20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916 film)

Last updated

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues under the Sea - movie ad - newspaper1917.jpg
Newspaper advertisement for the film.
Directed by Stuart Paton
Screenplay by Stuart Paton
Based on Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne
Produced by Carl Laemmle
Starring
Cinematography Eugene Gaudio
Distributed by Universal
Release date
  • December 24, 1916 (1916-12-24)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent film
English intertitles
Budget$500,000 (equivalent to $11,747,706in 2019)
Box office$8 million

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1916 American silent film directed by Stuart Paton. The film's storyline is based on the 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne. It also incorporates elements from Verne's 1875 novel The Mysterious Island . [1]

Contents

On May 4, 2010, a new print of the film was shown accompanied by a live performance of an original score by Stephin Merritt at the Castro Theatre, as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival. [2]

In 2016, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for its National Film Registry. [3] [4] [5]

Plot

PLAY: Full film

A strange "sea monster" has been rampaging the seas. The United States sends the naval vessel Abraham Lincoln to investigate. During their search, the vessel runs into the "monster,” and it damages their ship. The mysterious monster turns out to be Nautilus , the technologically advanced submarine of Captain Nemo. After the attack, the Abraham Lincoln is adrift with no rudder. Then, a "strange rescue" takes place. Captain Nemo guides his submarine directly beneath the four people who had been aboard the ship and fallen into the sea during the attack. Nautilus surfaces, and Nemo's crew brings the four rescued individuals aboard the submarine. The four include master harpooner Ned Land, a professor Pierre Aronnax, his daughter, and the professor's assistant. Once aboard the submarine, the four must swear they will not attempt to escape. The captain introduces them to his vessel and the wonders of its underwater realm. He later takes them hunting on the seafloor.

Meanwhile, union soldiers in a runaway Union Army balloon are marooned on a mysterious island. The soldiers find a wild girl living alone. Soon the yacht of Charles Denver arrives at the island. A woman's ghost (Princess Daaker) has haunted Denver, a former British colonial officer in India, whom he attacked years ago. Rather than submit to him sexually, she had stabbed and killed herself. Denver then fled with her young daughter only to abandon her on the island. Long tormented by his crime, he returned to find the girl or determine what happened to her.

One soldier schemes to kidnap the child aboard Denver's yacht. Another hears of the plan and starts swimming to the yacht to rescue her. Simultaneously, Nemo discovers the yacht belongs to Denver, the enemy he has been seeking all these years. The Nautilus destroys the yacht with a torpedo, but Captain Nemo saves the girl and her rescuer.

In elaborate flashback scenes to India, Nemo reveals he is Prince Daaker and created the Nautilus to seek revenge on Charles Denver. It overjoyed him to discover that the abandoned wild girl is his long-lost daughter, but his emotion overcomes him, and he dies. His loyal crew buries him at the ocean bottom. They disband and set the Nautilus adrift. [6]

Cast

Cast and crew of the film The Universal's "Submarine Picture Crew".jpg
Cast and crew of the film

Production

The camera system used to film the octopus scene Photosphere.jpg
The camera system used to film the octopus scene
The "photosphere" underwater viewing chamber, designed by J.E. Williamson Photosphere1.png
The "photosphere" underwater viewing chamber, designed by J.E. Williamson

This was the first feature-length motion picture filmed underwater. [7] The underwater scenes were photographed by the Williamson Submarine Film Corporation in the Bahamas. [8] Actual underwater cameras were not used, but a system of watertight tubes and mirrors allowed the camera to shoot reflected images of underwater scenes staged in shallow sunlit waters. [9] For the scene featuring a battle with an octopus, cinematographer John Ernest Williamson devised a viewing chamber called the "photosphere", a 6×10-foot steel globe in which a cameraman could be placed. The chamber was connected to a boat by a submarine tube from where Williamson would give his directions. [10] [11]

