Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ Invaders from Mars – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Thankfully advances in technology are largely making these hoarders of elements irrelevant. As long as some element -- from somewhere -- can be accessed, a decent looking release can usually be created.

THEY ARE NOT

 

[Paul Penna]

Thankfully advances in technology are largely making these hoarders of elements irrelevant. As long as some element -- from somewhere -- can be accessed, a decent looking release can usually be created.

Back in the 80s the top printer in our custom color photo lab, when faced with a crappy negative would say, “You can't make ice cream out of shit.” You still can't.

 

[Garysb]

Screening Saturday January 14th 6:30 PM and​

Wednesday January 18th 4:30 PM at the Museum of Modern Art NYC​

​

Invaders from Mars. 1953. Directed
by William Cameron Menzies​

Sat, Jan 14, 6:30 p.m.
MoMA

• Film

Sat, Jan 14, 6:30 p.m.
Introduced by Scott
MacQueen, film restorer
MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2
The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2
https://membership.moma.org/tickets...9d5e9b344a3b4aac19&event_id=8402&occ_id=24743

Invaders from Mars. 1953. USA. Directed by William Cameron Menzies. Screenplay by Richard Blake. With Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Jimmy Hunt, Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke. 4K digital restoration by Ignite Films under the supervision of Scott MacQueen at Roundabout Entertainment laboratory, from the original camera negative and three SuperCINEColor prints preserved at UCLA Film & Television Archive, George Eastman Museum and National Film & Sound Archive of Australia; courtesy of Ignite Films. New York premiere. 78 min.
A true accidental masterpiece, Invaders from Mars is a movie that lives on in the subconscious of everyone who saw it as a child, and which still commands adult interest for its stunning visuals and powerful political/sexual subtext. Little David (Jimmy Hunt) wakes up in his perfect suburban home to find that a flying saucer has landed in his backyard and some mysterious force is turning all the adults in the area—including his parents, Leif Erickson and Hillary Brooke—into soulless monsters. Directed by the great production designer William Cameron Menzies (Gone with the Wind) and photographed by studio legend John F. Seitz (Double Indemnity), the film offers one amazing image after another, with minimal dramatic motivation provided by the sketchy screenplay. Even an extended chase sequence, clearly inserted as padding when the running time came up short, becomes a vivid image of sisyphean impotence.

• This film accompanies To Save and
  Project: The 19th MoMA International
  Festival of Film Preservation.

• Sat, Jan 14, 6:30 p.m.
  Introduced by Scott MacQueen, film restorer
  MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2
  The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2
  Reserve member tickets
  Reserve tickets
  Add to calendar
• Wed, Jan 18, 4:30 p.m.
  MoMA, Floor T2/T1, Theater 2
  The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2
  Reserve member tickets
  Reserve tickets
  Add to calendar

 

[johnmcmasters]

Email from Ignite just in case some didn't receive the information:

​

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Greetings from Ignite! We are happy to report that all pre-orders have been shipped and new orders are being accepted exclusively on our website. The reviews from press have been great! "The disc of the year has finally arrived and its 1000% worth the wait," said Glenn Erickson (CineSavant); "The restoration effort is nothing short of miraculous with an impressive transfer and fantastic audio, and the disc is stacked with interesting and exciting bonus features... For classic sci-fi fans, this is an essential addition to the collection -- Highly Recommend," said Matthew Hartman (High-Def Digest); plus many more! We'll do our best to highlight them all on our social accounts @FromMars1953 and our website. This weekend, we're invading New York City! MoMA will have a Special Screening as part of its To Save and Project Series on Saturday, January 14 at 6:30 pm, following a film preservation workshop hosted by Scott MacQueen at 4 pm. The New York Times teed up the MoMA Series with a piece in today's edition. More Info --> https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/8402 Then, on Sunday, January 15 at 11 am, Bedford Playhouse will present Invaders from Mars followed by a presentation and Q&A with Scott MacQueen. More info --> https://bedfordplayhouse.org/invaders-from-mars-with-special-guest-scott-macqueen/ If you're in the NYC area this weekend, these events are definitely worth checking out. Would love to see you! -Team Ignite​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Order the 4K UHD and Blu-ray edition of the restored Invaders from Mars! Own a piece of film history, packed with plenty of extras.​ ​ Shop​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ New Trailer! Commissioned by Ignite Films​ ​ Watch​ ​ ​ ​ Ignite Films Wg-Plein 475 1054 SH Amsterdam Netherlands​ ​ © 2023 Ignite Films​

