Kronos

Amazon.com

Astronomer and all-around scientific hero Jeff Morrow (he of the stone face, Cro-Magnon brow, and heavy voice of dire intonation) discovers a new celestial body that suddenly changes course and slams into the Pacific Ocean off the Mexican coast. Meanwhile a mysterious white light takes over the body of lab director John Emery, who becomes the eyes and ears of the UFO when it emerges days later as a skyscraper-sized robot. Morrow and his crew--including his beauty-with-brains girlfriend, Barbara Lawrence; wisecracking sidekick, George O'Hanlan; and computer, SUSIE, which whirs and blinks but offers little real help--leap to the rescue, but not before the Mexican air force takes on the giant in a scene reminiscent of King Kong. Director Kurt Neumann, best known for the original The Fly, gives this low-budget sci-fi thriller an impressive scope, sending the striking, austerely designed giant robot (a walking battery with piledriver legs) marching across a B&W widescreen frame like a relentless tank and punctuating the drama with an impressively chilling A-bomb blast. Though hardly a classic, this is one of the more interesting alien invasion movies of the paranoid 1950s. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Scientists at a "Top Secret" atomic research laboratory are taken over by strange fantastic control devices launched from an orbiting space ship inhabited by a hostile super-intelligence from beyond the stars. Simultaneously, a gigantic flying saucer crashes in the Gulf of Mexico and Kronos, a giant metallic monolith monster, emerges. Unstoppable, it slashes across the countryside, draining the earth of all it's electrical energy and beaming it into space. Kronos, a weapon so perfect in design it absorbs a direct hit by a Hydrogen bomb and becomes that much more powerful! Atomic age excitement! Atomic age thrills! All in out-of-this-world "Regalscope" format for the first time on DVD.

Customer Reviews:

One of the best old B type movies.......2007-08-07

A classic in its own right. Very imaginative with several plots just like the old days.

GREAT FUN!.......2007-06-05

I loved this movie as a kid when I saw it at the old Viers Mill theater in Rockville, Maryland. (the theater is not a porno house).

Wildly inventive, unique B movie that successfully exploits atomic age paranoia. The robot, Kronos, is fantastic in its menacing simplicity and beautiful art deco design. I can't to this day understand why it was never made into a toy.

Other that the robot iself, the unintentional humor is reason enough to buy this flick. Kronos has it all! Dreadful acting, spice rack and wagon wheel "computers" that are not even lit (!), hatchet cinematography, leather jackets that say "lab center" on the back like a bowling club, cockpits that don't match the airplanes, perfectly cheesy animation, I could go on and on. I was particularly struck by the "evacuation" of L.A. (?): on a highway leading out of the city, the traffic is more or less equal on both sides of the road!!

A delicious treat of a movie that has the power to make you wet your pants if you don't take it seriously.

great flick.......2007-04-24

I remember seeing this movie as a kid in a kiddie matinee, crowded with kids at the long gone Fruitvale Theatre in Oakland. Great Flick!!! At that time, it was state of the art, and a thrilling plot. Bought this DVD and after not seeing it in over 30 years, it actually is a well made film!!!! The thought of a black box that grows peg legs, walking around depleting the earth of its electrical supply and destroying everything in sight is pure camp and fun!!! It is good to see this movie out again!

Kronos - the ravager of worlds.......2007-02-12

A lonely traveler is out in the dessert (looks like the same place that many great sci-fi movies were made) in his 50's pickup when he spots a strange light. Meanwhile back at the laboratory an unusual meteor is being tracked on its way to earth. What do they have in common?

The Dr. Leslie Gaskell (Jeff Morrow) suspects that there is some nefarious plot from outer space. They could be right. But can he prove it?

This movie is missing the front-end dialog familiar with the classics of the era. They just used the word Kronos because they must have thought it sounded nifty like the giant, this of course is misleading as it makes you think it has something to do with time. There is a love interest between Gaskell (Jeff Morrow) and Vera Hunter (Barbara Lawrence). A fun side interest was looking at al the fancy scientific equipment circa 50's concept. The menacing device is hockey may have had too small of a budget.

Electrifying.......2007-01-11

For the day, this was an interesting and well filmed production. The DVD quality allows for a great deal of detail not seen in the televised versions, even if the televised ones were uncut.
The science is 1950's.
Look for George O'Hanlon (voice of George Jetson) as the computer specialist. (How fitting.)
The beach scene is interesting, but I can't believe Barbara Lawrence changed into a bathing suit 3 feet from Jeff Morrow and he never NOTICED!

Average customer rating:

Captain Kronos is the "The Man from La Mancha"
Hunting a different sort of Vampire...
Woeful
We're vampire hunters!
Craptain Chronic, Buffy's grandpa

Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter
Starring: Horst Janson , John Carson , Shane Briant , Caroline Munro , and John Cater
Director: Brian Clemens
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AUHOK
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Amazon.com

Forget Van Helsing. Captain Kronos is the great swashbuckling vampire hunter. Hard-faced Horst Janson is the brooding Kronos, a rangy, sword-wielding soldier who hunts the vampire scourge with his jovial hunchbacked partner, Grost (John Cater), and his earthy peasant girl lover, hazelnut eyed beauty Caroline Munro. Director-writer Brian Clemens, who so entertainingly put genres in the blender on the TV series The Avengers, imaginatively rewrites vampire lore from the film's haunting first scene: a shrouded, shadowy predator (looking more like death incarnate than a traditional vampire) drains a comely maiden of her very youth, leaving the girl an aged, wizened husk. Clemens lacks the budget and the cinematic snap to bring his visual ideas to full fruition, but his well-wrought characters, inspired ideas, and swashbuckling swordfights make this entertaining reinterpretation of the vampire movie a cult classic. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Captain Kronos (Horst Janson; Murphy's War) , a vampire hunter and expert swordsman who, with the assistance fo the beautiful gypsy Carla (Caroline Munro; The Spy Who Love Me) and his hunchbacked assistant, Professor Grost (John Cater; Rising Damp), roam the country in search of vampires. On their travels, the trio happens upon a village where they find that a vampire has been draining the youth from beautiful, young girls. Devising a daring plan, Captain Kronos and his aids attempt to save the village before the death toll equlas the population.

Customer Reviews:

Captain Kronos is the "The Man from La Mancha".......2007-09-03

Not a "cookie cutter" traditional vampire movie. Blood is not the essence of the "undead's" existence, but rather draining youth from the young. Alternate ways on destroying vampires are explored. While viewing this film, I was struck by two themes. Firstly, the universal quest that addresses what beauty and ugliness are. Professor Heroemus Grost exemplifies this by saying, "Am I so terribly ugly to provoke such mockery, am I? And the beautiful Caroline Munro counters with, "Beauty fades eventually, but a kind soul remains forever, my mother taught me that." Is perhaps an evil of our time the value of 'veneer' rather than cultivation of universal tolerance and a 'good heart'?

The second appealing theme was the embodiment of heroism in the character of Kronos. His quest for destroying the evil of oppressing the weak by the powerful such as "stealing of youth from the young" (on a humorous note, is this why our youth create a style so "off beat", so as not to be copied or "stolen by the old"). Kronos is kind and gentle yet a skilled Samurai swordsman against the powers of darkness. The characters are rich, the story line thought provoking and direction by Brian Clements superb. Truly a quality "off beat" Hammer creation that will stand the test of time.

Frank Austan, LRCP

Hunting a different sort of Vampire..........2007-05-20

1974's "Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter" stands out from the flood of formulaic horror movies released by Hammer Films in having a distinct twist on the vampire legend and in having a low-key but effective approach to a well-worn theme.

The vampire plaguing a small village seems to feast on young women, draining them of their youth along with their blood. Enter our heroes: Captain Kronos, grim, swashbuckling vampire hunter and former soldier; Professor Grost, a hump-backed source of humor and vampire-killing weapons, and an attractive peasant girl along for the ride. Their opponents: suspicious villagers, a haughty and mysterious lord-of-the-manor family, and the vampire itself.

