20,000 leagues under the sea (film, 1954)

The film takes place in 1868. The US government is alarmed by rumors of attacks on the ships of a mysterious sea monster in the South Pacific. Sailors refuse to sail. French professor Pierre Aronax and his servant Consel, on their way to Saigon , are detained in San Francisco. They are invited to take part in the journey of the ship "Abraham Lincoln", equipped in search of a monster.

On the way, the professor and his servant get acquainted with the sociable harpooner Ned Land. After long days of unsuccessful searches, an American ship collides with an unknown sea monster that rams Abraham Lincoln and sends it to the bottom. Aronax, Consel and the harpooner Ned Land miraculously remain alive, and fall on the object that attacked them. It turns out to be a Nautilus submarine - a technological miracle for its time. The captain of the submarine, who calls himself Nemo, agreed to leave the captives on board. A long journey begins, during which the professor and his friends become members of the team against their will. Ned Land during the journey does not abandon attempts to escape and at the same time tries to take possession of the treasures of the seabed and discover the coordinates of the secret base of the submarine. Professor Aronax draws closer to the captain and continues his scientific research. During the ascent and visit to the cannibal island, Land and Concelle try to escape, but they fail. The eccentric captain Nemo, who made his ship a weapon of retaliation, challenges civilization. More than once the team is in danger during an attack on warships of other countries and an attack by a giant octopus trying to destroy a submarine. Nevertheless, Lendu manages to send a message in a bottle from the submarine, where the coordinates of the secret base of Nemo on the island of Vulcania were indicated.

In the end, the Nautilus returns to its secret base. It turns out that some warships captured the island. Troops land on the island and open fire on the submarine. The wounded captain Nemo refuses to give up. With a powerful explosion, he destroys the base along with the invaders who captured it and sends it to the bottom of the Nautilus, leaving the abyss along with the rest of the team. Aronax and his friends manage to escape on a boat. The professor regrets that he could not keep his scientific journal.

• Director - Richard Fleisher
• Screenwriter - Earl Felton
• Editor - Elmo Williams
• Artists: John Michen, Harper Goff (concept)
• Special Effects Operator - Ralph Hammeras
• Underwater Consultant - Fred Zendar
• Special Effects - John Hench, Josh Mead, Robert Matthey
• Back Training - Peter Ellenshaw
• Composer - Paul Smith
• Operator - Franz Glider
• Underwater Camera Operator - Til Gabbani
• Costumes - Norman Martien
• Sound Engineer - S.O. Slyfield
• Scenery - Emil Curie ^[3]

Background

Walt Disney in the early 1950s was at a stage of great change and worked on several large-scale projects at once. Financially, the time was difficult for the company, the post-war crisis affected the entire US film industry and did not pass Walt Disney. At this point, management makes a strategic decision on major investments in a new direction - amusement parks. It was also necessary to adequately respond to the technological challenge - the spread of television. In 1954, ABC planned to air her first television series Disneyland ( en ) ^[4] . In the same year, it was planned to start work on the next animated project Sleeping Beauty , with a six-million budget ^{[5] [6]} .

In the early 1950s, with the spread of color cinema, the science fiction genre began to gain more and more popularity on screens. Tapes such as "Invasion of the United States" , "Destination - The Moon" and "War of the Worlds" , attracted an audience and gathered a good box office. The management of the Walt Disney studio came to the conclusion that it is necessary to create the image of a film studio that keeps up with the times, and is one of the first to introduce industry novelties. So it was decided to create a sci-fi picture, using the advanced features of cinema ^[7] .

When choosing material, producers had to face a dilemma. The audience was attracted by the genres of the disaster and horror films, which did not quite combine with the studio's orientation toward family and children's viewing ^[8] . The works of Jules Verne , as the literary basis of the script, according to Walt Disney , fit here perfectly ^[9] . It was planned to shoot a film adaptation of one of the novels in the series of Amazing Adventures since the 1940s. Initially, the picture was supposed to be animated. However, after a successful experience with such low-budget ribbons as “Treasure Island” and “Sword and Rose” , the studio management leaned towards the option of a feature film and chose the novel “ Twenty thousand leagues under the sea ” as the literary principle. In 1952, Disney managed to buy the rights to the film version, which originally belonged to MGM , and then to King Brothers ^[10] .

