A French professor and his daughter accompany Captain Nemo on an adventure aboard a submarine.A French professor and his daughter accompany Captain Nemo on an adventure aboard a submarine.A French professor and his daughter accompany Captain Nemo on an adventure aboard a submarine.
- Awards
- 1 win
William Welsh
- Charles Denver
- (as William Welch)
Wallis Clark
- Pencroft
- (as Wallace Clark)
Joseph W. Girard
- Maj. Cameron
- (uncredited)
Ole Jansen
- Undetermined Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
Noble Johnson
- Undetermined Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
Leviticus Jones
- Neb
- (uncredited)
Martin Murphy
- Herbert Brown
- (uncredited)
Jack Tornek
- Undetermined Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Jules Verne
- Stuart Paton(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaUnderwater cameras were not used. The Williamson brothers had developed a system of watertight tubes and mirrors, like an upside-down periscope, and were dependent on the clarity of water and sunshine to provide the necessary light.
- GoofsIn one scene on the island the balloon survivors are at a table and a black servant appears. He never shows up again and is not rescued at the end of the film with the rest of the survivors.
- Quotes
Capt. Nemo: I am Captain Nemo and this is my submarine, 'Nautilus'... It has pleased me to save your lives... You are my prisoners.
- Crazy creditsThe opening titles announce "The First Submarine Photoplay Ever Filmed".
- Alternate versionsKino International released a video with a music soundtrack by Alexander Rannie and Brian Benison (music © 1991). Running time is 101 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in To the Galaxy and Beyond with Mark Hamill (1997)
Featured review
Interesting & Generally Entertaining, Though Lacking Verne's Depth
This early adaptation of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" is interesting, and generally entertaining, though it lacks the depth of the original story. Its strengths are the underwater effects, the settings, and the camera work, which at times are remarkable for the era. On the other hand, it makes little attempt to convey the most important themes of Verne's story, settling instead for straightforward adventure and melodrama, which are much easier to film.
One can only guess how exciting it might have been in 1916 to see some of these images and special effects. Only occasionally does it falter a bit and lose the illusion of reality for a short time; otherwise it is quite convincing. Just seeing the underwater photography alone must have been pretty impressive at the time, and they also managed to get some interesting sea creatures on film. The photography itself is pretty good throughout the movie, and some of the props and settings are nicely done.
The story draws rather freely both from "20,000 Leagues ... " and also from another Verne story, "Mysterious Island". It is a mostly entertaining yarn, full of action and with some unexpected developments. But only a small portion of Verne's scientific vision comes across, and none of the depth of the characters and of their interactions has been preserved. Captain Nemo is one of literature's more complex and thought-provoking characters, but here he becomes more of a stock melodrama figure. Professor Arronax and Ned Land are mostly spectators, rather than providing worthy foils for the mad genius Nemo.
It's by no means a bad movie, and if you are a silent film fan and/or are interested in film history, there should be enough here to make it worth watching. But otherwise, the 1950's Disney version does a much better job of filming the profound vision and philosophical conflict found in Verne's original novel.
One can only guess how exciting it might have been in 1916 to see some of these images and special effects. Only occasionally does it falter a bit and lose the illusion of reality for a short time; otherwise it is quite convincing. Just seeing the underwater photography alone must have been pretty impressive at the time, and they also managed to get some interesting sea creatures on film. The photography itself is pretty good throughout the movie, and some of the props and settings are nicely done.
The story draws rather freely both from "20,000 Leagues ... " and also from another Verne story, "Mysterious Island". It is a mostly entertaining yarn, full of action and with some unexpected developments. But only a small portion of Verne's scientific vision comes across, and none of the depth of the characters and of their interactions has been preserved. Captain Nemo is one of literature's more complex and thought-provoking characters, but here he becomes more of a stock melodrama figure. Professor Arronax and Ned Land are mostly spectators, rather than providing worthy foils for the mad genius Nemo.
It's by no means a bad movie, and if you are a silent film fan and/or are interested in film history, there should be enough here to make it worth watching. But otherwise, the 1950's Disney version does a much better job of filming the profound vision and philosophical conflict found in Verne's original novel.
helpful•240
- Snow Leopard
- Jan 14, 2002
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $200,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer