The Time Machine (1960) (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[TheSteig]

Im happy to look at them both again since I can watch this film daily if I could

 

[stevenHa]

Does anyone know when Robert Harris will post a review - I'm really curious to hear what he has to say about it.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I've just watched my copy and I thought it was fine, and really very fine at times. The above ground scenes with the Eloi were the best. Something has occurred to me for the first time: in telling his story, has George told his best friend, David, that David will die in WWI?

 

[Dick]

An absolute childhood favorite. Saw it five or six times in theaters, both in 1960 and for subsequent children's matinees. It was one of the first VHS tapes I bought (and, hard as it is for younger members to believe, VHS was a godsend for those who only dreamed actually owning a full-length movie that could be played at leisure after being used to t.v. broadcasts and Castle Films), and I probably wore it out before CED and Laser discs came along.

I am not in the least disappointed with this Blu-ray. Bruce is correct -- it looks about as it always did in terms of general appearance, but oh-so-much-better than even the DVD when it comes to detail, visible (not excessive) grain, and color saturation. This looks very much as I recall it did on movie screens, so I now own a theater-like edition of one of my favorites to spin in my Blu-ray player any old time I'm in the mood (I still have a hard time grasping that). And, after all this time, I still have a crush on Yvette (or, perhaps more accurately, Weena). I realized, watching this last night, how truly terrific Rod Taylor is in this -- he hadn't yet started overusing his schtick (the unusual use of his eyes, something he was building on at the time of this film), and I think this to be his most nuanced performance. Alan Young is excellent and even sort of heartbreaking in some scenes. And, you know, Sebastian Cabot is very convincing in a minor role. I have had the music score memorized since age 10.

Oh, how I love this format!

 

[RolandL]

Caps-a-holic has a comparison to the DVD.

 

[Nelson Au]

Shoot! I was one of the vocal ones in the other thread hoping for a hi-def release and I just read about it today from Film Score Monthly! I'll be ordering this disc right away, can't wait to see it.

 

[bryan4999]

An absolute childhood favorite. Saw it five or six times in theaters, both in 1960 and for subsequent children's matinees. It was one of the first VHS tapes I bought (and, hard as it is for younger members to believe, VHS was a godsend for those who only dreamed actually owning a full-length movie that could be played at leisure after being used to t.v. broadcasts and Castle Films), and I probably wore it out before CED and Laser discs came along.

So true. I will forever be grateful that my Dad is a technogeek and bought a VCR in 1978. The idea of actually owning a movie was hugely thrilling.

Time Machine on Blu-ray looks great, IMO. I watched it projected at 110" and it really felt like film to me. Now I want 7 Faces of Dr Lao!

 

[Nelson Au]

I'm glad to read so many positive comments about the transfer. I briefly read a review on bluray.com that the image was soft and lacking detail. Color saturation was a big plus. If you guys are happy with the way the disc looks, that's a great sign. It would be interesting if Mr. Harris would take a look. It's on its way to me, so I look forward to seeing it!

 

[aPhil]

I agree that this disc now makes me want The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao on Blu-ray as well.

 

[dpippel]

I agree that this disc now makes me want The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao on Blu-ray as well.

Oh HELL yes! I'd be all over it.

I was able to spin through The Time Machine on Tuesday evening and thought it was just dandy. It amazes me that the charm of this film holds up after all these years. Most of the effects are dated and the "scale" is small, but somehow it just telegraphs the novel surprisingly well. I only wish that George Pal (and his budget) had allowed for some better set construction AND that he'd filmed the last stop of the time traveler in the novel - on that sandy beach in planet Earth's far-flung future with the dying Sun and the crab-like creatures. But, I love the movie the way it is and think that the Blu-ray is very nice indeed.

 

[Dick]

I'm glad to read so many positive comments about the transfer. I briefly read a review on bluray.com that the image was soft and lacking detail. Color saturation was a big plus. If you guys are happy with the way the disc looks, that's a great sign. It would be interesting if Mr. Harris would take a look. It's on its way to me, so I look forward to seeing it!

I was momentarily discouraged because the actual title card "The Time Machine" was soft, almost blurry. After that, everything was fine. I have to wonder if some of the negative reviews are based on that single title card, and that the reviewer went no further than that.