Preparation

Walt Disney has long been familiar with the activities of Richard Fleischer. The director, in collaboration with screenwriter Earl Felton, created in the early 1950s several memorable comedy and noir works, in particular the Happy Time film, which was positively noted by critics. Fleischer was also one of the few directors who had experience working in widescreen cinema , and this is exactly what the producer saw the future film ^[11] . Among other things, Disney knew Father Fleischer well as his main rival in the 1930s in the struggle for the animated film market ^{[2] [12]} . Richard, having received a job offer, even decided to ask his father if he did not object to his participation in such a project, and Max Fleischer immediately gave his blessing ^[13] . The first thing Disney did was to show Fleischer a sketch of a submarine held by a huge octopus in its tentacles, and said, “I want you to lead the shooting of such a movie” ^[14] . On April 1, 1953, Fleischer became a Walt Disney employee on a paycheck ^[15] .

Initially, the budget of the painting was estimated at approximately $ 2.5 million. An important authority that made the decision to launch the painting was the company's president Roy Disney , who was often very skeptical of the bold undertakings of his younger brother. However, unexpectedly for Walt, he immediately became a supporter of the new project and fully supported it ^[16] . Artist of the picture Harper Goff recalled the words of Walt Disney

Harper, my brother and I have invested all the money that we have earned in a lifetime in this stupid picture.

Original text

Harper, all the money that my brother and I have made in our lives is tied up in this one stupid picture

- ^[17]

The preliminary production phase began in the summer of 1952. The first version of the script was written by John Buttle and he focused on a 4-hour-long film, which did not fit into the studio's plans. Earl Felton finalized and reduced the script to about two hours. Adopting the text, Felton and Fleischer came to the conclusion that the available translations of Verne’s novel into English were not adequate enough and focused on the original French version. Considerable attention was paid to the central character, which has changed compared to the "book" Nemo. He became a more negative and aggressive hero. If Verne's captain only defends himself, then Felton Nemo prefers to attack the enemy first, and does so without any pity. Walt Disney monitored the scripting process and amended it. He wanted to create, if possible, a children's film. The storyline with the Esmeralda hand seal is precisely his idea. The script was completed on September 25, 1953 ^[15] . Even before the work on the text was completed, the script was handed over to the production designers, and they created a storyboard based on it from about 1300 sketches ^[2] .

It was planned that the filming of the film will take place in the main studio in Burbank . For a large-scale project, additional investments were required. Especially for the upcoming shoots, Pavilion No. 3 was erected, in which a water tank was built with dimensions of 18 by 38 meters, a depth of 1 to 3.5 meters. The pavilion cost the studio $ 300 thousand. Nevertheless, the production capacities of the studio, relatively recently working in the gaming cinema market, were still not enough and it was necessary to occupy additional space and equipment from other studios ^[18] . Not enough for the studio and staff. Disney began to actively lure employees from competitors. These transfers were not properly executed due to lack of time and the company had big problems with unions. Some employees were not even hired, and this was one of the reasons why the artist Goff was never mentioned in the credits of the picture, and the production designer was John Mikhen (he also left Paramount Pictures for a new job) ^[17] .

Nautilus Design

The key member of the team was the artist Harper Goff ( en ), known for his work on the paintings “The Odyssey of Captain Blood” , “Casablanca” , “Something from Another World” and others. Goff and Disney were both passionate collectors of miniature railway models and met in a store where models were sold in 1952 ^[15] . As a result, Disney lured him out of Warner Brothers, offering work related to the preparation of the design of the first Disneyland park network. Then in 1952, he joined the work on the future film, becoming the author of the most important elements of the artistic concept ^[2] .

The initial draft of the Nautilus design was prepared by Goff for an animated version. Creating the appearance of a submarine, Goff was in a controversial situation. On the one hand, the submarine was supposed to correspond to the literary prototype and spirit of the 19th century. On the other hand, it should have looked quite modern in the 20th century. Therefore, Goff did not add the periscope and any weapons to the Nautilus, except for ram and electric discharges. At first, Walt Disney did not want any frills and was inclined to the option with a strict cylindrical hull of the boat, as was the case with Jules Verne ^[15] . However, Goff managed to convince the management that a more extravagant version with a body similar to the body of a fish or a crocodile would look more spectacular ^[2] . The artist took into account the fact that the submarine had to remind from a distance a certain living creature. Therefore, the “Nautilus” has a characteristic “ dorsal fin ” and portholes similar to “eyes” ^[15] .

