“In 1956 Hollywood was panicking. Stunned by the burgeoning popularity of the rabbit-eared menace, the film industry longed for a formula which would turn the tide of dwindling movie attendance. Enter the P.T. Barnum of Hollywood...Mike Todd. While some of his pyrotechnics have been retired to Hollywood's memory lane (notably his widescreen patent, Todd-AO), other gimmicks have survived to become the currency of the ‘blockbuster.' Almost twenty years before the efforts of Spielberg and Lucas were splashed across the screen, Todd provided a prototype--Around the World in 80 Days. Loosely based on Jules Verne's novel, the film charts the adventures of one proper Englishman named Phileas Fogg (David Niven) and his dare-doing valet (Cantinflas) as they dash around the globe, hoping to win a $10,000 wager. Believing Fogg to be a fugitive from justice, an Inspector Fix pursues and manages to apprehend his quarry on the last leg of their trek. The two time-chasers are crushed, believing they have lost their bet because of this snafu...or have they?
“What distinguishes Around the World in 80 Days from other action epics of the time centers on Todd's concept of the mega-production package. With one of the few but not unheard-of multi-million dollar budgets at the time, Todd solicited the talents of American humorist S. J. Perelman to supplement the storyline with some comedy-of-manners dialogue. Nor did Todd overlook the budding vogue which on-location shooting enjoyed; the film's 72 scenes were shot in 10 different countries, the exoticism of which is captured in lush Technicolor and aerial cinematography. The project's most extravagant aspect is the inclusion of 41 cameo appearances including those by Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich, Fernandel, John Gielgud, Buster Keaton, George Raft, Frank Sinatra, etc. (Todd coined the ego-assuaging term ‘cameo' especially for this film to replace ‘bit part'.) Paying these big-name walk-ons with cadillacs, $100.00 bills, or in one case, a small Bonnard painting, Todd succeeded in infusing his blockbuster with that oh-so-essential element of product differentiation.” Laura Thielen
Tonight we present Around the World in 80 Days in its original 181 minutes (approximately 30 minutes longer than prints currently in release.)