I have always been a big fan of Disney's 1954 film version of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I don't think there have been any subsequent versions that can touch it in terms of performance; James Mason's elegant and tortured Nemo, or in terms of production design; Harper Goff's design for the Nautilus is still a marvel 55 years later. I was able to see a technicolor print of the movie on the big screen at the Harvard Film Archive last year, and it still holds up remarkably well. My obsession with this movie finds its way into sketches, doodles and an occasional painting. Here is a color sketch that I did recently of Nemo on the Nautilus. It might end up as a painting someday.
Apparently McG, the director of the latest Terminator film, is developing a new 20,000 Leagues feature for Disney. He wants to cast Will Smith as Nemo, which I believe demonstrates what a poor choice he is for director for this project. I like Will Smith, but no matter how hard I try, I can't picture him as Nemo. All I can say is ugh. Did everyone forget what a suck-fest "Wild Wild West" was?
ReplyDelete