Peering through the Fogg: Different Versions of Around the World

[AnimeMania]

A place to point out how the various incarnations of Around the World in 80 Days differ from each other.

[Cress]

Ok, I'll move some of my comparisons here. The 1956 film adaptation starring David Nivens and Cantinflas won Oscars and was extra long, over 3 hours. The producer Michael Todd also wanted to showcase his new film format, so he began the film with a 30 minute prologue of Edward R. Murrow showing footage of "A Trip to the Moon" in a different aspect ratio. This is the prologue I hate because it's boring, unnecessary, and unrelated to the main story. If he'd cut that part, the film would be a more reasonable length

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But I loved Cantinflas as Passepartout--he's the best version of this character, sly and charming and putting up with Fogg's eccentricities. That movie also did a detour to Spain just so Cantinflas could do bullfighting. Shirley MacLaine is charming at times, but still I side-eye them casting a white woman as the Indian princess.

This film also introduced the idea of Fogg and company taking a hot air balloon ride, which was not in the book. Sure, Verne may have loved balloons in other works, but he didn't use it in this book. The exciting travel mishaps and such didn't start until after they left Europe. So if anyone tells you this is a faithful adaption of the book, they're wrong. In fact, the film introduced the balloon to allow Fogg and Passepartout to land in Spain by accident, so Cantinflas could show his bullfighting skills. Most adaptations will add or delete countries on the travelogue to suit the actors or the story, or even the famous guest cameos they want to feature. In that way, Verne's book plot just becomes a loose framework that the writers will change as they wish.

Take for example the TV miniseries starring Pierce Brosnan, Eric Idle, and Julia Nickson. Fogg and Passepartout start on their journey, only to get stuck on the ferry to cross the English Channel. They stop all action to have a big cameo from actress Sarah Bernhardt before finally moving on with the adventure

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Pierce Brosnan was charming, but I hated Eric Idle doing a terrible French accent; he wasn't funny at all, and he's the worst Passepartout by far. This also has the strangest version of Inspector Fix who tries to befriend the group and redeem himself. Ghastly. At least Aouda wasn't white, though she wasn't really Indian either. Interestingly, this version had Fogg encounter the Paris Commune as well, and they did a sidetrip to China to meet the Empress, so Jackie Chan's movie is not the first adaptation to do a stop in China.

In this version Inspector Fix is a private detective trying to earn reward money for the capture of the bank thief. He's also used for comic relief since he often has to stowaway in uncomfortable situations to follow Fogg and company, but weirdly Fix starts to feel sorry for his actions and wants to become friends by the end. He keeps saying "wait for me" while not really helping them progress in any way. This leads to the bizarre triple wedding. Meanwhile, Princess Aouda is written as more feminist in this version and she speaks against Imperial Britain taking over India. And though Fogg and Passepartout save her from suttee, Aouda saves Fogg's life more than once during the story, so that she's not just a damsel in distress. It is an improvement, and I did like her not wanting to shoot the Native Americans in the Wild West portion of the story.

Then there's Disney's kids film from 2004 starring Jackie Chan and Steve Coogan, which was criticized for changing the story too much. But I don't mind the radical changes, because I don't think previous adaptations were very faithful to the book either.

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In Jackie Chan's version, I loved the innovation that Passepartout actually IS the bank thief, and that Fogg is a steampunk inventor. It makes things much more fun, and the bet is not just for money but for scientific stakes that makes it more meaningful. They write out Princess Aouda though, because I'm sure they didn't want an Indian suttee ritual in a kids film, so they made up their own female character.

The whole "bank thief" plot in the book is too much of a coincidence that someone else just happens to rob the bank, Fogg is mistaken for him, and the thief just happens to finally get caught as Fogg returns to England. So by making Jackie Chan's character Lau Xing the thief, it removes the coincidence, and it gives Passepartout a reason to trick the club members into making the bet, so that Fogg will travel to China with him. It also gives an excuse for Jackie Chan to fight a Chinese warlord and have martial arts fights. I just recently rewatched this movie and it is mostly fun, though it has bad cameos too like Arnold Schwartzenegger as a Turkish prince who tries to force Monique to become his wife.

Edited January 6, 2022 by Cress

[JPPT1974]

Really they are setting Fixx and Passepartout up to being a couple. They do have chemistry. 

[JustHereForFood]

12 hours ago, JPPT1974 said:

Really they are setting Fixx and Passepartout up to being a couple. They do have chemistry. 

I think that's what they are doing. I wonder if the class difference will be explored, as that would have been a huge deal back then, or if it will be just swept aside.

[JPPT1974]

Yeah as really wonder when they do the second season, they will be possibly married?!

[Gimmick Genius]

On 1/12/2022 at 11:42 AM, JustHereForFood said:

I think that's what they are doing. I wonder if the class difference will be explored, as that would have been a huge deal back then, or if it will be just swept aside.

Maybe Miss Fix will take heart from the example of episode three's "most immoral" Englishwoman who married an Arabian Prince, Convention be damned!

My favourite Mr Fix is Robert Newton from the '56 version (I think it was his last role). He was such a magnificent scenery-chewer, best known as Long John Silver from Disney's TREASURE ISLAND and as Bill Sikes in David Lean's version of OLIVER TWIST.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

I haven't seen it mentioned, but Michael Palin did a mini-series where he actually went around the world in 80 days (without using air travel).  It's worth watching.

[JPPT1974]

Yeah as one Python member to another doing 80 Days. One a miniseries and the other a real life documentary