When creating the interior, the artist, as he put it, professed the principle: there is nothing more spectacular than a combination of cold steel and elegant luxury . The magnificent interior design was complemented by glass and metal instruments and ship controls set up everywhere. The layout of the organ , on which, in the course of the action, is played by captain Nemo complemented the originality of the interior. Salon "Nautilus" made such an impression on Walt Disney that he asked the artist to subsequently deal with the design of the Disney office ^[15] .

Special Effects

To shoot the picture, 35 mm Mitchell cameras and the new, at that time, Cinemascope Technicolor color cinema technology ^{[19] were used} . The first film was shot on its basis in 1953, and all over the world there was only one corresponding anamorphic lens attachment. Studios had to borrow it from XX Century Fox and the filming process was delayed until, finally, a second similar attachment became available ^[20] . Until that moment, it was necessary to resort to technological tricks, so as not to stop the filming process. For some scenes, miniature models were made with modified proportions (vertically stretched) so that they could be reproduced in a normal proportion in a movie theater when shot with an ordinary lens ^{[~ 3] [21]} . If previously a frame with an aspect ratio of 1.33: 1 was typical, then in the new film it was 2.55: 1. Personnel engaged in production, had to retrain on the go to a new style and the construction of a staging area in a wider frame ^[11] .

For special effects in the film, the famous specialist Ralph Hammeras ( en ) and Bob Matti were responsible. The classic effects of his time were used, in particular the shooting of the "scenery" or "nature" painted on glass. So the scene was shot with the island of Vulcania ^[22] . Sea battle scenes were filmed using large-scale models of Nautilus, ships and some creatures ^[15] .

When creating models, designers were guided by the fact that the "real" length of the submarine in the frame would be about 60 meters and a width of up to 8 meters. Several Nautilus models were prepared for shooting: from 40 cm to 6 meters. About $ 250 thousand were spent alone on the construction of submarine models ^[20] . To achieve greater reliability, a very detailed replica of the Abraham Lincoln ship was needed. In order to reproduce other ships that he encountered on the Nautilus route, more crude models were used. The scene of the collision with sharks required the manufacture of three models of sharks reaching 6 meters in length. Moving Nautilus models had an electric drive and worked on batteries. Shark models were set in motion by scuba divers, pulling the “shark” by the cable ^[23] . An incident occurred during the filming. The team caught a nanny shark about 2.5 meters long. There was an idea to use a shark corpse for filming an episode. She was stunned and left on the deck of the boat. The next day she was lowered on a rope into the water and the operator followed her. Suddenly, in the water, the shark came to life and went to the depths, pulling the operator. He still managed to untie the rope and got off with a little damage to the eardrum and movie camera ^[15] .

The scene of the attack of the accelerating Nautilus in front of the ram was shot in the pool of Pavilion 3, using a model of a submarine about 6 meters long. For realism, we used the accelerated shooting technique (50 frames per second). Animations in some frames were added by small inserts of hand - drawn animation (fish passing by the porthole, electric discharges on the boat hull) ^[15] .

Octopus Scene

Technically, the most difficult scene was a fight with a giant octopus. For her, a mechanical stuffed shellfish was created, weighing more than a ton, controlled by cables and hydraulics , by several dozen operators. They built it according to enlarged images of real squids, but the tentacles were approximately doubled, up to 12 meters. In real proportion, they looked too short. The construction was supervised by the sculptor Bob Chatti by sculptor Chris Möller ^[18] .

Initially, the attack was shot in the setting of calm weather at sunset. Walt Disney, who constantly monitored the filming, looked at the preliminary materials and ordered to immediately re-shoot everything, since the scene, in his opinion, was too unnatural. The cables that controlled the tentacles were visible on the screen, and the action was clearly lacking in dynamism. The problem was also that the tentacles were made of woven material that quickly got wet, and they became too heavy. Fleisher warned that it is unlikely that with available means it will be possible to revive the material, the octopus will still look fake. However, Disney got it ^[23] . He ordered further work on the next episodes and hired another assistant director, James Havens, who was only involved in the preparation of this scene. The mechanical model of the octopus was rebuilt. The tentacles and the body were made of metal frame, rubber and glass wool ; a pneumatic drive was added to it. This solution turned out to be very successful - by supplying air in the tentacle, it was possible to achieve the desired effect. The tentacle straightened, twisted back and could "grab" a person. The scene was completely re-shot at the end of the production schedule, in the surroundings of a fierce storm and night. To simulate a storm in the studio installed fans and water cannons. Re-shooting cost the studio an additional $ 200 thousand. ^{[24] [~ 4]} .

