Customer Reviews

WARNING ABOUT MARK BARRYS REVIEW - By: Freudd, 12 Jul 2008
Be warned. Mark Barry is wrong... this does not comein a fancy tin... I ordered it & was disappointed by the bog standard packaging..

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The Greatest 'Sci-Fi' Film Ever Made - By: Vitamino, 23 Jun 2008
It's strange to think that this film was made by the director of 'The Sound Of Music'. The fact that this film is so different & yet so good shows what a first class director Robert Wise really was. After all, he also made one of the very best horror films (or perhaps 'ghost story' films) as well: 1963's 'The Haunting'.

Plenty has been written about this film already. Reviews on sites such as Amazon (.com & .co.uk ) are often painstakingly loving, thorough & precise.

But what's not often mentioned is that it's the allegorical nature of this film that makes it trancend the science fiction genre. It not only has religious themes (a saviour who is killed & resurrected) but is also a potent document on the place of mankindin hugely turbulent times. It even has the umitigated audacity to propose a solution to the apalling behaviour of the human race.

To compare it to other Sci-Fi films is revealing. It's nowhere near as preposterous as the most famous examples of the genre despite it's 1950's production values. 'Star Wars' for example is a lightweight film for children. Alien & its sequels merely monster films setin space. Just how many science fiction films fully realise their potential anyway? This film genuinely does so. It's been said that the huge popularity of the american 'alien invasion' films of the time had more to do with the national paranoiac fear of communism. This view is dealt with directlyin the film &in one simple scene we see how prejudice & reason can become so easily warped.

It's not high-browin the rather overwrought way that '2001: A Space Odyssey' certainly is. It's simply a damn fine piece of film-making which is both gripping & entertaining. Watch the scene where 'Mr Carpenter' enters the boarding house or the moment when the elevator breaks down to see how skillfully Wise both engages & enlightens the audience. Powerful stuff indeed.

The big pull of this particular DVD set is that it also contains a really great documentary which explores not only the 'making of' but the whole idea of the film. This 80-minute documentary was actually made for the Laserdisc release of the film many years ago & contains fascinating testimonies from participants who have since died. Particular mention must go to producer Julian Blaustein's contributions. In the face of some considerable opposition regarding the statements the film was surely to make he stuck to his principles & along with Wise managed to pull off one hell of a project. A proper film that stands right up there with all the truly great North American movies.

Outside the United States there's this strange idea that films arein some way works of art that utilise great writing, great performances, insightful direction & a good amount of passion. But within the territories of the US it's long been understood that films are about only one thing - making money. Thankfully, over time, evenin the 'land of the free' maverick film-makers with guts & belief sometimes create something more. And this film is a fine example.

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A Sci-Fi Masterclass. - By: DangermouseZilla, 13 Mar 2008
Few films are as iconic as this one - this became the template for sci-fi films...

This film will be 60 years oldin just a few years time, & watching it now, you can't help but think that the central message has been conveniently ignored. This film was released only 5 years after the Second World War & the ironic ultimatum of peace or obliteration doesn't look like it's been heeded.

Klaatu the humanoid alien landsin Washington & emerges from his flying saucerin one of cinemas greatest ever film scenes. The message of peace seems to hit home right away when (even though you know it's coming) you flinch as the nervous soldier shoots our inter-planetary neighbour. Already, you feel the shame of humanity - & just to make us feel even smaller (quite literally!) Gort the eight-foot robot appears & zaps away all the military's weapons without hurting anyone.

Michael Rennie is perfectly cast as Klaatu, he is a good looking fella, but with something odd about him. He has an off-world feel, & much of his acting is done through subtle smiles to indicate he has a superior knowledge & finds some of what he experiences either quaint, or plain silly. He manages to bring charismain buckets to a role which would have ended up too wooden my many other actors.

Patricia Neal putsin a convincing performance as Helen. Helen isn't your average 50's sci-fi lead lady - she isn't relegated to `screamer'. Yes, she does have a few moments of over-acting, but that's the charm of the era/genre - & her portrayal is on the whole quite natural. Kudos to Billy Gray, the young lad who befriends Klaatu & enjoys his tales of advanced technology.

The film hasn't dated that badly - you don't cringe at the special effects because they're actually very good, the spaceship is the best I've seen! A smooth metallic structure with no discernable joins, the door opens & the ramp appears from the basein perfect synchronisation. Gort is now a legendary figurein sci-fi history - okay, his suit looks a bit rubber at the end when you see it bending as he walks - but that could be down to the unique metal he is made from, it could flex. Well, it could!

