Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Journey to the Center of the Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Grand adventure for children of all ages.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 4, 2012

Jules Verne’s source novel upon which Journey to the Center of the Earth is based was just shy of reaching its centennial year when the 1959 film was released and became an instant box office sensation. That is testament to two rather salient facts: first, it shows what a visionary Verne was, a man who “invented” all sorts of things in his fiction that we’ve come to take for granted; and second, just how difficult it was to bring Verne’s visions to life in the film world. While films as iconic as Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon were adapting (officially or unofficially) Verne as early as 1902, the modern era of Verne adaptations really started with the fabulous Disney version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, an immense smash in 1954 (and one of Disney’s first live action dramatic films, to boot). 1956’s Best Picture Oscar winner Around the World in 80 Days may have eschewed Verne’s science fiction leanings for glamorous Hollywood trappings and lots of cameo appearances, but it also proved just how solidly entertaining Verne’s basic conceptions almost invariably were. Verne’s works would continue to provide inspiration for films up to our present day, including the somewhat lackluster reboot of Journey to the Center of the Earth, a property currently be refitted for “Real 3D” after its anaglyph presentation of a few years ago. But for those of a certain age, or those who grew up watching broadcasts of old feature films on television, the 1959 Journey to the Center of the Earth holds a special place in many hearts. While both its practical and optical effects may look a bit worn to our present day CGI saturated eyes, the film boasts an incredibly effective production design and features some fun and winning performances from a cast that is probably best described as “eclectic”.

If you’ve ever wondered where the template came from for all of those wonderfully wacky Irwin Allen television series of the sixties and seventies, outings like Lost in Space or Land of the Giants, there’s no more salient example than this 1959 film. A disparate group of explorers, which includes an older professor (James Mason), one of his students (Pat Boone), the widow of a rival (Arlene Dahl), and a two faced schemer who is actually out to prevent the mission from succeeding (Thayer David), moves through a series of fantastic environments, encountering odd creatures and bizarre situations that defy description. Mason’s character is a recently knighted geologist named Oliver Lindenbrook whose young student Alec McEwan (Boone) gives him an odd volcanic rock as part of a gift celebrating the teacher’s knighthood. That rock turns out to contain a secret message leading Lindenbrook to believe there’s an Icelandic portal that will lead him to the legendary center of the earth.

Lindenbrook and McEwan make for Iceland but are interrupted by a competing scientist named Göteberg (Ivan Triesault), who wants to claim the victory of finding the portal, and the center of the earth, for himself. He briefly traps Lindenbrook and McEwan, but they are quickly freed by a beefy native of Iceland, Hans (Peter Ronson), and then just as quickly discover Göteberg has been murdered. Enter Göteberg’s widow, Carla (Dahl), who agrees to provide the expedition with her dead husband’s equipment, if she can tag along. That sets up the main segment of the film, where the four (five, if you include Hans' cute pet duck, Gertrude) intrepid explorers head off underground, unaware that a rival scientist—a descendant of the long ago explorer who had written the secret message found in the mysterious rock by Lindenbrook—is also on the hunt for the center of the earth, feeling he has a genetic “right” to the territory.

Journey to the Center of the Earth is quite redolent of several Ray Harryhausen films, filled with much of the same childlike wonder and incredible fantasy elements that made those outings so iconic and memorable. Though the screenplay varies fairly drastically from the Verne source novel, the characters here are hugely enjoyable, if not exactly deep or nuanced. The film is undeniably formulaic, but it’s also a whale of a good time, with rollicking production design and some fun set pieces that see the adventurers encountering everything from giant mushrooms to the lost city of Atlantis. Henry Levin, a journeyman director who had also helmed Boone’s previous feature April Love, does good, if not exactly inspired, work keeping the story moving along and framing the film with expanses of otherworldly environments. The film was obviously an attempt to cash in on Boone’s then phenomenally popular recording career, and a couple of songs are shoehorned into the production, songs that were edited out of non-American prints, since Boone’s popularity hadn’t crossed the pond with much impact. (Even this version, the one most people will be familiar with, is evidently edited, with more Boone singing moments excised. The original release print evidently ran 135 minutes, while this better known version runs 129.) Putting aside the perhaps anachronistic Boone singing elements, this is otherwise a straightforward example of everything a good old fashioned popcorn movie ought to be, a film that would influence any number of future icons (note the rolling boulder sequence, obviously a precursor to Raiders of the Lost Ark's famous sequence). It may lack the luster and seamless technology of modern day science fiction spectaculars, but it has one thing many of those more recent outings regularly lack: real magic.

