Recently, I began watching all of Alfred Hitchcock’s films in order from the beginning. It’s been one of my pandemic pop culture quests. I can’t be the only one using the past few months of relative isolation to make my way through a hefty list of films or shows, can I?

In any case, the first nine (extant) Hitchcock films are silent, so I’ve been watching a fair number of silent films over the past few weeks. More than the average person, at least.

One thing that’s really struck me about those films is the startling hit-or-miss nature of their quality. I’m not talking about whether they hold up plotwise or from a narrative perspective (because most of them decidedly do NOT hold up). Rather, the quality of the films themselves – the resolution, vibrancy, and clarity of the video – is all over the place. Some of them are practically unwatchable.

And these are Alfred Hitchcock films!

So it was a pleasant shock to watch the brand-new release of the 1916 silent version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The film got a 4K restoration from Universal Pictures (with restoration from the 35mm nitrate print provided by UCLA Film & Television Archive and restoration services provided by NBCUniversal StudioPost), and it’s absolutely stunning.

If you’ve ever watched a silent film, you’re no doubt aware of the jittery, bouncy nature of film from the era. Speed is also usually ramped up (everyone looks to be moving in fast forward), and the scratches and abuses inflicted on the film over a hundred years is all too painfully evident.

I’m thrilled to say that NONE of that mars this new release from Kino Lorber. The film is gorgeous, clean, clear, and honestly looks like it might’ve been made within the last decade or so (to look “old-timey”). From a technical perspective, it’s hard to believe this film is 104 years old.

From other perspectives, it’s brutally clear how anachronistic this film is in 2020. Two of the main characters are in blackface (as Indians) the entire time, one of those characters – a woman – succumbs to Stockholm Syndrome almost immediately after getting kidnapped by a white man, European cultural superiority is clearly on display, the only African American member of the cast inexplicably disappears halfway through the film and never reappears, and on and on.

Narratively, Stuart Paton’s film does NOT hold up for a modern audience. It looks exquisite, and it’s a fascinating piece of cinematic history (it’s the first film featuring extensive use of segments filmed under water), but it’s hard to recommend this version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea unless you’re watching it as a student of film history.

Interestingly, though, this film combines Jules Verne’s story with his quasi-sequel The Mysterious Island and changes both stories considerably. This may have been released in 1916, but Hollywood was still Hollywood. The studio may have gotten the rights to a classic story, but that doesn’t mean it won’t muck around and completely change everything.

Typical.

The new Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber is light on bonus features, but it does include a feature-length audio commentary by film historian Anthony Slide (which is well worth listening to for historical context and insights into the making of the film) and a gorgeous musical score by Orlando Perez Rosso.