Imagine circumnavigating the world in eighty days 19th century with no airplane? A gent made a bet with his friends that he could do this in eighty days. It is impressive that they managed to do that using the less advanced transportation of that time. This work of fiction was later adapted to a movie and a series.
Around the World in Eighty Days, The book was written by the French writer, Jules Gabriel Verne. It was published in French in 1872. With a wager of 20,000 Euros agreed upon by his friends at the Reform Club, Phileas Fogg and his newly employed valet, Passepartout try orbit the world in 80 days. Their journey begins when they leave for Dover and Calais in Britain on a train. They board the steamer Mongolia to Egypt. Coincidentally after they leave a bank is robbed by someone resembling Mr. Fogg. The Scotland Yard sends Mr. Fix a detective to arrest him.
They manage to avoid him through various misadventures. They reach India where they encounter various difficulties due to misunderstandings and crimes. Their pair becomes a trio when the widow Aouda joins them. This is after the rescue her from the act of suttee- the act of immolation of a widow on her husband’s funeral. Immolation is the act of killing yourself or another usually by burning. They head to Hong Kong where Jean Passepartout is drugged by Mr. Fix with opium thus delaying their trip.
They separate. Passepartout joins a travelling circus in Yokohama where they reconnect and head to United States. Since Britain had no jurisdiction in US, Mr. Fix cannot arrest them. Passepartout is kidnapped during the journey by is saved by Fogg and a group of soldiers. The quartet embark to Bordeaux, France. Fogg bribes the crew, imprisons the captain and set the sails to Liverpool, England. They encounter a problem that results in them burning the ship.
Mr. Fix arrests Fogg only to discover that the actual robber was arrested later. He releases Fogg who is disappointed that he lost. He agrees to a marriage proposal by Aouda. They later discover that he was a day early resulting in his win.
Around the World in Eighty Days: The Movie was released in October 1956. It was directed by Michael Anderson and distributed by Warner Bros. The film had notable actors and actresses such as David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine and Robert Newton. They filmed in 112 locations. They travelled to England, France, Japan, India, East Pakistani(Bangladesh), Thailand and Spain on a budget of under six million US dollars. The film won awards in the Golden Globes and Writer’s Guild.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Microsoft, Google Play (Rent/ Buy) , Roku, Apple TV
Around the World in Eighty Days: The Movie was released in June 2004 amassing 72.2 million in the box office with a budget of 110 million. It was directed by Frank Coraci and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The filmed was slightly changed to suit the audience of the time and the actors. A Chinese thief assumes the identity of Passepartout to hide from the police. He takes up employment as a valet for an eccentric Englishman Phileas Fogg. Mr. Fogg challenges Lord Kelvin, the head of the Royal Academy of Science if he( Phileas ) manages to travel the world in eighty days. The Minister sends a corrupt inspector Mr. Fix to obstruct their journey. They meet an artist, Monique La Roche who joins them on their journey. They still manage to complete while being chased by Lord Fang’s warriors and the corrupt.
The notable actors that made the film possible were Steve Coogan, Jackie Chan, Cécile de France and others.. It had an average reception due to it straying from the original novel.
Around the World in Eighty Days: TV Series came out in 2021. It followed the plot of the book hence received a great reception. It is available on Netflix.
There was a 2021 film adaptation that performed poorly. It depicted Phileas as a greedy frog and Passepartout as a young scholar who dreams of becoming an explorer. Phileas takes on a bet set at ten million clams.
Every adaption of the book was either a hit or a miss. A hit if it followed the book’s plot and a miss if it diverted.
Enjoy the magic of literature and its adaptation