![]() But I can’t help but feel in the editing that some of the people they selected from all their copious amounts of footage were selected because they looked stupid, particularly in India and in the United States. To Palin’s credit, he never intentionally makes anyone look stupid – that’s not his humor style. Simiarlaly with boat travel, from passenger boats to small freighters, do a Dao, to massive container ships. It’s also amazing to see such a comparison of boat and train travel across the trip – from the formal luxury of the Venice-Semplon (sp) Orient Express, to the mass of humanity on trains in the Middle East and India, to the middle ground of Amtrak – less luxurious than the Orient Express, but more comfortable than the trains in India. The documentary, from at the very leat a journalistic standpoint, is an interesting portrait of the times – The Iraq-Iran war had only recently been over, and Palin passed through Hong Kong before the hand-over to the Chinese, and more significantly, mere weeks before the Tienanmen Square protest, and Japan in the midst of the Bubble Economy. With improved engine technology from Verne’s time, it should be a peace of cake. The journey will take Palin across Europe, the Middle East, to India, China, Japan, and finally across the Pacific Ocean, the US (by Train) and across the Atlantic back to Great Britain. Accompanying him on his trip is his own Passepartout – a 6-man film crew from the BBC who is recording the trip. Michael Palin is challenged to go around the world in 80 days, without using any form of air transport, following (as closely as safely possible) the route of Phineass Fogg, the protagonist of Jules Verne’s novel. Being a fan of Monty Python (as is any self respecting geek), I watched it. So, in the course of my travels and travails through Netflix, I found a travel documentary series by Michael Palin – Around the World in 80 days. I’ve also found that these end up making the documentary a little less approachable. Often times, like Travels in Europe, by Portland native Rick Steves, or Globe Trekker, the people hosting the show are people who travel professionally – they write about it, and often times they take the time to get to know an area, and thus they have all the tricks and tips to pass along to you to make your stay more comfortable. Travel documentary series, while at times they can be enoyable, aren’t necessarily my thing. We do recommend reading Jules Verne's version first, but it isn’t necessary to enjoy this television series and book.Get Michael Palin's "Around the World In 80 Days" from Palin did make the trip successfully, traveling by foot, train, ship, balloon, and even husky dog. The writing reflects the fast pace of the trip it is more a travel journal with just a few highlights of each place. He published the account of his journey in a book of the same name, giving him a chance to share more details around his personal experience than was possible on the television program. ![]() The journey was then featured as a 7 part television series, generating strong ratings in the UK, and winning Palin some notoriety as a traveler. The goal of course was to travel around the world, without the use of airplanes (which didn’t exist in Verne’s time), to see if it actually could be accomplished. ![]() ![]() In 1988, the BBC decided to send Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) on the same challenge faced by the fictional Phileas Fogg in Around the World in Eighty Days, the fictional novel by Jules Verne. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |