Home Video Exclusives

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - TDTEST Part II


Tangent.

Well, not so much.

Since I'm talking about the remake, I should cover the original.



I have this laser disc box set, "Limited Autographed Edition". I think, though I could be wrong - I bought this from the former store, Ken Crane's Laser Disc in Long Beach, CA.

I couldn't give a price that I paid, they often gave discounts.

The three disc set which included a remastered CD soundtrack retailed for $149.98 and streeted on June 28th, 1995. Yeah, special editions were friggin' expensive back in the day - mine is number 2,375 of 2,500.

Sides 1 - 3 is in CLV. Side 4 is CAV.



The box set came with a softcover book, "Robert Wise On His Films: From Editing Room To Director's Chair" (223 pages) from Silman-James Press.

It covers such films as "The Haunting" (1963) and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (1979) among others - including "The Day The Earth Stood Still". Sway.

The next was quite fancy.

The soundtrack came on a 24K gold plated CD.



It contained two previously unreleased cues and a behind-the-scenes track - "Studio Rehearsals & Outtakes".

TRACKS

1. Fox Logo
2. Outer Space/Radar
3. Danger
4. Klaatu
5. Gort/The Visor/The Telescope
6. Escape
7. Solar Diamonds
8. Arlington
9. Lincoln Memorial
10. Nocturne/The Flashlight/The Robot/Space Control
11. The Elevator/Magnetic Pull/The Study/The Conference/Jewelry Store
12. Panic
13. The Glowing/Alone/Gort's Rage/Nikto/The Captive/Terror
14. The Prison
15. Rebirth
16. Departure
17. Farewell
18. Finale
19. Alternate Theremin Mixes
20. Studio Rehearsal & Outtakes

This box is quite the collectible, I've seen prices while researching this entry going for $72 to $100, not bad for an obsolete format. Okay, the autograph and gold CD could be the main selling points.

This was one of the better box sets of its day. I remember being all excited about the news and getting my own copy.



Looked at my print archive and found it, you're welcome. Above is the full page ad that appeared in the May 1995 issue of "Image Laserdisc Preview", a laser disc free magazine/catalog (the freebie was rectangular).

Have all but three issues. I wish I could find them. I doubt I ever will, it was a glossy disposable publication.

An awesome LD reference.

- - -



The movie was released on DVD on March 4th, 2003 for $19.98. It is a special edition. The double sided disc appears to have carried nearly all the extras from the above LD set. But the box has a trailer not included on the DVD. Well... that and the soundtrack.

It came with a two page insert with production notes and chapter listing.

Yes, it looks like Gort is wearing silver diapers. Hey, it has to stand still for long periods of time. That's called planning ahead. *nods*

- - -



As a promotion for the remake, the original film was re-released on DVD as a two disc special edition. It streeted on December 2nd, 2008 for $19.98. This is NOT a replacement for the '03 home video. This newer edition has items omitted, replaced with new featurettes and bonuses.

Gone:

* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix
* "Making The Earth Stand Still" documentary (1:20:37 minutes)
* Video Restoration Comparison (3:56 minutes)
* THX Optimizer
* British Press Book (gallery)
* (gallery reductions)

First off, the original audio was never in stereo.

This newer edition has altered galleries. I see some new pixs and other pictures not included (gone is Memorabilia). You should keep both DVDs for the best experience, content-wise. The galleries here have no boarder, unlike the '03 version. It helps.

This came with an online theater voucher (e-Movie Cash [code]) to see the remake for free ($7.50 value for one; the window was December 12th, 2008 to January 31st, 2009).

There was no insert.

I believe this DVD has the missing trailer from the 2003 release, two are present.

- - -



When I wrote about this in 2012, I made an error. This is not a Wal-Mart exclusive; a new slipcover for the '03 release, seen above. This was given to all retailers. I was justified though, the store has a long history of including a new slipcover over an old title - tricking people in thinking it was a new release. *nods*

I was fortunate, up until 2005 I didn't own the movie, so this wasn't a double dip for me. Price? I can't recall. Lets say between $9.99 to $12.99.

- - - - - - - - - -

Footnote.

In the mid 1980s, writer David Engelbach was commissioned by 20th Century Fox to write a sequel. It was never produced.

The title was "Target Zero". The aliens mentioned in the 1951 film; because of their own wisdom and experience, see that the human race is heading for an eventual armageddon, a massive nuclear exchange. The result of releasing so many thermonuclear devices simultaneously would destabilize the Earth's magnetic field, sending the planet out of orbit - creating a ripple effect which would deharmonize all the planets of this system and in a matter of time, destroying other civilizations.

This can not be permitted. Another being is sent, not to warn us, but to annihilate the human race.



Helen's son, Bobby Benson, now an adult has spent his life being affected by the fact he knew the person named Klaatu. The '51 landing itself has been subsequently debunked by the government. The scientists involved lost their jobs. News footage was miraculously destroyed. And after a while, it became a joke.

Klaatu's daughter is given the Earth assignment. Because of injuries sustained in First Contact; shortly after arriving home and giving his report on humanity, he died. His daughter has a grudge with our species.

When Bobby meets the daughter and learns of her mission, he tires to convince her that mankind is worth saving. Ultimately she acts against her orders. Like SkyNet, they cause a global launching, all the warheads are released simultaneously. The duo must disarm the nuclear arsenal before the missiles impact, otherwise her mission would have been a complete failure.

In the process of disarming, all the intricate communication satellites and all the military information they carry is channeled onto commercial television broadcasts so that people can witness the casualty analysis from NORAD computers indicating how may billions will be killed in a matter of minutes. The televised event sets off an international shock wave; this is not a hoax.

They're failing, not enough time - the world is about to end. An intervention happens, we are saved by the same aliens. It creates a tremendous uproar among humanity and world governments are overturned. The last shot is news footage of a new global nation being signed at the U.N. and the dismantling of armies.

Could that feature work? Don't know, maybe. It really depends on how they would've treated the message; lightly or heavy handed?

And there you go.

Need to wash this bitter taste? Yeah, me too. Come back here on July 21st, 2016 for a campy classic with adventure, hawk men and penis shaped rocket ships! But oddly no hawk women.