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A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Time Machine -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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"Listen.  Do you want to know a secret..."

Very confidentially, Warner Bros. has snuck George Pal's 1960 effects epic onto the market.  

No fanfare.  

No beating of drums.

Almost as an afterthought.

I'd advise that you not buy it, as it seems they don't want you to.

But there's a problem.

For a film from 1960, one of the most problematic years in cinema for color films, it looks really good, and sounds superb.

While I saw the film in it's original release, I don't believe that I heard it in stereo, and those original stereo tracks are a revelation.

As an effects films, there are lots of matte shots, dupes, rear projection...

So in some ways, it is what it is, and always has been.

But especially with that knowledge going in, it's a winner on Blu-ray.

Did I mention that Warner has snuck it into the market place?

If you search it out on Amazon, you'll find it for under $14.

So not only has Warner discreetly released the film, but they're virtually giving it away.

A superb film and a nice (not great) Blu-ray, but better than expected because of the film stock.

Image - 3.75

Audio - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Recommended

RAH

 

davidmatychuk

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Back in 2000 when Warner issued "The Time Machine" on DVD, I was delighted that they'd included "Time Machine: The Journey Back", a VHS version of which I'd noticed a mail order offer for in the back of some movie magazine in the mid-Nineties. "Looks interesting," I thought back then, without acting on my interest. It turned out to be quite wonderfully done. Kudos to whoever went to the trouble of securing the rights to it for the DVD (it's also on the Blu-Ray). Regarding the stereo sound, MGM's widescreen laserdisc was the first time I heard that audio track, and I kept playing the opening credits for guests because it was such a knockout. The Blu-Ray is fantastic, but I'm keeping the DVD too, for its music-only audio track.
 

Charles Smith

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Same here. A childhood favorite with wonderful memories attached, and an adult favorite for those reasons and more.
 

Nelson Au

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When the blu ray was released I also grabbed the soundtrack CDs. One from Crescendo is a re-recording conducted by Russell Garcia himself from 1987.The other is from Film Score Monthly and is the actual score itself released in 2005 I believe. A limited run of 3000 copies. I'm glad I managed to grab both.

The blu ray is great, but I was amazed with the clarity of the DVD and the color as well. I'm keeping both of those too. :)
 

Angelo Colombus

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The 2002 remake was soo boring and a waste of film. I would rather be in room full of Morlocks then see that film again! Glad Wells and Pal are not around to see that piece of junk!
 

youworkmen

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davidmatychuk said:
The Blu-Ray is fantastic, but I'm keeping the DVD too, for its music-only audio track.

Except that it doesn't have one.

It may be listed as a special feature on the back of the box but it was never included.


The cd soundtrack is readily available though
 

davidmatychuk

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youworkmen said:
Except that it doesn't have one.

It may be listed as a special feature on the back of the box but it was never included.


The cd soundtrack is readily available though
Well, I'll be damned. Some "Time Machine" fan I am. I guess I just thought I'd listened to a music-only track from playing the great-sounding opening credits so many times. I do have that older CD, but I think I should play it right now to make sure it isn't blank, or Phil Collins or something. I'll still keep the DVD for the still-frame filmographies and the uber-cool cover (as well as the still of a lucky, lucky Morlock under the Scene Index).

IMG_1900.JPG
 

zoetmb

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Kyrsten Brad said:
Now if we could just get the 2002 remake on Blu for comparison...
I forget the details but I was kind of shocked by the 2002 remake. While it had a few interesting aspects, in the end, the plot made absolutely no logical sense.
 

Nelson Au

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I've only seen the movie once so my memory is vague. I didn't like the depiction of the Eloi and I didn't like the reason Hartdegen was compelled to build the machine. And the master Morlock didn't do anything for me. I am surprising Simon Welles would want to do the changes too.
 