Director Brian Clemens apparently lacked the budget for special effects, but makes up for it with suggestive camera-work that creates excellent suspense by relying on the viewer's imagination. The sword-wielding Captain Kronos, a clear ancestor of the Wesley Snipes character of the "Blade" franchise, is played with brooding grim purpose by Horst Janson as a man with both a mission and his own secrets. Professor Grost provides the necessary commentary for the taciturn Kronos; the two are an effective team. A scene in a bar in which Kronos must fend off suspicious locals defines their unique partnership. Caroline Munro is effective as a peasant girl both attracted and repelled by Kronos, who will play a vital role in the resolution of the mystery.

This movie is highly recommended to viewers looking for a different kind of vampire movie, minus the gory special effects but featuring more subtle direction than is usually found in this genre.

Woeful.......2006-07-16

I unfortunately bought a dud. A diehard vampire fan will watch just about anything in that genre and while I realised this was from a particular genre (not necessarily being vampire), I was very very disappointed with the whole thing. Not much point picking it to peices cause it is just my opinion but a stronger, more realistic (to the role) and appealing (not necessarily typically attractive) and just interesting leading man would have helped immensely. I was not thrilled, chilled, suspense filled or eventually even interested in continuing watching it cause it was just boring and a bit ridiculous. I didn't like it.

We're vampire hunters!.......2006-06-23

Hammer Horror spent years churning out vampire flicks, but ironically they did their best shortly before the studio died. "Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter" was supposed to be the first in a series of gritty, action-packed movies, but it was a box-office flop.

Too bad, because "Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter" is actually one of Hammer's best movies, and one of the most unique vampire movies ever made. It's the very definition of a cult hit -- not many people know about it, but it was ahead of its time and is still fresh and enjoyable. (And I defy anyone to think that Stephen Sommers was not influenced...)

Mysterious ex-soldier Captain Kronos (Horst Janson) and hunchbacked professor Gorst (John Carson) arrive in a small English village, where young ladies are being aged into crones. Gorst suspects that a vampire smooched away each girl's youth, to regain eternal life for itself.

The vampire hunters -- and a pretty gypsy girl (Caroline Munro) go about finding the vampire. But they soon discover that the villagers are getting antsy, a friend is infected with vampirism, and all clues point to the icy children of the aged Lady Durward. To lure out the vampire, Kronos must set a lethal trap...

"Captain Kronos" was a departure for the vampire crowd. No sexy counts, Gothic castles, or elegant Peter Cushing characters. Instead we get a swashbuckling, pot-smoking hero in the midst of a slightly grimy English countryside. And he didn't pick that katana up at a secondhand store!

That grittiness is half the movie's appeal. But it also has a lot of creepy, great moments like flowers withering as a vampire walks past, or the repeated attempts to kill a character who is turning into a vampire. That last one is almost comic, as our long-suffering heroes try to do the guy in.

It's also cleverer than the usual vampire-hunter movie. It's strewn with red herrings, and a surprise ending when the vampire's identity is finally revealed. The dialogue can be quite cheesy ("What he doesn't know about vampires, you couldn't put in a flea's codpiece!"), but it's intentionally cheesy.

Janson has a presence a lot like Viggo Mortensen's -- sinewy, quiet and watchful. Since Kronos can survive vampire bite, seduce gypsies, and cut down a dozen villagers, it's a credit to Janson that we can actually like this apparently perfect guy. But Carson steals the show as the hunchbacked professor, who knows virtually everything there is to know about vampires.

In fact, Carson provides the movie with a bit of enlightened pathos that not many horror/action flicks have. Not once is he used for comic relief. And after his deformity is mocked (Kronos chops up the jokers), he sadly questions whether he is ugly. Carla and Kronos' responses show that they are real friends, not just travelling companions.

This cult movie is mainly known to vampophiliacs and Hammer fans, but it deserves to be noticed by anyone looking for a good supernatural swashbuckler. Solid and chilling, a great horror/action flick.

Craptain Chronic, Buffy's grandpa.......2006-06-12

Time again to balance the review scales

Tis true only Hammerheads will adore this or any Hammer film.
Yes. it's a shark - that stopped moving.

Sadly, I can hardly think of one Hammer film worth much more than it's sets or colour, apart from maybe The Gorgon - about the only one not Dracula or Frankenstein!

Anyway I only bought this for Caroline Munro (Marilyn's horrific sister), and in this aspect the movie shines - consistently. The only time of any excitement.

