Cantinflas
Robert Newton
Shirley MacLaine
This is a movie that
goes on for 2 hours and even though I enjoyed it, I felt it could have been
trimmed down by some 30 minutes as it had some unneeded long scenery shots, and it was also unevenly paced. That said, the journey had beautiful scenery
and a nice international cast. The movie starred David Niven as Fogg and
Cantinflas as Passepartout and both gave fantastic performances.
Both characters were
complete opposites, with Fogg a gentleman, well-dressed, well-spoken, and
extremely punctual. Passepartout is the comic relief, loves women, and is a
jack of all trades. Their union boasted talents and wit that saw them through
the entire journey.
This adventure film
was produced by Michael Todd and is based on a novel of the same name by Jules
Verne.
Comparing this to the
2004 remake with Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan is difficult. Some of
Passepartout’s traits were given to Fogg in that version, which makes you lose
respect for Fogg. Plus, the 1956 version has a completely different set of
adventures compared to the 2004 one.
The movie was actually
filmed in 75 days. The cast, including extras, totalled 68,894 people and 7,959
animals. The wardrobe department spent $410,000 to provide 74,685 costumes and
36,092 trinkets.
This movie packed a punch, as the producers visited every country that Fogg and Passepartout passed through. The plot is about an Englishman in 1872, Phileas Fogg (David Niven), who is a member of the Reform Club who claims he can circumnavigate the world in eighty days.
The other members of
the Club see his claim as bogus, so he makes a £20,000 wager (equal to over
£1,000,000 today) with several of them. The wager states that he must return
within 80 days, before 8:45 pm.
Together with his
resourceful valet, Passepartout (Cantinflas), Fogg sets out on a journey that
includes saving a princess and battling Indians. Along the way, he’s also named
the chief suspect in the theft of £55,000 (equal to over £3,000,000 today) from
the Bank of England.
The movie’s wonderful
cinematography was done by Lionel Lindon, who won an Academy Award for his
work. He also worked on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
The film won five
Academy Awards, beating out critically acclaimed movies like Friendly
Persuasion, The Ten Commandments, Giant, and The King and I. It won Best
Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music, and Best Writing
(Adapted Screenplay).
This is a movie that’s fun to watch and captivating to see.
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