"Around the World in 80 Days" (1989/I) TV mini-series

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writers:

Jules Verne (novel)
John Gay (written for television by)

Release Date:

16 April 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Action | Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A Victorian Age English gentleman takes a wager that he can circle the globe in the unprecedented time of just 80 days.

Plot Keywords:

Queen Victoria | Fencing | Cornelius Vanderbilt | Airship | Bank Robbery

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Phileas Fogg
Eric Idle	...	Jean Passepartout
Julia Nickson-Soul	...	Princess Aouda (as Julia Nickson)
Peter Ustinov	...	Detective Wilbur Fix
Jack Klugman	...	Capt. Bunsby
Roddy McDowall	...	McBaines
Darren McGavin	...	Benjamin Mudge
Robert Morley	...	Wentworth
Stephen Nichols	...	Jesse James
Lee Remick	...	Sarah Bernhardt
Jill St. John	...	Woman mistaken for Princess Aouda
Robert Wagner	...	Alfred Bennett
Arielle Dombasle	...	Lucette
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Italian Chief of Police
Henry Gibson	...	Train Conductor

Also Known As:

"Il giro del mondo in 80 giorni" (Italy)
"In 80 Tagen um die Welt" (West Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sensuality, adventure action and language.

Runtime:

Spain:210 min | UK:266 min

Country:

USA | Italy | West Germany | Yugoslavia

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL | UK:PG | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

Avala Film

Trivia:

John Mills and Robert Morley were the only actors who appeared in both the 1956 version of Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) and this 1989 re-adaptation.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: On a map shown in the opening credits, the capital of China is identified as "Beijing". This spelling is in the Pin-Yin system of representing Chinese with Roman letters, which was not adopted until 1979. The Wade-Giles Romanization spelling of "Peking" would still have been in use. Wade-Giles was developed in 1859.

Quotes:

Detective Wilbur Fix: [drunkenly] Vive la France!
Jean Passepartout: [drunkenly] Up the English!

Movie Connections:

Version of 'Round the World in 80 Days (1914)

Finest representation ever and school example of director's direction over actors that need tight control to perform their best.

After all this years - since the very first time I've watched this version in 1989. - yesterday the test of time confirmed and secured my original impression : This is by far the best version ever !

There is always the problem when you hire a good looking actor with tension of maintaining the ego-trip of his own, besides the character he portrays. Pierce Brosnan is one of those actors. In hands of poor director, Brosnan will always extend this virtue without exception. Well, not this time, this is Pierce's best role ever. This is the school example when in good and precise hands under control of fine director - one man's faults are completely used to his advantage. Fulfilling his complete talent.

Pierce is completely available, accessible and truly enjoyable.

Not only does he makes splendid Phileas Fogg but essentially greatly communicates to the splendor of entire ensemble and therefore none but the excellent realization itself.

Quality of production is first rate, casting even more superb. There is one, almost traditional problem with traveling productions like these : You can always observe "production stitches" among countries and collaboration among locations and collaborators. Not in this version you don't !

From beginning to the end, production follows from location to location with flawless synergy, only complimenting the ones before. Truly a wonderful , relaxing experience, indisputably with superb execution. I thought in 1989. It would be a bold statement to compare this with original. Now I know it is nothing of the sort. This version is indisputably, the finest visual representation of this book. Not completely on the track with all characters from the book - for they received somewhat different treatment. But I forgive this looking at the complete results.

Looking somewhat with envy to the magic of 80's, one can be certain that such a classy ensemble and relaxed pace is almost impossible to create these days. Golden days to be sure.