Conference bookie::movies

45.0. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" by ALPHA::reeves (Jon Reeves, ULTRIX compiler group) Tue Feb 16 1993 18:45

I saw this in a mint-condition print this weekend, newly minted for the
laserdisc edition.  I highly recommend it; the print was absolutely
gorgeous, and the movie continues to hold up well as entertainment. 
The laserdisc should be well worth buying.

For those who need a synopsis: shipping is being menaced by a sea
monster that keeps ramming and destroying ships.  A French professor
(don't know who played this) and his assistant (Peter Lorre) are
determined to get from San Francisco to Saigon, and finally find a ship
that will take them (and also search for the monster).  As they near
their destination, their ship is rammed by the monster; they, and
master harpoonist Kirk Douglas are the only survivors.  They soon find
out that the monster is actually a submarine built and captained by
James Mason.  We find out Mason's background in pieces throughout the
movie; what's especially nice here is that there are few clear-cut good
or bad guys (with the possible exception of the professor, who is never
fully developed).