Customer Reviews

Five Weeks in a Balloon

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this movie. Not only is it exciting and adventurous, it also has a rather catchy theme song. This movie also has an allstar cast (well, at least they were big stars in 1962). The characters are perfect: from the always calm and collected Professor with a dry sense of humor to the pompous general whose last request before his execution is some hot water to fill his prize teapot. I recommend this to anyone looking for a fun adventure movie.

While I applaud the studio for releasing this wonderful Irwin Allen film from the fate of dark obscurity too many films from the golden age suffer, they should strive for the best rendition possible. In this case Five Weeks In A Balloon was filmed in CinemaScope - widescreen. This pan-n-scan dvd does not do this great flick justice.

One of the better star-studded adventure movies helmed by producer/director Irwin Allen, FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON (based on the Jules Verne novel) is ideal entertainment for the whole family.

When a party of explorers (led by Cedric Hardwicke, Red Buttons, Richard Haydn and Fabian) set out for uncharted African territory in an elaborate hot-air balloon device, their journey instead takes them on a rollicking rollercoaster of danger, thrills and romance all the way from London to Timbuktu! Barbara Eden co-stars as the lovely schoolteacher the group saves from an Arabian slavetrader; with fine support from Peter Lorre and Barbara Luna.

FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON, filmed in deluxe colour and CinemasScope, was a big ratings winner for 1962. The performances all-round are very pleasing, especially Richard Haydn as the dithering old Colonel, and Barbara Eden provides the requisite love interest (she'd previously worked with Irwin Allen in 1961's "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"). The very catchy theme song, composed by Jodi Desmond, is sung over the main titles by The Brothers Four, later reprised in the movie by Fabian.

Ideal lazy Saturday afternoon fare.

I remember seeing Five Weeks in a Balloon when the film was released and I was about 10 years old. Over the years I have remembered the title song so when I discovered that the film was available on DVD I got a copy.

Obviously, this is a very free adaptation of Jules Verne's novel. The story centers around the marvelous balloon invented by Fergusson) played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke) that comes to be used in a race to beat a group of slavers to establishing a base of operations in West Africa. All Fergusson has to do is plant the British flag to stop them. The crew consists of Fabian (who pilots the balloon), Red Buttons (as a playboy/reporter who is taken along as a witness and to get a story) and Richard Haydn (who dryly plays a British general who is an African expert). Along the journey, they pick up a beautiful slave girl (Barbara Luna), a very intelligent chimpanzee, a missionary about to be sold into slavery (Barbara Eden) and an unscrupulous slave dealer (Peter Lorre). In the smaller roles are some outstanding English actors. Herbert Marshall has a scene as the Prime Minister, Reginald Owen plays a Consul and Henry Daniell, always a villain, plays a Sheik who captures most of the crew allowing Red Button's to rescue everyone.

The adventures of the crew are more comic than dangerous and one is convinced there never is any serious trouble that Fergusson and company cannot get out of. Even Peter Lorre's character, who has the potential for double-dealing, helps to save the day in the end. Five Weeks in a Balloon is perfect for children with a nice mix of adventure and comedy that will hold their interest. Adults may find the story a little too unbelievable, bordering on the silly. After so many years, I found the movie interesting for the performances and funny in many places but, also, at times stretching the comic a bit too thin: the music is still memorable. Still, it is a charming film that is worth a look.

This is an excellent movie! Overall I would rate it:
Theme Song-5 Stars
Characters-5 Stars
Plot-5 Stars
Humor-5 Stars

Overall-5 Stars

I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys old movies!

I now have several Irwin Allen films and I like them all. 20th Century Fox does a great job on the prints for these DVD's. CinemaScope looks great and when I get a big flat screen I am sure it will look even better. This one has more humor in it than I prefer but I still like it. For sure I want to go for a ride in that ballon. The budget could have been a bit bigger but all the actors do a good job and with Barbara Luna and Barbara Eden how can you go wrong. I saw Miss Luna at a convention a few years ago and I am so sorry now that I did not get her autograph.

I can always remember enjoying this movie when I was a young kid at the movie theater, and this was the most entertaining movie I had ever seen!! I felt like it was a fantasy type movie like the Sinbad movies. The music is excellent and the title song always stays with you--after the movie is gone! I have been waiting for many years to relive this movie, and decided here recently to look for it. I think it's family fun type of movie. No cussing, fun violence, and funny antics!

For pure escapist entertainment, I can recommend this movie. It has all the elements of a fun adventure: a beautiful native girl, a stiff-necked British soldier, a handsome engineer, a clumsy lovable reporter, a gorgeous rescued woman, the owner of the baloon, and a monkey. Their adventures are stuff of tall tales, the scenery is spectacular, and it's all wrapped up in a technicolor fantasy.

This is a family film all can enjoy. Even the little ones would fine it amusing--especially the mischievious monkey. Take a flyer and spend a couple of hours enjoying Five Weeks in a Baloon.

I first saw this movie in my early days, but had forgotten about it for decades. I noticed it on Amazon so ordered the DVD. What memories it brought back. For a kid, this was filled the grand adventure of wild Africa and the gondola that looks like a horse was neat. Watching it as an adult, I realized that there were a lot of actors and actresses that I liked in it. The fanciful story doesn't hold up as well as I remembered, but I still enjoyed watching it and am glad to have this added to my collection. Warning: They play the theme song seemingly all the way through the movie. While it is indeed a catchy tune, it got stuck in my head for days afterwards. In fact, when I saw it on Amazon, the only two things I remembered about the movie from my youth was the balloon and the theme song. Fun movie for the family and safe for small children.

THE MOVIE ARRIVED IN WONDERFUL CONDITION. PLAYS WONDERFULLY. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY TO ANYONE LOOKING FOR A GOOD QUALITY MOVIE.