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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Special Edition

When a post-Civil War United States finds its shipping industry at the mercy of an unseen sea monster, a crew of sailors is sent to track the whereabouts of the menace throughout the Pacific Ocean. Among the crew members is French Professor Pierre Arronax (Paul Lukas), his assisant Conseil (Peter Lorre), and Ned Land (Kirk Douglas), a professional whaler. Their journey brings them to the discovery of what is in actuality a submarine vessel, with all manner of unheard of gadgets like electricity, manned by the crew of Captain Nemo (James Mason), whose rage over the loss of his wife and child has led him to this present mental state of seek-and-destroy. During their journey into once-uncharted territory beneath the depths, Arronax holds to his hope that Nemo may be rescued from his hatred, but Land, in his many attempts to escape, thinks otherwise. ***

One of Disney's early live-action features, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" holds true to the sense of adventure of the Jules Verne source novel while creating a sense of awe and wonderment all its own. In the new millenium, prior to the advance technology that can be seen in almost every new feature film, Franz Planer's photography and the stunning technical effects have not lost their ability to dazzle on the grounds of visual beauty alone. The film went on to win two Oscars for Best Color Art Direction and Special Effects, and it shows in every frame of director Richard Fleischer's meticulously-crafted vision. Be it the first glimpse of the Nautilus in all her underwater glory, or the breathtaking finale involving a battle between man and beast (specifically, one mad giant squid), there is not a moment where the action does not take hold of the audience in the best tradition of the genre. ***

What has ultimately helped the film to survive the passage of time is the involving plot and intriguing characters. Captain Nemo remains to this day one of the most captivating villains of all time, with the question of whether or not he can truly be considered the bad guy still managing to worm its way into our minds after the film ends. The performance of James Mason is one of true excellence, coupled by equally involving acting from Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, and Kirk Douglas, whose giddy charm, when crossed with his rugged heroic appeal, is absolutely mesmerizing. The Earl Felton script manages to remain faithful to the novel without sacrificing integral plot points, remaining true to the social commentary concerning hypocrisy and man's inhumanity to man. A true "whale of a tale," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" deservedly earns the status of a classic while at the same time setting the standard by which other films of its kind should be judged.

Considering the age of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," I'd say that this DVD transfer is quite good. Presented in all its CinemaScope glory in the ratio of 2.55:1, this remaster is awash with wonderfully-saturated colors and textures that are mostly pleasing, with only some slight hinderances to speak of. Some sequences bear a brownish tone that gives a somewhat unnatural appearance, and the palette can be quite drab in places. Contrast and shadow detail are better than previous home video releases of the film, while blacks remain solid throughout. Edges are generally pleasing, sharp throughout most of the presentation, but always marred by enhancement halos. The source print looks pretty good, with a minimal amount of dirt or scratches, while the abundance of grain, especially in the underwater sequences, tends to make things look a but unnatural. All things considered, this is an overall pleasing transfer that gets the job done. ***

The sound has also been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, but the results aren't quite satisfying enough. Despite some noticeable attempts to beef up the track with some added .1 LFE enhancement during explosions and some of the bigger sound effects, there isn't a lot of oomph to the track. Surround usage is mimimal to the point of being non-existent in places; scenes with organ music make full use of the rears, but the general score and the sound effects remain front-heavy and congested in the high end. Stereo separation is pleasing, while dialogue sounds natural enough to get by on. Mediocre at best.

Continuing with their releasing of classic films on DVD, Disney has given "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" a treatment worthy of their Platinum Series moniker. Spread out across two discs, one for the film, the other for the bulk of the supplements, this expansive special edition takes us beyond the Nautilus into the creation of one of the adventure genre's most highly-regarded entertainments, and the results are fascinating to behold. ***

In addition to the commentary on Disc One we have a short cartoon with Donald Duck, entitled "Grand Canyonscope," an obvious play on the photographic technique CinemaScope, which "20,000 Leagues" was shot in. ***

Moving on to Disc Two, we have the brunt of the extras, beginning with "The Making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." This has to be one of the best featurettes I've seen in years, an extraordinary look at the many facets of this laborious, very difficult production. It's interesting to learn that Disney's ambition in regards to this feature film could have very well been his undoing, as it was the most expensive project of its time, including "Gone With the Wind." Beginning with the conception of the film and going into the details of the filming process, we hear from many of the film's primary collaborators including director Fleischman, cast member Kirk Douglas, special effects director Robert A. Mattey, and so many others, all of whom have something to say. Fun facts include that of Fleischman being the son of Walt Disney's animation rival, Max Fleischman, as well as many of the shooting locations and photographic tricks used to create the movie. For this featurette, a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage has been incorporated into the interviews, and this provides a you-are-there experience that is truly captivating. Excellent! ***

Next up are two other featurettes: "Jules Verne and Walt Disney: Explorers of the Imagination," and "The Humbolt Squid: A Real Sea Monster!" "Verne/Disney" explores the various comparisons between the two creative minds, but mostly takes more of an interest in Verne's many works, and how much of what he envisioned in his life would come to pass during certain pivotal events in our planet's history of exploration. "Monster" features some interviews with professional diver/filmmaker Scott Cassell, whose fascination with the underwater world was borne out of "20,000 Leagues." He informs us of the habits and life cycle of the real Humbolt squid, while at the same time showing us footage of his dives to capture these creatures on film. ***

The rest of the material is divided into three different subsections, beginning with "Lost Treasures," which is home to the "Sunset Squid Sequence." This is the squid battle scene as it was originally photographed and intended to be shown; after being rejected by Walt Disney, the scene was later shot with a nighttime setting used. This sequence has been pieced together from behind-the-scenes footage taken during the shooting process, and score has been added as well. Truth be told, I prefer the way the scene plays out in the film, if for no other reason than the fact that it is easier to hide certain giveaways in night shots; the sunset sequence looks rather cheesy, like third-rate 50's sci-fi. ***

Then we move on to "Production Archives," which harbors a wealth of paraphernalia relating to the movie. Among the more brief pieces are a photo montage of stills accompanied by music, a montage of floor plans and photos of the Nautilus set, storyboard-to-scene comparisons for two scenes, some production stills and artwork, and some cast and crew bios. Here we also have "The Musical Legacy of Paul Smith," a longtime Disney composer who is praised here by other composers. In "Movie Merchandise," brothers Paul and Lawrence Brooks relate to us their obsession with collecting items relating to the film, including all manner of vintage toys and games, and even a school tote bag! A variety of deleted material is present here, including some unused animation of deep-sea creatures, and some footage shot during production sans sound. A piece of Walt's Disney's television program can be found here that specifically relates to the creation of the sea monsters, as well as some interesting audio material including radio spots and ADR recording sessions in which cast member Peter Lorre repeats various phrases over to suit Fleischman's needs. The film's original theatrical trailer can also be found here. ***

Last but not least we have the "1954 Disney Studio Album," which is a collection of film footage showcasing the life of Disney Studios at the time of this film's release. "Lady and the Tramp" was still in the developmental stages then, and a new Donald Duck short had come to life.