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The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection
The Mole People (1956) Tarantula (1955)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Monsters on Campus (1958)
Titles
The Mole People
Excerpt of Capsule by Jonathan Rosenbaum at the
Chicago Reader Located HERE
Tarantula
The Incredible Shrinking Man When Grant Williams is subjected to a radioactive mist while on holiday with his wife, he falls ill and then starts to shrink. It's a simple premise, but the result is a masterpiece of the science-fiction genre that plays to the human emotion of the situation rather than overwhelming the audience with special effects. First his wife begins to order him around, then, as he gets inexorably smaller, the household cat becomes a savage predator, a splash of water threatens to destroy him and he fights to the death against a spider before advancing to the next stage in his strange and lonely existence. Director Arnold came to science fiction from a background of documentary-making (he later moved again, to comedies), and his sparse direction allows the tension to build naturally so that the terror and poignancy of the story work their way into the audience's brain without being forced. A total classic. Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE
The Monolith Monsters Excerpt from Time Out Film Guide located HERE
Monster on the Campus |
Posters
Theatrical Releases: 1955 - 1958
DVD Review: Universal (3-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for matching the captures!
DVD Box Cover |
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Distribution | Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC | |
Runtime | 1:20:06 + 1:17:24 + 1:20:39 + 1:07:32 + 1:17:09 + 1:16:27 | |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio (except The
Incredible Shrinking Man that is 1.78 anamorphic) Average Bitrate: 6.56 + 6.63 + 7.49 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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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:
Disc 1 Tarantula / The Mole People |
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Bitrate:
Disc 2 The Incredible Shrinking Man / The Monolith Monsters |
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Bitrate:
Disc 3 Monsters on Campus |
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Audio | English (original) | |
Subtitles | English (Hoh), French, None | |
Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details:
• Theatrical Trailers for each feature
DVD
Release Date: September 19, 2006
Chapters: |
Comments: |
The 5 films are spread over 3 single-sided discs - 2 dual-layered and 1 single layered. They are encoded in the NTSC standard for region 1. All are progressively transferred and have trailers. Each have original audio and optional English, or French, subtitles. I don't think we need to do extensive comparisons to the PAL counterparts that we have already reviewed (HERE and HERE) - the captures below (matched by Gregory! - thanks) indicate the image quality is virtually the same with little to gripe about. The PAL have far more subtitle and DUB options, but no trailers. They look very good with Monsters on the Campus looking the best followed closely by Monolith Monsters and Tarantula. There is some digital noise in The Incredible Shrinking Man and even less so in The Mole People. Minimal damage and decent contrast help round out these transfers as well above-average (considering the age of the films). No extras save the theatrical trailers for each - they are quite a hoot in their own right. This package is a real cracker - at a great price (under $20.00). I'd love to see a 'Jack Arnold Boxset' one day - loaded with extras and commentaries. If these titles appeal to you then we can vouch that this DVD collection is fun, nostalgic cinema that we strongly recommend! out of
NOTE: This edition of The Incredible Shrinking Man,
compared to the other movies in this collection, has serious grain
issues, poor sharpness, as well inconsistent and pointlessly flat
contrast in many scenes (where dark areas revert to black far too
easily) even before Scott winds up in the cellar. Moreover, except for
exterior scenes in the opening segments of The Mole People, none of the
other movies exhibit any concerns to speak of re sharpness, grain or
contrast – certainly nothing remotely on the order of TISM. The Region 2
(Universal/UK) is marginally, though noticeably better in all respects
than the R1 edition in the Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, and makes for a
more agreeable viewing experience if you're going to watch the entire
movie instead of a few isolated frames. |
DVD Menus
(Samples)
Subtitle Sample
The Incredible Shrinking Man
(Universal - Region 2,4,5 - PAL REVIEWED HERE - TOP vs. Universal (Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
Screen Captures
Tarantula
(Universal - Region 2,4,5 - PAL REVIEWED HERE - TOP vs. Universal (Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Universal - Region 2,4,5 - PAL REVIEWED HERE - TOP vs. Universal (Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection) - Region 1- NTSC - BOTTOM)
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The Mole People
The Monolith Monsters
DVD Box Cover |
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Distribution | Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC |