TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Sci-Fi
After a veritable famine this past summer, classic movie buffs are being treated to a bumper crop of Fall offerings, including several box sets of vintage flicks. Having just released three powerhouse compilations, Turner Classic Films is leading the pack. The studio. in conjunction with Warner Brothers, has pulled out its big guns for the first box, which is dedicated to Science Fiction. TCM’s Greatest Classic Films Collection: Sci-Fi is aptly named. It includes four of the most influential and historically important films of the genre. Each has achieved a solid cult status, and deservedly so.
Soylent Green
The quartet is led by the 1973 film, Soylent Green, a tautly paced, futuristic murder mystery. Ably directed by the veteran Richard Fleischer, Soylent Green is a wild ride into a bleak, amoral, impoverished world of the future. Giving one of his most impassioned performances, Charlton Heston plays a police detective investigating the brutal murder of a high-ranking official (Joseph Cotton in a cameo role,) involved in the manufacture of soylent green, a substance created to feed the earth’s starving population. Unfortunately, the ingredients for the concoction are nowhere listed on the product, and many first-time viewers will be a little startled to learn exactly what is in those little, green, nutritional squares.
The film is enhanced by a stellar supporting cast. In his 101st and final screen appearance, Edward G. Robinson shines as Sol Roth, Heston’s feisty mentor. His death scene in the film, followed shortly thereafter by his own demise, is poignant and completely original. Chuck Connors is chillingly evil as a ruthless hit man. The embodiment of the 1970s, Leigh Taylor-Young plays a 21st century flower child who forms an odd romantic liaison with Heston. The film is far from perfect. After the mystery of soylent green is uncovered, it falls somewhat flat. And one can imagine a hero with a bit more edge than Charlton Heston. Nonetheless, Soylent Green manages to be consistently engrossing, and often quite disturbing.
2001: A Space Odyssey
On the flipside of the first disc is the quintessential sci-fi cult film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, It is sad to see Stanley Kubrick’s unique vision being lumped into a budget-priced compilation such as this. Despite the fact that the film has been often imitated and parodied, it still manages to retain its startling originality. Kubrik’s detached directorial style makes for a sterile, surreal atmosphere, heightened by the deliberate pacing of the film. The slow tempo may prove impossible for some viewers, while mesmerizing others. 2001... also boasts a supremely copacetic matching of classical music to visual image. Though more abstract and obtuse than the other films in the set, the 1968 film is eerily prophetic, foretelling of man’s total reliance on computers. And it is wild to see space travelers relaxing in front of flat-screen, widescreen television monitors! The print is absolutely gorgeous.
The Time Machine
Disc 2 begins with the 1960 film based on the H.G. Wells fanciful novel, The Time Machine. Though the story has been subsequently remade for both screen and television, this version remains unparalleled. Rod Taylor is ideally cast as a Victorian scientist obsessed with the notion of time travel. He builds a contraption which propels him into the future, and finishes his travels in the strange world of 20,000 A.D. Having witnessed the sorry fate of mankind, he returns to 1899, laden with stories for his skeptical cronies. Director George Pal cleverly integrates animated special effects into the narrative. The supporting cast is fine, and includes Alan Young as Taylor’s devoted friend, Sebastian Cabot as an incredulous fellow scientist, and the 17-year old Yvette Mimieux in her first major film appearance. She is convincing as the dreamy Weena, a maiden of the Eloi, a race of clueless blondes bred to feed the cannibalistic subterranean people, the Morlocks. Technically, the film cannot compete with the elaborate, computerized special effects of contemporary science fiction movies; but, nonetheless, it manages to be unforgettable.
Forbidden Planet
Special effects are the principal asset of the final film in the collection, Forbidden Planet, dating from 1956. The visual effects are truly impressive, even by today’s standards. The plot is a reworking of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Morbius, a taciturn scientist who controls a far-off planet assisted by his beautiful daughter (Anne Francis) who is starving for male affection. Right on cue, hunky space captain Leslie Nielsen and his crew land on the planet, shake things up, and ultimately discover the dark secrets of the strange alien world.
Forbidden Planet is the weakest entry of the four, sabotaged as it is by interminable talky passages, and some silly plot elements. However, the magnificent Cinemascope photography, beautifully captured by this DVD transfer, and a terrific space monster help a great deal. Certainly, it is a landmark in science fiction cinema, and was particularly influential to later television shows such as Star Trek.
All of the four films in the box are taken directly from the Warner Brothers DVD releases, with identical home pages, extra features and commentaries. The best extras accompany Soylent Green. They include an interesting short on the making of the film produced while Soylent... was actually being shot, and footage of a backstage party for Edward G. to celebrate his 101st film appearance. Also worthwhile is the commentary on 2001: A Space Odyssey, narrated by its stars Gary Lockwood and Keir Dullea.
"Wave 3" of the TCM Greatest Classic Films Collections also includes equally impressive "Murder Mysteries" and "Horror" sets. More on those later...
