MovieChat Forums > Around the World in 80 Days (1989) Discussion > Around the World in How Many Days?

Around the World in How Many Days?

posted 9 years ago by denham
1 reply | jump to latest

Of course Michael Palin experienced various delays which made it a tight thing to get round the world inside 80 days, and at various times he commented on how far he was falling behind schedule. It seems that if the delays hadn't happened, he'd have been home with many days to spare. I wonder, what was the duration of the journey implied by his original schedule? Are you there, Michael? Passepartout?

I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken.

[–] daveyh (641) 4 years ago

I think it would have been about the same - I get the impression that getting that ship from Singapore to Hong Kong was key, as was the boat across the Pacific (Neptune Garnett). If the earlier parts of the journey had gone according to plan, I think he'd have just been hanging around Singapore for a couple of days.
It's quite noticeable that from Hong Kong onwards the journey is at a smooth, leisurely pace for the first time since Europe.
Also I think the rush/panic during the scenes in the Chicago train station were exaggerated for TV - the camera crew had time to set up at the reception desk and on the platform twice. Also, at Glenwood Springs, it's implied that he just got off the train for a couple of hours. In reality he stayed overnight in Aspen. So had this not happened I guess he'd have got to Chicago or New York with a day to spare so just stayed overnight there instead.
Finally, the boat across the Atlantic actually stopped in France the day before heading to Essex, and they could see the lights of South West England on the Saturday night (about 60 hours before the deadline), so if the journey had been a bit tighter they maybe could have used a lifeboat or been met by a motorboat and headed for Cornwall at this point, or taken a ferry from France to England the next day.