Production

A team of actors - stars of the first magnitude: James Mason , Kirk Douglas , Peter Lorre - was involved in the filming for the first time in the practice of the Disney studio. Douglas’s salary for 12 weeks of filming was $ 175,000, the largest amount the company paid to the actor ^[17] . For the role of Professor Aronax, Charles Bouillet previously auditioned, but in the end she went to Paul Lucas . James Mason, who had previously specialized mainly in negative roles, initially refused the role of Nemo. He believed that the type of character is not suitable for a role in a children's film, but he was convinced of the opposite ^[20] .

After a year of preliminary preparation, production was supposed to begin in January 1954. Before that, it was necessary to choose a place for full-scale shooting and decide how technically underwater shooting would be carried out. Fred Zendar, known for such films as “Reaping the Storm” , “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”, was involved in the management of work underwater. In the fall of 1953, the first shootings took place. In pavilion No. 3 and the large pool, only one trial scene was completely filmed - an episode in which Ned and Consel found a treasure chest at the bottom. The team felt the technical problems that have to be solved. It was necessary to solve the issue of costumes and equipment for underwater shooting ^[15] .

When creating the “diving suits” of the Nemo team, the creators of the picture had to enter unfamiliar territory. In the early 1950s, there were only two technologies for a long stay of a person under water: using a diving kit and using a scuba gear . When designing the costume, Goff came up with the idea that it would be good to combine these two methods. To fix a diving helmet on the head of a person under water, and to pump air into it from the back balloon from the scuba gear. Experts, however, appreciated that it was unrealistic to implement such a thing. There is not enough pressure and air supply in a standard cylinder to supply enough air to the diving helmet for a long time while the take is being removed. In addition, the standard scuba air regulator was not designed for such use at all, and diving became dangerous. Then the production designer decided to proceed from the scuba gear option. It was decided that a scuba diver’s head would be worn with a helmet of Japanese pearl fishers, which was relatively small in size and had a peculiar appearance. The helmet was further developed in order to comply with the Victorian style ^[19] . A tube with a mouthpiece for breathing (water got inside the helmet) was put under the helmet and the cylinders were draped under the suit ^[25] . For the fabric of the suit, thin rubber was used that tightly fitted the diver's body, which also greatly distinguished the suit from the usual diving kit. In November 1953, diving suits were successfully tested in the pool, after which the search began for a suitable location. As such, a shallow bay with clear water was discovered in the Bahamas, in the town of Lifford Cay ( New Providence ). Filming was carried out at a depth of not more than 9 meters in order to have good lighting and there were no problems with decompression ^[15] .

January 11, 1954 began full-scale shooting of the film. The first time filmed episode was an underwater funeral scene. Only this scene required 8 shooting days. The underwater team included 33 people, and for successful work in natural light, it was necessary to put a linen cover over a considerable area, so as not to raise dust from the bottom. For a more accurate filming guide, the director of the film had to dive with scuba gear. During January-March, most of the full-scale (on land and under water) scenes of the picture were shot ^[15] .

On March 10, 1954, immediately after the end of the field shooting phase, Fleischer continued to work in the pavilion from the shooting of the squid fight scene. From March to June 1954, filming took place in the pavilion. For individual episodes, the team again went to nature. To shoot a scene in which the heroes first board the Nautilus, they had to resort to the help of the US Navy. This part of the shooting took place in the bay at San Diego . The episode filmed a real diesel submarine USS Redfish (SS-395) , on the deck of which a “dorsal fin” was installed ^{[~ 5]} . An episode was shot here of how Professor Aronax and his companions first appeared on Nautilus and some other scenes. Volcano and loading at a mercenary camp were partially filmed in Death Valley (California). The work was completed on June 19, 1954 with underwater filming of a galleon with treasures ^[15] . The squid attack scene had to be completely re-shot a second time. Because of this, the production of the picture was delayed for another six weeks and the creators did not meet the planned schedule for the premiere and rental, but Disney went to all costs ^[26] .