The film focuses on the role of the mediain a media-obsessed post-war America. This is another parallel with the modern day, we are media-saturated, but now instead of radio & newspapers - we rely on television & the internet. When the world experiences the 30 minute powercut it brings pandemonium & panic, the world today would be brought to it's knees.

There is a remake planned for this soon, with Keanu Reeves as Klaatu. I'll watch it - to see how bad it is. This is a film perfectly casted, & superbly directed. In short - it does not need remaking. It's unfortunate that many filmgoers refuse to watch an old black & white film, but would rather watch a CGI laden slick flick. This film was made with a genuine passion for the final message, being released so soon after a world war the fear & hope was genuine. The remake is made with a passion for generating revenue; you chose which will stand the test of time.

In a nutshell: Everything from the electronic music, the flying saucer, the robot Gort, the scientist complete with mad-scientist hair, & the special effects have been emulated by many other films since. This is an important film, it gets you to think - the final message isn't one to embrace, it's one to consider. The society as explained by Klaatu of his own planet doesn't seem appealing (zero tolerant nazi-robots who enforce the lawin order to force social order), but then, neither does the one we have now. With wars & genocide, if we continue to behave like that off our own planet then we will be destroyed. From the point of view of an alien, our wars do seem petty & childish - maybe we need that perspective to realise that we arein charge of our own destiny. Maybe it will take the discovery of intelligent alien life to view ourselves as a single human race.

"The universe grows smaller every day, & the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for all, or no one is secure."

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I agree - By: Roger Gay, 11 Nov 2007
Mark Barry doesn't leave much else to say, other than I agree. The quality is excellent & I was pleased to get the extra bits about making the film. It easily deserves more than one reviewer giving it 5 stars. It's all so nastalgic & there were certainly some momentsin the commentary that I really wanted to hear. I'm not sure about the biting assessment of Hugh Marlowe's performance though - except that I definitely agree its a subject for discussion. I remember hating him (i.e. his character, Tom Stevens) & feeling the contrast he brought to the rest of the performance - but wasn't he supposed to do that?

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Gort! - Digitally Remove Those Unsightly Strings - You Great Big One-Eyed Iron Pillock! - By: Mark Barry at Revival Records, Berwick Street, 18 May 2007
Before the review, a little about the Cinema Reserve series from 20th Century Fox (this issue is one of those titles).

"Cinema Reserve" is the title given to Fox's "premium" issues & releases startedin February 2006 & are on-going. The blurb inside each tin promises best digital transfers, best audio, best extras, dedicated & unique booklet - & all of it wrapped upin a rather delicious metal tin exterior with slightly altered artwork. The series is numbered on the spine of the tin - from 001 on upwards (see list below). Most are 2DVD sets where the standard issue or Studio Classics issue is often only 1 disc. (Some of the doublesin this series are the 1st UK release of already released doublesin the USA on Region 1.)

I mention all of this because when you typein "Cinema Reserve" into the Amazon search engine, you get only 2 entries - "The Seven Year Itch" & "The Fly". No one at Fox seems to have alerted Amazon of the releases nor provided them with all of the proper artwork. Amazon's system has most of the titles available (not all) but they're not highlighted or recognised as "Cinema Reserve" releases. (The unique artwork is an easy way to spot them). It looks like the series will contain almost 20 titles by the end of the year. I've bought 6 others to date & 2 of them do have stock faults despite the "pristine transfer" claimsin the booklet (more of thosein later reviews). Still, if most are like this title (superb), then you may want to start saving! And the tin effect looks soooo good too - craftily geared towards the collectorin us all!

For those interested, I've compiled an alphabetical list with the Series Number, Film Title, Film Release Date & finally the Cinema Reserve Release Date (including forthcoming titles):

1. Number 003: All About Eve (1950) (26 Feb 2006)
2. Number 013: Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) (12 Feb 2007)
3. Number 007: Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969) (22 May 2006)
4. Number 019: Cleopatra (due 2007)
5. Number 001: The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) (26 Feb 2006)
6. Number 009: The Fly (1986 Remake) (3 July 2006)
7. Number 010: The Hustler (1961) (18 Sept 2006)
8. Number 011: Kagemusha (1980) (27 Nov 2006)
9. Number 004: Laura (1944) (27 Feb 2006)
10. Number 005: Lifeboat (1944) (27 March 2006)
11. Number 018: The Magnificent Seven (1960) (due 2007)
12. Number 016: Midnight Cowboy (18 June 2007)
13. Number 002: My Darling Clementine (1946) (27 Feb 2006)
14. Number 006: Patton (1970) (24 April 2006)
15. Number 008: The Seven Year Itch (1955) (19 June 2006)
16. Number 017: Some Like It Hot (1959) (23 July 2007)
17. Number 012: Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) (18 Dec 2006)
18. Number 015: Valley Of The Dolls (1967) (14 May 2007)
19. Number 014: The Verdict (1982) (19 March 2007)

