Byron Haskin was a science fiction specialist, for the big screen and also the TV industry: OUTER LIMITS, the best known and most terrific sci-fi series ever made, the most daring, brilliant, and which Byron Haskin was a lead director, with Gerd Oswald too. So it was not a surprise to enjoy this historical and fiction, Jules Verne's adaptation, movie. Joseph Cotten is wonderful in this enjoyable film, very entertaining, where tension grows all long the movie. You can be a bit bored by long talks, but don't be bothered by this. This is a great film from this director, maybe not his best, I agree, but he was the perfect choice as a director for such a topic. Of course I prefer NAKED JUNGLE or WAR OF THE WORLDS....