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The movie is based on a Jules Verne book I actually have read once, about ten years ago. I remember I liked the book a lot, and this movie does a good job in telling the story. The most important thing in this movie isn't the story, however, but the highly original visual look it has.

The visuals are absolutely beautiful, and they are apparently achieved by a clever combination of animated drawings combined with live actors, stop-motion animation and sets that are painted so that they look much like from an animated movie. Combined by Jules Verne's own unique versions of airplanes and submarines and Karel Zeman's good directing results in a very well done and convincing visual style that manages to effectively hold one's attention until the end of the movie.

There are some problems as well, one of the underwater scenes at the end takes maybe needlessly lot of time for example, as the story in the first part of the movie is rushed through quite quickly. None of this matters much though since the movie is always highly enjoyable. A gem that deserves to be more well known for today's audiences as well. A recommended movie for the whole family.

I'd never heard of this film until I saw it scheduled at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. I'm so glad I saw it -- this movie has everything! Guileless inventors, ruthless pirates, a winsome heroine, hot-air balloons, a villain's lair in a volcano, submarines with duck-foot paddles, roller-skating camels, a giant man-eating octopus, and the most charming production design this side of Edward Gorey's sets for "Dracula." I look forward to the steampunk movement's embrace of this film, assuming they don't already know about it. Even if they have, they should check out this restoration, which is crisp, clear, and gorgeous.

The film is based more on Verne's vision of the future world than on a particular Verne story. There are pedal powered aerial-bicycles, aeronefs (including Robur's "Clipper of the Clouds"), formidable steam locomotives, massive canons, and, of course, submersibles. The plot follows the kidnaping of a scientist on the verge of a breakthrough in explosive technology (hint: it involves heavy water), who is taken to an aristocratic pirate's secret volcanic lair, and the attempts by his heroic assistant to escape, or at least to warn the outside world of the pirates' infamous plans. The film is a fascinating and surreal mélange of live action and animation, with much of the imagery based on the 19th century engravings that illustrated the original books. At times the animation resembles Georges Méliès' pioneering science fiction shorts (such as "Conquest of the Pole", 1912) and likely inspired the iconic Terry Gilliam images seen a decade later in "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1969). "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" is well worth viewing, both for its imaginative self as well as for its cinematographic novelty. I watched a fairly low-res version on You-tube but there may be a digital version available that would do justice to the intricate imagery.

An interesting movie based on three of Jules Verne's novels. Considering the special effects and computer enhanced animation of today, this movie stands as an historic marker of cinematic resourcefulness and imagination. Karel Zeman has brought to life the lithographic images of the original Jules Verne texts. this is a must see for classic science fiction and history buffs.

I give this movie 9 out of 10. Enjoy!!

This is one film that I wish they would start showing on television again. When I was a child, I really was knocked out by the special effects. I'm a sucker for any film that combines live action with animation and this film is no exception. What really made me take notice was how the sets reminded me of the pages of a book and how the characters were almost like the illustrations come to life. This is definitely a lost classic and I hope one day that it will be shown on television once again.

Few films have ever captured the feel of a fantasy world better than this one. The opening sequence alone (no, I'm not talking about the Hugh Downes intro) is absolutely masterful, presenting us with a seemingly unending series of striking images done using a technique (described at length by other reviewers) I don't think has ever been used again in a feature. Fantastic planes, trains, and airships soar past evoking a sort of "steam-punk" atmosphere of retro technology before that term was ever coined. Film fans, Verne fans, fans of pure hand-crafted cinema artistry and imagination must do themselves a favor and check this movie out.

From the Czech Republic comes 1958's "The Fabulous World of Jules Verne" (Vynalez Zkazy or Invention of Destruction), Joseph E. Levine's stateside release of director Karel Zeman's stylized realization of the 19th century author's many works, earning instant acclaim at Expo 58 in Brussels, winning the Grand Prix at the International Film Festival. Though no box office success in the US it was universally heralded by critics, Verne's 1896 novel "Facing the Flag" merely the starting point for a visual feast requiring almost no dialogue, presented in the Victorian style of line engravings used to illustrate his ideas to current readers, filmed with a mixture of stop motion and live action, often done in camera. The actual story is easy to follow and faithfully recreates several fictional characters treated as real people, from Robur the Conqueror (played by Vincent Price in "Master of the World"), Victor Barbicane (played by Joseph Cotten in "From the Earth to the Moon"), and the ever popular Captain Nemo, portrayed in multiple films by such fabled actors as Lionel Barrymore, Herbert Lom, and James Mason. Submarines appear with flippers, airships fly under man made pedal power, a squid oozes black ink when injured, virtually half the picture taking place beneath the waves as a multitude of fish swim by. The narrator reveals himself as the knowing assistant to a scientist researching a new explosive used for evil purposes by a group of pirates, their secret island hideaway inside a dormant volcano whose only entrance is an underwater tunnel. Quaint in its time but relatively undated for that very reason, this entry continues to fascinate unsuspecting viewers lucky enough to encounter it.

