Eve Of The War
http://www.focusgaming.co.uk/eveofthewar/

Special Collector's Edition
http://www.focusgaming.co.uk/eveofthewar/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1174
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Author:  eveofthewar [ Thu Nov 24, 2005 8:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Special Collector's Edition

FROM: http://www.moviecitynews.com/columnists ... otw53.html

Not to be overlooked amid the screams and pandemonium surrounding the release of the Steven Spielberg remake, Paramount has put out an outstanding Special Collector's Edition of the original George Pal and Byron Haskin 1953 production of The War of the Worlds (02639, $15). Paramount's first released the film on DVD in 1999, and the new release, among other things, has an improved full screen picture transfer and better sound. The spotless image is brighter, with deeper, more accurate colors. Having been shot in Technicolor, the film is gloriously colorful to begin with, and the new DVD is dazzling. The 2-channel surround sound (one channel in front, one in back) is also improved, with a wider and stronger range of tones, and a better low end. Gene Barry and Ann Robinson star in the 85-minute feature, and a half-century after its creation, the film's best moments are still so enjoyably unnerving that they easily carry a viewer through the necessary but inevitably dated exposition.

But that is just the end of the beginning. In addition to an alternate French track in mono, optional English subtitles and a trailer, the DVD has been loaded up with some terrific supplementary features. The best place to start is with the 30-minute retrospective documentary, which goes over the story of the production, the backgrounds of those involved, and the impact the film made upon the movie industry, when it blasted through the rubble that had blocked Hollywood from loosening science fiction upon the world. What the documentary also does is give you a set of common references, as an introduction to the other supplements. Then there is a very good 10-minute profile of author H.G. Wells, which not only talks about the nature of his vision and his rivalry with Jules Verne, but about the political idealism that motivated so much of his creative energy. The DVD also features a full 59-minute presentation of Orson Welles' 1939 radio adaptation of the Wells story, famous for having revealed the amped up power of modern media, but also significant for taking the tale out of its Victorian setting and placing it in modern America, paving the way, essentially, for the film. In any case, it is an entertaining concoction, with some moments of strong poetry.

Finally, there are two commentary tracks. On one, Barry and Robinson share an utterly charming talk together, recalling the shooting of various scenes, reminiscing about other members of the cast and crew, discussing their own careers and lives, and pointing out the film's exceptional artistry. They also speak very affectionately about one another, though Barry also makes a point of telling the story of how he met his wife. Robinson reveals that early during the shooting they had to shut down for a couple of days, when it was discovered that Paramount only had the rights to make the story as a silent film, and some quick hustling was required.

The other track features film historians Bob Burns and Bill Warren, accompanied by sci-fi enthusiast Joe Dante. They go into more technical detail about how the film and the special effects were staged, but all three of them also speak with an almost childlike awe about how individual scenes affected them the first times they saw the film. Their love for the movie is so genuine and uninhibited that it erases any apprehension a modern viewer might have about the film's age, even during the square dancing scene or the climax in the church. They talk about where all of the props have ended up, supply backgrounds for the cast and the crew, point out the film's genre innovations, and provide a worthwhile analysis of its thematic constructs. It is explained that the wires that can clearly be seen holding the alien attack crafts in midair would not have been so visible on the first three-strip Technicolor prints, because of the inherent softness of the process, and it was only when the film was reprinted in Eastmancolor that viewers began noticing them. But whatever the topic, the talk is consistently enjoyable and fully in keeping with the spirit of the film. For example, as scientists on screen attempt to discuss what sort of enemy they are dealing with, it is pointed out, "The speculation here about the Martians having two brains and all that seems very peculiar, because, of course, it has no application whatsoever to the story we're watching. It's just like, 'We'll tell you this stuff, 'cause it's weird.'"

Author:  exodus2310 [ Sun Nov 27, 2005 10:29 am ]
Post subject: 

Does anyone have this? Almost picked it up when I got the new one but had no money left.

Author:  eveofthewar [ Tue Nov 29, 2005 7:27 pm ]
Post subject: 

exodus2310 wrote:
Does anyone have this? Almost picked it up when I got the new one but had no money left.


Just gone mine today.... yippeeeeee

Author:  exodus2310 [ Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:15 pm ]
Post subject: 

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