Rental Edition

The post-production phase took place in August-September 1954. The editor of the picture, Elmo Williams , recalled that the first draft of the picture had a duration of about 3 hours. Then the scene included scenes connected with a visit to the South Pole , Atlantis and descent into an ultra-deep trench, but during the installation at the last stage they were removed ^[15] .

Composer Paul Smith, a Walt Disney full-time specialist who wrote music for famous animated films ( Bambi , Pinocchio , Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ), worked on the soundtrack. As it was customary in the studio, he began to write music when most of the material was already shot and it was possible to focus on the finished material ^[15] .

In 1953, a special unit of Buena Vista was created to organize the rental of studio paintings. Disney, given the difficult financial situation of the studio, did not want to share income with distributors who took up to 30% of the revenue, and considered it appropriate to take the process into their own hands. One of the first paintings released for rental Buena Vista and was "20,000 leagues under the sea" ^[26] .

The release of the picture on the screens was accompanied by a large-scale advertising campaign. On December 8, 1954, an hour-long documentary called Operation Undersea was released on television. In fact, it was a kind of trailer for “20,000 leagues ...”, but the film acquired independent significance. He received high marks from Nielsen and even won an Emmy Award . For the purpose of promotion, comics, a line of fashionable clothes, mechanical toys and other related products were also produced ^{[27] [28]} .

On December 9, the first pre-show took place at the Astor Cinema (New York). The premiere took place on December 23, Christmas Eve, on 60 screens. The painting “20,000 Leagues ...” was the first significant commercial success of Richard Fleischer, thanks to which he earned the authority of one of the leading directors ^[12] . For Walt Disney, the film was the highest budget project at that time. The budget of the painting amounted to about $ 4.3 million, but taking into account the advertising company, it is estimated at $ 9 million. The “home” rental of the painting in the USA in 1954–1955 brought, according to various estimates, about 8 to 11 million dollars. In the annual rental of 1955, the picture took 4th place in the US domestic market ^{[29] [3] [30]} .

During the 27th Academy Awards ceremony, the painting was awarded two statuettes, with participation in three nominations. It is interesting to note that in the struggle for the prize for the best special effects, the painting “20,000 leos ...” won over competitors with similar fantastic elements in the plot. The picture "They!" ( Warner Bros. ) described the consequences of nuclear weapons tests. The drama Hell in Open Water (XX Century Fox) was dedicated to the tragic denouement of the Cold War . The picture had a similar plot and ending - the adventures of a submarine and an atomic explosion on a distant island ^[15] . The Oscars, as was then customary in the studio, were received not by direct performers, but personally by the director of the company, Walt Disney. In his speech, however, he mentioned all those whose contribution to the creation of the painting was the most significant. When asked by Harper Goff if he was worried about this, he said: Everyone already knows who the author of the special effects is. The academy then sent me the statuette anyway. Unsigned ^{[15] [31]} .

Recognition and Significance

Fleischer's work was recognized as one of the best adaptations of Jules Verne's novel and on-screen steampunk classics ^[32] . “20,000 leagues ...” is a vivid example of family cinema, paintings of the 1950s and 1960s, created by Walt Disney, contrasted with violence and cruelty on the screens, to which other movie studios of the country increasingly resorted ^[33] . After its release, the management of Walt Disney Studios gradually came to the decision to change the strategy. Starting from the 1950s, feature and documentary films, as opposed to animated ones, made up a significant portfolio, and since the 1960s they began to dominate the studio's product line. Game pictures with a comparable budget went through the production cycle much faster and brought a relatively good income ^[34] . The development of Cinemascope technology allowed the next expensive animation project “Lady and the Tramp” to be released in a new format ^[11] .

Time and political sentiment had a significant impact on the atmosphere of the picture. Despite the fact that its plot, in general, is very close to Verne’s novel, many elements referred the viewer to the realities of the 20th century. Critics noted a clear hint that the Nautilus in the film sets in motion atomic energy , although the mention of it does not correspond to the 19th century ^{[~ 6]} . In the film "Nautilus" tragically dies by the will of the captain. This ending was unusual for children's cinema. The tragic end of the picture with a terrible mushroom cloud above Vulcania clearly reminded the viewer of the recent tests of atomic weapons on the Bikini Atoll ^[35] . Such a pessimistic mood in the film of the studio focused on children and family audiences is unusual, but it turned out to be close to the audience. The mood of the 1950s, when the United States had not yet recovered from the World War and became involved in the arms race, also influenced the cinema ^[7] . Some sources even called the ending “20,000 leagues ...” apocalyptic ^{[36] [7]} . В 1977 году концовка фильма была обыграна в фильме «Шпион, который меня любил» . Развязка из тематики холодной войны , разыгравшаяся на подводной базе «Атлантис», явно отсылала зрителей к теме из диснеевского фильма ^[37] .

