8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
A group of men travel to the moon by being shot in a capsule from a giant cannon. They are captured by moon-men, escape, and return to the earth.
Starring: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Jehanne d'AlcyForeign | 100% |
Short | 23% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Music: Dolby Digital 2.0
Music: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Recently restored and screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Georges Melies' "Le voyage dans la lune" a.k.a. "A Trip to the Moon" (1902) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Flicker Alley. The supplemental features on the disc include an interview with the French band Air; Georges Melies' films "The Astronomer's Dream" (1898) and "The Eclipse or The Courtship of the Sun and the Moon" (1907); Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange's documentary film "The Extraordinary Voyage" (2011); multiple music scores; and more. The Blu-ray release also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring an excerpt from Gilles Duval and Severine Wemaere's "A Trip to the Moon Back in Color" and notes on the restoration of the film. Region-A "locked".
Getting ready
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Georges Melies' A Trip to the Moon
arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Flicker Alley.
The restoration truly is quite remarkable. Frankly, the depth and clarity the restored hand-colored version conveys at times are difficult to
rationalize because if one sees the documentary film by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange where the damaged negatives are shown one will
rightfully question whether such outstanding results are indeed possible (see screencapture #1). The colors are also wonderfully well balanced.
What impressed me the most, however, was the stability of the image. Yes, there are some frame skips (and keep in mind that this is how Melies
did some of his 'special effects', with frame overlapping), but the film is indeed notably fluid and free of the massive stability issues silent films are
often suffer from. Remarkable restoration.
The screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:
1. A Trip to the Moon, restored hand-colored version: 1-9.
2. A Trip to the Moon, B&W version: 10-14.
3. Astronomer's Dream, B&W: 15-16.
4. The Eclipse, B&W: 17-19.
Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its
content.
There are seven audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc. Each is listed below:
1. A Trip to the Moon, restored hand-colored version, Air soundtrack: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
2. A Trip to the Moon, B&W version, Robert Israel Orchestral score: Dolby Digital 2.0.*
3. A Trip to the Moon, B&W version, actors and accompaniment by Frederick Hodges: LPCM 2.0.
4. A Trip to the Moon, B&W version, piano accompaniment by Frederick Hodges: LPCM 2.0.
5. The Astronomer's Dream: LPCM 2.0.
6. The Eclipse: LPCM 2.0.
7. The Extraordinary Voyage, directed by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.
Air's soundtrack and the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track are both excellent. There a is wide range of nuanced dynamics which I think will surprise
quite a few viewers (or at least those who have not yet seen
Coeur Fidèle and The Phantom
Carriage). Clarity and fluidity are also outstanding.
I also quite liked Frederick Hodges' piano accompaniment, though I have to admit that viewing the B&W version of A Trip to the Moon with
it is indeed an entirely different experience.
*My check disc is also missing the original spoken English narration by Georges Melies.
Flicker Alley's Blu-ray release of Georges Melies' legendary film A Trip to the Moon is, hands down, the most incredible release to reach my desk since the high-definition format was launched. It is remarkable to see what Lobster Films, Groupama Gan Foundation and Technicolor Foundation for Cinema Heritage, the parties responsible for the film's restoration, have been able to accomplish. Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange's documentary film The Extraordinary Voyage is just as fascinating. This release belongs in every film collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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