Sony have released a special double disc DVD edition of 20 Million Miles to Earth, a 1957 low-budget sci-fi "epic" that has only one claim to fame - but it is an impressive one. The film represented one of Ray Harryhausen's early successes in pioneering his distinctive work in stop motion animation. Harryhausen didn't direct the film - Nathan Juran did, but it is Harryhausen who is the real star. As one of the last of true legendary craftsmen from Hollywood's Golden Age, Harryhausen is worthy of all the praise he has been receiving late in his career. The CGI technology that is employed today has robbed films of their wonder. Harryhausen's work - even in an otherwise nondescript B movie such as this- reminds us of what true geniuses were capable of.
The plot is relatively indistinguishable from the seemingly endless other sci-fi flicks that flooded theaters in the 1950s. A gigantic U.S. space ship crash lands off a small fishing village in Italy. All but one crew member are killed either by the crash itself or by a mysterious infection that seems to make their bodies decay. The ship was carrying a cannister with a life form from another planet (think The Blob), a glowing ball of jelly that seems to be rather inocuous. However, the gunk is let loose and immediately grows into a Godzilla-like monster, referred to by Harryhausen (but not in the film) as the Ymir. The rapidly growing beast wreaks havoc on the countryside before strolling into Rome for a climactic attack on the Coliseum that also includes a battle with an elephant (You have to see it to believe it). As goofy as the scenario is, Harryhausen's work holds up as an incredible achievement even by today's standards. He invests the Ymir with sympathetic qualities similar to those given to King Kong. He is hunted relentlessly and provoked by the populace until his inevitable, tragic end.
The downside of the film is the uninspired direction and a near fatal casting error by putting William Hopper in the lead. In one of the documentaries on the DVD, director Terry Gilliam ponders why so many sci fi movies managed to cast the worst possible leading men. Hopper is a prime example - he's a cigar store Indian onscreen - totally devoid of personality and seems to have undergone a charisma bypass. Joan Taylor fares somewhat better, but the acting in general is sub-par. It occurred to me while watching the film that the reason so many sci fi movies from this era have not aged well is because the actors were told to play it as though they were performing Shakespeare in the Park. There is no levity, no irony. A few well-timed wisecracks would have made all the difference.
Sony has given the King Kong treatment to this modest film, but the extras are all entertaining. Harryhausen participates throughout and appears to be truly relishing the new respect his older films have been getting. He's a charming and likeable man who can tell wonderful ancedotes. (The film was set in Italy only because Harryhausen wanted to vacation there but couldn't afford it!) He is interviewed on the various featurettes by fellow craftsmen who appreciate his legendary status. The extras also include directors Terry Gilliam and John Landis discussing their admiration for Harryhausen, as well a very good interview session conducted by Tim Burton. Other extras include an extended interview with still-beautiful Joan Taylor who discusses her entire career in detail, a wonderful segment on composer Mischa Bakaleinikoff, who literally made a career of recycling two notes, and a superb gallery of rare stills, posters and advertising materials. There is also a "comic book" included but this aspect is disappointing. The DVD contains some teaser frames of a newly commissioned comic you can order. However, based on the pages shown, any resemblance to the origiinal film is purely coincidental.
The most interesting aspect of this release is that it offers the film in both the original black and white version and a newly colorized version. Before you turn up your nose, it should be said that the colorization process created by Legend Films is light years better than the Crayola jobs Ted Turner tried to force on the public in the 1980s. Purists will still object, but we can't find fault with the process as long as the film is also presented in the original version. For the record, Harryhausen was involved in the transfer process and is enthused about colorizing his films, saying he would have shot them in color at the time if the budget had allowed for it. There is a featurette included about Legend Films that is interesting but somewhat distasteful because it plays like an infomercial.
All in all, this edition of
20 Million Miles to Earth may seem like much ado about very little, but even the least of Harryhausen's creations are out of this world. -
Lee PfeifferFOR AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH RAY HARRYHAUSEN SEE CINEMA RETRO ISSUE #9
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS DVD DISCOUNTED FROM AMAZON!