 

[jayembee]

Back in the 80s the top printer in our custom color photo lab, when faced with a crappy negative would say, “You can't make ice cream out of shit.” You still can't.

Chiun, the Master of Sinanju in the Destroyer novel series, would say, "You can't make diamonds out of river mud, but you can make an acceptable brick."

 

[ahollis]

I read today on Glenn Erickson's CineSavant blog that Wade Williams passed away this past week. I have not been able to confirm, but I doubt that Glenn would pass on wrong facts. RIP Wade Williams.

 

[Capt D McMars]

It should've been a steelbook with a lenticular cover that was housed inside a full-size replica of the alien head.

The film looked better than I imagined possible -- a real treat. Thank you to the restoration team and to Ignite for the hard work involved in this release. Really amazing.

 

[Capt D McMars]

I read today on Glenn Erickson's CineSavant blog that Wade Williams passed away this past week. I have not been able to confirm, but I doubt that Glenn would pass on wrong facts. RIP Wade Williams.

according to the piece, Tom Weaver, known to many fans of his great narration to those classic films, is the one that told Glenn of WW's passing. Tor SAD!!!

 

[Rob W]

Looks like they now ship to Canada - I used the link in post #384 and it accepted my order. (Previously it was U.S.-only )

 

[Craig999]

Received my blu-ray copy in about a week, well-packed in bubble wrap. Best things for me were the elimination of the print damage evident throughout the old DVD, and the color corrections. I did expect a little better clarity from a 4k scan, some scenes still seemed a bit too soft and grainy. Overall, however, a massive upgrade from the DVD picture. A must buy.

 

[Capt D McMars]

Received my blu-ray copy in about a week, well-packed in bubble wrap. Best things for me were the elimination of the print damage evident throughout the old DVD, and the color corrections. I did expect a little better clarity from a 4k scan, some scenes still seemed a bit too soft and grainy. Overall, however, a massive upgrade from the DVD picture. A must buy.

For me, the scenes of the "stock footage" (tanks, troops, ect) were the ones I saw as inferior when compaired to the movie it'self. A wonderful gift for us collectors, even though a bit belated!!

 

[haineshisway]

Received my blu-ray copy in about a week, well-packed in bubble wrap. Best things for me were the elimination of the print damage evident throughout the old DVD, and the color corrections. I did expect a little better clarity from a 4k scan, some scenes still seemed a bit too soft and grainy. Overall, however, a massive upgrade from the DVD picture. A must buy.

The 4K scan of the OCN, those scenes, are gorgeous. It's the scenes from other sources that are a bit soft in comparison.

 

[haineshisway]

Just for fun. Opened on May 1, 1953 in Los Angeles and played a surprising number of weeks.

