MovieChat Forums > Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) Discussion > Oh, it was an EVENT in 1956!

Oh, it was an EVENT in 1956!

posted 6 years ago by Otter (24464)
1 reply | jump to latest

Not just because it was new and one of the first major films to be shown in widescreen Todd AO (like Conemascope), but because it was one of the first big films to use authentic locations. Up until that time, most films were shot in soundstages, even if they were about riding the open range or the road to Zanzibar. ATWI80D was actually filmed on locations all over the world, in places the audiences had never seen on real life or on color film, they were so wowed by seeing Japan and Spain etc. that they barely noticed the film is kind of stodgy.

l think that's why the film industry loved it enough to award it best picture over "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS", "THE KING AND I,' "GIANT" and "FRIENDLY PERSUASION". It was the kind of huge colorful spectacle that was the perfect counter to the niiggling little gray threat of Television.

[–] vranger (444) 3 years ago

I just read through all the nonsense in the "least deserving thread". It's a lot of ignorance from people who have never seen 80 Days in a theatrical style presentation. Most of them have only seen it on small screens showing dated, faded prints ... and nitwits who don't know that Spain has ports on the Mediterranean from which you can take passage through the Suez Canal and straight down to Bombay.

I'm watching it right now in what looks like HD on a 65" screen, and the film is gorgeous. Most recently you'd have only seen it on TCM, and TCM doesn't even broadcast in HD.

Even the balloon ride is marvelous cinematography. The shot of the balloon reflected in the canal, then panning up to the sky ... brilliant.