The film was made by The Universal Film Manufacturing Company (now Universal Pictures), not then known as a major motion picture studio. Yet in 1916, they financed this film's innovative special effects, location photography, large sets, exotic costumes, sailing ships, and full-size navigable mock-up of the surfaced submarine Nautilus . [12]

The film took two years to make, at the cost of $500,000. [8] Hal Erickson has said that "the cost of this film was so astronomical that it could not possibly post a profit, putting the kibosh on any subsequent Verne adaptations for the next 12 years". [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas</i> 1870 novel by Jules Verne

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas is a science fiction adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne. It is often considered a classic within both its genres and world literature. The novel was originally serialised from March 1869 to June 1870 in Pierre-Jules Hetzel's French fortnightly periodical, the Magasin d'éducation et de récréation. A deluxe octavo edition, published by Hetzel in November 1871, included 111 illustrations by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou.

<i>Nautilus</i> (fictional submarine) Fictional submarine in Jules Verne novels

Nautilus is the fictional submarine belonging to Captain Nemo featured in Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1875).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain Nemo</span> Character created by Jules Verne

Captain Nemo is a character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction books, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1875). He also makes a brief appearance in a play written by Verne with the collaboration of Adolphe d'Ennery, Journey Through the Impossible (1882).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submarine films</span> Subgenre of war film

The submarine film is a subgenre of war film in which most of the plot revolves around a submarine below the ocean's surface. Films of this subgenre typically focus on a small but determined crew of submariners battling against enemy submarines or submarine-hunter ships, or against other problems ranging from disputes amongst the crew, threats of mutiny, life-threatening mechanical breakdowns, or the daily difficulties of living on a submarine.

<i>The Mysterious Island</i> 1875 novel by Jules Verne

The Mysterious Island is a novel by Jules Verne, serialised from August 1874 to September 1875 and then published in book form in November 1875. The first edition, published by Hetzel, contains illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870) and In Search of the Castaways (1867–68), though its themes are vastly different from those books. An early draft of the novel, rejected by Verne's publisher and wholly reconceived before publication, was titled Shipwrecked Family: Marooned with Uncle Robinson, indicating the influence of the novels Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson. Verne developed a similar theme in his novel, Godfrey Morgan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submarine Voyage</span> Former attraction at Disneyland

The Submarine Voyage was an attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The attraction features vehicles designed to resemble submarines. It first opened on June 14, 1959, as one of the first rides to require an E ticket. It was part of a major expansion of Tomorrowland, which included the Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster, an expanded version of Autopia, the Disneyland Monorail, and the Motor Boat Cruise. The Submarine Voyage closed on September 8, 1998; at that time, it was reported that the attraction would reopen with a new theme by 2003, but that did not occur. The attraction ultimately reopened in June 2007 themed to Disney and Pixar's Finding Nemo, and now operates as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Mystères du Nautilus</span> Disneyland Paris attraction

Les Mystères du Nautilus is a walkthrough attraction at Disneyland Paris in France. It is an updated version of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walkthrough attraction that was at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA in the early 1950s, based upon the film of the same name. This attraction takes guests throughout the various rooms of Captain Nemo's submarine, especially those seen in the film. It opened on 4 July 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage</span> Former Dark Ride at the Magic Kingdom Theme Park

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage was an attraction at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World from 1971 through 1994. Based on the characters and settings of the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which was adapted from Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, it was a re-theming of the Submarine Voyage attraction at Disneyland. The ride involved a 20-minute submarine ride through a lagoon filled with sea life and mermaids.

<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> (1954 film) 1954 film by Richard Fleischer

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, from a screenplay by Earl Felton. Adapted from Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, the film was produced by Walt Disney Productions. It stars Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre. Photographed in Technicolor, the film was one of the first feature-length motion pictures to be filmed in CinemaScope. It was also the first feature-length Disney film to be distributed by Buena Vista Distribution.