Back to this release. The film itelf is on Disc One & is a fully restored printin black & white - & looks just sensational. So goodin fact that it's prompted my title for this review. There's a scene where the seven-foot seven Lock Martin (formerly a doorman at a Hollywood Theatre) who plays Gort the Robot has to pick up Patrica Nealin his cumbersome silver suit. It was impossible to do. So they had string pullies yank her up - the restoration shows us the strings as she gallantly lets out one of those blood-curdling screams Fifties women seemed to doin Fifties Sci-Fi movies - which is both funny & cute!

Michael Rennie, superbly majesterial as Klaatu the interstellar messenger, was new to American screens. After being manhandled by the army & jailed by Washington types who take his requests to meet all leaders of the world as being impossible to achieve, Gort blasts a wall & helps him escape. He meets an understanding widow & her familyin a boarding house he takes refuge in. Helen (Neal) & her son Bobby (played by Billy Gray - interviewed on Disc 2) say that Klaatu must meet the smartest manin the world, Doctor Barnhardt (veteran actor Sam Jaffe, an obvious ringer for Einstein). The Doctor says the world still won't listen; Klaatu tells them there will be a sign of his race's power; he stops everything at twelve noon one day. Great stuff!

For a movie that could have so easily descended into the clunky & even preachy, all the dialogue was superbly handled. The script was clearly one of the reasons why the film got made. And the great "message" given by Klaatu at the end of the movie about the Human Race growing up or the world will destroy itself could be quoted word-for-word now & not be out of place. Throughout the film Rennie calls himself Mister Carpenter & the inference to Jesus was subtle but deliberate by the screenplay writer.

After the movie, there are a few superfluous Movietone News Events of 1951 on Disc 1 that seem irrelevant to the movie really (but part of the movie experience of the time).

However, the real goodies start on Disc 2 with an 80-minute featurette on the Making Of the film. Although short on actual on-set footage, there are stills & fascinating features on each of the actors. Patricia Neal openly admits that she couldn't stop gigglingin a lot of scenes at the poe-faced seriousness of it all - but the endlessly patient Rennie took it. There are interviews with the producers about the politically difficult timesin which it was made. The downside is that Fox clearly don't have interviews with Rennie or Jaffe or Martin - & footage of the actual shoot is practically non-existent, so many of the interviews are peppered only with a photo of what/whom is being discussed - when you long for more.

Cinema cards, the iconic posters, the cinema stands at the premier are all talked of - even ownership of the prop that was the flying saucer is touched upon. There's the nervous preview screening where the audience giggled at the opening army shots of trucks rushing to the scene -much to the terror of the film makers who thought they might have a turkey on their hands. There's a bit on the restoration process, a trailer, stills gallery - all very good.

And then there's Bernard Herrmann's score - ripped off by every Sci-Fi movie ever since - a huge part of the scare factor. Astonishingly ahead of its time - & so on the money.

Allin all, this is a superb issue of a ground-breaking movie. Sure it'll be boring to some of our CGI saturated kids, but watching it all the way through now - some 55 years after the event - it's astonishing how relevant it was then - & still is.

So puny Earthlings,in the words of your friendly alien, "Klaatu Barada Nikto". Indeed!

PS: The above review was postedin May 2007; it's April 2008 now & many of you will have noticed that numbers 18 & 19in the series haven't turned up at all - & given the transition to HD/Blue Ray - they're unlikely too. I bought "Some Like It Hot", 17, the last number issued - so it looks like the entire series & its excellent packaging has been unceremoniously dumped. Having said that, if you're still prepared to fork out, I've noticed many of the titles are now available at greatly reduced prices - & all bar "The Lifeboat" (terrible print) are worthy of your attention. I've amassed 15 of the 17 & will try to post reviews of themin the near future. The black & white print on "The Hustler"in particular is spectacular... Also the ltd edition 'tin' that came with original Cinema Reserve issues of "Day" has unfortunately been replaced with a card wrap with the same artwork as above.