Sunday, March 21, 2010

Around the World in 80 Days


This road movie is absolutely charming. It was produced by Mike Todd (one of Elizabeth Taylor's husbands) and stars David Niven and Cantinflas (this is the 1956 version).

Mike Todd apparently invented the term "cameo performance" as a way to get huge stars to take tiny roles. The movie is full of them (for example Charles Boyer, Peter Lorre, Marlene D and Frank Sinatra).

Two things won this movie over for me: Cantinflas and the gentle mockery of the famous English reserve. Cantinflas is really the star of the film - and I had never heard of him. Every time I think I know about movies, I discover I'm a total novice. At the time he agreed to do this movie, he was the richest actor in the world, with his own production company.

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