"Captain Nemo and the underwater city"
Jun. 6th, 2009 04:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sergebroomAs far as I can tell, I'm done with the movie-watching part of the research for my upcoming FiestaCon/WesterCon steampunk-movie talk. About time too because that leaves me less than 4 weeks to get things into shape.
Friday night I watched The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, which I posted about a few days ago. Even more oddball than when I saw it more than 30 years ago. It even has someone exclaim
On Thursday evening I popped in Captain Nemo and the Underwater City, a big-screen MGM production from 1969, starring Robert Ryan as you-know-who. I've always liked the movie in spite of itself. It had a good idea at its core: this Nemo isn't interested in war, or in war against war, but for decades has been building a Utopian society deep under the surface of the Altantic Ocean. Alas, the storytelling was a bit deficient. Also, just because Nemo is a very scientifically advanced man(1) who found a way to extract gold particles out of sea water, does he have to use it everywhere? It really isn't the metal of choice for the cogs of the machinery keeping his Utopia alive. I also have some doubts about the floatability of a submarine that's gold-plated on the inside. One other thing: when one of the people you rescued from a shipwreck tells you he reallyreallyreally is claustrophobic, do pay attention before the rescuee tries to punch a hole in your underwater city's dome.
There's a cute kitten too.
And Nemo's obligatory organ.
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(1) But not so advanced when it comes to the contributions women can make to a society.
Friday night I watched The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, which I posted about a few days ago. Even more oddball than when I saw it more than 30 years ago. It even has someone exclaim
"We will rule the world together!"
On Thursday evening I popped in Captain Nemo and the Underwater City, a big-screen MGM production from 1969, starring Robert Ryan as you-know-who. I've always liked the movie in spite of itself. It had a good idea at its core: this Nemo isn't interested in war, or in war against war, but for decades has been building a Utopian society deep under the surface of the Altantic Ocean. Alas, the storytelling was a bit deficient. Also, just because Nemo is a very scientifically advanced man(1) who found a way to extract gold particles out of sea water, does he have to use it everywhere? It really isn't the metal of choice for the cogs of the machinery keeping his Utopia alive. I also have some doubts about the floatability of a submarine that's gold-plated on the inside. One other thing: when one of the people you rescued from a shipwreck tells you he reallyreallyreally is claustrophobic, do pay attention before the rescuee tries to punch a hole in your underwater city's dome.
There's a cute kitten too.
And Nemo's obligatory organ.
----------
(1) But not so advanced when it comes to the contributions women can make to a society.
