124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

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rapta
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 5:04 pm
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124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#1 Post by rapta » Fri Aug 03, 2018 11:31 am

Karel Zeman's Invention for Destruction (Vynález zkázy, 1958) arriving on Blu-ray on September 24th!

[Source: Little White Lies #76]

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MichaelB
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#2 Post by MichaelB » Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:59 pm

Possibly the least surprising announcement in Second Run’s history (given the “surprise hit with Baron Munchausen” and “available 4K masters of other Zeman films” combo), but hugely welcome anyway.

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swo17
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#3 Post by swo17 » Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:03 pm

This film goes by a lot of different names--it's also known as The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. I have the Italian DVD calling it La diabolica invenzione, which includes the stellar Zeman short Inspirace as an extra.

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MichaelB
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Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#4 Post by MichaelB » Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:07 pm

A literal translation of the original would be Destructive Invention, so out of the official English titles Second Run has sensibly picked the closest.

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swo17
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#5 Post by swo17 » Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:10 pm

Oh it's a better title, I just didn't initially realize this was a film I have already seen and even own!

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Finch
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#6 Post by Finch » Fri Aug 03, 2018 4:48 pm

Sept 24th can't come soon enough!

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solaris72
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#7 Post by solaris72 » Fri Aug 03, 2018 8:18 pm

swo17 wrote:
Fri Aug 03, 2018 1:03 pm
This film goes by a lot of different names--it's also known as The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. I have the Italian DVD calling it La diabolica invenzione, which includes the stellar Zeman short Inspirace as an extra.
I hope Inspirace makes it on the Second Run release! Utilizes a truly unique medium for animation: glass figures, manipulated by melting and resculpting.

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#8 Post by What A Disgrace » Mon Oct 01, 2018 12:32 pm

Now a November release, according to Second Run's website.

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#9 Post by What A Disgrace » Wed Oct 03, 2018 12:37 pm

• Invention for Destruction (Vynález zkázy, 1958) presented from a brand new 4K restoration of the film from original materials.
• Alternate English-dubbed feature presentation as The Fabulous World of Jules Verne, with alternate credits and opening introduction sequence.
• A new appreciation by filmmaker John Stevenson, director of Kung-Fu Panda and Sherlock Gnomes
• Karel Zeman s animated short films: Inspiration (Inspirace, 1949) and King Lavra (Král Lávra, 1950)
• Feauturettes: The Sea Through Zeman s Lens; Why Zeman Made the Film; Zeman's Special Effects Techniques; Restoring the World of Fantasy; About the Restoration
• Trailer
• Booklet featuring new writing on the film by film critic and historian James Oliver
• Region free Blu-ray and DVD
• Original soundtrack in 2.0 Dual Mono 24-bit LPCM audio

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MichaelB
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#10 Post by MichaelB » Wed Oct 03, 2018 12:40 pm

I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve heard great things about the John Stevenson appreciation - apparently he’s an absolutely rabid Zeman fan.

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Lost Highway
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 7:41 am
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#11 Post by Lost Highway » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:26 am

Great news, but it means that Zeman‘s two most famous films will now have been released twice on blu-ray. The initial Czech release of Baron Münchhausen looked far less vivid than the Second Run blu-ray, which was my favorite release of last year. I hope eventually they’ll get round to some of the less well known films. A compilation of his short films, The Jester‘s Tale, On the Planet and Krabat are especially high on my wishlist.

This year I went to Prague for the first time and the Karel Zeman Museum was top of my to-do list. Ultimately it was more geared towards children than cineastes and it mainly focused on these two films and A Journey to the Beginning of Time, while consigning the later films to also-ran status. I came home with a ton of Zeman swag though.

When I grew up in Germany in the 70s Zeman‘s films were regularly on tv and they were my main inspiration for getting into animation, which is what I still do. My college films similaraly combined several forms of animation with live-action.

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MichaelB
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#12 Post by MichaelB » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:30 am

Lost Highway wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:26 am
Great news, but it means that Zeman‘s two most famous films will now have been released twice on blu-ray.
Not in the UK, and the number of people who import BDs from the Czech Republic must be low double figures at most. It's certainly not anything that a non-Czech label should concern themselves with.
I hope eventually they’ll get round to some of the less well known films, a compilation of his short films, The Jester‘s Tale, On the Planet and Krabat are especially high on my wishlist.
I believe Second Run would gladly release everything by Zeman given decent materials, but they're completely at the mercy of the Karel Zeman Museum's restoration schedule.

