When something remains engraved in our retina from a very young age, our adult life involves trying to process it in some way. For artists, the process is try to recreate it or explore it from terrain they can controllike the cinema image. For Steven Spielberg, one of those obsessions came from watching a movie like '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'.
A discovery in the depths
One of those live-action Disney films that made an impact on people who would later become filmmakers (also people like David Fincher were looking to make a remake that fell on deaf ears). Kirk Douglas and James Mason lead this adaptation of Jules Verne that It is now 70 years since its premiere and can be seen streaming through Disney+.
Here we see how legends emerge around a series of disappearances in the southern Pacific area. It is believed that a monster is the cause of the destruction, and the United States sends a warship that is of little use in the face of the threat. The boat is destroyed and some crew members manage to survive thanks to a mysterious transport capable of submerging in water. This strange ship is captained by Captain Nemo.
With a charm and craftsmanship typical of the adventure films of the era, and two notable stars like Douglas and Mason channeling the energy of the original into family cinematic entertainment, '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' is the kind of old-fashioned fun that still convinces today.
An ambitious deployment for the time which, however, was also light without losing charisma. Without a doubt you can see how action sequences where the characters face extraordinary creatures have had their impact on the Spielberg who would end up making 'Jaws'.
It is possible that as an adventure film it is no longer as spectacular as it was at the time, but far from being an archaeological relic it ends up being an influential piece of the most exciting and adventurous cinema thanks to its most amazing moments. That alone makes it worthy of recovery.
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