A professor, who has invented a new, powerful explosive and his assistant are kidnapped by the evil Count Artigas who wants to create a weapon so that he can rule the World. The 2 men are taken to Artigas' base deep within a volcanic island, where the assistant begins his plans to escape and save the World.

Charming and rather beautiful mixture of real actors performing within drawings and sometimes almost pythonesque animation (Camels on roller-skates?). It is based on Jules Verne's 'Facing the Flag' and its mixture of imaginative ideas, action, even humour are a joy to watch in what is apparently the most successful Czech film. It would be most suitable for children, albeit presumably the dubbed version would need to be sought out. Great fun.

Truly unique and stunning film of Jules Verne's "For The Flag" by the Czech master director Karel Zeman.Although the story is enacted in a rather understated late Victorian style, the visuals are a knockout. Zeman uses animation, graphics, painted sets, model animation combined with live action to create the atmosphere of Verne that the reader associates in his mind. The style resembles the steel engravings of Dore and Bennet and Riou that illustrated these stories with a healthy dose of Georges Melies added.Photographed in beautiful black and white the animation is of the highest order and not of a Saturday morning variety. There are underwater sequences where the fishes swimming about are so accurately drawn they can be used in a field guide.There are images of ships ,submarines, flying craft, castles,and machinery that are drawn in such accurate detail that one must have a freeze frame on his VCR or DVD to pause the scene and study the remarkable detail that went into this production.The late Victorian atmosphere is designed to look like this world that never was and delight us in the magic of science that made Verne the great father of the genre. If this is not enough, there also is the film score that probably is one of the best ever created for a fantasy or sci-fi film.Truly a forgotten classic, this one is worth hunting down and buying. Always one of my favorite films of all times, it is sure to be one of yours too. And remember- this was done decades before CGI or computer animation. Kudos to the great artists who obviously put their heart into it. It shows. Jules Verne himself would be proud of this movie.A film that deserves to be better known, but those who have seen it love it-and treasure it. An outstanding achievement , this remarkable film just gets better every time you watch it. A true cinematic work of art from a visionary director.

Excuse my blasphemy and for being the devil's advocate, this cutting-edge adventurer made in 1958 by Czech animator, artisan and filmmaker Karel Zeman, often dubbed as the "Czech Méliès" or more aptly, Méliès's successor, is without any doubt technically innovative, which unfortunately doesn't make up for its jejune watch-ability of its hybrid nature for audience in the digital era.

The story is loosely based on Jules Verne's novel FACING THE FLAG, but also draws inspiration from his other works, the film is groundbreaking at its time, simply for its horizontal widening novelty, Zeman and his team flourish with line engraving, cutout animation, stop-motion technique miniatures effects, matte paintings, stock shots and various other sleight-of-hand, to depict the adventure of Simon Hart (Tokos), a young scientist who is kidnapped with Professor Roch (Navrátil) by Count Artigas (Holub) and pirate Captain Spade (Slégr), he is imprisoned in Artigas' headquarter inside a volcano, where Professor Roch is inveigled to invent a super weapon, which the evil Artigas could use to conquer the world. So it is up to Simon to warn the rest of the world, with the help of a young girl Jana (Zatloukalová), and Roch's last-minute awakening to his mother wit, Artigas' plan is heroically forestalled.

According to Godard's maxim - film is truth 24 times a second, and every cut is a lie, a major but innate defect of this arduously-produced labour-of-love, is that, the combination of live-action with animation constantly reminds viewers that what they see is not real, of course, we are aware of that beforehand, but one of the most alluring trick of cinema is that, it conjures up a special realm with meticulous recreation which can deceptively hypnotise its audience to forget about that and immerse oneself to the world of deliberately manufactured verisimilitude and vicissitude. Yet, what we see scenes to scenes here, from the paper-made tableaux vivants, the pristinely edited action pieces (using a submarine like a torpedo to sink other vessels is something just beyond one's imagination), to the bland acting, all exert exactly the opposite force, what we see is just a make-believe of a Sci-Fi burlesque, there is no immediacy for emotional investment, just to be amazed by the calibre of its craftsmanship. It is something so inherent that mars its currency to new audience, and to no one's fault too, just time changes taste and perception, we must admit.