Темы из фильма и его декорации продолжали приносить компании прибыль много позже его выхода на экран. По мотивам фильма вышло несколько комиксов. В частности, известность получила серия выпущенная Dell Comics ( en ) ^[38] . Миниатюрные модели подводной лодки были весьма популярны и схемы для сборки регулярно публиковались в журналах для судомоделистов ^[39] . Одна из полноразмерных моделей «Наутилуса», задники и некоторые другие декорации, после окончания съёмок, перекочевали в открывшийся в 1955 году первый парк развлечений Диснейленд в Анахайме . Отчасти это объяснялось и тем, что при создании парка экономить пришлось на всём, и возможность использовать готовые декорации стала оптимизацией расходов ^[40] . Декорации стали частью одного из самых популярных аттракционов, в разделе парка Tomorrowland, функционировавшего до 1964 года. Модель «Наутилуса», которая могла погружаться с пассажирами на борту в 1970—1990 годах была одним из самых популярных аттракционов в парках развлечения сети «Диснейленд» ^{[15] [41]} .

Специалисты занятые картины и в дальнейшем оказались востребованы по специальности. Харпер Гофф сотрудничал и в дальнейшем с Флейшером и помог ему создать образ «микросубмарины» в фильме «Фантастическое путешествие» . Работа Боба Матти над спецэффектами позволила ему приобрести большой авторитет среди коллег. Именно его Стивен Спилберг привлёк к созданию макета акулы в фильме «Челюсти» ^[42] . В 1961 году актёру Джеймсу Мейсону предложили ещё раз сыграть роль Немо в фильме «Таинственный остров» , но он отказался ^[15] .

Успех картины породил подражания и даже моду на экранизации Жюля Верна, число которых значительно возросло. В следующие годы вышли такие картины как «Вокруг света за 80 дней» ( United Artists , 1956), «С Земли на Луну» ( RKO , 1958), «Путешествие к центру Земли» ( Fox , 1959). Попытались продолжить тему и в студии Disney. В 1962 году был снят фильм «Дети капитана Гранта» . Несмотря на техническое совершенство, картина не имела большого успеха у зрителей ^[15] .

Criticism

Фильм получил главным образом положительные отзывы ^{[43] [44] [45]} . Критики отметили в первую очередь визуальные эффекты и декорации, благодаря чему картина хорошо смотрится и спустя пятьдесят лет. Привлекают внимание продуманные детали повествования: внешний облик и интерьер помещений «Наутилуса», оформление подводных костюмов. Журнал Variety отметил, кроме впечатляющего дизайна подводной лодки, и красочные подводные сцены ^[43] . При этом возможности технологии Cinemascope, по мнению критика New York Times Босли Кроутера , не были использованы в полной мере ^[46] .

Эффектная сцена нападения спрута, другие спецэффекты выделяют «20 000 льё» в череде фантастических фильмов категории B . Репертуар кинотеатров тогда заполняли такие картины как «Чудовище с глубины 20 000 саженей» и «Они!» , эксплуатировавшие стандартный сюжет атомной катастрофы и монстра из глубин океана ^[14] . «20 000 льё…» начинается вполне невинно, со стереотипных приключенческих сцен, но постепенно сюжет заходит в области нетипичные для жанра. Образ «Наутилуса» в борьбе как с порождённым природой чудовищным спрутом так и с цивилизацией стал находкой создателей, позитивно воспринятой и зрителями и критикой. Здесь творческому коллективу удалось справиться с противоречием заложенным в сюжете и, более того, оно сыграло им на руку. Тема опасности от технологических новинок, которые могут оказаться не в тех руках, была бережно донесена из литературного первоисточника на экран. Критик Роберт Ринг отметил то, что «невинный» тон сценария смягчил морально неоднозначный контекст картины ^[47] . Противопоставление возможностей XIX и XX века не испортило сюжет и смотрелось вполне выигрышно ^[7] .

Moral ambiguity is the main message in the film. The action taking place under water is an escape from society and its usual ethical values, so that we can observe a world free from the demands of civilizations. The picture is not just an adventure - it is a moral adventure.