Journey to the Center of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Journey to the Center of the Earth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Twilight Time with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. When Journey came to the then technologically "amazing" laserdisc format around 1990, it was evidently discovered that the original negative had deteriorated to such a point that it couldn't be used for what would have then been a state of the art transfer. Apparently at that time new intermediary elements were created which may still be in use today, according to information passed on to me from Twilight Time's Nick Redman. The results, while not completely staggering, are very good and should please ardent videophiles who bring appropriate expectations. The colors here are still quite robust a lot of the time, though flesh tones, while generally very accurate looking, are just slightly pallid in some of the opening scenes. The ubiquitous purples and reds are still vivid and extremely impressive. The elements here are in surprisingly good shape, with very little damage or blemishing to report. As with most of the Fox HD masters that have been provided to Twilight Time by the studio, there doesn't appear to have been any drastic DNR applied to this release, so grain is intact (and quite apparent in some of the opticals, as should be expected), though edge enhancement is also quite noticeable in several sequences. The image is generally just a bit on the soft side, especially with regard to midrange shots, though fine detail pops quite nicely in close-ups. While the overall presentation here is decently sharp and detailed, it's not quite up to modern day standards for what a top tier catalogue release should look like, no doubt due largely to the elements that Fox was forced to use.

Journey to the Center of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Whatever niggling doubts some may have about the video quality of Journey to the Center of the Earth should be offset rather substantially by the pretty incredible sounding lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 audio offered on this release. Fox did the best it could with the video elements it had on hand, and even diehard home theater fans have to realize that if the elements aren't there to begin with, there's only so much that can be done. With regard to the audio, Fox evidently went back to the drawing board as it were and though it evidently only had a duplicate stereo track from 1968 (no one is quite sure why), they had this restored at a rather substantial cost back when the laserdisc was released, and apparently that restored track has now been released in a lossless format. The results are terrific sounding, especially with regard to Bernard Herrmann's incredible organ infused score. The low stops on the organ, while not what one traditionally thinks of as LFE, will positively leave most home theater floorboards rattling, or at least humming along in sympathetic vibration. At times there is still just the hint of boxiness in the midrange, but overall fidelity is superb on this track, with dialogue clear and consistent, effects well placed and prioritized, and Herrmann's score sounding better than ever.

Journey to the Center of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Isolated Score by Bernard Herrmann is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and is a stunning rendering of one of Herrmann's most exciting pieces, one that furthers the "Harryhausen" feel of this film. The organ stops are almost outrageously massed at times, and the low end of this score has to be heard to be believed (obviously Herrmann was trying to evoke an "underworld" sonic presence). The harp cues also sound magnificent. For those who don't seem to think these isolated scores are much of a supplement, simply listening to Herrmann's achievement in this film should help to dispel that misapprehension.


• Original English Trailer (SD; 3:21)


• Original Spanish Theatrical Trailer (SD; 1:56)

Journey to the Center of the Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

That old adage "they don't make 'em like that anymore" certainly has no better example than this thrilling 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth. This is a film that taps into a childlike sense of wonder and presents a beautifully rendered alien world that just happens to (supposedly) lie right beneath our feet. An impressive production design is just one of the signal pleasures of this film, which also features some fun performances and an incredibly rousing score by Bernard Herrmann. Twilight Time has once again provided a very solid release, with very good video culled from some less than optimal elements and incredible sounding audio. Highly recommended.