One Million B.C. (1940)- July 25, 2017 (1 Viewer)

[atfree]

https://dvdandblu-rayreleasereport.blogspot.com/2017/06/vci-entertainment-announces-2k.html

View media item 4054

 

[Interdimensional]

I approve of their choice of poster art. Looks to be from a foreign release.

 

[Robin9]

I hope this disc is better than the poor quality junk VCI normally produce. Carole Landis deserves the best.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

Exciting news! Can't wait to pick this up. Will be checking Amazon daily to pre-order.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I detest lizard dinosaurs. I'll settle for Harryhausen's version.

 

[aPhil]

The Hal Roach version is as entertaining to me as the Harryhausen Hammer Film.
I hope that this is a really good restoration and a well authored Blu-ray.

 

[BobO'Link]

I detest lizard dinosaurs. I'll settle for Harryhausen's version.

I don't like 'em either - never have. BUT - This is a "Day One" purchase for me as it's a film I've wanted to have in my collection for years and somewhat a Holy Grail. I enjoy it almost as much as the Harryhausen remake, in spite of the use of lizards as stand-ins.

 

[Dick]

I don't like 'em either - never have. BUT - This is a "Day One" purchase for me as it's a film I've wanted to have in my collection for years and somewhat a Holy Grail. I enjoy it almost as much as the Harryhausen remake, in spite of the use of lizards as stand-ins.

I agree. It may be a guilty pleasure, but it's really not a bad film at all. It's a Hal Roach production (!) and has pretty decent effects, if you can acclimate yourself to blown-up lizards subbing for dinos, The fact that special effects footage from this film was incorporated into maybe a dozen subsequent films is a testament that that SFX were decent for their day. Carole Landis is still remarkably hot, and is practically a special effect all by herself. Victor Mature and Lon Chaney Jr. are not given much to work with, but acquit themselves rather well. I laugh when I hear the dinos bark like dogs (no doubt, that is largely where the sounds came from), but am in awe when lava runs over one of the woman toward the end, an effect that has always fascinated me.

I owned this originally on a 12-minute 8mm Castle Films silent digest print, and have been upgrading when possible, which wasn't often. I did import a Japanese DVD a couple of years ago, and was sort of happy with it -- best I'd seen to that point, but still wanting. It is my certainly my hope that this new Blu-ray will prove to be the definitive video edition.

 

[Alan Tully]

I saw this in (I think) 1961 when I was ten. I staggered out of the cinema (Saturday Morning Pictures, as we used to call it), eyes wide open, WOW, the best film I'd ever seen! The slightly older, slightly more sophisticated me saw the 1966 version & was very unimpressed. I think the dry desert locations killed it (it should be lush jungle), & the sheer silliness of the whole thing (somehow it works better as an old b/w movie), & I think it's very minor Harryhausen. I hope this new release is up to snuff.

 

[J. Casey]

I like the 1940 version as well. The only thing that makes me nervous is VCI's history with blu-ray releases (VC1 encodes, small file sizes/low bitrates, etc). At the same time, I have to say that I like VCI as a company overall and hope that this next release will be more contemporary in specs.

 

[RBailey]

I agree. It may be a guilty pleasure, but it's really not a bad film at all. It's a Hal Roach production (!) and has pretty decent effects, if you can acclimate yourself to blown-up lizards subbing for dinos, The fact that special effects footage from this film was incorporated into maybe a dozen subsequent films is a testament that that SFX were decent for their day

I've been trying to think of what films used portions of the ONE MILLION B.C. stock footage. Here's a partial list and I'm sure there are more:

TARZAN'S DESERT MYSTERY
JUNGLE MANHUNT (a Jungle Jim film)
ROBOT MONSTER
KING DINOSAUR (I don't own this film but I think it used some of the footage) and
VALLEY OF THE DINOSAURS, a virtual remake using almost the entire film.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I don't like 'em either - never have. BUT - This is a "Day One" purchase for me as it's a film I've wanted to have in my collection for years and somewhat a Holy Grail. I enjoy it almost as much as the Harryhausen remake, in spite of the use of lizards as stand-ins.

I've already got When Dinos Ruled The Earth and the Harryhausen B.C. remake. My collection only has room for two movies whose dialogue consist of oohg, yaargh, and akita! However, I do understand the concept of "to each his own." May you enjoy the grunting and groaning along with the barking lizards.

 

[bigshot]

Back up for oder at amazon

 

[aPhil]

One Million B.C. (1940) Blu-ray

Has anybody seen this yet?

 

[bigshot]

Mine is on its way to me. The preview at YouTube looks great.

 

[aPhil]

Mine is on its way to me. The preview at YouTube looks great.

Please let us know how it looks and sounds

 

[bigshot]

UPS just delivered it. I'm cooking right now. Maybe I'll get a chance to look at it tonight.

In the meantime.../

 

[aPhil]

UPS just delivered it. I'm cooking right now. Maybe I'll get a chance to look at it tonight.

In the meantime.../

Have you seen any of the Blu-ray as yet ? Comments?

 

[bigshot]

It's on the schedule for tonight. I was watching the Richard Stanley documentary set the last two nights.

 

[bigshot]

I watched it last night. It's a fantastic blu-ray. I've seen the film a million times as a kid, but always from a dupey looking 16mm TV print. Seeing it in HD was a revelation. Lots of detail which reveals some of the rear projection effects and paper mache rocks, but also makes it fascinating to see the locations they were shooting at. The sound is full and clear and contrast is good, with just a bit of opacity in the shadows. But that may be how it was shot. Well worth getting.