 

[John Sparks]

I spun the SD last year and I commented on another forum that it was pretty damn good looking upscaled. When you look at the Caps-a-holic you can see how good the SD is. Even though it's slightly lighter, you can see more detail in the SD. The BD does give better color, contrast and it should.I'll be doing an SD / BD today in my HT on my 110" screen and I'm sure it'll be like the Caps-a-holic pics show, but we'll see.

 

[ahollis]

I am extremely happy with Blu-ray of THE TIME MACHINE. There is way more detail and the blacks are deep. The transfer is very acceptable. The sound is outstanding and I'm happy they keep the extras from the DVD.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I've just watched my copy and I thought it was fine, and really very fine at times. The above ground scenes with the Eloi were the best.Something has occurred to me for the first time: in telling his story, has George told his best friend, David, that David will die in WWI?

I just watched that segment in the extras where George and David meet again in George's laboratory. George tried to get David to go forward in time with him and withholds the fact that David will die in WWI. It's clear that David doesn't know his fate.

Still, it's odd that he doesn't. Since most of the movie consists of the story that George tells his dinner guests, which includes David. There's no explanation for why he doesn't. I guess they don't need one, since it's taken many viewings before this has ever occurred to me.

 

[Craig Beam]

I watched my copy this afternoon, and was quite impressed. Way better than I've ever seen it look.

 

[Nelson Au]

I finally had a chance to have a look at the disc last night. I watched it up to when George discovers his time machine has been dragged into the sphinx. My strictly critical impression from a technical standpoint is that the blu ray wasn't that large a jump from the DVD. There is greater sharpness, and grain. And minor color improvement. I compared to the DVD. In the shot where George bids his guests goodnight right after showing them the model of the time machine, George closes the door and leans back against it very disappointed. In that shot, the white of his shirt color lapel is very white and I see grain. On the DVD, I see no grain. I also looked at the detail of the wood on the fireplace and doors in the sitting room as the group waits for George. Amazingly, the DVD is quite good. And the crimson color from the glasses on the dinner table as well as the lamp at the writing desk are both similarly rendered between the DVD and blu ray. But for sure, the details of the furniture and clocks are much improved over the DVD. One odd artifact is right after the first test of the time machine, George didn't see a difference in the room, but after he notices the candle and clock have changed, in the close up of the candle, the wall behind it looked a little overly processed digitally while the DVD had a smoother gradation of light on the wall. Not sure if that's an error or the way it's supposed to look, but it caught my eye.I've seen this movie on DVD too many times to remember! And I have the original Warner DVD. I don't claim to know it backwards. The blu ray is definitely an improvement and a welcome addition to my collection. I'll keep the DVD for sure. And I'll be watching the blu ray on the main system from now on. I'll finish the film this evening if I can. I think it's a great little movie! The blu ray seems like it is what it is and we probably won't be getting anything much better.

 

[Dave H]

My copy is due soon from Amazon, so I haven't had a chance to watch this yet. And while I don't base a ton on still screencaps (especially on a non calibrated LCD), the colors seem notably better (naturally) saturated across a wider color gamut on the Blu compared to the DVD - in addition to more detail, and the removal of edge enhancement and compression artifacting. The Blu just looks far more film-like.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Finally got around to watch the entire movie last night, and everything from my initial impressions held true throughout the film -- it looked fantastic to me.

 

[Nelson Au]

If I sounded negative about the blu ray above, it wasn't meant to be. I think I was just saying the DVD was that good at the time. Just before George decides to stop traveling forward in time to see Weena's time, it's cool to see the detail of the matte painting of the large structure where George finds the dining area as it's being built, then decay from time.The opening title shots are definitely nice and solid black. The fade in to the street where Filby leaves his store has greater detail, from the cobblestone street to the signs on the buildings. I want to re-play that part and have a better look at the wide shot of the street and George's house with the matte painting behind it.

 

[cb1]

I finally got to watch my copy. It looked and sounded good on my consumer grade Sony BD player(STRDH720), Receiver(STRDG500) and 60in TV(KDL-R550A)

I'm very happy with the presentation.