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We finished watching this 8 hour PBS adaptation of this classic over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Jules Verne set the novel in the 1870’s but dealt with none of this issues of race and colonialism that this version takes on. By casting Passpartout as a black man, these changes are superimposed organically. The character development of Phileas Fogg is well portrayed, starting out as timidly unsure and returning a winner.
It has been a long time since I read the book, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and this movie made me want to read it again. It also seemed to leave an opening for a sequel, since it didn’t end in a marriage as some versions do? I would be happy to see more of these characters.
We also loved the musical score and the massive ticking clock intro at the beginning of each segment. Both were incredibly well done.
We watched this on PBS Passport, and it was offered on Masterpiece at a time that we missed it, so this review may be old news for some of you. However, if you have not seen it, you’ll want to look for it, since it will eventually gravitate to other platforms. I give it four stars.
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4 Comments
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Where did you find this?
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Author
Read the last paragraph of the post. 🙃
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I enjoyed this series on television last Autumn and it made me read the original version. You are right about it being ripe for revision, as it was full of outdated colonialism! Aspects of the story were changed and maybe there will be a sequel in the future.
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Looks great.
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