Review of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Yves (Manual), a fisherman, dreams that he is taken by a sea-nymph to a submarine and appointed captain. He departs for the depths with a crew of women and encounters surreal visions of dancing naiads (ballerinas from the Théâtre du Châtelet). Unfortunately Yves wrecks the submarine (not shown) and sinks to the bottom where he is accosted by giant fish and crabs before exploring the fantastical sea-bottom. He eventually is attacked by an octopus as the undersea denizens and Gods take revenge for all the fish he has taken from their watery home. Finally he awakens. Clearly inspired by Méliès' famous countryman Jules Verne's best known book '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', (hence the parodying alternate French title 'Deux cent mille lieues sous les mers'), the film is an imaginative fantasy although by 1907, submarines were real and look little like the film's fanciful craft. There are a variety of special effects including superimposition of the submarine over images of real fish. The version I watched was washed-out in places and, although not one of the auteur's best fantasy films, the old film is still enjoyable in a quaint, nostalgic way.