MovieChat Forums > Around the World in 80 Days (1989) Discussion > Best of the movies is this miniseries

Best of the movies is this miniseries

posted 19 years ago by ShelbyTMItchell
5 replies | jump to latest

I watched the Oscar winning 1956 film as but I don't want to see the Jackie Chan version because Chan's movies are karate and actio. The 1956 film which coined the term "cameo" is good but seems out of date and not up to color these days. But if you really want the best ATWI80D that sticks close to the book and close to the characters about, get the 1989 miniseries that aired on NBC with a pre-Bond Pierce Brosnan and the greatly wonderful late Peter Ustinov. Though there are some real-life characters like Jesse James, Louis Pasteur, and Sarah Bernhardt, this sticks close about 80% to the book. I am awaiting for the dvd to have bonus features because the dvd released on July 8 2003 doesn't have bonus features. Eric Idle is also suburb and played Passepartout as a frenchman. Great story and Fogg is with more emotion with Brosnan in the role. But with Niven, he just sounded cold as a fish as Fogg.

[–] girlingreen 18 years ago

So true.
I like D.Niven as an actor, but Phineas Fogg should have been portrayed with a little more humanity, as the classic novel shows.

In this movie, P.Brosnan's portrayal used suavity with comic flair which reminded me of his best role to date,as detective Remington Steele.

But the plaudits go to Peter Ustinov and Eric Idle,brilliant comedians in themselves for making the script.

"Lehmunade! do you see anyone coming?"

"The answer is a lemon.."

[–] ShelbyTMItchell 18 years ago

Eric & Peter really stole the show if you ask me too!

[–] Rheli 10 years ago

I think none of them really capture it. Even the book, in English, fails. In French it is much more satirical, making fun of the main characters, but somehow English translators have never properly caught the humor.

[–] Stratego (29327) 3 years ago

I don't know, I thought Brosnan acted a bit too comedic and immature at times, while Fogg is clearly a typical emotionally constipated Englishman in the book. That's why I didn't like the way the romance was portrayed in the series. Fogg doesn't really realize his feelings until Aouda proposes to him (really stupid how they changed this as well).

"Though there are some real-life characters like Jesse James, Louis Pasteur, and Sarah Bernhardt, this sticks close about 80% to the book."

Does it really? I've been keeping the book beside me while watching the show. The first episode spends a lot of time on a balloon ride and scenes with an elderly Sarah Bernardt that were never in the book and just seem like a waste of time. The Jesse James cameo was also pretty awful and made no sense.

[–] parkerbot (5661) 8 months ago

Agree - it was delightful and very close to the book with a few extras that didn't really detract from the experience.

The only thing that was a minor annoyance were the shots of the zepplin/balloon against the buildings - they looked fake as fuck while everything else looked nice.