Around the World in 80 Days - I Don't Think So

I've been watching classic movies that I've never seen before through my Netflix subscription. Recently, I have been watching movies that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
I have never seen Around the the World in 80 Days (1956 version) before and I was really looking forward to it. It's a pretty long movie and so I ended up watching it in two sittings this past weekend. I must admit it was a very long 183 minutes for me. I don't know if I'm just out of it and don't appreciate films like this but I just found it to be boring.
It seemed to drag on forever. There were scenes that I don't think they would include in a movie made today. If they did, I don't think they would be nearly as long. For example, I had to really pay attention and try not to fall asleep during the bull fighting scene. What could have been a very exciting scene, for me, was a huge snoozer.
While I understand that it is a product of it's time, there are a lot of racist elements and stereotypes included in the film. People in non-European countries are viewed as wild and sometimes even savage. There's the typical American Indian battle scene in which the Indians are shown as war-mongering people who chase people they don't like around on horseback. Of course, they skip over sub-Sarahan Africa all together. When they get to India and rescue an Indian princess who is played by Shirley McClain. I could not believe this. They couldn't at least find someone of Indian descent to play this part? Good grief!
The characters travel around the world and never seem to really care about what they are doing. Phileas Fogg, played by David Niven, basically travels around the world and plays cards and has tea. I know there's some British humor in there some place, but I just didn't quite get it. David Niven just sits there for long periods of the film doing almost nothing. Yet, the film is about travel which one would think involves some action.
The highlight of the film for me was the performance of Mario Moreno "Cantinflas" as Passepartout. He is truly amazing in the film. I read of Wikipedia that Charlie Chaplin considered him a comic genius. I would have to agree. He is great and is able to communicate much without saying a word.
So, while I did enjoy Moreno and some of the beautiful cinematography, I kept scratching my head wondering how it won the best picture Oscar when it was up against the films Giant, The King and I, and The Ten Commandments. Hmmm . . .
Anyway, for what it's worth, that's my two cents worth on Around the World in 80 Days.
Thanks for being a part of my journey!