Around the World in 80 Days (1956) Review

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

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My Review

The Best Picture of 1956 is…..”Around the World in 80 Days.” This is a classic adventure film starring David Niven as a man who bets his friends in London that he can travel around the world in eighty days. He uses ships, trains, and a hot air balloon, and runs into numerous adventures in his global expedition, accompanied by his French assistant, played by Cantinflas. Co-stars include Robert Newton as Inspector Fix from Scotland Yard and Shirley MacLaine as Princess Aouda of India.

Director Michael Anderson (“The Dam Busters” 1955) kept a tight reign at the helm of the movie, with an imaginative script by James Poe, S. J. Perelmen, and John Farrow (father of Mia Farrow). It was adapted from the 1873 novel of the same name by Jules Verne. “Around the World in 80 Days” was nominated for eight Oscars, winning five: Best Picture (Mike Todd), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Musical Score (Victor Young). It was filmed in producer Todd’s own invention called Todd A-O widescreen 70 MM format.

Another contribution of Mike Todd to motion pictures is coining the phrase “cameo appearance.” He wanted to attract major stars for small parts, and did, drafting the likes of Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton, Evelyn Keyes, Charles Boyer, Cesar Romero, Trevor Howard, Charles Coburn, Ronald Colman, John Carradine, Marlene Dietrich, Victor McLaglan, Jack Oakie, John Mills, Glynis Johns, Hermione Gingold, George Raft, Buster Keaton, Robert Morley, Noel Coward, John Gielgud, Gilbert Roland, Peter Lorre, and Marion Ross in one of her earliest movie roles. Edward R. Murrow was the narrator.

“Around the World in 80 Days” was a huge blockbuster at the box offices all across America and the world for producer Mike Todd, Michael Todd Company, and United Artists. He was married to Elizabeth Taylor in 1957, and passed away in an airplane crash in 1958 at the age of fifty.

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