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2000 Leagues Under The Sea 1954 – Movie poster used as an aid to criticism within the scope of “Fair Use”. All rights belong to Walt Disney Pictures. If the copyright owner wishes to remove this image, contact me at sansuthecat@yahoo.com.
NOTE: This article was originally written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney’s 2014 book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and has been revised since its original publication.
2000 Leagues Under The Sea 1954
Etc. Each of these and many other Disney movies have enduring appeal. They are accessible, lively, and warrant multiple viewings. However, most of these movies are family movies. We rarely talk about Disney movies made with a more adult sensibility.
Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
It was written in 1870 by Jules Verne, the “father of science fiction”. The novel is among Verne’s most popular.
Although the scientific explanations are a bit much, the book still exists today as a beautiful work of literature. The story is such easy fodder for film that it has been adapted for the big screen numerous times. One of the most important is the 1916 silent version, from which the 1954 version was heavily inspired. But the 1954 version is something completely different. it just seems that way
It is a creative company like Disney that will bring Verne’s magnificent adventure to life.
The film opens at sea with a mysterious green-eyed monster in the dark waters. It quickly approaches a ship and destroys it. After this sinking, we encounter a scene with a contrasting tone. An old sailor tells stories about the beast in question to an eager crowd. Harpooneer Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) underestimates the monster and starts a fight. This scene tells us everything we need to know about his character: He has a good sense of humor and is quick to use his punches. We then meet Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas), the distinguished professor of the Paris museum, and his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre). Pursued by reporters about the monster’s existence, Arronax confesses uncertainty, which the reporters take as a confession. Sensational headlines appear. Although grossly misquoted, Arronax is asked to go on a journey by ship.
Leagues Under The Sea (1954) Ws Disney Archive Collection [1587
. This is part of an American expedition to the monster and will have more credibility with the professor. Arronax and Conseil agree and
It turned out to be a mechanical submarine. When Arronax first arrives, he is fascinated by the technological wizardry. He is amazed by the electric lights, which do not run on oil or gas, and the famous circular window that spirals out into the depths of the ocean. He sees several submarine divers performing a funeral ceremony at the window. One of them carries a coral cross. The funeral was brief, but of course Arronax was seen. The trio tries to escape, but they are outnumbered. Below they meet Captain Nemo (James Mason). The intro scene is perfect. When he enters, the entire area becomes silent and all heads turn towards him. Nemo looks at them sternly before dooming them to a swift death at sea. However, he distinguishes Arronax because he is a professor. Arronax protested, saying Nemo’s behavior was uncivilized. Nemo replies: “I am not what is called a civilized man, Professor. I am done with society for reasons that are good for me. That is why I do not obey its laws.” Arronax insists that he is as guilty as his friends, and Nemo sadly condemns him. With over an hour left in the film, it is clear that our heroes will not be killed. Instead, Nemo tests them by having the trio cling to the top of the submarine as it sinks. When the waters are over their heads, Nemo pulls the submarine down. Arronax and Conseil are dragged out to sea. Only Ned Land remains, a stern expression on his face. Nemo takes note of this and invites them back in. They are now prisoners on his ship.
It’s just as gorgeous as the outside. Its corridors can be claustrophobic with the tumultuous sounds of pumps and alarms, but they can also be calming with their rhythms. Rooms can be ostentatious, like Charles Foster Kane’s Xanadu. Small libraries, huge maps, rare paintings and, of course, Nemo’s magnificent organ on which he played Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.”
It is powered by electricity, which would have been quite revolutionary in the 19th century. But to mid-20th-century audiences, an electric-powered submarine wouldn’t have been very exciting. So it is implied that
Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Is powered by nuclear energy. The idea that a man in the 19th century could have developed the technology needed to split atoms, let alone use it to power a submarine, is absurd on its face. But nuclear energy serves a more metaphorical purpose, as will become clear later. It is hard to ignore what nuclear energy meant at that time. The scene where Arronax sees the light coming from the Nautilus engine is indicative of this.
The trio then join Nemo and his crew beneath the ocean depths in heavy, steampunk-like diving suits. Most of this sequence was actually shot underwater and feels like a missing piece of the film.
. The way they move reminds me of astronauts jumping on the moon’s surface. In fact, Arronax makes a similar observation in the film: “A strange twilight world opened up before me, and I felt like the first human to set foot on another planet, an intruder into this mystical garden of the depths.” However, his narration is sparse and does not drown out the romance of the scene. It’s fascinating to see these submarine sailors lift a crayfish net or drag a reluctant sea turtle away. Paul Smith’s music really shines here, as elsewhere.
In their captivity, we begin to see the differences between Arronax, Conseil, and Ned. Ned is a simple man. He just wants to get off and go back home. That doesn’t make him a jerk. This makes him human. Arronax fell helplessly in love
Leagues Under The Sea [us 1954]
. He is impatient with Ned’s desire to escape. Arronax wishes to stay here and study the significance of these wonders. He wants Nemo to share his discoveries with the world. The Conseil appreciates these successes, as does Arronax, but is also wary of Nemo. He wants to leave before anything bad happens. When Conseil asks Arronax to understand Ned’s point of view, Arronax scolds her. From the professor’s perspective, no individual life is more valuable than the achievements of scientists.
Arronax’s disdain for their lives in the name of scientific advances seems frightening. The professor harbors a naive hope that Nemo will share these discoveries, and Ned tries to tell him: “Nemo is a rabid dog, and while you feed him candy, I’ll be thinking of a way to silence him.” Arronax is tested further as Nemo shows his more brutal ferocity.
Nemo takes Arronax ashore to show him the slave camp of an unnamed nation. Slaves work to transport nitrates and phosphates for military munitions onto warships: “They load a full load of death, and when that ship takes it home, the world will die some more.” Nemo reveals that he was once one of these slaves, and almost seems to enjoy Arronax’s despair. when you come back
, Nemo plays the organ. This time we see the pain on his face. It’s clear that playing the organ is a way for him to release his trauma, but it’s not the real way.
Worldphotographs 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) Paul Lukas, Robert J. Wilke, James Mason 10×8 Photo
Attacks. The camera will again give us close-ups of Nemo’s face. There is no longer pain, but bloodlust.
It sinks the battleship and all the men on board are killed. Arronax, Ned and Conseil watch the horror through the spiral window.
After the attack, Nemo looks completely exhausted, as if he had just finished a boxing match. Ned is especially wounded because the dead were sailors like himself. He can’t understand why the professor would want to be friends with such a despicable person. Arronax confronts Nemo in the film’s most emotional scene. He calls Nemo a hypocrite for participating in violence like the nation he condemns. Nemo exploded in anger, “You call this murder! I also see that the murder is written not on the faces of those who drowned there, but on the faces of the thousands of people who died! They are assassins, merchants of death. I am the avenger!” Nemo justifies his actions by saying that the death he caused was minor compared to the deaths caused by his enemy. He also reveals that he tortured his wife and child to death to learn the nation’s secrets.
The acting in this scene is critical. James Mason’s Nemo goes from angry to despair. Arronax doesn’t say anything. What
The Making Of ‘20000 Leagues Under The Sea’ (video 2003)
Said? Paul Lukas gives his character, the weakened Nemo, a look of pure terror. This face says it all. Nemo reaches out and asks Arronax if he knows the meaning of love. When I first saw this scene, I thought Nemo was going to leave.
