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September 19, 2024, 03:45:26 PM| Title | Cesta do pravěku (aka Journey to the Beginning of Time) (8-594159-070042) |
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| Director | Karel Zeman |
| Actors | |
| Produced | 1955 in Czechoslovakia |
| Runtime | 81 minutes |
| Audio | Czech Dolby Digital 2-Channel Stereo |
| Subtitles | English, Czech |
| Overview | This immensely popular educational film from 1955 tells the story of four boys who set out on a wooden boat back up the river of time into the prehistory of the planet Earth. This pioneering work includes a wealth of scientific facts, introduced as part of an exciting boys' adventure. Whole generations of children first learned about the prehistoric past of our planet from this film, with its long-extinct plants and animals, which come alive here thanks to the creativity and the artistry of Zeman's trick photography. This film is widely regarded as one of the best children's adventure films in world cinema. |
| My thoughts | Karel Zeman was a very inventive Czech filmmaker. He made films in very different styles. The Fabulous World of Jules Verne is perhaps his best known film, at least outside of the Czech Republic. Perhaps this looks familiar: Cesta do pravěku is not made in this style, though. It uses normal live action enhanced with various trick photography to depict prehistoric animals. The film elements used for this DVD are not quite in pristine condition, but still quite good, and probably better than most viewers have seen before.  The story is somewhat reminiscent of The Land That Time Forgot, at least the beginning. However, this is a lot more pedagogic. For the most part the animals look better than those in Land, but the Tyrannosaurus Rex looks pretty pathetic. But then they looked pathetic in pretty much every fifties movie. This is far from the worst example. The film probably was quite exciting for young people in the fifties and sixties, but today it's more of a curiosity. It's an important part of film history, and I liked it fine. This film, and 4 other films by Karel Zeman is available on DVD from The Karel Zeman Museum in Prague. |
| My rating | 4 out of 5 |
(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on December 11th, 2013)
Member's Reviews
The Land Unknown, a review by GSyren
| The Land Unknown (4-041036-370213) |
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| United States 1957 | Released 2014-08-15 on Bluray from Anolis Entertainment, Hollywood Classics, Universal Studios International |
| 78 minutes | Aspect ratio 2.35:1 | Audio: German DTS-HD Master Audio Mono, English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono |
| Directed by Virgil Vogel and starring Jock Mahoney, Shawn Smith, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas R. Kennedy |
| My thoughts about The Land Unknown: |
| I love fifties sci-fi and horror movies. Even when they are bad they are entertaining. The Land Unknown isn't really bad. It has it's weaknesses and its strength. You know it's far from perfect when the lizards are scarier looking than the dinosaurs. The T-Rex is just embarrassing. I can overlook that, but only just. Some of the special effects look quite good, though. The story is essentially fine. It's kind of The Land that Time Forgot, but at the other pole. Is it sexist? Yeah, by today's standard, but you can't measure a 50+ year old movie with today's yardstick. The German blu-ray release looks fantastic. I enjoyed this very much, but of course Jurassic World it is not. |
| I rate this title |
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(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on June 13th, 2015)
Member's TV Reviews
My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich
PRISON BREAK - SEASON ONE - PILOT
Michael Scofield, a structural engineer, attempts to rob a bank in order to get incarcerated at Fox River State Penitentiary, where his brother Lincoln Burrows, accused of murdering the Vice President's brother, is scheduled to be executed.
At Fox River, Michael approaches a number of inmates, all of whom play an important role in his plan to free his brother from the inside.
Meanwhile, agents Kellerman and Hale are determined to make sure the execution goes through as planned.
(From My PILOT Marathon on May 13th, 2008)