Underplayed Gems

Around the World in 20 Years (2008)

Around the World in 20 Years poster
Directed by
Roger Mills
Genre
documentary film
Country
United Kingdom
Length
1 season, 1 episode
Rating
8.7 of 10 from 3 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Michael Palin travels back to India and the Persian Gulf to revisit people and places from his 1988 trip around the world. He reconnects with the captain and crew of the boat that carried him on a key leg of that journey, hearing what happened to them in the years since.

nostalgicreflectivewarmbittersweetgentlepersonaltravelogueheartfelt

What happens

Around the World in 20 Years (Also known as Around the World in 80 Days – 20 Years On) is a BBC television travel documentary first broadcast in December 2008, presented by Michael Palin. It follows him as he retraces the Dubai – Mumbai leg of his journey Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin. Also featured is his reunion with the captain and crew of the al-Shama dhow, in which he had undertaken the journey 20 years ago. Palin finds the captain of the al-Shama in Gujarat and is heartily welcomed. He also reunites with several of the surviving crew members and discovers several of them have since died, including the old man whom he'd let listen to Bruce Springsteen on his Walkman during the voyage. The captain also reveals that the al-Shama was lost at sea in the Indian Ocean a few months before when it was being towed for repairs. Several of the other crew members arrive after Palin and they all gather round Palin's portable DVD player to watch some of the original broadcast. The captain reveals that he had seen the miniseries when it was shown on BBC. The documentary ends with a shot of Palin and the crew members happily sharing a hammam. A Special 20th Anniversary Edition of the Around the World... book was also published, titled Around the World in 80 days – Revisited, which incorporated pictures from, as well as an account of, this journey. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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