Original text

This moral uncertainty is the point of the film. Taking place under the sea, it is about escaping society and its conventional ethical notions so that we can view the world free of demands and expectations of civilization. The movie is not only literal adventure, it is a moral adventure ...

- Robert Ring ^[47]

The analysis of the picture revealed a not quite traditional division of the heroes into good and bad. The interpretation of the image of Captain Nemo is such that he is closest to the image of the main villain, but his figure as an avenger is attractive to the viewer. On the one hand, he is depicted as a madman, whom the prisoners of the ship call the killer. The scene in which Nemo plays the toccata and puffer in D minor Bach is a direct quote from the movie “The Phantom in the Opera” , in which the main negative character also plays the organ ^[48] . However, the image of Nemo is far from the cliche of the “mad scientist” familiar to the sci-fi trash of that time ^[49] . The character Neda Lenda, who is opposed to him, is also ambiguous, which openly demonstrates greed and indifference, although it saves Nemo from death in the key episode. The depiction of the captain’s personal tragedy justifies his almost uncontrolled violence. A scene with an army attack on the island of Vulcania in the end is characteristic. The armed forces attacking the submarine, which do not have nationality, become a kind of blurry image of the enemy that the captain confronts ^{[7] [45]} .

Critic Colin Jacobson noted Mason's game and his embodiment of the image of Captain Nemo ^[50] . Bosley Crowther decided that the actors' game was overshadowed by a fascinating story. The professor, servant and harpooner seemed to him stilted characters, deprived of life ^[46] . Fleischer did not appreciate his own contribution to the picture, speaking of it as an ordinary craft work that did not require creative delights ^[15] . Mason also appreciated the picture and his own work without much enthusiasm:

“20,000 leagues ...” is a film of producers and for the audience. Disney outlined the picture as a strict sequence of scenes: one after another. Decorators and visual effects specialists had difficulties. For the director and actors it was a chore. I can’t believe that all the actors have put at least some depth into their game. The audience then invented God knows what, about the film. However, it is still being watched, and all thanks to Disney's good design and perfectionism. I recently watched this movie in a German dub. He is still terrible ^[15] .

Original text

20,000 LEAGUES was a producer's film and spectators' film. It was conceived by Disney as a story that could be translated into one exciting sequence after another. It was a challenge for the set designer and special effects people. For the director and actors it was routine. I do not believe that the acting parts were written at any great depth. Many sophisticates pooh-pooh 20,000 LEAGUES. However, it's still a popular film today because it's a good story well told. Disney insisted upon perfection. I share the fans' enthusiasm for the film. Not long ago I saw it dubbed into German. It was still terrific.

- ^[15]

Awards and nominations

• 1955 - Academy Award
  • Best visual effects (John Michen, Emily Curie).
  • The best work of the production designer (color film) (John Hench, Joshua Medor)
• Academy Award nomination
  • Best Editing (Elmo Williams)
• 2004 - United States National Film Critics Award
  • award to the best film (top ten films)
• 2004 - Saturn Award nomination
  • best classic DVD release

Prize materials are listed on imdb.com.

The first VHS film was released in 1980 ^[51] . In 2003, the film was reissued in DVD format. Critics noted the good preservation of the material and the high quality of transfer to digital media ^[50] . The DVD edition of the picture, among other materials, contains an 88-minute documentary "The Making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", containing details of the filming process and comments by specialists. Scenes of 8 minutes cut after final editing were found in the Walt Disney archives and became available to viewers for the first time in 50 years. Among the cut scenes, one can note the initial unsuccessful version of the battle scene with an octopus, shot in “calm weather” ^[2] .

During the course of the film, one song sounds. Sailor's couplets “A Whale of Tale” performed by Ned Land (Kirk Douglas). In 1954, Decca Records released a single (record "forty") with a recording of the song. Also in 1954, a vinyl disc was released with a production based on the film, the so-called book-and-record set ( radio performance ). It consists of a disk and a book for children based on the film. The disc gained popularity and entered the Billboard charts (Children's chart - 13th place, 1954) ^[52] . In 2007, the full soundtrack of the picture, consisting of 26 compositions, was released, became available for download from the iTunes resource. In 2011, a movie soundtrack CD was released ^[53] .