Typical tripe with all the tension of trifle.
No clemency for Brian Clemens, who i expected skill from.
I kept wondering when is it going to begin? All the way to the end. A swordfight of sorro was the pay off.

Kronos Quartet - Kronos on Stage (Black Angels / Ghost Opera)

Average customer rating:

?
Great sounds

Kronos Quartet - Kronos on Stage (Black Angels / Ghost Opera)
Starring: Kronos Quartet
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000069HZH
Release Date: 2002-08-13

Description

Combining a fearless dedication to experimentation and a fresh emphasis on visual presentation, the San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet has emerged as a leading voice for new music. Its eclectic body of work, unparalleled in its range of expression, has captured the attention of audiences worldwide and earned five Grammy Award nominations. This dynamic recording features the Kronos Quartet playing George Crumb's musical response to the Vietnam War, "Black Angels," in which whispered and shrieked texts, demonic fiddling, and solemn episodes of piety express the relentless horror and senseless grief of war. The quartet also performs Tan Dun's "Ghost Opera," a blend of sophisticated techniques with folk traditions which required the musicians to become peformance artists, chanting text and playing a variety of instruments from gongs dipped in water to finger-cymbals. An electrifying theatrical experience!

Customer Reviews:

?.......2002-10-23

There is truly great music being performed on this DVD - both works, especially the Crumb, are landmark pieces of the 20th century string quartet repertoire and are given relatively admirable performances here by Kronos. In addition, the visual aspect of Kronos' performance surprised me by being quite striking and interesting, and not nearly as cheesy as I had previously suspected it might be.

So why only 3 stars?

Unfortunately, the visual aspect of the performance and the musical performance itself were quite clearly taped separately, and the overdubbing is simply awful. On multiple occasions you can see the bows and fingers moving either before or after the sound has started. String players and many other musicians watching the performance will note the many occasions that you can hear an audible shift and see a string crossing, or vice versa. It is not consistently imprecise - but it happens far too often for ayone who has played this music (or plays an instrument at all) to be truly satisfied watching it. The visual faking is not as bad as, for instance, Brent Spiner as Data pretending to be a violinist on Star Trek, but the comparison would not be entirely unreasonable.

Finally, a few quibbles about the aural performance itself:
1) Crumb wants pure amplification. Kronos adds distortion, which certainly makes those insects sound more electric, but that's not necessarily what the composer wanted (and Crumb is a pretty smart guy).
2) Kronos didn't pay attention to Crumb's request on tam-tam size.
3) The thimbles in the 13th section produce far too much tapping noise, and largely obscure the Sarabande that should be produced by the left hand.
4) Instead of bowing behind the fingers on the Pavane and the Sarabande, they stick on practice mutes. I know Crumb approved the process for the Concord Quartet back when the piece was first recorded, but it's still cheating, and the effects are not identical. Real quartets still have to suffer through the ordeal of learning how to do that, and Kronos should as well.
5) A friend tells me that the Hungarian being spoken is being terribly mispronounced. I can't back that up, but I'll take his word for it.

Great sounds.......2002-08-20

It was in the early 1970's when I first heard a recording of George Crumb's "Black Angels" and was knocked out by it. So I was really excited when George Crumb visited the University where I was studying at the time and spent an afternoon talking about this piece. (Despite what is stated on the DVD case, he never mentioned the Viet Nam war, nor can I recall any explicit references to that war or any other war in the piece itself.) Like most of Crumb's works, this music employs unconventional but beautiful and innovative means of sound production. The instruments are electronically amplified (although I scanned the video in vain for electronic pickups on the fiddles). At one point the players strike the strings with thimbles on their fingers (I recall that the composer cited this passage as being especially difficult). In another section, they bow the rims of water glasses, making sounds even more beautiful than those of a glass harmonica. They also perform on gongs, both bowing and striking them, and make vocal sounds. The composer made use of quoted materials (there is an extended passage from Schubert's "Death and the Maiden"). There is also a lot of numerology in the organization of the piece (having to do with the numbers seven and thirteen). I think that "Black Angels" is one of Crumb's best pieces, both for the sounds themselves and for the (unusually for him) tight structure.

