If you are a traveller by heart, Jules Verne’s dream of a journey around the globe won’t be strange for you. Maybe you did it already yourself? How long did it take you? Nowadays it’ll be far less than 80 days but at the end of the 19th century it was quite a big adventure. An adventure the famous but fictive figure Phileas Fogg undertook to win a bet with his London club mates. And an adventure that gets an interesting twist with the interpretation in a new French / German / Italian TV miniseries.
Novelbased
„Around the world in 80 days“ is based on the novel of the same name by Jules Verne, a French writer of the 19th century. That is common ground, right? He wrote a lot of adventure novels, most of them with the focus on technology and how it may help mankind to go beyond the known world.
Phileas Fogg bets with his club mates that he will travel around the world in 80 days in the year 1872. He is joined by his valet. They travel, have adventures and eventually are rescuing an India, but western educated princess.
It became one of the most known adventure novels of the western world. Theres is not one decade without a movie or series based on this novel. I certainly remember even a puppet play on television. I always loved the story of two adventurers. But I must confess that I never read the novel myself, but I consumed the story through other media. Do you remember the movie with Jackie Chan?
So I got a hint just around New Year (by my fellow traveller of my New Zealand adventure) that there is a new series around with this topic. At first I didn’t know what to think of it, because the German television companies are not known to produce cinematic material but have their own specific aesthetics. But I like the story and I heard, that David Tennant was the main character. That settled the deal. I really admire Tennant in his role as Dr. Who, in Good Omens or The Decoy Bride. Even the evil character Kevin Kilgrave in the Jessica Jones Netflix series couldn’t change that. As Phileas Foog David Tennant is joined on his travels by his French valet Jean Passepartout, a person of colour played by Ibrahim Koma, and Abigail Fix, a young ambitous British journalist played by the German actress Leonie Benesch.
Surprising
Usually the story is all about the technology, the achievements of mankind and defying the physical obstacles that arise on a journey like catching the train and coping with cultures on the other end of the world. Not this one. I was happily surprised that the story is told by another agle of perspective. The focus lies on the inner obstacles you have to overcome while travelling the world, the doubt, the fear, the anxciety. The question Why do you do this? Why did you leave your comfort zone? Is there a greater meaning to it? What drives you forward? Or are you just travelling because you are able and have the means to do so? These are real questions you are confronted with while travelling! Who was sitting in a nice hostel living room or in a pub, in a bus or train and was never in the need to find answers to those? I certainly was always asked or asked myself those questions. And the series shows the struggles to find an answer, a personal one and a sensitive one. It reveals a love story never mentioned before and luckily without a cheesy Hollywood happy ending, but still kind of a happy ending.
Besides that focus on emotions and what drives the people doing the journey, the series tries to include a range of contemporary topics as well, such as how people of colour are treated or the struggles of independent women. The original story is quiet white and patriarchic, not to mention colonialistic. Though I don’t feel that those topics are broadly discussed in the series, it includes moments and storylines that refer to empowerment, equality and non toxic masculinity. More than it is probably historically accurate. But the historically incorrectness is a huge gain to the show. There are strong women, there are people of colour and the colonialism is questioned.
Recommended?
Definitely! „Around the world in 80 days“ is fun to watch, well directed, with convincing effects and thriving music. A delight for the adventurous soul. The music composed by famous Hans Zimmer reminded me of Sherlock Holmes, the Steampunk version with Robert Downey Jr. Did you know that the aesthetic movement of Steampunk is founded on Jules Verne’s work? The futuristic imaginations of the French author that are now retro and very victorian, are the references of Steampunk people to imagine an alternative reality where nowadays technology und functions are still based on steam and clockwork as in industrial revolution days. But that’s another story to tell.
If you are in the mood for travelling without leaving the living room, I dearly recommend the new „Around the world in 80 days“ miniseries. And if you are a fan of Victorian tales and costumes without the glorification of colonialisation, it is a must. Have fun while watching!
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