Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Director: Michael Anderson
Starring: David Niven, Cantinflas, Finlay Currie

Synopsis:
An eccentric English gentleman takes up a wager to circumnavigate the globe in eighty days.

Impressions:
I might have passed on this one if it weren't for the fact that David Niven plays Phileas Fogg. I've seen most of the rather mediocre '04 version, so I wasn't that interested in the story itself. Interestingly enough, the largely incongruous material capitalizing on Jackie Chan in the role of Passepartout is a tradition carried over from its predecessor, as a number of the scenarios are tailor-made for Mexican comedian Cantinflas, who was apparently a big box office draw back in his day, particularly in the Latin American market. Speaking of Cantinflas, his brand of comedy is pretty funny, reminding me quite a bit of Harpo Marx's antics. David Niven does well as the comically serious Fogg and Shirley MacLaine has an interesting early role as Princess Aouda. While most of the scenes are shot in the studio, there's a lot of on-location footage, which makes for a sort of theme park global travelogue. This movie is largely credited with establishing the cameo and there are a number of big names in various small roles. The material is fairly shallow, but it's entertaining enough. The prologue, with its proto-Space Age preening about modernity, feels incongruous, but we get clips from Méliès' Le Voyage dans la Lune, so that's something. It's one of those big epic films, so settle in for the long haul and give it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It