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Posted in: 4K/Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, Movies, Trailer | Tagged: 4K UHD, 4K UHD Blu-Ray, classic film, George Eastman House, ignite films, Invaders from Mars, sci-fi, William Cameron Menzies
Invaders From Mars: Trailer & Pre-Order 4K Restored Sci-Fi Classic
Ignite Films has dropped a new trailer and the official poster ahead of the upcoming release of its sensational 4K restoration of William Cameron Menzies' 1953 Invaders From Mars. The sci-fi classic will be released on Blu-ray & 4K UHD on September 26, 2022, just ahead of the film's 70th anniversary, with pre-orders beginning now.
Special bonus features include a restored 4K version of the original 1953 trailer and a newly commissioned 2022 trailer, an interview with the film's star, Jimmy Hunt, an in-depth look at the restoration process led by Scott MacQueen, Restoration Supervisor, plus a new documentary about the film featuring interviews with directors Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Multiple Visual Effects Academy-Award winner Robert Skotak (Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and other luminaries. These extras and the documentary were produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Jeremy Alter (David Lynch's Inland Empire, Doug Ellin's Ramble On).
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- Title card. Source: Ignite Films
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- Jimmy Hunt. Source: Ignite Films
"I'm excited for audiences, old and new, to finally be able to watch this masterpiece of both film and restoration on Blu-ray and 4K UHD!" said Ignite Films Director Jan Willem Bosman Jansen. "We have taken great care to cover as many aspects of the movie in our bonus materials and design to bring it back to life for as wide an audience as possible. The work we have done is also a homage to the overall genius of William Cameron Menzies, and I cannot speak for him, of course, but I think he would be thrilled with how his movie looks today," he added.
Fearful memories of this timeless 1953 bone-chiller still haunt the dreams of fans who have never forgotten the story of David MacLean, a young boy (Hunt) who witnesses an alien invasion. Invaders from Mars was filmed from a child's point of view, using exaggerated sets and upward angles. It became a modern classic and was also one of two early 50s classic alien-invasion science fiction films (the other is Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still), reflecting Cold War tensions, the Red Scare, and paranoid anxiety typical of many films in the 50s. Images below are captured are from Ignite Films and showcase the restoration seen in the new trailer.
Invaders From Mars stars Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Morris Ankrum, Leif Erickson, and Hillary Brooke. Cinecon has honored former child actor Hunt with a special screening of the 4K restoration of Invaders From Mars at this year's festival, which ran during Labor Day weekend, from September 1-5, 2022, in Hollywood. The restoration of Invaders from Mars has been much hoped for and a long time coming — but the process was not an easy one. Leading the effort was longtime enthusiast and preservationist of classic cinema Scott MacQueen, who previously was head of preservation at UCLA Film & Television Archive for more than a decade before retiring in 2021. The biggest challenge for MacQueen was that the color negative confirmed for printing in SUPERcineCOLOR lacked many shots and needed to be sourced from 70-year-old prints.
The 4K restoration process of the sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars required a lengthy search for the final elements, which was conducted by Ignite's Janet Schorer. Additionally, it was imperative to locate the elements necessary to fill in the gaps in the original camera negative, which was stored with great care at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The George Eastman Museum and National Film and Sound Archive of Australia were instrumental in supplying additional key elements which were essential to completing the film.
Bonus Features:
- Restored 4K original 1953 trailer AND a newly commissioned 2022 trailer
- Interviews with star Jimmy Hunt, William Cameron Menzies' biographer James Curtis and recollections of Menzies' eldest granddaughter Pamela Lauesen
- Featurette with acclaimed film directors John Landis, Joe Dante, editor Mark Goldblatt, special visual effects artist and two-time Oscar Winner Robert Skotak (foremost expert on Invaders from Mars), and enthusiast and film preservationist Scott MacQueen
- John Sayles' introduction at Turner Classic Movie Festival in Hollywood, April 2022
- Before/after clips of restoration – original negative and archival film elements – with film restoration supervisor Scott MacQueen
- Restored segments in 2K of the Alternate International Version — alternative ending and extended Planetarium scene
- Gallery with original Press Book pages, behind-the-scenes photos from the restoration process
- Twenty-page extensive essay on the restoration process: "Invaders From Mars: A Nightmare of Restoration" by Scott MacQueen
Ignite Films commissioned the new trailer, led by creative director and editor Dan de Winter, with special effects by Deux Wave and a score by Andy Huckvale. Artist and Illustrator Laz Marquez is Creative Director, leading the creative vision of the release, including key artwork and packaging. Ignite Films will initially release the 4K restoration of Invaders From Mars in US/Region 1 on September 26 and will roll out the release worldwide, excluding the UK, where Arrow Films will distribute.
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