• Popular Albums // English Billboard . - 1955. - 3 December. - P. 28 . - ISSN 0006-2510 .
• Jean Campbell Steampunk-Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings . - Creative Publishing Int'l, 2010. - P. 1. - pages: 144 p. - ISBN 9781589234758 .
• Yoram Allon, Del Cullen, Hannah Patterson. Contemporary North Merican Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide . - Wallflower Press, 2002 .-- S. 2 .-- 619 p. - ISBN 9781903364529 .
• Nell Minow. The Movie Mom's (r) Guide to Family Movies: 2nd Edition . - 2. - iUniverse, 2004. - S. 3. - 592 p. - ISBN 9780595320950 .
• Thomas Leitch. Film Adaptation and Its Discontents . - JHU Press, 2007 .-- S. 6 .-- 372 p. - ISBN 9780801885655 .
• Axel Andersson. A Hero for the Atomic Age: Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki Expedition . - il. - Peter Lang , 2010 .-- S. 9 .-- 252 p. - ISBN 9781906165314 .
• John Johnson Cheap Tricks and Class Acts: Special Effects, Makeup, and Stunts from the Films of the Fantastic Fifties . - il. - McFarland, 1996 .-- S. 10 .-- 404 p. - ISBN 9780786400935 .
• John Culhane Special Effects in the Movies: How They Do It . - Ballantine Books, 1986. - S. 11. - 192 p. - ISBN 9780345345363 .
• Joel Frazier & Harry Hawthorne. "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" Retrospective from preproduction to promotion. (English) // Cinefantastique . - 1984. - Vol. 14 , no. 3 May . - P. 18 . - ISSN 0145-6032 . Archived {a.
• Peter Stackpole. Weird New World // English . - 1954. - Vol. 36 , no. 8 (22 Feb) . - P. 29 . - ISSN 0024-3019 .
• J P. Telotte. The Mouse Machine: Disney and Technology . - il. - University of Illinois Press , 2008 .-- S. 12 .-- 232 p. - ISBN 9780252033278 .
• Steven Watts. The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life . - University of Missouri Press , 2001. - S. 13. - 568 p. - ISBN 9780826213792 .
• Pat Williams, James Denney, Jim Denney. How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life . - HCI, 2004 .-- S. 14. - 400 p. - ISBN 9780757302312 . (inaccessible link)
• John Baxter. Steven Spielberg: the unauthorised biography . - il. - HarperCollins , 1996 .-- S. 15 .-- 457 p. - ISBN 9780002555876 .
• Louise Krasniewicz. Walt Disney: A Biography Greenwood Biographies . - il. - ABC-CLIO , 2010 .-- S. 30 .-- 155 s. - ISBN 9780313358302 .
• Robert C. Ring. Sci-Fi Movie Freak . - Krause Publications, 2011 .-- S. 31 .-- 256 s. - ISBN 9781440228636 .
• John Reid CinemaScope One: Stupendous In CinemaScope revolution . - Lulu.com, 2004 .-- S. 32 .-- 176 s. - ISBN 9781411607408 .
• Jason Sperb. Disney's Most Notorious Film: Race, Convergence, and the Hidden Histories of Song of the South . - il. - University of Texas Press , 2012 .-- S. 33. - 290 p. - ISBN 9780292739741 .
• Edward P. Comentale, Stephen Watt, Skip Willman. Ian Fleming & James Bond: The Cultural Politics of 007 . - il. - Indiana University Press , 2005 .-- S. 34 .-- 281 p. - ISBN 9780253217431 .
• J. Michael Barrier. The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney . - il. - University of California Press , 2008 .-- S. 35 .-- 393 p. - ISBN 9780520256194 .
• Leonard Mosley. Disney's World: A Biography . - il. - Rowman & Littlefield , 1985 .-- S. 36 .-- 330 s. - ISBN 9780812830736 .
• Susan Sackett. The Hollywood reporter book of box office hits . - il. - Billboard Books, 1990 .-- S. 37 .-- 365 p. - ISBN 9780823075492 .
• Nicholas Sammond. Babes in Tomorrowland: Walt Disney and the Making of the American Child, 1930–1960E-Duke books scholarly collectionACLS Humanities E-Book . - il. - Duke University Press , 2005 .-- S. 38 .-- 484 p. - ISBN 9780822334637 .
• Daniel Eagan. America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry . - il. - Continuum International Publishing Group , 2009.- S. 21. - 848 p. - ISBN 9780826429773 .