<i>Captain Nemo and the Underwater City</i> 1969 British film by James Hill

Captain Nemo and the Underwater City is a 1969 British film directed by James Hill and starring Robert Ryan, Chuck Connors and Nanette Newman. It features the character Captain Nemo and is inspired by Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. It was written by Pip and Jane Baker.

<i>The Return of Captain Nemo</i> 1978 American TV series or program

The Return of Captain Nemo is a 1978 American science fiction adventure television miniseries directed by Alex March and Paul Stader, and loosely based on characters and settings from Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. It was written by six screenwriters including Robert Bloch and has been considered an attempt by producer Irwin Allen to duplicate the success of his Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> (1997 miniseries) 1997 two-part television miniseries directed by Rod Hardy

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1997 two-part television miniseries produced by Village Roadshow Pictures Television, based on the 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne. It was written by Brian Nelson and directed by Rod Hardy.

<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> (1997 film) 1997 American TV series or program

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1997 television film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Ben Cross as Captain Nemo. It premiered on March 23, 1997. Based on the 1870 novel of the same name by Jules Verne, it is most notable for replacing the character of Professor Aronnax's manservant, Conseil, with the Professor's daughter, Sophie, who disguises herself as a boy so that she may accompany her father aboard USS Abraham Lincoln; she becomes the apex of a love triangle involving Captain Nemo and Ned the harpooner. The film was produced by Hallmark Entertainment.

<i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> (1985 film) 1985 film

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1985 Australian made-for-television animated film from Burbank Films Australia. The film is based on Jules Verne's classic 1870 novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, and was adapted by Stephen MacLean. It was produced by Tim Brooke-Hunt and featured original music by John Stuart. The copyright in this film is now owned by Pulse Distribution and Entertainment and administered by digital rights management firm NuTech Digital.

<i>Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius</i> Novel by Kevin J. Anderson

Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius is a novel by Kevin J. Anderson, published in 2002 by Pocket Books. It is a secret history and crossover work, the central premise being that many of the things Jules Verne wrote about existed in real life as told to him by the real Captain Nemo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ernest Williamson</span> Pioneer underwater photographer

John Ernest Williamson was an English filmmaker who invented the "photosphere" from which he filmed and photographed undersea. He is credited as being the first person to take an underwater photograph from a submarine.

Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas has been adapted and referenced in popular culture on numerous occasions.

<i>Daughter of the Deep</i> 2021 middle grade novel by Rick Riordan

Daughter of the Deep is a middle grade fantasy-adventure novel by Rick Riordan. It was published on October 26, 2021, by Disney-Hyperion, and entered The New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>Nautilus</i> (TV series) 2024 British adventure drama television series

Nautilus is a British ten-part television adventure drama created by James Dormer. It is a reimagining of Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, presenting an origin story for Captain Nemo, an Indian prince-turned-crusading scientist.

References

  1. 1 2 "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1916): Synopsis by Hal Erikson" . Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  2. ↑ "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea with Stephin Merritt – San Francisco Film Society" . Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress, Washington. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  4. ↑ "With "20,000 Leagues," the National Film Registry Reaches 700". Library of Congress Film release year and induction year. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)". Library of Congress, Washington Essay on this film and others. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ Review, synopsis and link to watch the film "A cinema history" . Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  7. ↑ Krista A. Thompson (February 22, 2007). An Eye for the Tropics: Tourism, Photography, and Framing the Caribbean Picturesque. Duke University Press. p. 161. ISBN   978-0-8223-8856-2 . Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  8. 1 2 Kinnard, Roy (1995). "Horror in Silent Films." McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN   0-7864-0036-6. Page 87.
  9. ↑ "A Pioneer Under the Sea - Library Restores Rare Film Footage". Library of Congress. September 16, 1996. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Making Of The Octopus In '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea". Science Friday. June 16, 2018.
  11. ↑ "20 Years Under The Sea". 1936.
  12. ↑ "Internet Archive: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1916)" . Retrieved March 21, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.