The outlandish setting over which Movie Actor James Mason is glowering (left) could easily be the Victorian salon of a Henry James novel. It is actually the Victorian salon of a submarine, as seen in the mind's eye of Novelist Jules Verne and re-created for Walt Disney's movie 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Since any practical, motor-driven submarine was still uninvented in 1870, Verne—and Disney—had a free hand in designing the interior of Captain Nemo's fabulous underseas boat, the Nautilus, just as Disney's technicians had in designing the imaginary deep-sea diving equipment for the film (LIFE, Feb. 22). In the submersible salon they put a dainty fountain' playing over colored sea animals, Arabian scatter rugs, red velvet sofas and a gold pipe organ. Measuring 200 feet in length and 26 in width, the lavish Disney Nautilus and its film, launched this month, are set for a long voyage across America's screens.
