Around the World in Eighty Days

Spot the cameo in 5 Oscar winning epic.

Based on the wonderful writing from Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days is just shy of three hours, this was my first ever visit to the film and my reaction is mainly positive, though tempered with a small sense of unfulfillment.

Phileas Fogg takes a wager from his fellow London club members that he can't circle the globe in 80 days, this it should be noted is 1872 where transport was not of the fast and dynamic variety. Fogg and his trusty servant Passepartout, set off on a journey that brings many adventures, and many humorous scrapes. They meet a wonderful array of characters and travel on many forms of transport, it is in short a magical journey.

The production here from Mike Tod...

I so wanted to like this film. An unsurpassable cast delivering a story depicting the ultimate in compendium storytelling. What could go wrong? Well, sadly - quite a lot. David Niven is fine as the dapper sophisticate "Fogg" who along with his gentleman's gentleman of one whole day "Passepartout" (the acrobatic Cantinflas) accepts a bet from some toffs in the Reform Club that he cannot circumnavigate the world in 80 days. Steam trains, balloons, ships, camels, horses, even a paddle-steamer facilitate their travels with just about every movie star on the books joining in as our tour of the world offers us colourful and entertaining escapades from many different countries and cultures. There is a sort of chemistry between the two travellers, ...