Words almost fail to describe how immensely I looked forward to seeing this "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City"! Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" is my #1 favorite novel of all times, but I can't say I was very fond of the 1954 adaptation starring Kirk Douglas and James Mason. It was a more than adequate and visually impressive film, but a little bit too "Disney" for my taste.
The plot of this film wasn't penned down by Jules Verne; - it only takes place in the wondrous aquatic universe that he - and only he - created. It not a sequel, nor a prequel, nor in any way related to the novels "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" and/or "The Mysterious Island". It is, however, written the utmost respect and admiration for Verne's creations by husband & wife writing team Pip and Jane Baker. Quite obviously, there are some derivative aspects (giant manta ray instead of giant octopus) and other plot-elements are rather naïve, but the story of "Underwater City" stands solidly.
Six people, including a young child and a US-governor, are about to die horribly by drowning when their ship gets wrecked in a storm. They are rescued and, to their enormous astonishment, brought aboard the Nautilus and taken to a dreamily domed underwater civilization. Captain Nemo doesn't want his uninvited guests to leave the undersea city of Templemer ever again, as he feels their wealth and technological superiority should remain secret to the above sea-level world. Despite being offered a life of luxury, the new arrivals want to escape, although for various reasons.
Although flawed, "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City" remains a magically perplexing viewing experience, with ingenious and fabulous set designs, exhilarating sequences, and excellent performances. Luciana Paluzzi, one of my most beloved Italian cult muses, stars as Mala. She's Captain Nemo's loyal acolyte in charge of teaching children how to swim, which does indeed seem like a useful skill if you live in a glass dome under the sea! I still can't believe she fall for the square-jawed Chuck Connors, though. I also really like Robert Ryan in the role of Captain Nemo. In many reviews, his performance gets described as dull, but I think he hits the exact right melancholic tone of how Jules Verne invented him.
The plot of this film wasn't penned down by Jules Verne; - it only takes place in the wondrous aquatic universe that he - and only he - created. It not a sequel, nor a prequel, nor in any way related to the novels "20,000 Leagues under the Sea" and/or "The Mysterious Island". It is, however, written the utmost respect and admiration for Verne's creations by husband & wife writing team Pip and Jane Baker. Quite obviously, there are some derivative aspects (giant manta ray instead of giant octopus) and other plot-elements are rather naïve, but the story of "Underwater City" stands solidly.
Six people, including a young child and a US-governor, are about to die horribly by drowning when their ship gets wrecked in a storm. They are rescued and, to their enormous astonishment, brought aboard the Nautilus and taken to a dreamily domed underwater civilization. Captain Nemo doesn't want his uninvited guests to leave the undersea city of Templemer ever again, as he feels their wealth and technological superiority should remain secret to the above sea-level world. Despite being offered a life of luxury, the new arrivals want to escape, although for various reasons.
Although flawed, "Captain Nemo and the Underwater City" remains a magically perplexing viewing experience, with ingenious and fabulous set designs, exhilarating sequences, and excellent performances. Luciana Paluzzi, one of my most beloved Italian cult muses, stars as Mala. She's Captain Nemo's loyal acolyte in charge of teaching children how to swim, which does indeed seem like a useful skill if you live in a glass dome under the sea! I still can't believe she fall for the square-jawed Chuck Connors, though. I also really like Robert Ryan in the role of Captain Nemo. In many reviews, his performance gets described as dull, but I think he hits the exact right melancholic tone of how Jules Verne invented him.