One abiding element of this heritage-worthy picture is Zdenek Liska's invasive score, makes wonder out of harpsichord, and tellingly attests that there is a winner between the immortality of music and film.

This is even better than Jules Verne (albeit some minor Verne works) with not only the stories and some of the dialogue but period engravings surrounding live actors, animation magic to boot and uncountable other technical tours de force. It is rather cool, perhaps, with the characters rather distant from the viewers but they take second place to the virtuoso special effects. And what effects they are! The drawings are so real they pop off the screen and the music is absolutely wonderful - full Twentieth Century in this case. This is rather like the most elaborate of magic shows: we are willing to sit back and be amused - and amazed. Bravo Karel Zeman and bravo to the whole team! Curtis Stotlar

"The Deadly Invention" showcases Zemans unique approach to movie-making and aesthetics, sometimes maybe in a too strict manner. To keep the mix of animation, stop-motion and real-life actors / sets manageable, the movie is done in black and white - which makes it more similar to the 19th century steel engravings accompanying Verne editions, but loses some atmosphere. I don't know why the whole movie is kept in neutral grey; even early filmmakers coloured their B/W films from scene to scene according to the story to enhance the experience. Seems like an oversight to me.

As mentioned in the title, this is required viewing for animation addicts; for pure enjoyment I'd recommend Zeman's later stuff, like "The Stolen Airship" which came nearly 10 years later and has colours (handcrafted, of course) as well a a more easygoing flow of story.

Some movies used to be shown so often on television, due to crazy broadcast schedules or rental packages. Back in the 1960s and 1970s (early 1970s) this film popped up usually on Channel 9 in New York City. Sometimes another film like this, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, would pop up as well. Both were made in Czechoslavakia in the late 1950s. The director designed the films to look like a 19th Century "moving" picture book (the sort that the reader, usually a child, would move by shifting small paper switches by pulling or pushing them. The film's backgrounds looked like the illustrations in Verne's novels, by illustrators like Edward Riou. Only the actors were real actors. Among moments that remain in my memory are the sinking of a ship by a submarine (a la TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA), and a battle between two submarines. I say moments in my memory because I have not seen any rebroadcast of this film on television since the early 1970s, and it has not come out on Video (or DVD for that matter).

Although it borrows from other novels of Verne's the basis for this film is an 1896 novel, which in English is titled FACING THE FLAG. The only edition of the novel that has appeared in recent years was published by ACE books back in the late 1970s, under the editorship of Verne scholar I.O.E. Evans, and retitled FOR THE FLAG. Evans explains that the novel was influenced by Verne's knowledge of a controvertial French scientist named Turpin who got into legal problems when he could not sell an explosive to the French Government, and then tried to sell it abroad. The anti-hero in the novel, Thomas Roche, has gone mad when his proposed weapon, called "the Fulgarator" is rejected (and he is laughed at) by the French authorities. He is being watched by a government agent, as the government slowly reevaluates it's position. But Roche and the agent are kidnapped by one of the last pirates on the globe (Count Artigas in the story). The Count helps Roche build a working model of the weapon (which is a type of missile, that flies off a track after a rocket fuel is added). The Count intends to use it to blackmail governments around the globe. The crisis at the end of the novel is whether the bitter and mad Roche will be willing to use his weapon against the ships of his homeland, France.

It is not a major Verne tale, but it is readable (not all of his novels are still readable). And the basic plot is followed in this film version. It is a wonderful movie to watch - and one hopes one day to see it on television, video, or DVD again.

I had never heard of this film until earlier this year when a small local revival cinema announced a showing, and being an old fan of Jules Verne I took a strong interest. I thought it was pretty amazing, the effects aren't quite like anything I've ever seen and it just felt like it took place in a kind of dream world! Other reviews say it was based on a Verne story "For the Flag" though the end credits I saw mentioned a different title I thought. I can't remember what that was; in any case I am unfamiliar with it and was obviously a precursor to some of his other better known novels. I found this movie has been issued on DVD.