Tan Dun's 1995 "Ghost Opera" (which is NOT an opera) also employs unconventional means of tone production. Sounds of dripping water are employed, and gongs are bowed and then dipped in water. A fifth performer sings a little and plays a lute-like instrument that I presume is Chinese. All the performers vocalize extensively. It sounds very beautiful, but the piece has less contrast and excitement than Crumb's and rambles a bit.

Amazon.com

It's impossible to say which factor has contributed more to making the Kronos Quartet our preeminent new-music chamber ensemble: the group's effortless virtuosity or its insatiable hunger for fresh challenges. Taped in 1998 (thus reflecting the longstanding Kronos lineup that had held firm until cellist Joan Jeanrenaud departed for personal reasons after the group's 25th anniversary, to be replaced by the equally fine Jennifer Culp), Kronos Quartet: In Accord's many studio performances offer eloquent proof of the group's wide-ranging musicianship, which is equally at home in the cartoon zaniness of John Zorn, the dancing drones of Perotin's Viderunt Omnes, or the slowly unfolded anguish of Alfred Schnittke's Collected Songs.

Regrettably, director Manfred Waffender not only throws in a number of irritating directorial flourishes, but he also films the proceedings primarily as a series of close-ups of the individual players, which frustrates attempts to view the interactions and unspoken communications that are the heart of chamber music. He mercifully calms down during the somber pieces, though remains at best merely a competent chronicler of the onstage action.

But from Hamza El Din's hypnotically churning "Escalay" to the sprightly excerpt from John Adams's "John's Book of Alleged Dances," from the medieval mysticism of Hildegard von Bingen to Harry Partch's muscular and vigorous exploration of an even more ancient music, there's a wealth of treasures for the ear. --Bruce Reid

Description

Since their inception in 1973, the Kronos Quartet has achieved international acclaim for their fresh approach to music. They have sold millions of audio recordings and are responsible for the creation of more than 400 new string quartets. Their unsurpassed dedication to experimentation and visual presentation is applauded at concert halls, clubs and jazz festivals each year. Frequently referred to as the Fab Four of classical music, Kronos has earned six Grammy nominations and won the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming eight times. From the aching spirituality of "Cadenza on a Night Plain" to the psychedelic anthem "Purple Haze," the Kronos Quartet will enrapture and captivate any music fan.

Customer Reviews:

Decent first dvd release from the Kronos Quartet.......2001-07-19

The DVD serves as something of a broad overview of the group's work. They play pieces from every style and period that they've worked in, but mostly stick to the short pieces. Each piece has an introduction by one of the quartet where they discuss what the piece means to them, the piece's background, or just general info about how they work together. This stuff is fairly informative, but of course you'll skip through it after the first viewing. Which brings us to the music. The performances are uniformly great, the ordering and such is great as you are never bored. If anything the DVD is too short and i would have liked to see something a little more long form. That being said, many of the pieces are really moving, particularly Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled with Grief, the Adams piece, and Escalay. The sound is well done and its fun to walk around the room and stand where each of the players would be playing in the sound field. You can actually walk from the cello over to the first violin, etc. The direction is a little overly self-conscious at times, but you don't care, you are buying it for the music ;-)

Average customer rating:

"A world that I know nothing of. And a city that I have never seen."
Atlantis' rare movie
Retromedia yes, Alpha no
"Your mind is still as far as ever from reality."
A tough DVD to watch

The Giant of Metropolis
Starring: Gordon Mitchell , Bella Cortez , Roldano Lupi , Liana Orfei , and Furio Meniconi
Director: Umberto Scarpelli
Manufacturer: Retro Media
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ASIN: B000063K13
Release Date: 2002-04-02

Customer Reviews:

"A world that I know nothing of. And a city that I have never seen.".......2007-02-26

