Things To Come, Those That Have Gone… February 12, 2007
Posted by John Hodson in : General, DVD News & Info , trackbackI’ve mentioned Network’s ‘on-off-on again’ DVD of William Cameron Menzies brilliant realisation of H.G. Wells prescient Things To Come several times in past blogs. On the last occasion, Network had scheduled an R2 (again), but taken away the proposed disc’s ‘Special Edition’ status. Well, now, it has been reinstated.
Reading that Legend Films U.S. R1 - they produce ‘colorized’ abominations, but, sometimes, the process involves restoring the elements used and a nice black and white transfer is included - was none too good (some said downright terrible), in sheer frustration I bought DD Home Entertainment’s R2 disc, and, though it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared it might be, it was again taken from an inferior American print, and could have been a whole lot better. Particularly the soundtrack, Arthur Bliss’ wonderful score sounding a trifle underpowered, as if it was being played down a telephone line. That ‘SE’ status of the Network disc has me puzzled (because we don’t don’t yet know what extras are included), but there is, potentially, quite brilliant news at this link (courtesy of Glenn Erikson, aka DVD Savant):
SCI-FI-LONDON, the UK’s only annual festival of science fiction and fantastic film is delighted to announce that the restored, extended edit of THINGS TO COME will be given its first theatrical screening after the Arthur C Clarke Literary Award on 2nd May 2007 at the SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival, with an additional screening plus Q & A open to festival-goers on Friday 4th May 2007.
The digital restoration of the H.G. Wells SF classic THINGS TO COME will be given a nationwide theatrical and special edition DVD release in May 2007. This version of the film is the one which most closely resembles director William Cameron Menzies’ original vision created over seventy years ago. Every version of the film shown in cinemas, on television and available on video since 1936 has been drastically cut. Network has commissioned the best and longest known version to exist of this film anywhere in the world in H.D. One of the most memorable Sci-Fi stories ever made in motion picture history, THINGS TO COME set a benchmark for innovative design and incredible special effects when it was first made in 1936. One of the best and most ambitious British movies ever made, Oscar™-winning director William Cameron Menzies (INVADERS FROM MARS) creates a breathless vision of post-war desolation and utopian futurism. This memorable classic stars Oscar-nominated Raymond Massey (A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE) as John Cabal and his descendants and award-winning actor Ralph Richardson (Q PLANES, THE FOUR FEATHERS) as The Boss.
It’s Christmas 1940. The people of Everytown, unprepared and ill-equipped, find themselves at war against an enemy who has been planning a conflict for years. The land is devastated by the horrors of aerial bombardment as the war drags on until 1966 causing a period of despair, with feudal tyrants ruling a downtrodden population suffering from famine and a plague called the Wandering. Can the human race rise above their desperate situation and use science for the common good?
THINGS TO COME has never looked this good and was the first film to show human civilisation reduced to ashes.
Commented Network Managing Director Tim Beddows, “We are delighted to be releasing THINGS TO COME both theatrically and on DVD. This pro-science film is Britain’s answer to METROPOLIS and this restoration is a world first for this ground-breaking film that is just as relevant today as it was on its release seventy years ago.”
Discussing the technological process involved in restoring THINGS TO COME to its full glory Beddows added, “This version of the film is the longest known to exist anywhere in the world and has been sourced the best available 35mm elements. This restoration is the result of excellent cooperation between Network and Granada International.”
Referring to Network’s association with the sixth SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival running from 2nd – 7th May 2007, Beddows added, “We are delighted to be headlining the UK’s only film festival dedicated to the science fiction and fantasy genres as well as providing a public screening of the restored version of THINGS TO COME at the festival.“
Held annually at the APOLLO WEST END, SCI-FI-LONDON screens world and UK film premieres, documentaries and a selection of classic SF titles. SCI-FI-LONDON also has a strong international shorts programme and screens a short film with every feature screening.
The next festival is 2 - 6 May 2007. www.sci-fi-london.com.
It appears as if it might be worth the wait. I’m wondering now what other goodies are in store on this set - it has been hinted that a young fellow who did some work early in his career on the film is still with us and might feature, one Jack Cardiff. The cheapest pre-order I can see, £9.99 delivered, is at Sendit.com. My order is in…
Several caveats are expressed by the Savant himself, however. Over at DVD Talk, Glenn says:
Odd qualifiers sneak into the announcement copy: “This version of the film is the longest known to exist anywhere in the world and has been sourced the best available 35mm elements.” Available to whom? “Network has commissioned the best and longest known version to exist of this film anywhere in the world in H.D.” I’m awful glad it was commissioned. Longest known to whom? Did they really search the world over? Does H.D. mean that this is a digital video job, and not a real film restoration?
Some American companies will identify a reamed 16mm print transferred to digital tape as a ‘digital restoration.’ How come the BFI is not mentioned, or any archive or restoration entity? Granada television is the only other company cited. Perhaps some helpful Savant reader can step forward and better inform us of the facts. I’d be happy to apologize for my suspicious attitude, should this be the restoration we’ve been waiting for.
I’ve been assured that Things To Come already exists somewhere in a version slightly longer than its present 96 minutes, but continuities and stills show that when originally screened it was upwards of 113 or 117 minutes, perhaps even longer. So we shall wait and hope in cynical optimism.
Being, mostly, a ‘glass half full’ kinda guy, Granada Ventures being the UK rights holders, having a little history when it comes to doing the right thing and pulling out all the stops when the occasion calls (and I think the occasion calls), I maintain a cautious optimism. Here’s hoping…meanwhile, can I also point you at Glenn’s excellent and fascinating review of the Image R1 version of Things to Come here.
Can’t let this post pass by without mentioning another real cause for celebration (hopefully - no detail yet); it has been flagged by Warners as ‘coming’ but it looks like R2 is going to get the Rio Bravo: The Special Edition first this May.
All The Brothers Were Valiant…
I name checked my Uncle Albert in my review of One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing. Aged 93, and in poor health for many years, Albert died a couple of days ago.
In a period of a few short months in late 1943, early 1944, my grandfather John, an easy-going Lancastrian colliery worker and his less than easy-going wife Florence endured untold agonies as each of their three sons became victims of a war that changed their lives forever. As described in that post, Albert nearly freezing to death in the mid-upper turret of his Halifax, his brother Fred missing in action in Italy (dead as it turned out; how or precisely where we will never know, but his name is on the Memorial at Monte Cassino, the scene of a savage action). And my father, Jack, horribly wounded during the equally brutal Salerno landings and, like Albert, hospitalised.
The ironic thing is, that each of them died in February; Fred in ‘44, my father in ‘91 and now Albert. What’s this got to do with film? Absolutely nothing (or maybe everything, I don’t know). But I felt I should mark the passing, on my fathers side of the family at least, of a generation of true heroes, and - for those that survived - heroes both during the conflict and thereafter.
Heroes for - knowing that they had seen things which I can’t (don’t want to) imagine, that they had borne pain beyond endurance - having the strength to carry on. For all these these ordinary, extraordinary family men, my admiration is limitless.
Goodnight and God bless.
Comments»
Raising a (metaphorical) glass to your Uncle Albert, John. God bless him.
[…] As reported previously, William Cameron Menzies seminal sci-fi epic is being screened at Sci-Fi London next month in association with distributors Network, and when details were at last posted on the Festival Website, it looked like we were in for an astonishing treat. Those details have now been amended, but originally they gave the running time as 116 minutes and claimed: “…Released in 1936 at 87 minutes, we screen the original director’s version with 20 minutes of never-before-seen footage. The film has been painstakingly restored and we present it in glorious HD….” […]