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The Time Machine (1960) coming to blu-ray next year (1 Viewer)

Tommy R

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Ejanss said:
Pal's version is...while clos-er than the remake, it's already pretty close.
George Pal keeps the idle-vs-working evolution, but throws in an anti-war subplot about WWIII being one of the great triggers of division (the Eloi are still summoned to the underground tunnels by sirens that sound oddly like air-raids), which probably didn't occur to HG when he was writing the book, but feels like it's straight out of it.
Especially when you watch it right next to HG's own Blitz-era script for "Things to Come", where he thought WWII would wipe out civilization.
I've always thought that perhaps Wells would have liked the Pal film and it's changes. Apparently, as he got older he thought of his original novel as silly and out of date. We'll never know, but I always thought he'd have approved of the film.
 

Nelson Au

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Dick, thanks regarding the Classics Illustrated. Yes, I see War of the Worlds amongst the ones available on eBay. But they are all pretty worn. Some look okay. I didn't know they did Frankenstein too. I'll see about all the Wells adaptations. Ejanss, regarding the Pal film vs the remake vs the original novel, thanks. I was reading the wiki entry and got the impression that the remake made more out of the class differences between the Eloi and Morlocks. I only saw it once and didn't think much of it so my memory of the movie is dim! I recall the vision of the Moon exploded and the Eloi living conditions.For sure, I had the impression the Pal film was more faithful to the source. I recently picked up the Criterion release of Things to Come. I saw it years ago on TV, so I look forward to seeing it again on the new disc.
 

Ejanss

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SilverWook said:
In the 70's, my fifth grade class got to hear from someone who was around for the original broadcast talk about what the reaction was like. We heard the recording of WOTW as well. (This was in New Jersey, not very far from Grover's Mill.) People were scared out of their minds regardless of what Orson's intentions were. By the time a commerical break came on, people were running for the hills from Martians.

The shadow cast by WOTW was so long, the 1983 tv movie Special Bulletin, which looked like real network news coverage of nuclear terrorism, aired with eight tons of disclaimers to avoid a panic.
The 70's TV-movie "The Night That Panicked America" does a particularly good exploration of how those running for the hills heard "Martians" but subconsciously thought "Germans".
In one of the subplots,
a butler working for one of the many hypocritical 30's business tycoons who were supporting "that painter fellow who's cleaning up Germany; he'll make the trains run on time!" listens from the beginning and knows it's a play, but his employer tunes in late and ends up as one of those panicking the "invasion". The butler is amused no end, and chides his employer on the way out, "Don't worry, sir, when the Martians get here, maybe they'll make the trains run on time!"
(There was a later 40's radio interview between Wells and Welles, and HG seemed to be in on Orson's little "joke".)

James Cameron hosted a 60th-anniversary TV special on the radio WOTW, and there was no mention of 30's head-in-the-sand US isolationism....NONE. Zero. Zip.
The King of the World spend most of his time detailing how they created the neato realistic sound effects, and its influence on future sci-fi, and reasoned that everyone must've panicked because the broadcast was so well crafted!
Yyyep, he would think that. :rolleyes:
 

SilverWook

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I did see The Night That Panicked America sometime around the 40th anniversary. Too bad it's not on DVD.
 

Alan Tully

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I hope they release this as a double with the remake. I'm sure it would help sales, & I know the remake has all sorts of problems, but I quite like it & it looks great, & this could be its only chance for a Blu-ray release.
 

Persianimmortal

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While the 1960 movie is closer to the book, I've always felt that the book is much darker (e.g. what happens to Weena in the book is not very nice at all) and has a much more interesting ending. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it, suffice it to say that if you like the movie, you'll probably like the book and find it well worth reading. It's available as a free download in iBooks for example, so it's not hard to get if you're curious.

I haven't seen the remake since shortly after it came out, but I remember I was very disappointed with it. A tacked on love plot which completely changes the traveller's motivation for going back in time, and a generally poor atmosphere, combined with Guy Pearce, who I find rather unlikeable in the role, as compared to the charming Rod Taylor, means I haven't been tempted to see it again. I'm glad they haven't done a double feature; if they want to release the remake, they can release it separately.

The 1960 movie isn't perfect, but it has just the right tone to match the book, and a good choice of actors, that it will remain my favorite version.
 

Ejanss

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Persianimmortal said:
While the 1960 movie is closer to the book, I've always felt that the book is much darker (e.g. what happens to Weena in the book is not very nice at all) and has a much more interesting ending. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it, suffice it to say that if you like the movie, you'll probably like the book and find it well worth reading. It's available as a free download in iBooks for example, so it's not hard to get if you're curious.
The audiobooks are also free, at Librivox.org:
https://librivox.org/the-time-machine-version-2-by-h-g-wells/
(Or in iPod-ready form at http://www.archive.org/download/LibrivoxM4bCollectionAudiobooks4/TimeMachineV2_64kb.m4b )
 

Nelson Au

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I didn't know the book is free on iTunes. I guess it might have become public domain. I had a look and am surprised there are so many different offerings.
 

Worth

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SilverWook said:
In the 70's, my fifth grade class got to hear from someone who was around for the original broadcast talk about what the reaction was like. We heard the recording of WOTW as well. (This was in New Jersey, not very far from Grover's Mill.) People were scared out of their minds regardless of what Orson's intentions were. By the time a commerical break came on, people were running for the hills from Martians.

The shadow cast by WOTW was so long, the 1983 tv movie Special Bulletin, which looked like real network news coverage of nuclear terrorism, aired with eight tons of disclaimers to avoid a panic.

There was a recent article that claimed that the panic surrounding the broadcast was greatly exaggerated:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/history/2013/10/orson_welles_war_of_the_worlds_panic_myth_the_infamous_radio_broadcast_did.html
 

SilverWook

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Reed Grele

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When they were still alive, I asked my grandparents about this. They weren't even listening to the station on the radio that was broadcasting WOTW that night.

But I would imagine that even if they were, they would have had the common sense to switch between a few other selections on the dial just to double check the story before they contemplated suicide. ;)
 

Ethan Riley

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My dad and his whole family listed to WOTW in the 30s, said they all sat around laughing at it, it was so corny.
 

ahollis

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I had an aunt that listened to the WOTW that night and believed the whole thing. She used to talk about it for she called all the family and friends to tell them goodbye. She had to laugh about it for even in the 70's before she died my grandmother always brought up the story and they would both break down in hysterical laughter.
 

Charles Smith

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Nice idea. I might do the same. Might have to be on Jan. 1st or 2nd, but it's been several years and I am more than up for a viewing.
 

Matt Hough

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I just rewatched the DVD a month or so ago. Also watched The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao to have a George Pal evening.
 

Tommy R

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I know it's barely a month into 2014, but any speculation on when we may hear a more specific announcement? All the excitement over Batman in the TV on DVD section got me thinking about this again. Warner seems intent on making me happy this year. :D
 

schmenz

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I hope, probably in vain, that they will fix the finale music that they goofed up on the dvd of a couple of years ago. They "re-mixed" the end music (for reasons no one on earth knows) and, for me at least, ruined the beautiful Russel Garcia closing piece that was so touching. They used his music, but they cut out a bar or two and it takes much away from the poignancy of the original mix.
 

Nelson Au

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Really? I never noticed this before. Was the last couple of bars missing on the laserdisc version?
 

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