Around the World in 80 Days (miniseries)
| Around the World in 80 Days | |
|---|---|
 DVD sleeve artwork | |
| Based on | Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne |
| Written by | John Gay |
| Directed by | Buzz Kulik |
| Starring | Pierce Brosnan Eric Idle Julia Nickson |
| Theme music composer | Billy Goldenberg |
| Country of origin | United States Italy Yugoslavia Germany |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Renée Valente |
| Producer | Paul Baerwald |
| Cinematography | Nicholas D. Knowland |
| Editors | David Beatty Les Green Peter Parasheles |
| Running time | 266 minutes |
| Production companies | Avala Film Harmony Gold |
| Distributor | Harmony Gold |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Picture format | 35 mm Spherical |
| Original release | April 16 – April 18, 1989 |
Around the World in 80 Days is a three-part television Eastmancolor miniseries originally broadcast on NBC from April 16 to 18, 1989.[1] The production garnered three nominations for Emmy awards that year.[2] The teleplay by John Gay is based on the 1873 Jules Verne novel of the same title.[3]
Plot[]
The plot centres around Phileas Fogg (Pierce Brosnan) making a £30,000 wager with three members of the Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days. He takes with him his newly employed French valet Passepartout (Eric Idle), and is pursued by Detective Wilbur Fix (Peter Ustinov) who mistakenly thinks Fogg robbed the Bank of England and is using the wager as a cover to escape capture.
Cast[]
- Pierce Brosnan as Phileas Fogg
- Eric Idle as Jean Passepartout
- Julia Nickson as Princess Aouda
- Peter Ustinov as Detective Wilbur Fix
- Jack Klugman as Capt. Bunsby
- Roddy McDowall as McBaines
- Darren McGavin as Benjamin Mudge
- Robert Morley as Wentworth
- Stephen Nichols as Jesse James
- Lee Remick as Sarah Bernhardt
- Jill St. John as Woman mistaken for Princess Aouda
- Robert Wagner as Alfred Bennett
- Arielle Dombasle as Lucette
- Gabriele Ferzetti as Italian Chief of Police
- Henry Gibson as Train Conductor
- John Hillerman as Sir Francis Commarty
- Rick Jason as Cornelius Vanderbilt
- Christopher Lee as Stuart
- Patrick Macnee as Ralph Gautier
- John Mills as Faversham
- Pernell Roberts as Captain Speedy
- as Madelaine
- James Sikking as Jenks
- Simon Ward as Flannigan
- John Abineri as Father Gruber
- Yves Aubert as Gravier
- Bill Bailey as Captain Phillips
- Peter Birrel as Brindisi Terminal Clerk
- John Carlin as Forster
- Jean-Pierre Castaldi as Lenoir
- as Kyaukese
- Julian Curry as Wilson
- as Bank Clerk
- as Captain Lacey
- as Faversham's Aide
- as Louis Pasteur
- as Bonheur First Officer
- Roy Evans as 'Shirley Rose' Engineer
- Don Ferguson as Bombay Director of Police
- Henry Fong as Tung Chih
- as Frank James
- as French Consul
- as Bank Guard
- as Georges
- Colin Higgins as Reporter
- as Major Bryce
- as Tailor
- as Indian Gentleman
- as Carnatic Steamship Clerk
- as Sinji Servant
- Lily Leung as Empress
- Joseph Long as Italian Squad Leader
- Victor Maddern as Liverpool Ticket Agent
- Anna Massey as Queen Victoria
- Ian McNeice as Batcular
- Ajay Mehta as Calcutta Harbor Clerk
- as Vanderbilt First Officer
- Pierre Olaf as Captain Rondicherry
- as Bayfront Hotel Clerk
- as Kiru
- as Reverend Samuel Smythe
- Terrence Scammell as Grimes
- as English Consul Clerk
- as The Harlot
- Tommy Tam as Chinese Dockworker
- as Police Chief
- Violetta as Mildred
- as Ffolkestone
- as Prince Bayinnaung
- as Minister (uncredited)
Development[]
Starring Pierce Brosnan as Phileas Fogg, Eric Idle as Passepartout, Julia Nickson as Princess Aouda, and Peter Ustinov as Detective Fix, the miniseries featured multiple cameo appearances, including Patrick Macnee, Simon Ward, and Christopher Lee as members of the Reform Club, and Robert Morley, who had a cameo in the 1956 film adaptation, and Roddy McDowall appear as officials of the Bank of England.[4] Other familiar faces, credited as guest stars and in more substantial roles, include John Mills (who also appeared in the 1956 film version), Jack Klugman, Darren McGavin, John Hillerman and Henry Gibson.[3]
The heroes travel a slightly different route than in the book, and the script makes several contemporary celebrities part of the story who were not mentioned in the book, such as Sarah Bernhardt, Louis Pasteur, Jesse James, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Queen Victoria.
The miniseries was filmed on location in England, Macau, Hong Kong, Thailand and Yugoslavia.
Viewership[]
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot (ET) | Rating/share (households) |
Viewers (millions) |
Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Part 1" | April 16, 1989 | Sunday 9:00 p.m. | 15.5/24 | 24.4 | [5] |
| 2 | "Part 2" | April 17, 1989 | Monday 9:00 p.m. | 13.2/21 | 19.4 | [6] |
| 3 | "Part 3" | April 18, 1989 | Tuesday 9:00 p.m. | 13.0/21 | 19.3 | [6] |
References[]
- ^ "Around the World in 80 Days - what time is it on TV? Episode 3 Series 1 cast list and preview".
- ^ "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS". Television Academy.
- ^ a b "Jules Verne's around the World in 80 Days (1989)". BFI.
- ^ "Around the World in 80 Days (1989) - | Cast and Crew". AllMovie.
- ^ "Nielsen ratings". USA Today. April 19, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306176608.
- ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". USA Today. April 26, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306174966.
External links[]
- 1989 television films
- 1989 films
- 1980s American television miniseries
- Television shows based on Around the World in Eighty Days
- NBC network original films
- American films
- Television series set in the 1870s
- Films shot in London
- Films shot in Hong Kong
- Films shot in Macau
- Films shot in Thailand
- Cultural depictions of Queen Victoria on film
- Cultural depictions of Sarah Bernhardt
- Cultural depictions of Louis Pasteur
- Cultural depictions of Jesse James
- Films with screenplays by John Gay (screenwriter)
- Television shows set in the British Raj
- Television shows set in India
- Television shows set in Mumbai
- Television shows set in Kolkata
- Cultural depictions of Indian women