Most helpful customer reviews
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3.0 out of 5 stars
A story within a story within a story, Jun 28 2006
Prince Daaker AKA Captain Nemo has searched 20,000 leagues under the sea for revenge. The daughter of Prince Daaker (Lois Alexander) was abducted. Prof. Aronnax (Dan Hanlon) is invited by the US navy to track sown a sea monster that is interrupting shopping. He takes his daughter (Edna Pendleton). A balloon is blown off course and carries four men to the south pacific. An evil yacht owner looks for a girl from his past. All of these stories and the story of a Child of Nature in a chic leopard skin outfit will converge on a mysterious island for the final scenario.
We find this version of 20000 Leagues Under the Sea quite different from the Disney version. The special effects are more vantage and they spend more time explaining how the physics of the underwater suits, crystal "magic window", and underwater guns, work.
There are a few things that one must take in account for the times. Nemo looks like a goat herder. The giant octopus looks much more like the octopus in the John Wayne move Wake of the Red Witch. The underwater guns look like Winchester lever action. Where did the Child of Nature get her leopard skin? How did Nemo obtain his technology? Not the most plausible story.
There is also a long long under water filler scene. However there is excellent underwater photography by the brothers George and Ernest Williamson.
Other than that is fun to watch.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended as a Historic Artifact, But Nothing More, Oct 9 2003
The 1916 version of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is a perfect example of what can happen when a film relies primarily on special effects. In its day, it was widely celebrated as one of the first feature-length films to make use of underwater photography, and audiences thrilled to its scenes of coral reefs and sharks. But nowadays we're very used to seeing underwater photography, and of a quality that far surpasses that seen here. And the film has little else to offer.The story, of course, is based on the Jules Verne classic--but "based" is the operative word. About the only thing this film version has in common with the Verne novel is the title, a few character names, and a few basic concepts, so if you're expecting a faithful silent adaptation of the novel you're outta luck. In this version, a scientist (Dan Hanlon) and his party go in search of sea monsters and run afoul of the Nautilus, but they soon discover that Capt. Nemo (Allen Holubar) really isn't such a bad guy after all. There's a subplot about a "child of nature" (Jane Gail) who lives on a "Mysterious Island" and who has some mixed experiences with shipwrecked sailors stranded there--and before the whole thing ends we are flashed back to colonial India for an explanation of just who Capt. Nemo really is and how he got that way. In the process there is underwater photography aplenty, including a faintly hilarious attack on a sailor by a 1916 special-effects-octopus. The acting is extremely broad here, even for 1916, and Nemo's costume makes him look rather like a skinny Santa Claus gone bad. The Nautilus is uninspired and the cinematography is only so-so. Consequently, what audiences thrilled over in 1916 seems pretty clunky today. The film has not been well-reserved, nor has any attempt been made to restore it, and there isn't a single scene that isn't riddled with artifacts. This is really a film for die-hard silent film buffs rather than casual viewers, and even silent film buffs will probably find themselves hitting the fast forward more than a couple of times. Recommended as a historic artifact, but nothing more. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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2.0 out of 5 stars
An authentic 1916 film, collectable, video taped to DVD., Jan 22 2003
This is a classic, first of its kind film. The special effects include some of the FIRST underwater motion film ever made. There is no dialoged sound track, a pianist accompanies the black&white (sometimes brown& white) images while occasional subtitles elude to the drama as it unfolds. The image bobs and weaves like a video camera was held in front of a screen showing the celluloid film to make this into DVD. A tripod would have helped.
If you must have any and all submarine movies, or are collecting samples of cutting edge effects before the era of synchronized sound, then this DVD is for you. If you're looking for the "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" where the squid wraps around the sub in full color & sound, then I think the Disney version is the one you want. I'll keep both versions!
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