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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Play trailer Poster for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1916 1h 45m Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 37% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
During the Civil War, reports of a sea monster attacking ships alarm the Navy. An investigation finds the monster is a submarine, the "Nautilus," commanded by vengeance-seeking Capt. Nemo (Allen Holubar), who was once an Indian prince. Years earlier, adventurer Charles Denver (William Welsh) caused the suicide of Nemo's wife and the disappearance of his daughter. Nemo tracks Denver to a distant island where, unknown to him, a wild native girl matching his daughter's description is also hiding.

Critics Reviews

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Joshua Lowe Variety To describe in detail the marvelous workings as depicted by the Messrs. Williamson would consume columns of space and more columns to give even a synopsis of the melodramatic plot. Oct 16, 2019 Full Review Chris Hunneysett Daily Mirror (UK) this sets an extraordinarily high bar that many of the subsequent adaptations of Verne fail to reach Rated: 5/5 Jun 5, 2021 Full Review Clipper Staff New York Clipper The filming of Jules Verne's immortal story has been capitally and, from a photographic viewpoint, at times, wonderfully done. Nov 13, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A cluttered work that nevertheless maintains interest with its groundbreaking underwater photography and Verne's durable framework. Rated: 3/4 Aug 8, 2020 Full Review Genevieve Harris Motography The struggles of the men against the undertow and the force of the water proved interesting, while the battle between the unarmed pearl diver and the octopus is weird and thrilling. Jul 29, 2020 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Nov 23, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Josh G Trying to do so much with an average runtime. The film follows multiple books and rushing any character development and plot till it seems more like a clip show show than film. Nemo's back story is super weird don't get it. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/05/23 Full Review Dustin D The silent version of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is janky and melodramatic. The non-underwater shots are mostly uninteresting and badly captured. However, it was a special effects extravaganza of its day, and brought the state of the art a step forward. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/07/23 Full Review Audience Member I guess you can call this the first Michael Bay film. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea was the second adaptation of the Jules Vernes novel, it features iconic mariner costumes. The story telling was a mess however, but the special effect was impressive considering the budget. It's not the most interesting films but deserves cinematic recognition. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member An interesting adaptation of 20000 Leagues Under The Sea, and The Mysterious Island... The first submarine photoplay ever filmed--A wonderful and groundbreaking film!! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This technological masterpiece for its time suffers in a poor script, acting and direction. This may be the first film of underwater photography which was done through a system of mirrors and prisms as people were photographed in those heavy clumsy underwater diving suits accompanied with astonishing scenes of coral reef sea life. See this film for just that alone. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Although it's a great Victorian nautical science fiction epic it's not as great as the 1954 Disney version...but the experience of seeing it on the big screen with fantastic live music by Stephin Merritt would be a 5 star one. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis During the Civil War, reports of a sea monster attacking ships alarm the Navy. An investigation finds the monster is a submarine, the "Nautilus," commanded by vengeance-seeking Capt. Nemo (Allen Holubar), who was once an Indian prince. Years earlier, adventurer Charles Denver (William Welsh) caused the suicide of Nemo's wife and the disappearance of his daughter. Nemo tracks Denver to a distant island where, unknown to him, a wild native girl matching his daughter's description is also hiding.
Director
Stuart Paton
Producer
Stuart Paton
Screenwriter
Stuart Paton
Production Co
Williamson Submarine Film Corporation
Genre
Fantasy
Runtime
1h 45m