1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

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swo17
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1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#1 Post by swo17 » Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:39 pm

Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

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A one-of-a-kind silver-screen illusionist, Czechoslovak filmmaker Karel Zeman devoted his career to transporting viewers to realms beyond their wildest imagining. The deft, breathtaking combinations of live-action and animation techniques that he pioneered in the postwar years earned him comparisons to legends such as Georges Méliès, and an array of followers that includes Jan Švankmajer, Terry Gilliam, and Wes Anderson. Presented here are three of Zeman's most enchanting fantasies—a boys' adventure into the mists of prehistory, a Jules Verne–derived flight of fancy, and an exotic eighteenth-century tall tale—all of them treasure chests of wondrous sights, tactile textures, and headlong yarn-spinning that helped put Czechoslovak cinema on the international map.

Journey to the Beginning of Time

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A beguiling mix of natural history and science fiction, this early feature by Karel Zeman follows four schoolboys on an awe-inspiring expedition back through time, where they behold landscapes and creatures that have long since vanished from the earth. Hewing closely to the scientific knowledge of its era, Journey to the Beginning of Time brings its prehistoric beasts alive through a number of innovative techniques—including stop-motion, puppetry, and life-size models—creating an atmosphere of pure wonderment.

Invention for Destruction

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This eye-popping escapade revolves around a scientist and his doomsday machine—and the pirates who will stop at nothing to gain possession of it. Freely adapting the fiction of Jules Verne, and inspired by Victorian line engravings, Karel Zeman surrounds his actors with animated scenery of breathtaking intricacy and complexity, constructing an impossibly vivid proto-steampunk world. Released abroad at the turn of the 1960s, Invention for Destruction went on to become one of the most internationally successful Czechoslovak films of all time.

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

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In The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, Karel Zeman conjures the adventures of the legendary, boastful baron, whose whirlwind exploits take him from the moon to eighteenth-century Turkey to the belly of a whale and beyond. A kaleidoscopic marvel that blends live action with techniques including stop-motion, cutout collage, puppetry, painted backdrops, and antique tinting, Zeman's film is an exhilarating visual delight and a warmhearted whirl through a bygone age too entrancing to have existed.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• New 4K digital restorations of all three films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays
• New programs with animation filmmaker John Stevenson and special-effects artists Phil Tippett and Jim Aupperle discussing director Karel Zeman and his complex visual trickery
• Four early short films by Zeman: A Christmas Dream (1946), A Horseshoe for Luck (1946), Inspiration (1949), and King Lavra (1950)
Film Adventurer: Karel Zeman, a 2015 documentary about the director, featuring filmmakers Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam, illustrator Ludmila Zeman, and others
• Short documentaries by the Karel Zeman Museum profiling the director and detailing the production and effects of all three films
• U.S.-release version of Journey to the Beginning of Time from 1960
• Alternate English-dubbed soundtrack for Invention for Destruction, and the opening sequence of the 1961 U.S.-release version
• Restoration demonstrations and an interview with restoration supervisor James Mockoski
• Trailers
• New English subtitle translations
• PLUS: An essay by film critic Michael Atkinson, along with limited-edition deluxe Blu-ray packaging featuring pop-up art

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Matt
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#2 Post by Matt » Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:47 pm

Wonderful! Despite what looks like some amazing packaging, I'm not at all sorry I bought all the Second Run releases. I just hope this release gets these films an even wider audience.

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swo17
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#3 Post by swo17 » Fri Nov 15, 2019 2:57 pm

This includes the same two shorts as those have, but then adds two more

And a book with pop-up art!

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#4 Post by therewillbeblus » Fri Nov 15, 2019 4:00 pm

Can’t remember the last time I was this tempted to double dip

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TheRanchHand
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#5 Post by TheRanchHand » Sat Nov 16, 2019 3:20 am

This is brand new to me. I've never seen these films but just the amazing clip on the web site has me sold on the whole package!

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Lowry_Sam
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#6 Post by Lowry_Sam » Sat Nov 16, 2019 4:21 pm

I gave up on Criterion releasing these when the 2nd Second Run blu came out. I had put the 3rd title in my shopping cart 2 days ago, but wanted to add something to the order & waited for more time to do so. At least I was saved from double dippin* on one of these.

Nice to see more animation in the collection, as slow as they are in releasing them. Perhaps we still may get more Laloux one day.


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Fred Holywell
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#8 Post by Fred Holywell » Sun Feb 23, 2020 9:54 pm

Svet on Munchausen

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#9 Post by therewillbeblus » Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:37 am

Is anyone who has the Second Run blu-rays double dipping here? Seriously considering using my $50 points bonus for it, though I can't figure out if the extra material is worth it

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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#10 Post by Glowingwabbit » Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:49 am

therewillbeblus wrote:
Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:37 am
Is anyone who has the Second Run blu-rays double dipping here? Seriously considering using my $50 points bonus for it, though I can't figure out if the extra material is worth it
We just got the Criterion in at my library so I'm going to check out the extra material that isn't on the Second Run discs (which I own) instead of double dipping. You should save the bonus $50 for now and see if you can get it through your library system.

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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#11 Post by therewillbeblus » Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:54 am

Good call, this is usually my go-to plan... wait a second, do you use the Minuteman system in MA too?