Don't miss this one if you are a peplum/sword and sandal fan. Don't miss this one if you are a sci-fi fan. The Giant Of Metropolis is a lost classic which is finally receiving its overdue recognition. An incredibly unique and atmospheric experience, which deftly mixes the 60's Italian peplum format with a "future-city-in-the-past" sci-fi format. This singular combination is probably why this movie has remained so obscure--peplum fans didn't get it; sci-fi fans never heard of it.
Coming late in his career, The Giant Of Metropolis was perhaps director Umberto Scarpelli's greatest achievement. The uninformed could easily mistake his work here for a Mario Bava Creation. Brooding, epic set design, dynamic camera angles, and eccentric costumes are a tribute to his style. This is a film which reveals new secrets on repeat viewings. Watch for the anatomical artwork in the background, the anesthetized people in the alcoves, and the gigantic, nude Atlas in the plaza. The sets are so huge, in fact, they must have consumed several sound stages. That, and several excellent matte paintings, reflect the generous budget available. On-location shots are integrated well.
Special effects, though not exactly "Irwin Allen" are intense, particularly the finale.
The plot operates on several levels: Love, ugenics, sadism, science vs. nature, beefcake, immortality, spiritualism, and sexuality.
Rich characters abound. Gordon Mitchell, as Obro, is at his physical peak: handsome and defined. His acting has also improved since Atlas In The Land Of The Cyclops. Yotar (played by Roldano Lupi) is intimidating as the megalomaniac king/scientist. Elmous (played by "Marietto") is charming and sweet. His plaintive weeping when his father, Yotar, leaves him isolated in a stark area of the palace is heartbreaking. Mercedai, Yotar's daughter, and Egan, who Yotar returns to life, are also worth mentioning. However, my personal favorite is Queen Texen, played by Llana Orfei. Her scenes are tense and riveting. Don't miss her backing down the steps from Yotar. The voice artist who dubbed the English seems to have captured the emotion of the actress perfectly.
The Retromedia DVD is very good, presented in widescreen and has plenty of extras. Unlike other reviewers, my copy has no defect on either side. If you like this movie as much as I do, get the Incredibly Strange Filmworks VHS version too. (Yes, VHS.) It's not widescreen, and the color is weak, but, unlike the DVD, the dubbing is IN SYNCH throughout the movie. The image is very clean also.
By the way, some sources have tried to portray this film as some kind of sequel to Fritz Lang's 1927 silent classic, Metropolis. The two films are in no way related.
One more note: The music score by Armando Trovaioli is hauntingly melancholy and original. Although used over and over, it only adds to the stand-alone quality of this unique film.
"I love you." "I loathe you." "I want you."

Atlantis' rare movie.......2006-04-22

At the city of Metropolis from Atlantis, the mad King Yotar (Roldano Lupi) is perpetrating some sinister and weird experiments to dominate the secrets of nature, among them is the brain transplant from his wise old father Egon (Furio Meniconi) to the poor boy Elmos (Marietto), the Yotar's son, in order to get Elmos' inmortality. The he-man Obro (Gordon Mitchell) arrives in Metropolis to prevent and save the city from destruction, but from the very beginning is captured by the magnetic rays trap, so our hero is tortured and clashed with a wild giant, a bunch of fearsome dwarves, etc. But Yotar's family does not approve of the insane experiments and a servant of the Queen (Liana Orfei) helps Obro to get free and takes him to the secret cave of the giant, because a movable foot of Atlas' big statue opens the entrance of the cave. After Princess Mercede (Bella Cortez) the Yotar's daughter, will fall in love with Obro and...
Though the copy of the film is not good, I must stress the original fantastic scenenery, with some South American Icons in the Palace and a characteristic short tune that helps to create a rare atmosphere in the story.

Retromedia yes, Alpha no.......2006-03-05

If you're a fan of this cult masterpiece of the bizarre, buy the Retromedia DVD, not the Alpha DVD. While the Retromedia copy is far from the quality this movie deserves, it's widescreen and has marginally better color and a considerably crisper image. It also has a bonus interview with the star, Gordon Mitchell.

