phileas fogg around the world in 80 days

Todd-AO syustem here, for the first time, has been properly used and fills the screen with wondrous effects. There is never scenery just for scenery’s sake, and never story without the rich backgrounds. It’s a neat trick, and it comes off socko. Script and director (Michael Anderson), have balanced the story cleverly, weaving in the mass of top names without ever losing track of the main line. This picture was made with showmanship in mind and the customers are guaranteed to eat it up. The Todd “touch” is rich in evidence throughout. “80 Days,” lensed by Lionel Lindon with Kevin McCrory doing the foreign locales, is a bouncy, riotous, action-packed picture that still stakes time out for hearty laughs and the magnificent scenery. Little time has been wasted and the story races on as Fogg and company proceed from London to Paris, thence via balloon to Spain and the bullfights from there to Marseilles and India, where Fogg and Passepartout rescue beautiful Miss MacLaine from death on a funeral pyre to Hong Kong, Japan, San Francisco, across the country by train to New York (notwithstanding an Indian attack) and thence back to England where Fogg thinks he has lost his bet, but discovers in the last minute that, by traveling East, he has gained a day and is the winner yet.Ĭredit Todd with going all-out in giving the customers their money’s worth. But this time there’ll be few complaints. This is another long picture - two hours and 55 minutes plus intermission.

Phileas fogg around the world in 80 days