The sole feature credit from producer Michael Todd, AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS (1956) earned the theatre impresario an Academy Award for Best Picture – with the film also taking home Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Color Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Score. A lavish spectacle adapted from the classic novel by Jules Verne, it is the very definition of epic – more than just an adventure, but also a sweeping travelogue shot in majestic Todd-AO (a format co-developed and named for the film’s producer) and a cavalcade of cameos popping up alongside stars David Niven and Cantinflas – including Charles Boyer, Marlene Dietrich, Ronald Colman, Cedric Hardwicke, Peter Lorre, Charles Coburn, Noël Coward, Buster Keaton, George Raft, Cesar Romero, Red Skelton, Frank Sinatra and, as the duo’s companion, AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Shirley MacLaine.
Visit the AFI Catalog to learn more about AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS.
