On Wednesday, June 7, travel '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' at Flying Monkey, Plymouth, N.H.

Original poster, complete with giant squid, promoting the 1916 version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.'

For a long time, I thought '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' was a reference to how deep Captain Nemo's Submarine could go, not how far. 

I now know better. A league, at least in terms of nautical measurement, is about 3 nautical miles, which translates to about 3.4 land miles. So it's like running a 5K, plus a little more.

There! Now that that's cleared up.

This week brings a rare chance to see the original silent film adaptation of Jules Verne's '20000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) on the big screen and with live music. 

I'm accompanying this early epic, the first to make extensive use of underwater photography, on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

Don't expect anything like the classic Disney classic version from 1954 with James Mason playing Captain Nemo. 

This first-ever version actually weaves together at least two other Verne tales into a strange bouillabaisse (hey, it's French!) that's really something.

On the plus side, the preserved film looks GREAT. But on the down side, several sequences involving Charles Denver are out of the correct order, lending an extra-strange element to an already bizarre movie.

But it's all part of the experience, which you can only have if you join us on Wednesday, June 7 at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse. Come by car, bus, or submarine!

Just watch out for any giant squids!

*   *   *

Capt. Nemo scans the horizon from his submarine, the Nautilus.

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2023 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Rapsis • (603) 236-9237 • jeffrapsis@gmail.com

Flying Monkey to screen original 1916 silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'

Early adaptation of Jules Verne classic pioneered underwater photography; shown with live music on Wednesday, June 7

PLYMOUTH, N.H.—The original silent film version of the Jules Verne classic '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) will be shown with live music on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission tickets are $10 and available at door or in advance by calling the box office at (603) 536-2551 or online at www.flyingmonkeynh.com.

Live music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based silent film accompanist.

In production for more than two years by Universal, the original silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' is an epic retelling of the classic Jules Verne novel, and with elements from other Verne stories mixed in.

Allen Holubar stars as the domineering Captain Nemo, who rescues the passengers of an American naval vessel after ramming them with his iron-clad steampunk submarine, The Nautilus.

Incorporating material from Verne’s 'Mysterious Island,' the film also follows the adventures of a group of Civil War soldiers whose hot-air balloon crash lands on an exotic island, where they encounter the untamed “Child of Nature” (Jane Gail).

Calling itself “The First Submarine Photoplay Ever Filmed,” the film is highlighted by pioneering underwater photography, including an underwater funeral and a deep sea diver’s battle with a giant cephalopod.

The film, directed by Stuart Paton, was filmed largely in the Bahamas to take advantage of shallow seas and bright sunshine.

Several methods were devised to capture scenes underwater, including a sort of "reverse periscope lens" that used mirrors in long tubes to enable a camera onboard ship to film below the surface.

The film has little in common with a later adaption released in 1954 by Walt Disney Studios and starring James Mason.

In honor of extraordinary technical and artistic achievement, the silent version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Accompanist Jeff Rapsis will create a musical score for '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' live during the screening, in the manner of theater organists during the height of silent cinema.

"For most silent films, including '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,' there was never any sheet music and no official score," Rapsis said. "So creating original music on the spot to help the film's impact is all part of the experience of silent cinema."

"That's one of the special qualities of silent cinema," Rapsis said. "Although the film itself is well over a century old, each screening is a unique experience — a combination of the movie, the music, and the audience reaction."

The original silent film version of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' (1916) will be screened with live music on Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Flying Monkey Moviehouse and Performance Center, 39 Main St., Plymouth, N.H.

General admission tickets are $10 and available at door or in advance by calling the box office at (603) 536-2551 or online at www.flyingmonkeynh.com.