Kyrsten Brad

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zoetmb said:
I forget the details but I was kind of shocked by the 2002 remake. While it had a few interesting aspects, in the end, the plot made absolutely no logical sense.
Brad here. I had the benefit (if you could call it a benefit) of seeing the 2002 remake before seeing the 1960 original so I could evaluate the 2002 remake without comparing it to the original. I kinda liked it myself (the remake) and my wife was absolutely captivated by the musical score. The romantic backstory (absent in the original) helped set the overall plot of inspiring Professor Hartdegen (character absent in the original) to build the machine to go back and try to save his beloved.

I won't give away anything else here for those who haven't yet seen the 2002 remake and the current DVD isn't really all that good on a large-screen HDTV. Which is why I keep jonesing for a proper Blu release.


Once I figure out how to do spoiler tags here (help me Ron), I'll do a comparison posting.
 
M

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Robert Harris said:
quote "For a film from 1960, one of the most problematic years in cinema for color films, it looks really good, and sounds superb"




Visually quite pleasing, no doubt about it, but unfortunately almost totally degrained and digitally processed, like homogenized and pasteurized milk, lowfat, with bad aftertaste.


An effects film of the 60s, 35 mm, matted, should have a very prominent grain structure...


Don't get me wrong: It is far from those fraudulent "wax figure" transfers like "Patton" or "The Longest Day".


But Warner could do it better (=less digital manipulation), if they really wanted.


For example, do you remember the beautiful HD DVD of "Bullitt", very natural with real, almost untouched grain structure?


Compare it with the Blu-ray re-release, which suffers of heavy degraining.


For my taste, the Blu-ray of "Bullitt" is just a bad castrate of the HD DVD transfer.


I highly suggest the introduction of a new term in evaluating digital HD transfers on optical media:


Castration! :rolleyes: No other word describes it better for me, what those people behind their digital software tools are performing.


A sick, ugly and unnecessary digital manipulation, unworthy for every cinephile. But that's fact for most "classic" films on Blu-ray these days.


ps: Examples for perfect, natural grain rendering: Criterion's "Thief" and "Seconds", Warner's HD DVD of "Bullitt", most of Sony/Columbia's Ray Harryhausen "effects" films....





Pass / Fail - Pass


edit: sorry for wrong framing of my text in the "quote corner", can't reframe it with my browser, maybe a mod could correct this, thanks
 

Virgoan

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I know this title was pre-announced here at HTF by Ron Epstein a little more than one year ago. I pre-ordered it and got it during the summer. I don't know why it didn't get reviewed here at that time. Nice to know someone got a review copy, though.


It's a gorgeous Blu ray.
 

Steve Christou

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aah Die Zeitmaschine, one of my favourites. Shall I wait a few years for a UK blu-ray release or pick up this latest US edition?

What to do...


Die Zeitmaschine.jpg



A great music score by Russell Garcia and I also liked Klaus Badelt's score to the remake 2002 version of the novel, which was directed by H.G. Well's great-grandson.
 

youworkmen

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davidmatychuk said:
Well, I'll be damned. Some "Time Machine" fan I am. I guess I just thought I'd listened to a music-only track from playing the great-sounding opening credits so many times.

I'm the same . I just love those opening titles , that music , the atmosphere it creates and it all takes me back to my younger days when I was so excited to get it recorded to VHS for the first time.

And the first 40 minutes or so I can watch again and again.

Although I love the movie , once George arrives in the Eloi world the magnificence and sense of wonder those 40 minutes convey all get dimmed by the lesser second half.
 

davidmatychuk

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As a boy, I was thrilled by "The Time Machine" when I first saw it at the Paramount Theatre in New Westminster, the oldest city in Western Canada (http://www.newwestcity.ca/about_the_city/history_of_new_westminster/history-overview) and the city of my birth almost 60 years ago. As the years roll by, the hopeful but melancholy wintertime ending of the movie becomes sweeter and more precious to me. All things considered, I'm pretty sure I'll never love another movie more.


IMG_1901.JPG
 

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