Description: 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH: Dazzling special effects by Ray Harryhausen highlight this thrilling sci-fi extravaganza about a Venusian monster who wreaks havoc in Italy. On its way home from Venus, a U.S. Army rocket ship crashes into the sea of Sicily leaving Colonel Calder (William Hopper of Rebel Without a Cause) the sole survivor...or so it seems. A sealed container is also recovered from the wreck and, when a zoologist (The Mark of Zorro's Frank Puglia) and his granddaughter (Joan Taylor) open it, the gelatinous mass inside escapes. Overnight, it grows into a horrific monster that has doubled in size. In desperation, Calder calls in the Army to help fight the monster, which has taken refuge atop the Coliseum in Rome. But it will take more than man's weapons to fight the evil forces of the unknown and save the world from destruction. IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA: The action is wet and wild in this sci-fi thriller that pits man - and woman - against a giant octopus. Submarine commander Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) and scientists Lesley Joyce (Faith Domergue) and John Carter (Donald Curtis) battle an angry sea monster driven from the depths of the ocean by an H-bomb explosion. In search of non-contaminated food, this tentacled tyrant counts among its victims a fishing trawler and its passengers, a family sunning at the beach, several San Francisco skyscrapers and even the Golden Gate Bridge! A daring attempt by the scientists to destroy the monster while saving themselves is a gripping finale to this aquatic adventure. The riveting special effects were created by Ray Harryhausen. EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS: Relive the exciting days of sci-fi movie matinees with the cult classic EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS! Featuring extraordinary visual effects by cinematic genius Ray Harryhausen, the film pits earthlings against alien humanoids in a violent battle for Earth's survival! When the zombielike aliens arrive at the U.S. Army base in search of help for their dying planet, they try to make friendly contact with scientist Dr. Russ Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his recent bride Carol (Joan Taylor). But the military greets their fleet of saucers with gunfire, and the aliens are forced to retaliate. Can Marvin invent the ultimate weapon in a deadly game of beat-the-clock to save the human race? Hold on to your seat for an intergalactic flight into fantasy with EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS!
These Movies ARE Colorized! These movies ARE colorized! Read the instructions included. You must utilize your DVD player's remote control. Using the "toggle" button, I was able to switch back and forth effortlessly, from the black and white version to the colorized version. The movies appear in black and white initially until you switch them to the colorized version, using the DVD remote control!
So where's THIS then??? 12:00 AM, 26-SEPTEMBER-07
Harryhausen SF Films Due In Color
Three of visual-effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen's most famous films will be available for the first time in color when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases the Ray Harryhausen In Color Gift Set DVD collection on Dec. 4.
The six-disc box set features two-disc special editions of It Came From Beneath the Sea, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers and 20 Million Miles to Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition.
The DVDs feature both a digitally restored black-and-white original version and a newly colorized version. Viewers will be able to toggle between the two as they watch. The set carries a suggested retail price of $59.95.
Also included in the gift set is a collectible Ymir figurine based on Ray Harryhausen's original 1957 hand-crafted design.
On the same day, the company will also release 20 Million Miles to Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition exclusively on Blu-ray high-definition disc, with a suggested retail price of $28.95.
*******UPDATED INFO*************
Update 14/11/2007 - Sony have removed this gift set from their schedule, and will now release the two exclusive titles separately in January.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Ray Harryhausen In Color Gift Set on 4th December 2007 priced at $59.95 SRP. Three of the earliest film classics from stop-motion animation genius Ray Harryhausen will be available for the first time in vibrant colour with this gift set from Sony. Fortunately each film in the set is also present in pristine, digitally restored black & white original versions along with the newly colourised presentations.
Inside the set are two-disc special editions of -- It Came From Beneath the Sea, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers (each making their two-disc DVD debuts), and 20 Million Miles to Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition. Also included in the gift set is a collectible Ymir figurine based on Ray Harryhausen's original 1957 hand-crafted design.
With the cutting-edge high-definition colorization technology, developed and patented by industry leaders Legend Films, Harryhausen has been able to visually recreate his films. Harryhausen said, "I am thrilled these films are finally being seen in color. I had wanted to do them in color in the 1950s, but the budgets were not large enough to accommodate that luxury. Now, thanks to the marvelous advances made in the colorization process by San Diego's Legend Films and others, audiences will be able to see the movies as I originally intended."
20 Million Miles to Earth: 50th Anniversary Edition - Details here.
It Came From Beneath The Sea - Directed by Robert Gordon the film depicting a giant octopus attacking San Francisco stars Kenneth Tobey, Faith Demergue, Donald Curtis and Ian Keith.
Features include: Featurette: Ray Harryhausen on It Came From Beneath The Sea Audio Commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Visual Effects Specialists A Video Discussion of It Came From Beneath the Sea's 1955 marketing and advertising campaign by producer Arnold Kunert Featurette: A Present Day Look at Stop Motion Featurette: David Schecter on Film Music's Unsung Hero Featurette: Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen Still and Production Art Gallery Sneak Peek of Digital Comic Book It Came from Beneath the Sea...Again! English audio and English subtitles
Earth vs. The Flying Saucers - With its ground breaking visual effects techniques, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers was the first of several collaborations between producer Charles H. Schneer and special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. The film about the invasion of earth and destruction of Washington D.C. was directed by Fred F. Sears and stars Joan Taylor, Hugh Marlow, Donald Curtis and Morris Ankrum.
Features include: Featurette: Harryhausen on Earth vs. The Flying Saucers Audio Commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Other Visual Effects Specialists Featurette: A Present Day Look at Stop Motion Video Photo Galleries Featurette: Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen Featurette: Interview with Joan Taylor Advertising Artwork video montage of film's ad materials by Producer Arnold Kunert Featurette: David Schecter on Film Music's Unsung Hero Featurette: The Hollywood Blacklist and Bernard Gordon Sneak Peek of Digital Comic Book Flying Saucers vs. the Earth English audio and English subtitles
NOT IN COLOR Like the other reviewer stated this set is NOT in color even though it is billed as such. Now I merely have duplicate copies of 3 Harryhausen movies. Caveat Emptor and shame on you AMAZON for being misleading!
Box Set Offers Nothing New A few months ago, Ray Harryhausen told an interviewer that his 50's black and white classics were being colorized, and he was happy with the quality. Amazon lists these 3 films as being in color, but they are NOT (Supplemental material is in color). The booklet contains exerpts from Harryhausen's Animated Life book, so there is no new material here for Harryhausen fans. Since these three films are already included in the Sci-Fi Harryhausen box set, I am curious as to why this set was released at all. If you don't have these films, I highly recommend them as an example of the brilliant stop-motion animation work produced during Harryhausen's early career. For rabid fans, nothing new.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
