Honestly, if you tried to make the 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days today, the insurance premiums alone would bankrupt a small nation. It’s a weird movie. It is huge. It’s arguably the most "Hollywood" thing to ever come out of the 1950s, for better or worse.
Most people remember it as the film that won Best Picture despite being basically a three-hour travelogue. Others remember it for the cameos. So many cameos. But when you dig into how Mike Todd—a guy who had never produced a movie before—actually pulled this off, it becomes less about Jules Verne’s book and more about a high-stakes gamble that changed how we watch movies.
The Wild Ambition of Mike Todd
Mike Todd was a circus promoter at heart. He didn't care about "cinema" in the way Hitchcock or Ford did; he cared about the spectacle. He wanted to save the film industry from the growing threat of television by making something so big you couldn't possibly ignore it.
To do that, he used the Todd-AO process. This was a 70mm widescreen format that was supposed to make the audience feel like they were actually on the train or the boat. It was 1956. People weren't used to that level of immersion. He didn't just want to tell a story; he wanted to punch the audience in the face with visuals.
He hired David Niven to play Phileas Fogg. It was perfect casting. Niven was the embodiment of the stiff-upper-lip Englishman who could maintain his dignity while riding an elephant or floating in a hot air balloon. But the production was chaotic. They filmed in 112 locations across several countries. They used 140 sets. They employed thousands of extras.
It was a logistical nightmare.
Todd was constantly running out of money. He was charming people into giving him credit, fast-talking his way through international borders, and basically brute-forcing the film into existence. He even talked world-famous actors into appearing for just a few seconds on screen.
The Cameo That Changed Everything
We take the word "cameo" for granted now. We see a Marvel movie and expect three secret appearances. But the 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days basically invented the modern concept of the star cameo.
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Before this, if a big star was in a movie, they were the lead. Mike Todd turned that on its head. He got Frank Sinatra to play a piano player in a saloon for a few seconds. He got Marlene Dietrich to play a hostess. Buster Keaton, Ronald Colman, George Raft—the list goes on for miles.
It became a game for the audience. "Hey, is that Charles Boyer?" "Wait, was that Peter Lorre?"
There were 46 "stars" in total who appeared in bit parts. Todd famously called them "cameos," and the term stuck in the public consciousness after that. It was a brilliant marketing ploy. Even if you didn't care about the plot, you went to the theater to see if you could spot all the famous faces. It turned a movie into a scavenger hunt.
The Problem With the Balloon
Here is a funny bit of trivia that messes with people’s heads: the hot air balloon isn't in the original Jules Verne book.
In the novel, Phileas Fogg never flies in a balloon. He takes trains, boats, and an elephant. But the 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days made the balloon so iconic that it’s now the first thing anyone thinks of when they hear the title.
The image of the "La Coquette" balloon floating over the Alps is arguably the most famous shot in the whole movie. It was a pure invention by the filmmakers to show off the widescreen scenery. It worked so well that almost every adaptation since—including the 2004 version and various cartoons—has kept the balloon in.
Does it Actually Hold Up?
If you watch it today, you have to be patient. It’s long. It starts with a seven-minute prologue featuring Edward R. Murrow talking about the history of literature and space travel. It’s a very "1950s" way to start a movie.
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The pacing is leisurely. We spend a lot of time just looking at Spain or Thailand. In 1956, this was the equivalent of a high-definition VR experience for people who had never traveled more than fifty miles from their hometown. Today, we have YouTube. We have 4K drones. The novelty of "seeing the world" has worn off a bit.
But there’s a charm to the practical effects.
- They actually moved 8,552 animals for the production.
- The Indian procession used real elephants and real extras, not CGI.
- The ships were real.
- The trains were real.
There is a weight to the images that you just don't get in modern blockbusters. When you see Fogg and Passepartout (played by the legendary Mexican comedian Cantinflas) traversing a landscape, they are actually there. Cantinflas, by the way, was a massive star in Latin America—actually more famous than David Niven at the time—and his physical comedy is what keeps the movie from feeling too stuffy.
The Best Picture Controversy
The movie won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This is a point of contention for film historians. It beat out The Ten Commandments and The Giant.
Critics often argue that it’s a "gimmick" movie. They say it won because Mike Todd was a master of promotion and because the industry wanted to reward a film that brought people back to the theaters. It wasn't "art" in the way we think of it now; it was an event.
But maybe that's okay?
The 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days represents a specific moment in time when Hollywood realized it had to go big or go home. It set the stage for the massive "roadshow" musicals and epics of the 1960s. Without Mike Todd’s gamble, we might not have had the same push for technical excellence in widescreen cinematography.
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What to Look For on a Re-watch
If you're going to sit down and watch this three-hour behemoth, keep an eye on the transition scenes. The way the film moves from the stuffy Reform Club in London to the vibrant streets of Paris and the bullrings of Spain is still visually impressive.
Pay attention to Victor Young's score. It's one of the best parts of the movie. The main theme is catchy, but the way he incorporates local musical flavors into each segment of the journey is masterclass level. It’s no wonder he won a posthumous Oscar for it.
Also, watch Cantinflas. Most English-speaking audiences don't realize how much of a genius he was. His "bullfight" scene in Spain is almost entirely improvised and shows off the physical comedy that made him a god in Mexico. He was the heart of the film, providing the energy that Niven’s reserved Fogg lacked.
Moving Beyond the Spectacle
To truly appreciate what this film did, you have to look at the "Before and After."
Before this movie, travelogues were boring short films played before the main feature. After this, the world felt smaller. The movie proved that you could sell "the world" as a protagonist.
It’s easy to dismiss it as a dated relic, but it’s a relic with a lot of soul. It was made by people who genuinely believed that movies should be an adventure. They weren't just making a film; they were trying to capture the entire planet on a strip of celluloid.
Actionable Steps for Film Fans
If you want to dive deeper into this era of filmmaking, don't just stop at the movie.
- Seek out the 70mm restoration. If you can find a theater showing a 70mm print or even just the high-bitrate Blu-ray, do it. This film was not meant to be watched on a phone or a grainy streaming rip. The colors and scale need space to breathe.
- Read about Mike Todd. His life was as wild as the movie. He married Elizabeth Taylor, he survived plane crashes, and he died tragically just a year after the film's success. He was the last of the great independent showmen.
- Compare it to the book. Read the original Jules Verne novel. It’s a fast read. You’ll be surprised at how much the film added (like the balloon) and how much it actually got right regarding Fogg’s obsession with punctuality.
- Watch the "making of" documentaries. The logistics of how they moved the cameras and the cast across the globe in the mid-50s are honestly more interesting than the plot itself. It was a feat of engineering as much as a feat of acting.
The 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days remains a monumental achievement in scale. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the "how" of a movie is just as important as the "why." Whether it’s the best movie of 1956 is up for debate, but it is undoubtedly the biggest.