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 [Larger view] | H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon
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Average user rating:  | |
 Long time favorite finally on DVD! | |
| For many years, this hard-to-come-by gem was only available in crummy full-screen video transfers or chopped up Saturday movie-of-the-week presentations. What a joy to see this film on DVD, in all of it's widescreen and "Lunacolor" splendor! The transfer is really spectactular. In fact, everything is very well done (dare I say, "Imperial!"). Lionel Jeffries steals the show as the befuddled scientist Cavor, although we all know that Ray Harryhausen's effects are the real star of the picture. I love the Victorian moonship (S.S. Dolphin), and the pointy yellow Moon mountains, which are pure 1950's. The Moon creatures are surprisingly well-handled also, and for the most part, the picture more or less follows the book. Fans of the 70's British sci-fi television classic "Space: 1999" will instantly recognize the "creaky door" sound effect that plays when the Moon assistants are "frozen" until needed. The irony here is that the TV series takes place... on the Moon! The disc has two main extra bonus features; a promotional short for Harryhausen's "Dynamation" technique, and an hour-long documentary on Harryhausen's life and career. The documentary, narrated by Leonard Nimoy, has been featured on the American Movie Classics "Real to Reel" series, and is very, very well made. The Master is extensively interviewed, and many of his models displayed during the interviews. He discusses behind-the-scenes moments, how certain models were made, his signature "skeleton warriors", and other insightful and informative things. This bonus is a real prize for Harryhausen fans (which is all of us, I think). Now, I am not the world's biggest fan of Tom Hanks, but included here is a clip with one of the best Oscar night lines ever, this one from the 1992 Oscar Ceremonies when Harryhausen was given his lifetime achievement award. Said Hanks after the award was given, "Some people say 'Casablanca', or 'Citizen Kane'. I say 'Jason and the Argonauts' is the greatest film ever made!" I can't really agree, but I loved the sentiment. This is a very nice disc, with a classic sci-fi thriller and excellent bonus matierials, so buy it and don't delay. If you've never seen "First Men in the Moon", I envy you; you're in for a real treat! | |
| Moon Bugs Attack! | |
| Well made SciFi with Ray Harryhausen effects make an enchanting classic movie. No modern F/X here but still fun to watch as a Professor and a young man and lady explore the moon during the late 1800s. The story starts out with one of them as a very old person recalling the events to a group of people as they watch the first documented landing on the moon. The DVD color and sound are great. This DVD includes a Documentary on Ray Harryhausen that is very well done. Great entertainment for the whole family. | |
| Wells would be proud! | |
| For some reason films with Harryhausen's effects are remembered more for them than they are for the director that helmed them. This adaptation of the Wells novel, directed by Nathan Juran (who had also helmed "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad") is "lighter" than others of Harryhausen's works in that it relies more on the wonder of space exploration and "what might lurk beyond" than it does monsters and other creations of the imagination. Granted, there are some notable wizardries (the "moon calf" and the Selenites, especially the ruler), but the film benefits from performances by the three principle actors: Lionel Jeffries as the absent-minded "Mr. Cavor", inventor of a solution that enables the trek to the moon, Edward Judd as a penniless playwright that sees the journey as a means to a prosperous future, and Martha Hyer as Judd's fiance' "Kate". The actors make the unbelievable quite believable. Wonderful set pieces, from an English cottage/laboratory to the eerie yet picturesque moon caverns, are just the right touch for this science fiction fantasy. Laurie Johnson's score runs the gamut from whimsical (Mr. Cavor's theme) to romantic (the theme for the lovers) to thrilling (the scenes on the moon, especially the confrontation between Mr. Cavor and the Selenite ruler). Harryhausen has influenced an entire generation of filmmakers and "First Men in the Moon" is a prime example of his greatness. |