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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#12 Post by Glowingwabbit » Wed Feb 26, 2020 11:06 am

therewillbeblus wrote:
Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:54 am
Good call, this is usually my go-to plan... wait a second, do you use the Minuteman system in MA too?
No I work at a library in the NOBLE system.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#13 Post by therewillbeblus » Wed Feb 26, 2020 11:08 am

Awesome, from a quick look it seems like a great, vast system too

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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#14 Post by cdnchris » Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:06 pm

I don't own the Second Run discs, but doing a comparison the only additional features are a new interview with Steve Johnson (he does a couple on the Second Run discs, though I believe this one is different), a discussion on the effects between Phil Tippett and Jim Aupperle, and the the additional short films The Christmas Dream and A Horseshoe for Luck. I believe the rest of the material in the set (save the insert and the pop-up packaging of course) can be found across those releases.

Basing it on the new material alone I would say this isn't worth the double-dip.

EDIT:

I might as well point out that this is a feature I'm adding to the site, that will compare specs features (and probably restorations and more) between releases (though I'm still trying to figure out/clean up how best to make comparison between sets and individual titles, like this one):
Image

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#15 Post by therewillbeblus » Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:22 pm

Thanks Chris! And that's excellent to hear on the comparison - one of the only reasons I go to DVDBeaver and other sites, looking forward to the addition!

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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#16 Post by Glowingwabbit » Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:26 pm

Thanks Chris! That's a great new feature.

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swo17
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#17 Post by swo17 » Wed Feb 26, 2020 12:56 pm

Yes Chris, that's a great idea. I haven't seen these exclusive short films yet, but those are always my most valued special features, so double dipping was an easy decision for me

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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#18 Post by cdnchris » Wed Feb 26, 2020 1:10 pm

I definitely get the appeal of getting the shorts, and it may be worth it in that regard. I'm surprised Second Run didn't include more on their releases, though I don't know how the rights work to that. Is there word on whether they're going to release his later films? Maybe they could include more with those?

The Christmas Dream is a mix of live action and stop-motion: a little girl tosses aside an old doll after getting new ones for Christmas, and the old one apparently comes to life one night. Nothing near as elaborate as his films, or even some of the other shorts (the one done with glass figurines is a striking one), and the live action and stop motion is mostly kept separate, but it's cute.

Horseshoe for Luck is a Czech propaganda film about reusing materials, like metal (the horseshoe in question) and is a straight stop-motion film and only a few minutes.

To expand on that feature, I do want to add the ability to compare restorations, but it's made difficult sometimes by the limited information, so that aspect will be hard; it probably won't be included when launched. But tech specs like ratios, audio, regions, supplements and the like will be there.

Also, if you look in the image there is a link for John Stevenson's names: I have also indexed participants of the special features, so if, for example, you want to find out what special features Martin Scorsese participates in you'll be able to find them and the releases they're on.

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senseabove
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#19 Post by senseabove » Wed Feb 26, 2020 1:22 pm

That's amazing, Chris! It'll be so nice to not have to hunt and peck for that information...

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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#20 Post by MichaelB » Wed Feb 26, 2020 1:24 pm

cdnchris wrote:
Wed Feb 26, 2020 1:10 pm
I definitely get the appeal of getting the shorts, and it may be worth it in that regard. I'm surprised Second Run didn't include more on their releases, though I don't know how the rights work to that.
The UK rights would certainly be available... but for a price, and Second Run is a tiny label with a very limited budget. In fact, they pushed the boat out further with their Zeman films than they did with practically anything else that they've released - and of course would have had no advance knowledge of what Criterion was planning to do.

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Boosmahn
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#21 Post by Boosmahn » Wed Feb 26, 2020 2:50 pm

CF review wrote:Criterion advertises the packaging as limited edition, and I assume after that they might change it to one of their 3-disc cases.
I don't think this is the case (heh) any more. Criterion's page for the set has removed the "limited edition" label, nor is it on the back of the package itself. Yes, the sticker still says so, but to remove that tag from the website was an action someone at Criterion did with a purpose.

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lzx
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#22 Post by lzx » Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:49 pm

The Czech Center New York is hosting a Zoom Q&A with A. S. Hamrah on Munchausen today at 8:45pm EDT.

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knives
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#23 Post by knives » Sun Jul 26, 2020 2:54 pm

After revisiting the Godzilla films I wanted to see something else that was just as fun and Invention for Destruction delivered in spades. I'm not even entirely what the story was I was so wrapped up in the look of it all. This really gets at the full possibility cinema has to offer.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#24 Post by therewillbeblus » Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:12 pm

knives wrote:
Sun Jul 26, 2020 2:54 pm
After revisiting the Godzilla films I wanted to see something else that was just as fun and Invention for Destruction delivered in spades. I'm not even entirely what the story was I was so wrapped up in the look of it all. This really gets at the full possibility cinema has to offer.
Have you watched The Fabulous Baron Munchausen yet? If you felt such passion about that one, I'm curious on your thoughts for what I think is easily his greatest achievement, and frankly - although I really like Invention for Destruction- makes it look like a second-rate film in comparison. Munchausen might even crack my 60s top ten, which is insane.

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knives
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Re: 1015-1017 Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman

#25 Post by knives » Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:26 pm

Nope. Haven't gotten there yet, but I can't conceive what could top Invention's paper aesthetic. It's probably the greatest use of film as a 2D medium I've seen.

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