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Biography - Jules Verne [VHS]

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The world of science fiction has given us many incredible writers, but first and foremost among them all stands Jules Verne, the man who basically invented the genre. We all know the likes of Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and have at least cursory knowledge of the incredible adventures told in such classics as Journey to the Centre of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, and Around the World in 80 Days, but I for one really did not know very much about Jules Verne the man before watching this A&E Biography video.

Born in 1828, Verne lived an amazing but oftentimes unhappy life as a man almost wholly consumed by his writing. The young man who dreamed of heroic adventures was compelled to follow in the footsteps of his lawyer father, but Verne's stay in Paris only furthered the artistic aspirations that his mother alone seemed to understand. Fascinated by the arts and culture of the French metropolis in the years following the Revolution of 1848, Verne made important friends, such as the elder Alexander Dumas, dabbled with music, and found inspiration in the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, whose method of scientific verisimilitude - using real science to make his stories believable - would resonate strongly in Verne's prolific writing career. Then, after meeting a cultured young widow, Verne surprisingly sought a seat on the stock exchange, anxious to establish himself as a young man worthy of a good marriage. The marriage was rarely a happy one, as his wife did not understand Verne's obsession with writing, and Verne himself oftentimes found his family (especially his troublesome son) more of a burden and nuisance than a blessing.

Verne found a life-long friend and father figure in publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel, and in 1863 he finally achieved success with the publication of Five Weeks in a Balloon. Readers - unsure if the story was real or imaginary - loved it, and Verne soon wrote and published some of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. His second novel, however, was refused by Hetzel as too pessimistic, yet thanks to the manuscript's relatively recent discovery by a Verne descendant, the whole world can now see just how prophetic and on-target the novel Paris in the Twentieth Century was. Never much of a family man, Verne's world was darkened in 1885 when his mistress died; a year later, in the course of a single week, Verne was shot in the leg by a nephew who had gone mad and then suffered the loss of his friend and publisher Hetzel. The pessimism and possible evils of science which Hetzel had kept in check for over twenty years now emerged in Verne's published works. While these novels would never achieve the fame of their predecessors, Verne's fame and place in literature was already secure. I knew he had been a prolific writer, but I was surprised to learn that he published some 66 books and novels. Over 100 films have been made from his adventures, the earliest one in 1902, and Verne's prophetic ideas continue to inspire and amaze us to this day.

Verne had his faults in real life, but many of them seem inspired by his incredible consumption with writing and research, and a cursory look at his life's story only makes his incredible publishing career even more impressive. Those who do not introduce themselves to Jules Verne, at least through his most famous novels, are denying themselves an incredible experience, and this biographical looks at the life of Jules Verne is an informative and respectful way for all of his fans to pay tribute to this man who sowed the seeds of many of our modern inventions and paved the way for every one of the inspirational science fiction writers who came after him.

"The Extraordinary Voyages of Jules Verne" is part of A&E Home Video's "Biography" series. This installment tells the story of the imaginative Frenchman who is revered as one of the fathers of modern science fiction.

The video features interviews with a number of individuals: screenwriter Gavin Scott, Random House editor Helen Morris, Verne's great grandson Jean Verne, and more. The film contains many still visuals (photos, drawings, etc.) as well as scenes of the places that Verne lived and work. We learn of Verne's birth and family life; of the literary works that influenced him; of his own marriage; of the ups and downs of his literary career; and more.

For a long time I have loved Verne's amazing tales, and this film reveals that his own life story is equally fascinating. A&E has produced a fine tribute to one of the great minds of the 19th century--a man whose influence on our culture continues today.