Review by: Christopher Bligh
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Plot: What’s it about?Video: How does it look?Audio: How does it sound?Supplements: What are the extras?
Plot: What’s it about?
In the 1950’s Cinerama happened to be one of the biggest widescreen processes given onto audiences to get them out of their homes with their televisions and get them back into the movie theaters. One such person responsible for it’s success was producer Michael Todd. Through this entire time, Michael was looking to find a way to bring that Cinerama experience to a regular screen using a new process of his own. He called it Todd-AO and through the sixties and seventies, that process was used amongst a lot of films. One movie that started it was a film that was long discussed as one of Jules Verne’s finest pieces of literature. It spoke about a wager, an assistant and a lot of travelling. Although when it came time to translate it to the big screen, few changes were made. The film invites you to join on a magnificent adventure through obstacles and spectacles Around The World In 80 Days.
It is a bright world and Phileas Fogg (David Niven) seems like the most impossible person to keep an assistant. That is until a young servant named Passepartout (Cantinflas) comes into his midst and tolerates his manner well enough. As a member of a club, they discuss how quick someone can take money so quickly. From hearing this, Phileas proposes to them that he can travel around the world in eighty days. Skeptical at first, one of them puts up money to take him on that bet and thus begins the traveling full of characters, surprises, complications and the occasional familiar face now and then and it is all complete by travelling by a hot air balloon.
This was a big film and this viewer is curious what it would be like on the big screen. Through this film it was basically a big wide assortment of fun going around the globe and if the audience can go into the film with this attitude, they will come off with a very entertaining experience. There are no stretches in acting in this film, with the many places and faces the audience won’t be expecting Shakespeare. Just the pleasure of a widescreen extravaganza following these two in their travels and everything that lies ahead for them.
The look of this film is pretty and varying, thanks to the award winning cinematography and it’s multitude of sets courtesy of Lionel London and resulting in a win and the first nomination for Ken Adam, who would go on to do great sets for the 007 movies and win two himself and their keen look is evident in this film.
This is the first film that used the term cameo to describe the guest appearances of known actors and there are suitably all known all over the world. These days there can be a few pointed out but with the help of one of the functions on the DVD, they can all be identified. Nevertheless, every location and most scenes brings a new one or two or many.
The entire package of this film is wonderful to look at, entertaining to watch and is great to get lost in another world when the means of transportation are many and eighty days can pass a lot quicker than anyone can think. In the end, Around the World in 80 Days goes around and around and where it will stop, the audience will know they are in for a pleasant time without any worry.
Video: How does it look?
It took many years to finally see Around The World in 80 Days in it’s proper form from every format to VHS to Laserdisc and even Beta. None of those formats showed the film in it’s TODD-AO widescreen format. When it coms to the format of DVD, the wishes are fulfilled and this is the first anamorphically in the 2.20:1 widescreen process and the results of seeing in this format is a breath of fresh air. The beginning starts out in full frame but accompanied to the aspect ratio and spreads out appropriately and the look has a speck or two but overall the entire transfer is clean with a great use of color and a great job. This viewer had low expectations that there would be many print problems but leave it to Warner. With it’s solid look and it’s great use of widescreen, Warner reassures me that when it comes to taking care of a film, the viewer is in good hands with their work. A great job.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track of this film doesn’t have the greatest soundtrack of a film of the fifties but with the nice use of score and sharp dialogue, this DVD provides a good track that balances all sound elements nicely. There are limitations in the track that can give a muted feel in the audio sense but overall, the channels service the dialogue and the score pretty well. The launch in the beginning is loud but not as loud as a film of today would have a launch booming all the channels but it goes very well throughout the entire film without a hitch. It does have a few surprises like the film and it makes for a nice track. This disc also has a French Stereo track as well as English, French and Spanish subtitles keeping in the international feel of the film.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Around the World in 80 Days is another proof positive to the best things coming to those who wait and Warner does shower this title spreading across two discs with generous extras and it all starts with a commentary by BBC Radio’s Brian Sibley and he gives an interesting take on the film as well as providing biographies of the different cameos at the time when they show up in the film appropriately. Although the commentary spaces out for a gap or two, he keeps up on some of the history of the film as well as the players involved as well.
Next features the short A Trip To The Moon which is featured in the beginning of the film and is presented in full length and this viewer remembers seeing the piece in a few film classes and it is a short that remains memorable for it’s early sci-fi use. It uses a French translator to describe the action and it’s a better experience with the silence and the music doing it’s work. It is a great addition to have individually and the DVD preserves the piece very nicely.
Another interesting addition are outtakes from the film and there is no audio tracks from them but it’s an amusing compilation set to the film’s score and it’s a nice assortment of clips and the score is given great use during this assortment of clips.
Rounding it out is a photo gallery and two trailers covering the release and re-issue of the film.
The major extras and the film itself on this disc bode well from introductions by TCM host Robert Osbourne who shares a story or two and gives a great lead in to each appropriate section on this DVD.
It doesn’t end there as Disc 2 continues the extras with Around The World With Mike Todd giving a great assortment of clips as well as an interesting recounting of Todd’s life filled with interviews of the people who knew him best along with the immortal voice of Orson Welles guiding through the piece. It’s a good assortment of clips and documentary and it’s a very good addition to this title.
Next there are highlights from three places. From two short hightlights from the Los Angeles premiere and after the Academy Awards ceremony leading to a long Playhouse 90’s broadcasting Around the World in 90 minutes which the viewer get only half of that. All three record their appropriate events nicely and even a big event of that time can be retained very well and continues the remembrance of this movie extravaganze fondly.
There is an unrelated newsreel in Spain documenting more wife Liz Taylor than Michael Todd. Finishing off this two disc presentation is a cameos menu of all the cast and crew.
With the broad scope and the wide range internationally and with an unconventional way of travelling, Around the World in 80 Days is a film of wonder and two discs worthy of wonderful additions to not only every DVD enthusiast and every film enthusiast as they can soak in a Best Picture win finally in TODD-AO.