourful and entertaining escapades from many different countries and cultures. There is a sort of chemistry between the two travellers, but they are all to often apart on screen, and sadly I thought, it is the very diversity of the stories that lets this down. It is too episodic: the narrative frequently lacks cohesion, often little better than a colourful, occasionally pithy, travelogue and even the mischievous contributions from a super Robert Newton ("Insp. Fix") who reckons "Fogg" is really an infamous bank robber, and the delightful antics of Shirley MacLaine as the "Princess Aouda" can't really redeem or sustain it. It is long, but that needn't have been a problem (at least it isn't 80 days) it's just flat, somehow - so much more could have been going on, but wasn't. To be fair, it does hot up in the last twenty minutes or so, as their quest comes to a head but that isn't enough. The technical aspects are flawless, however - particularly the photography; with the costumiers facing a sartorial Herculean task and Victor Young's score is suitably international in it's themes and well worthy of his Oscar. Maybe it just had too much time and too much money but somehow it's all a wee bit disappointing.