The movie is based on one of Jules Vernes' many voyages extraordinaire. As such, it is not a brilliantly crafted work of writing. It's the basis for every Frank Reade dime novel that appeared in the series' long run. The story is, in a word, silly.

The extraordinary beauty of this film is purely visual. The characters, written as thin as stick figures, are played by actors who move in an animated world; not the cartoon world we are accustomed to, or the world of anime, but the world of book illustration, of steel engravings. These backdrops and set pieces, and even the ocean waves edited through a filter, are designed with intimate detail. They offer us a look at an alternatiive cinema, one in which the grammar begun by George A. Smith, formalized by D.W. Griffith, and elaborated on by tens of thousands of technicians and artists over the past century never existed.

It's a Georges Melies type of cinema, a grammar that vanished in 1914, although bits and pieces remain in film grammar, like trilobite fossils revealed in marble used to face public buildings. Its sensibilities are entirely distinct. It's an amazing, fascinating piece of work.

I first saw this film I think about 1963 as a 12 year old on KHJ TV in Los Angeles and was totally hooked on it. years later I realized that it was pretty much based on a combination of Verne tales....The Czech title being "A Dangerous Weapon"....I love it!

I was a graduate of Occidental College in LA...Terry Gilliam proceeded me by some 12 years......Why do I comment on this? - Well, if you watch this film it has Gilliam's shtick written all over it....I only wish I'd had the chance to question him at the college bicentennial in 1986.....I have little doubt that he'd deny that Zeman's films had had any influence on him, but it's a obvious as the nose on your face! Anyone notice that?

I love the Professor Serke, the Count's number one quiz kid. If I didn't know better, I'd swear that he was a character right out of the much later "Wild Wild West"...Couldn't you see him as yet another evil genius out to take over the world?. Victorian gadgets galore!

This film makes me feel as thought I'm part of that era, it makes all of it seem so alive!

Oh yeah, the film would not have had nearly the impact that it's had on me were if not for Lisko's fabulous musical score...It emotes the charm of the Victorian era in a manner I've not seen before or since. It's also interesting that his music has certain synthesizer-Esq qualities as used for sound effects.

Has anyone ever noticed the obvious similarities in the small reconnaissance submarine to Professor Fates' craft in the much later "The Great Race"?.......I doubt it!

Captain Spade........Were he and Bluto twin brothers separated at birth?

This incredible film inspired by Jules Verne's incredible novels and using a number of them for piling incredible effects on top of each other to achieve the incredible result of a combination of George Méliès thoroughly modernized but in style, the authentic Jules Verne illustrations turned alive by animation, the Nautilus adventure and many other adventures as well - even the engineer Robur with his flying ship "Albatross" is included in this humorous but still serious dramatization of one of Jules Verne's best and most sinister novels - "Face au drapeau", which he himself considered one of his most significant. But what really sets this film off in all its crude and primitive but extremely original and clever techniques is the music and the splendid sense of humor. This is all ingeniously humorous all the way, while at the same time, like Chaplin's "The Great Dictator", it is dead serious. The creative imagination behind all this matches that of Jules Verne, and this is perhaps the one film out of many on Jules Verne's books that comes closest to the original character of his books. This is indeed an adventure you will never forget but enjoy refreshing every now and then.

A bizarre combination of animation, live-action, and what seem to be cardboard cutouts is this incredible Czech creation.

It has Jules Verne as its theme but the weird vehicles and engines are a treat to see. The plot is simple and straightforward but serviceable while the work as a whole is a strange trip into a universe that it alone inhabits.

Something wild was happening in old Czechoslovakia, what with this and the film "Fantastic Planet" (from the 60s)

I showed it to a pack of jaded movie fans, and they watched in awe. They discussed nothing but it for hours. Its style is unparalleled in film history, though the comical website Wondermarch is plainly influenced.

Watch it at least once - you owe it to yourself.

I didn't know what to expect at all.

The scenery and sets were superb.

Having NOT read the original novel, I waqsn't familiar with the storyline nor, of course, the ending. Therefore for me, it was full of surprises. I did wonder if MOnty Python drew some of their inspirations for their shows a decade later from this film.

Black and white made it seem more authehtic as it dated it to an earlier time, or perhaps that's just my perception.

I didn't know any of the actors in this movie, so there were no expecations there.

There was a message there for the world of course. That every invention has good and bad uses as it's developed and refined.