Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) 4K Restoration Blu-ray Review
Lovers of action may become impatient that it takes a full forty-five minutes for the descent into the Earth’s core to begin, but the time setting up for the excursion is not wasted allowing us to get to know the personalities of the four explorers in the party (plus a pet duck who is along for the ride and more than once saves their skins). The Walter Reisch-Charles Brackett screenplay is full of incident, some taken from the Jules Verne novel and some pure Hollywood invention, but all of it is exciting and engrossing. The production design is especially inventive and eye-popping throughout (a pity the film was released the same year as Ben-Hur; some of those Oscar nominations it garnered might well have been awards in another year), and director Henry Levin never lets the momentum dawdle, even when the team gets separated: there are always interesting discoveries and risky adventures around the next turn or down the next shaft. In this age of CGI miracles, the special effects here with underground dragons and a deadly sea vortex may strike some as quaint, but they were impressive in their day and still hold up. That maelstrom at sea, the mushroom forest, and the salt and quartz caverns are still very striking.
The cast seems to be having a whale of a good time. Though Pat Boone’s Scottish accent is rather puny, he evinces great good humor and seems game for anything (including a couple of sequences where he’s wearing next to nothing). There are also a couple of unobtrusive songs. James Mason’s natural authority and gravitas serve him well as a slightly absent-minded professor type even if his Scottish accent is also of varying quality. Arlene Dahl contributes to the fun, too, and is more than just a pretty face and, inevitably, a late-reel love interest for James Mason. Thayer David’s charlatan isn’t as fully developed as it might have been with more precise writing, but Peter Ronson as the Icelandic guide Hans Belker is quite a gratifying presence and most welcome even though his words must be constantly translated. Diane Baker is an okay love interest for Pat Boone’s Alec even though once the expedition leaves Scotland, the occasional returns to her back home are rather intrusive and not especially interesting.
Isolated Score Track: Bernard Herrmann’s music score is offered in a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and sounds superb.
Theatrical Trailer (3:20, SD)
Six-Page Booklet: contains color and black stills, poster art for the film on the booklet’s back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s always informative background essay on the movie.
Twentieth Century Fox has given its grand and glorious adventure tale of the old school, Henry Levin’s Journey to the Center of Earth, a wonderful 4K restoration which Twilight Time is now offering in a new Blu-ray edition. The film itself remains loads of fun, and with superb production design, sound, and special effects (all of which earned Oscar nominations for their respective artisans) and featuring an ingratiating cast and even a song or two, this Journey remains definitely one worth taking. For those fans who partook of Twilight Time’s first Blu-ray release, this edition is definitely worth the upgrade.
Studio: Fox
Distributed By: Twilight Time
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: G
Run Time: 2 Hr. 9 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
keep caseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: All
Release Date: 03/10/2015
MSRP: $29.95
The Production Rating: 4/5
Lovers of action may become impatient that it takes a full forty-five minutes for the descent into the Earth’s core to begin, but the time setting up for the excursion is not wasted allowing us to get to know the personalities of the four explorers in the party (plus a pet duck who is along for the ride and more than once saves their skins). The Walter Reisch-Charles Brackett screenplay is full of incident, some taken from the Jules Verne novel and some pure Hollywood invention, but all of it is exciting and engrossing. The production design is especially inventive and eye-popping throughout (a pity the film was released the same year as Ben-Hur; some of those Oscar nominations it garnered might well have been awards in another year), and director Henry Levin never lets the momentum dawdle, even when the team gets separated: there are always interesting discoveries and risky adventures around the next turn or down the next shaft. In this age of CGI miracles, the special effects here with underground dragons and a deadly sea vortex may strike some as quaint, but they were impressive in their day and still hold up. That maelstrom at sea, the mushroom forest, and the salt and quartz caverns are still very striking.
The cast seems to be having a whale of a good time. Though Pat Boone’s Scottish accent is rather puny, he evinces great good humor and seems game for anything (including a couple of sequences where he’s wearing next to nothing). There are also a couple of unobtrusive songs. James Mason’s natural authority and gravitas serve him well as a slightly absent-minded professor type even if his Scottish accent is also of varying quality. Arlene Dahl contributes to the fun, too, and is more than just a pretty face and, inevitably, a late-reel love interest for James Mason. Thayer David’s charlatan isn’t as fully developed as it might have been with more precise writing, but Peter Ronson as the Icelandic guide Hans Belker is quite a gratifying presence and most welcome even though his words must be constantly translated. Diane Baker is an okay love interest for Pat Boone’s Alec even though once the expedition leaves Scotland, the occasional returns to her back home are rather intrusive and not especially interesting.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 4.5/5
Special Features Rating: 3/5
Isolated Score Track: Bernard Herrmann’s music score is offered in a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and sounds superb.
Theatrical Trailer (3:20, SD)
Six-Page Booklet: contains color and black stills, poster art for the film on the booklet’s back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s always informative background essay on the movie.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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