 

[Capt D McMars]

Amazingly there are very few 1950s Color/ Cinecolor Sci-Fi films. This title, War of the Worlds, When Worlds Collide and Forbidden Planet, Destination Moon, This Island Earth, The Blob and the Fly. And streching it, I guess you could include Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20 Thousand Leages Under ths Sea...
but for the most part, all of these were destined for the Drive-In Crowds

 

[anytimepally]

Amazingly there are very few 1950s Color/ Cinecolor Sci-Fi films. This title, War of the Worlds, When Worlds Collide and Forbidden Planet, Destination Moon, This Island Earth, The Blob and the Fly. And streching it, I guess you could include Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20 Thousand Leages Under ths Sea...
but for the most part, all of these were destined for the Drive-In Crowds

There were at least a few other 1950s color Sci-Fi films:
Flight to Mars (1951)
Riders to the Stars (1954)
Conquest of Space (1955)
The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)
World Without End (1956), which was released theatrically as a double feature with another color Sci-Fi, Indestructible Man (1956)
Satellite in the Sky (1956)
War of the Colossal Beast (1958)
From the Earth to the Moon (1958)
Queen of Outer Space (1958)

Of course, Peter Cushing's Frankenstein movies also could qualify as Sci-Fi. The first 2 were released in 1957 and 1958. Several other color films of the era straddle the Sci-Fi/Horror line.

 

[Capt D McMars]

There were at least a few other 1950s color Sci-Fi films:
Flight to Mars (1951)
Riders to the Stars (1954)
Conquest of Space (1955)
The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)
World Without End (1956), which was released theatrically as a double feature with another color Sci-Fi, Indestructible Man (1956)
Satellite in the Sky (1956)
War of the Colossal Beast (1958)
From the Earth to the Moon (1958)
Queen of Outer Space (1958)

Of course, Peter Cushing's Frankenstein movies also could qualify as Sci-Fi. The first 2 were released in 1957 and 1958. Several other color films of the era straddle the Sci-Fi/Horror line.

Nice, just a side note Indestructible Man (1956) was B&W, so was War of the Colossal Beast (1958) until the dramatic electrocution scene. Bravo for the additions, still compared to the number of sci-fi films made, much more of them were B&W as oppsed to color productions in the Atom Age Sci-Fi films.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Also add in Gog (Color and 3-D)

 

[haineshisway]

There were at least a few other 1950s color Sci-Fi films:
Flight to Mars (1951)
Riders to the Stars (1954)
Conquest of Space (1955)
The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)
World Without End (1956), which was released theatrically as a double feature with another color Sci-Fi, Indestructible Man (1956)
Satellite in the Sky (1956)
War of the Colossal Beast (1958)
From the Earth to the Moon (1958)
Queen of Outer Space (1958)

Of course, Peter Cushing's Frankenstein movies also could qualify as Sci-Fi. The first 2 were released in 1957 and 1958. Several other color films of the era straddle the Sci-Fi/Horror line.

War of the Colossal Beast? You think that fifteen seconds of color at the end makes it a color film? It's black-and-white.

 

[lark144]

There were at least a few other 1950s color Sci-Fi films:
Flight to Mars (1951)
Riders to the Stars (1954)
Conquest of Space (1955)
The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)
World Without End (1956), which was released theatrically as a double feature with another color Sci-Fi, Indestructible Man (1956)
Satellite in the Sky (1956)
War of the Colossal Beast (1958)
From the Earth to the Moon (1958)
Queen of Outer Space (1958)

Of course, Peter Cushing's Frankenstein movies also could qualify as Sci-Fi. The first 2 were released in 1957 and 1958. Several other color films of the era straddle the Sci-Fi/Horror line.

By the time Riders to the Stars got to my neighborhood theater in 1957, it was in black and white. I'm not sure how that happened. I actually asked the manager. He said the original distributor went bankrupt, and this was the only print he could find. I loved the film, so I guess the lack of color didn't matter.

 

[Reed Grele]

By the time Riders to the Stars got to my neighborhood theater in 1957, it was in black and white. I'm not sure how that happened. I actually asked the manager. He said the original distributor went bankrupt, and this was the only print he could find. I loved the film, so I guess the lack of color didn't matter.

After watching it on the old Chiller Theatre back in the early 60's, I used to try to play the theme song of "Riders to the Stars" on our old, beat up piano down in the basement. My Mom thought her oldest son was going to be the next Liberace, so she signed me up for piano lessons!