Did you know that there was an annual Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival held in Paris? Me neither. This year, to attract more attention, this film festival will be held in Los Angeles from December 10 through 15. The festival features films not only based on the writings of Verne, but also that convey the spirit of Verne’s novels. For those don’t recall who Jules Verne is, he is credited as being the father of modern science fiction, anticipating some things such as submarine travel and flights to the moon which became fact. Well over one hundred films have been based on Verne’s books, with the first made soon after the invention of motion pictures. Verne died in 1905, soon after the century the fulfilled his predictions was beginning. Below are five favorite films based on the writings of Jules Verne.
1. A Trip to the Moon (1902). This is the first film ever based on Verne, and considered the first science fiction film ever made. For those of you who love sci-fi and special effects films, it all began here with former magician turned filmmaker, Georges Melies.
2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1955). Walt Disney seems to have been in love with sea going adventures for decades before a certain franchise was born. This was Disney’s first film in Cinemascope with a big name cast featuring Kirk Douglas and James Mason, plus what were at the time state of the art special effects. One curious fact is that director Richard Fleischer was the son of Max Fleischer, a top animator who Disney effectively put out of business at the end of the Thirties.
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). James Mason again, exploring the earth’s core with Pat Boone, the guy who made rock and roll safe for middle class America. It’s sort of hard to connect that the film was co-written by two of the guys who also co-wrote Ninotchka, the film where Greta Garbo laughed. On the other hand, what other film features a naked Pat Boone and a bunch of sheep? Great music by Bernard Herrmann. Also featuring Gertrude the Duck!
4. Master of the World (1961). Vincent Price and Charles Bronson together again on the big screen, roaming the world in some flying contraption. This is a pretty good film that should have received better distribution, directed by Quentin Tarantino fave William Witney. The screenplay is by famed sci-fi author Richard Matheson.
5. The Mysterious Island (1961). From special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen comes this film about Civil War soldiers fighting something bigger than the Confederate army when they find themelves stranded on a South Pacific island. Another terrific score by Bernard Herrmann. The film was directed by the blacklisted Cy Endfield.
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