"Your mind is still as far as ever from reality.".......2005-12-06

Absurd plots, miniscule budgets, wooden acting, asinine plots, badly synced dialog, beefcake up the ying yang, and busty maidens...in case you're not familiar, these are all cinematic indicators you've stepped into what's commonly known as a `Sword and Sandals' picture, a European (mainly Italian) genre made popular in the late 1950s (with the 1958 release of Hercules, featuring muscle man Steve Reeves) that ran through the mid to late 1960s. Among the brawny bodybuilders to follow Reeves to the `Promised Land' were Reg Park (Hercules and the Captive Women), Gordon Scott (Goliath and the Vampires), and Charles Allen Pendleton, better known as Gordon Mitchell, who appears in this film, titled Il Gigante di Metropolis also known as The Giant of Metropolis, originally released in 1961 and ported to American shores sometime in 1963. Co-written and directed by Umberto Scarpelli (David and Goliath, Fury of the Pagans), with the English dub directed by Richard McNamara (Mill of the Stone Women, Goliath Against the Giants), the film features, as I've mentioned, Gordon Mitchell (Atlas Against the Cyclops, The Centurion), who flourished in the Italian cinema even after the genre had come and gone, appearing in a slew of spaghetti westerns and horror films, among others...also appearing is Bella Cortez (Vulcan, Son of Jupiter), Roldano Lupi (Women of Devil's Island), Liana Orfei (Hercules in the Valley of Woe), Furio Meniconi (Goliath and the Barbarians), and Marietto (Till the End of the World) as Elmos, spindly son of the evil King Yotar.

The film starts out with some scrolling text stating the year is 20,000 B.C., and we're somewhere on the continent of Atlantis...it appears a highly scientifically advanced city named Metropolis is swathed in its own hubris to the point where it begins meddling with forces man was never meant to dabble in (cheating death), and Obro (Mitchell), a man of `gigantie strength and courage', along with his father and brothers, have made a great trek to warn King Yotar (Lupi) of the disaster soon to be wrought for their arrogance (as we all know from those old Chiffon Margarine commercials, "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature"). After some rather odd events, Obro ends up alone, captured, and brought before King Yotar amidst his fabulous modern city. Obro issues his warning, to which he's pitted against a hairy giant (giant meaning the guy was about a foot taller than Mitchell), a slew of bitey pygmies (pygmies meaning they were all about a foot shorter than Mitchell), and subjected to any number of bizarre tortures, including (but not limited to) scalding, freeze, and brain scrambling rays. Seems King Yotar latest quest involves granting immortal life to his son, Elmos, along with instilling Yotar's father's mind into the boy (a lot of this didn't make sense), despite protests from the bountiful Queen Texen (Orfei) and Yotar's daughter from his first marriage, the babalicious Princess Mecede (Cortez)...homina homina...anyway, Obro manages to escape his prison, assisted by those in Metropolis who think Yotar has gone too far, and wage a battle against the king and his minions in an effort to save Metropolis from itself (seems cosmic forces have aligned in such a way as to induce an impending volcanic eruption, or some such nonsense).

Can you say convoluted? Seriously, as far as what I've related it's only the tip of the iceberg, as there seems to be plots from like three or four different films here. Subsequently, the film drags terribly during its 92 minute running time. I could have weathered this movie much better had the pacing been a bit more consistent, but it is what it is...funny thing is while Mitchell is supposed to be the star, you'd hardly know it from watching the first 40 minutes as we become so involved with King Yothar, his machinations, along with his extended family, including his wife, son, daughter, father, and so on...I have to say, both his wife and daughter were extremely easy on the eyes....hotchie mamas! As far as Mitchell goes, the guy's got a face akin to a well-worn piece of leather, but he did sport quite a sinewy, manly physique. There are a number of prerequisite action scenes, some shot well, some not (my favorite is when the hero is swarmed by a number of attackers, only to throw them off in one, massive heave), along with some really shoddy special effects. One aspect that I did find quite impressive was the interior sets for the city of Metropolis. Someone obviously put a lot of work into this, and it showed. And then there are the costumes, specifically those worn by the scientists and such within the city of Metropolis. These looked almost exactly like those worn by the mutated humans living underground in the film Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)...flowing, futuristic robes made from the finest crushed cotton upholstery found normally in upscale automobiles. I did like the musical score, but given the same bit of music was used 856 times, it did tend to wear on my ears. I soon found something to distract me from this aspect in that about three quarters the way into the film, the dubbing goes quite a bit out of sync. I don't know what happened here, but it was kinda funny. All in all this ain't a bad entry into the genre (I've seen better), just a bit overly long and a tad too convoluted from what I'd normally expect from my Sword and Sandal flicks (to be fair, they all pretty much feature outrageous plots, this one just seemed to have more than was necessary).

