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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Voyage to the End of the Universe")
Directed by Jindrich Polák
Czechoslovakia 1963
Polák's pioneering and much-imitated feature IKARIE XB 1 is one of the
cornerstones of contemporary sci-fi cinema. It predates
Star Trek and Kubrick's
2001: A Space Odyssey and was clearly an influence on both - and on
almost every other science-fiction vehicle that followed. ***
2163 A.D.: Ikarie XB-1 is not just a spaceship, it's a "cosmic town of
forty people" on a journey out of our solar system to explore the Alpha Centauri
system not just for a planet capable of sustaining life but for one in which
they expect that life has indeed developed intelligently. Although the journey
will last fifteen Earth years, only twenty-eight months will have elapsed on the
ship due to time delineation. Not only does the crew have to deal emotionally
with the reality that their loved ones will have aged significantly upon their
return (one man whose pregnant wife had to stay on Earth will not get to meet
his daughter until she is a teenager), but they also find that the passage of
time accelerates in their interpersonal relationships on board (friendships and
love affairs come and go quickly - with the older crew members viewing them on
surveillance monitors like a soap opera - and popular hangouts are soon
abandoned as if their interest has waned over years). As they drift further away
from the Earth and into the other star system, they start to encounter the
unknown, from an alien vessel to the bizarre, narcoleptic, paranoid, and
physically harmful effects of a close encounter with a "dark star" that
threatens their very sanity and possibly their survival. Eric Cotenas. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: July 1963 (Trieste International Science Fiction Film Festival)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Second Run - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: |
Distribution | Second Run - Region FREE - Blu-ray | |
Runtime | 1:27:25.125 | |
Video |
2.36:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 32,869,933,590 bytes Feature: 21,867,601,920 bytes Video Bitrate: 29.97 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
LPCM Audio Czech 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit |
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Subtitles | English, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Second Run
2.36:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 32,869,933,590 bytesFeature: 21,867,601,920 bytes Video Bitrate: 29.97 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • Short film The Most Ordinary of Occupations (Nejv edn j í povolání, 1963 - 12:24)• A filmed appreciation by Kim Newman (12:00) • Alternative US version Voyage to the End of the Universe opening and end scene (4:00 / 1:09) • Booklet featuring a substantial essay by writer and film historian Michael Brooke. • 2016 Trailer (1:54) • Voyage to the End of the Universe trailer (2:01) • Photo gallery
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 12 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
This new
Second Run
Blu-ray
is descried as "Ikarie XB 1 is presented from a new 4K restoration
from original materials by the Czech National Film Archive".
Early text screens tell us: The goal of digital restoration was to make
the film available in a form similar to how it could have been seen and
heard by an audience at the time when it was first released in 1963. As
a result, various features that originate from the shooting of the film
or its laboratory processing have been preserved and are evidence of the
technologies and creative approaches of the time.
Eric reviewed the 2013 Second Run PAL DVD
HERE.
While we haven't compared, the new 1080P is a notable upgrade. In this
new restoration remain a few inherent weaknesses with some possible
warping and inconsistencies in sharpness but it still provides a very
worthwhile HD presentation with a strong adherence to the film elements
and the film's pioneering effects appearing impressive.
NOTE: I understand there is an Easter Egg (hidden)
supplement of Mehelli Modi from a Barbican Film Podcast talking about
the film for about 1/4 hour (found while accessing the extensive 'Photo
Gallery'). I have not indulged myself. NOTE: Some who enjoy this may also wish to take a peek at Planet Bur. |
Menus / Extras
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION