Invention for Destruction

Lore & Background

The film was produced by Zdeněk Novák and starred Lubor Tokoš, Arnošt Navrátil, and Miloslav Holub. Its plot follows a gang of pirates working for the evil Count Artigas, who kidnap a scientist and his assistant to obtain the secret of a futuristic weapon intended for world domination. Karel Zeman, deeply influenced by Jules Verne, conceived the film as if the story were being retold by the young engineer Simon Hart, and included themes and elements from other Verne novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and Robur the Conqueror.

Reader's Guide

Invention for Destruction is noted for its unique visual style that faithfully recreates Victorian line engravings from original editions of Verne's novels. Zeman's crew used hard rubber paint rollers to add engraving-like hatching to scenery and costumes, and composited the film with traditional, cut-out, and stop-motion animation. The film premiered in Czechoslovakia on 22 August 1958 and won the Grand Prix at the International Film Festival at Expo 58 in Brussels. It was distributed in 72 countries and brought to the United States in 1961 by Joseph E. Levine, who had it dubbed into English and retitled The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. A digital restoration in 2014–2015 reinserted a cut scene not included since the original 1958 previews.

Did You Know?

• The film shares its Czech title with Jules Verne's novel Facing the Flag.
• It was distributed in 72 countries around the world.
• The score was written by Zdeněk Liška, who used a harpsichord for the main theme.
• A digital restoration in 2014–2015 reinserted a cut scene from the original 1958 previews.