As far as I'm aware Journey to the Beginning of Time is their next 4K upgrade, which suggests that it's highly likely to be Second Run's next Zeman release.

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Lost Highway
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Re: Forthcoming: Invention for Destruction

#13 Post by Lost Highway » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:47 am

Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the Second Run releases, as they are a huge step up in quality. I agree that Journey to the Beginning of time will be up next, as that also got a Czech release. While the special effects are charming and while it is of historical importance being Zeman‘s first feature film, its almost total lack of plot makes it the only one of his films I never felt like rewatching.


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Bikey
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am

Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#15 Post by Bikey » Mon Oct 29, 2018 9:09 am

Blu-ray pre-order now just £14.99 at Amazon UK


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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#17 Post by Bikey » Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:48 pm

"Quite simply, astonishing; Invention for Destruction does literally look like somebody has opened the pages of a book and transferred them directly to the screen. The attention to detail beggars belief. [...] The restoration is as gorgeous as the pictures it supports... All in all, an extraordinary set."
Starburst Magazine review Zeman's magical INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#18 Post by Bikey » Fri Nov 16, 2018 11:53 am

"1958's dazzling homage to Jules Verne, INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION... the thrill comes from the palpable ingenuity and the director's promise to always show his working. Yet his almanac of tricks and deceptions is always put to the service of drama and atmosphere. There is not a single frame which feels like a monument to the director's visual mastery. This is Second Run's third Zeman release following 1962's THE FABULOUS BARON MUNCHAUSEN and 1964's A JESTER'S TALE. All three are absolutely wonderful and you must buy them now."
Little White Lies review Zeman's INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#19 Post by Bikey » Tue Nov 27, 2018 7:50 am

"It's a handcrafted marvel unlike any other work of art - or movie entertainment...
It's an immaculate stunner all the way with razor-sharp detail bringing out all the subtle little textures in the artistic surfaces of even the simplest areas like sky and open water, while the combination of live action, artistic backdrops, and animation still looks seamless throughout."

Mondo Digital

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#20 Post by Bikey » Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:42 am

"If you like Harryhausen this is a must... if you're a fan of steampunk, this is a must. It's wonderful to watch. [...]
This is a great family movie - get everybody around the TV"
Cinema Eclectica review INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION (at c. 53' in).

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#21 Post by Bikey » Fri Nov 30, 2018 10:11 am

"Karel Zeman delights us with INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION, a timeless blend of live-action and animation [...]
This is a sixty-year-old movie that utilized various production techniques and it's quite amazing how crisp it looks. The black and white contrast shines....
Obviously any and all who adored the earlier Second Run release of Karel Zeman's The Fabulous Baron Munchausen will have to snap this up, but those still unacquainted with the Czech filmmaker are warmly advised to discover one of the more unique artists in world cinema history."
Clydefro reviews at Cine Outsider

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#22 Post by Bikey » Sun Dec 02, 2018 4:14 pm

"Karel Zeman's 1958 experimental feature receives a beautiful 4k transfer thanks to Second Run. Zeman was known as the Czech Melies and clearly influenced the work of Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam. This film is wild and I urge everyone to check out this Blu-ray."
Beaver

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#23 Post by Bikey » Wed Dec 05, 2018 4:05 pm

"Zeman was a huge fan of Verne and every frame of this exquisite 4K restoration is a love letter to the fantastical worlds the 19th Century French novelist created. [...] It is a joyous, charming, thoroughly impressive piece of work that feels decades ahead of its time."
Andrew Winter at The Digital Fix on INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#24 Post by Bikey » Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:57 am

"Invention for Destruction is essential Karel Zemen."
Review by Eric Cotenas at DVD Compare

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Bikey
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Re: 124 / BD 17 Invention for Destruction

#25 Post by Bikey » Wed Dec 12, 2018 3:11 pm

"There's a compelling heft and tactility to Zeman's handmade work, the film inviting you to admire its artisanal skill alongside its soaring imagination...
A ravishing restoration renders textures and details newly visible"

Kate Stables in the latest Sight & Sound Magazine on INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION

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