The Fifties enjoyed a mini-wave of Jules Verne tales, with Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" in 1954, Michael Todd's "Around The World In 80 Days" in 1956, and RKO's "From The Earth To The Moon" in 1958. The combination of otherworldly/exotic travelogue tales with dabs of science-fiction and adventurous intrigue certainly made Verne's classic works suitable for the big screen, so it seemed natural that 20th Century Fox would deliver the underworld of planet Earth in multi-track stereo, and Cinemascope.

Director Henry Levin, a veteran with experience in diverse genres, is perhaps best known for his light comedies, including the iconoclastic girls-at-the-beach pix "Where The Boys Are," and "Jolson Sings Again," the 1949 sequel to the popular "Jolson Story." Levin had already directed the studio's latest contract star, Pat Boone, in "Bernadine" and "April Love" (both 1957), and he similarly managed to extract a decent performance from the popular singer in "Journey" - at its core, a high-concept production that took a beloved adventure classic for all ages, added crooner Boone for the lucrative teen audience, and gave older folks plenty of witty banter between stalwart James Mason and shapely Arlene Dahl.

Polishing the production were location shots at the renowned Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and wild sets designed to show off the scope ratio as the Lindenbrook Expedition reaches the Earth's surprisingly solid center. Fox' pretty anamorphic transfer was made from a restored print, and those who grew up watching the film in a faded, puce TV version will be quite delighted to see the production's attractive lensing. Like some of Verne's more exotic ideas, the underground territories share a lot of fanciful ideas, and that's part of the film's charm. Even the giant dinosaurs (good old macro lenses and contemporary lizards) are well intercut between the terrified explorers, and much like the film's sets and locations, the creatures make good use of the scope frame. (Fans of "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" will also experience a mild cinephile 'Eureka,' when the humans are suddenly running from a familiar, wayward object.)

In 1994, 20th Century Fox went back to the original 35mm magnetic audio elements for the soundtrack CD (which includes several tracks dropped from the final film), and the DVD benefits from Bernard Herrmann's typically innovative mind that combined woodwinds, brass, a huge percussion section, and five (!) organs for the film's original surround mix. The payoff is sublime, as Herrmann's music dips into subterranean registers, while a harp captures the travelers' wonder. Though a 2.0 mix, the dynamics will sound pretty cool with a rudimentary surround sound amplifier.

The disc's extras include the film's trailer (save it for last, so the atmospheric sets aren't spoiled), and a restoration comparison between the old TV prints, the 2000 laserdisc master, and the subtle digital cleaning for the current DVD release.

Though Jules Verne's novel has been adapted several times for the big screen - Juan Piquer Simon's 1976 Spanish version starring Kenneth More, and the disastrous 1989 Cannon version glued together for a cheap video release are the best known - this 1959 version has aged very well, benefiting from a larger budget, and an excellent talent pool (including Gertrude the happy goose).

© 2003 Mark R. Hasan