I've compared the Sci-Fi Channel and CBC airings of this episode to see how much difference there are between them. Here's a summary of what I found. No guarantee someone wouldn't find anything else.
No difference in the tease. Both ran about :50.
* * * * * * * * *
No noticeable difference in act one.
- - - - -
length of act one: CBC - 10:30 SCIFI - 10:33
* * * * * * * * *
Act 2
First noticable difference is after Passepartout's line: This damn thing
SFC:
Passepartout: See? Makes Passepartout curse.
Phileas: What did you say?
Passepartout: This thing... is as cruel as Pharoah. Throw it on the fire.
Phileas: About the Devil?
Passepartout: That's his doing.
then it rejoins the CBC version at this point:
Phileas hears Jacomb's voice: Faust tried to use the Devil to get to Heaven, Phileas. So did I. Destroy the glove, Phileas.
- - - - -
CBC gives us some lovely human torch effects for about 10 seconds before the shot of the flaming body in Phileas' eye.
- - - - -
CBC shows us some of the people on the train and a drowsy Jules before he senses Vargas.
- - - - -
In the CBC version: Rebecca walks down the street and around a corner, where she's surprised by fireworks and then surrounded by the dancers before moving to the side where she's approached by Wei San.
Sci Fi has a bit more of the blurred dancing figures after the blood drops on the rose, and their scene ends with a couple sticks beating on a drum, then the blue rose lying on the ground and a couple of firecrackers go off around it.
- - - - -
Act 2 CBC - 10:56; SFC 10:38
* * * * * * * *
Act 3
CBC starts with a bit of Rebecca's blurred rememberance of Wei San and the rose.
- - - - -
In the CBC version, after Phileas' comment that his watch is going backwards, there's a brief scene looking down on a street with a shadow and Vargas moving into the shot.
Back to Phileas and Jules.
Jules: I tried to get him to stay and go with me...
Phileas: Verne, would you say that he was mad?
Jules: Fear. Fear of what I don't know.
The voices become whispery and the camera pans up, over brick, and on up to Vargas' face. He appears to be listening until a boy clutching a letter runs by, splashing thru a puddle. Vargas says, "Hey!" and looks at him. The boy looks back for a moment then runs on.
Then it goes to O'Neilan in his office.
- - - - -
The scene in the mirrors is a little different in the versions. SciFi has one or two shots of Phileas that I don't see in the CBC version, but overall, CBC's is a bit longer and has a line from Vargas:
Vargas: Feel my nearness, my distance in this miracle of eternity. Life and death.
- - - - -
Act 3 time for CBC - 11:28; SFC - 10:24.
* * * * * * * * *
Act 4
No additional bits in either version that I noticed.
The fight scenes are the same length in both versions.
CBC takes their last break after Phileas tells Zai Chao that Rebecca is to leave first.
SFC takes one after Phileas says it's time to leave.
- - - - -
Act 4 times: CBC - 10:03; SFC - 10:12
* * * * * * * * *
Overall running time, not counting tease & tag:
CBC 43:44 SFC 42:38
Back to The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne episode guide
Back to main page
visitors since 19 March, 2001
© 2001 Please 
me your comments! Lindy