20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

"The mightiest motion picture of them all!"

1954 2h 7m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🔥

91%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 1,029🍅91%Rotten Tomatoes●83Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 40,193

AdventureScience FictionFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.

“The mightiest motion picture of them all!”

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Cast

Kirk Douglas
Ned Land
James Mason
Captain Nemo
Paul Lukas
Prof. Pierre Arronax
Peter Lorre
Conseil
Robert J. Wilke
First Mate of the Nautilus
Ted de Corsia
Capt. Farragut
Carleton Young
John Howard
J.M. Kerrigan
Billy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Fleischer
Writers: Earl Felton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Fleischer, shot by Franz Planer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul J. Smith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Elmo Williams shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kirk Douglas and James Mason and Paul Lukas carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The mightiest motion picture of them all!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0046672 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Fleischer directs. Franz Planer behind the camera. Paul J. Smith scores. Elmo Williams cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.
272 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Richard Fleischer, shot by Franz Planer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Paul J. Smith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Elmo Williams shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kirk Douglas and James Mason and Paul Lukas carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The mightiest motion picture of them all!".
8IMDB entry: tt0046672 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 20 themes, including "ship", "diving", "submarine", "ocean".
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Franz Planer
Original score: Paul J. Smith
Editing: Elmo Williams
Production design: Harper Goff
Makeup / hair: Louis Hippe
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $28,200,000
Return: 564% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 83/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 40,193 votes
MPAA: G

Awards

Won 2 Oscars. 5 wins & 3 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Special Effects
Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Color
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Richard Fleischer

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-03-06
★ 9/10
Wonderful Verne adaptation. Watched this one recently and was delighted to find it stands the test of time as one of the better Disney live action films on the market. A quality take on Jules Verne's advanced story of subs and the atomic threat that was soon to become ever so prominent in the public conscious. This adaptation is a corking sci-fi adventure that benefits from great work from all involved. The cast are just smashing, James Mason is the stand out as the barmy but intelligent protagonist Capt. Nemo, gruff and menacing with a dandy slice of camp into the proceedings. Then we have Kirk Douglas who out Popeye's Popeye, tough and rugged with a song and dance to help moral moving along, and even taking time out to befriend a seal to help jolly the film in heart. Peter Lorre is solid as ever, and Paul Lukas almost steals the show as the conflicted Professor Pierre Aronnax. The sets are wonderful, the direction seamless, and the special effects make it hard to believe this was made back in the early 1950s, but ultimately its a story for adults and an adventure for the kids. Containing a giant squid sequence that sees Mason & Douglas fighting it to the death serves as proof positive that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is an unadulterated joy. 9/10
CinemaSerf2022-11-21
★ 7/10
A stylish, colourful adaptation of perhaps Jules Verne's most famous story with James Mason as the superbly determined, if blinkered "Captain Nemo" who has decided that the best way to eradicate war is to destroy the tools of warfare. To that end, he targets warships at sea and sinks them by ramming them with his early ironclad submarine the "Nautilus". His tortured soul is cleverly epitomised by the rousing organ music and tight close ups of his face - and of his eyes. Kirk Douglas, Paul Lukas and a creepily obsequious Peter Lorre are rescued from one such attack and our tale develops from there. It's a great fantasy adventure story, tinged with some consciousness and even a bit of pity - though in the end I was definitely with "Nemo" so found the conclusion a bit disappointing. Definitely Walt Disney storytelling at it's best with some groundbreaking underwater photography.