Prior to the film actually starting, Retromedia includes a disclaimer stating something along the lines that the material on this DVD was mastered from the best available surviving elements, which essentially means it picture quality is going to be rough...and it is...the film is presented in widescreen (1.85:1) format, but it appears it may not have been centered properly, as the edge of the film is present on the right side of the screen. I'm certainly no expert in DVD coding, so this may be something other than what I think it is...the picture itself is full of blemishes and such, and there are a few frames missing. Given the rarity of the film, perhaps this is the best that was available, and I doubt Retromedia would drop extensive coin for a full-blown restoration, but I've seen other companies release rare finds with much better quality (how is it Something Weird Video always seems to find high quality elements for their transfers?). As far as the audio, it's decent enough, slightly better than the picture, if you don't mind the occasional drop out. There are a number of extras included like a still gallery, a short sample of the Italian language version of the film, a Gordon Mitchell interview (6:06), a bit featuring Mitchell titled Goliath and the Cheerleaders from the Fred Olen Ray film Bikini Drive-In (1995), along with a number of trailers including one for this film, along with ones for Goliath and the Vampires (1961), Goliath and the Dragon (1960), Goliath and the Sins of Babylon (1963), Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World (1961), and The Witch's Curse (1962).

Cookieman108

A tough DVD to watch.......2002-11-16

As much as I am a fan of Gordon Mitchell and Italian B-movies, it took me four tries to make it all the way through this dull and poorly presented movie. The movie itself is extremely cheesy, complete with dubbing that is poorly synced and often is incongruous with what is happening on screen. At one point a male servant dies in a battle, and afterward there is a scene where the bad guys find his corpse and say, "we found the body of one of the queen's slave girls(!)". There's some good fight scenes, some mostly stupid looking miniature special effects, but not enough of either to relieve the intense boredom of the overall film.

The DVD presentation doesn't help things any either. I find it impossible to believe that this was the best print left in all existence. It is extremely grainy, washed-out, and just plain bad-looking. The image is windowboxed since the sides of the screen look to be damages from the film being exposed to some sort of chemical build-up on one side. On the whole, it looks like it was left out in the sun for an extended period of time, with the only colors left being mostly ugly faded blues and browns. On top of this, the sound is out of sync which makes the dubbing look even worse than usual. Almost every sound comes about .5 seconds after the event takes place visually.

Customer Reviews:

Underrated 50's sci-fi.......2004-03-16

First off, I'm delighted that Image is releasing many of its genre titles from the "Wade Williams Collection" in very affordable 2-packs. I've said it before, but here it comes again...it's just a GREAT time to be a fan of 50's sci-fi flicks.

Now, on to the films. KRONOS is easily the better of the two, and is presented in widescreen "Regalscope." This is a good thing, because there are a number of long shots of the Kronos machine stomping across the countryside. The plot is typical of the drive-in fare of the period: Scientists come together to stop a menace from outer space; in this case, it's a giant energy-sucking robot. Also typical of the era, it's more Fiction than Science, but it's great for what it is.

SPACEWAYS has the distinction of being the first sci-fi film produced by England's Hammer Studios, far better known for their horror output beginning in the latter part of the decade. It's essentially a murder-mystery, with a generous dose of space trappings to make it science fiction. Wooden acting and cheap effects abound, making this a fairly tedious affair. But for science fiction completists, or fans of Hammer director Terence Fisher, it's worth a look.

Description

In the year 10,000, when men must fight for the amusement of others in cities ruled by insane people, a group of men try to prevent the ultra-advanced city of Metropolis from tampering with the secrets of nature and destroying the world.

Customer Reviews:

"A world that I know nothing of. And a city that I have never seen.".......2007-02-26

Atlantis' rare movie.......2006-04-22

Retromedia yes, Alpha no.......2006-03-05

"Your mind is still as far as ever from reality.".......2005-12-06

A tough DVD to watch.......2002-11-16

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Customer Reviews:

Captain Kronos is the "The Man from La Mancha".......2007-09-03

Hunting a different sort of Vampire..........2007-05-20

Woeful.......2006-07-16

We're vampire hunters!.......2006-06-23

Craptain Chronic, Buffy's grandpa.......2006-06-12

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