A Trip to the Moon Restored (Limited Edition, Steelbook) [Blu-ray]
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No original hand-colored copies of A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune – 1902), by Georges Méliès, had been known to survive until one was miraculously found in Spain in the mid-1990s, but in a fragmentary condition thought too fragile to handle for either viewing or restoration. In 2010, three experts in worldwide film restoration – Lobster Films, and two non-profit entities, Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema and Technicolor Foundation for Cinema Heritage – launched one of the most co
A Trip to the Moon Restored (Limited Edition, Steelbook) [Blu-ray]
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This is a Blu-ray / DVD combo set! Blu-ray has audio error that will be corrected later/,
***** = movie
**** = discs
FIRST LET ME SAY THIS INCLUDES BOTH A BLU-RAY DISC AND A DVD. You do not need a Blu-ray player to buy this. The packaging makes it hard to get the DVD out without scratching it, it is tucked behind the Blu-ray disc.
What more could be said about this great classic fantasy film? The praises are many. Now we can finally see it in color, just as it was hand-colored by the artists at the Melies Studio.
However the disc presentation falls a little short. I hated paying so much for a 15 minute film, yes you do get an hour long documentary about Georges Melies as well as a B&W version of the film and another Melies short bringing the program over the 90 minute mark. I just wish this had been combined with Flicker Alley’s Melies Encore DVD release.
Another issue is that the multiple audio options including a reading of narration written by Georges Melies (currently missing on the Blu-ray disc) is available ONLY on the B&W version. The color version gives you no audio options, you HAVE to listen to a new composition that sounds something like what the 1970′s experimental rock group Pink Floyd would do. Now if I want to see this as Georges Melies intended, in color, I would also like to hear the words he wrote! I don’t dislike the new composition, i just want to hear Georges’ words.
The restoration still shows the age of the film and is far from perfect, but it is over 100 years old and we are lucky to have it. However, a little work with image stabilization programs and flicker reduction would have improved the film without taking anything away from the original artwork.
Flicker Alley is offering replacement Blu-ray discs if you visit their website. These will correct the missing narration on the B&W version of the movie. These new discs have not yet been manufactured as of 4/5/12 but they will put you on a waiting list for the corrected Blu-ray disc. There is a comment section on the form where I requested they make all audio options available for the color version.
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|A Wonderful and Amazing Restoration – But, Sadly, a Missed Opportunity,
My discs arrived today (March 26, 2012) and it is with the DEEPEST and most sincere regret that I must subtract one star (and I really should subtract TWO stars) from my rating. This is in NO WAY a diminution of the superb quality of the color restoration itself; rather it is a reflection of this particular home video presentation. PLEASE read my update of March 26 which appears at the end of my review (which otherwise appears as I wrote it on March 14 and updated on March 21).
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My wife and I were fortunate enough to have seen this new restoration of one of the landmarks of film, Georges Méliès’ A TRIP TO THE MOON, at its third presentation last year. That was on September 6, 2011 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And, believe it or not, EVERY SEAT (over 1000) was taken and there were hundreds of people outside hoping for “no-show” seats (I understand there were none!) And this for a 1902 film!
This film, A Trip to the Moon Restored [Blu-ray], had not been seen in a color version in over 100 years. For anyone not familiar with it, it is one of the seminal motion pictures and it was, at the time it was produced, one of the longest films yet made (about 13 minutes) and it was certainly one of the most elaborate.
Most people have seen the iconic image of the moon being struck in the ‘eye’ by the rocket and many people have seen the entire film – but never like this!
In addition to the color, much more of the left side of the image is now visible and there are one or two additional scenes which appear in no other edition.
How did they get color in 1902? Each color release print was hand-painted frame by frame!
I had the opportunity, after the Academy showing (and there were over a thousand people in attendance!) to speak personally with Serge Bromberg of Lobster Films (who restored this film) as well as Tom Burton of Technicolor Restoration Services who handled the ‘nitty-gritty’ work in preparing the film for exhibition. Their enthusiasm was VERY apparent and VERY contagious. I can tell you that the entire audience was thrilled and amazed.
(Tom Burton and his Technicolor team were the people involved with the amazing and wonderful restoration of Wings [Blu-ray] (also available as Wings) which I also recommend to all.)
The A TRIP TO THE MOON film was shown twice that evening along with other newly restored early [c. 1900] films, some, believe it or not, in 3D and color!!! What an evening that was! These films all had to be seen to be believed!
One of the remarkable things about the restoration of A TRIP TO THE MOON is the decision to leave the print exactly as it was originally. This particular print, the only color one which survived, was made for Spanish audiences. Hence, after the projectile is pushed into the ‘gun’ by the ladies, you will see a flag – and it is NOT the French Tricolor; rather it is the red-yellow-red Spanish flag, which was painted that way for the Spanish audiences. (Serge Bromberg told me that it could have been changed to the Tricolor but, in the interest of the authenticity and integrity of this particular print, the restorers decided to leave it just as it was. I APPLAUD that decision!)
So you will see this film almost exactly as it was seen in 1902.
I ordered this disc directly from Flicker Alley immediately of being informed of its release; obviously, as of this writing, I have not as yet seen the disc. I have read some conflicting reports: some state that this is a two-disc set, one Blu-ray and one DVD, both containing the same program (the movie itself and a “making of” documentary about the film itself and its restoration). Others state that the feature is on the Blu-ray and the documentary is on the DVD. (Amazon is not clear either.)
Whichever is ultimately the case, I shall report it here once my disc arrives.
While I wasn’t not too keen on the group AIR’s music (neither was my wife nor most of the people to whom we spoke afterwards but, of course, you may feel differently), I understand that there will be alternate music (and possibly narration) tracks included on the disc. I’ll report on that too.
By the way, if you have seen the 2011 film HUGO (a very good show by the…
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