‘Invaders From Mars’ Scares Up 4K UHD, Blu-ray Restoration on Sept. 26
“This stunning 4K restoration will make even those who’ve seen the film umpteenth times feel like they’re seeing it for the very first time but through magical new eyes.” – Multiple Visual Effects Academy-Award Winner, Robert Skotak (Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day)
Ignite Films has dropped a new trailer and the official poster ahead of the upcoming release of its sensational 4K restoration of William Cameron Menzies’ 1953 Invaders From Mars. The sci-fi classic will be released on Blu-ray & 4K UHD on September 26, 2022, just ahead of the film’s 70th anniversary, with pre-orders beginning today, announced Jan Willem Bosman Jansen, founder of Ignite Films.
Special bonus features include a restored 4K version of the original 1953 trailer and a newly commissioned 2022 trailer, an interview with the film’s star, Jimmy Hunt, an in-depth look at the restoration process led by Scott MacQueen, Restoration Supervisor, plus a new documentary about the film featuring interviews with directors Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Multiple Visual Effects Academy-Award winner Robert Skotak (Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and other luminaries. These extras and the documentary were produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Jeremy Alter (David Lynch’s Inland Empire, Doug Ellin’s Ramble On).
Fearful memories of this timeless 1953 bone-chiller still haunt the dreams of fans who have never forgotten the story of David MacLean, a young boy (Jimmy Hunt) who witnesses an alien invasion. Invaders from Mars was filmed from a child’s point of view, using exaggerated sets and upward angles. It became a modern classic and was also one of two early 50s classic alien-invasion science fiction films (the other is Robert Wise’s The Day the Earth Stood Still) reflecting Cold War tensions, the Red Scare and paranoid anxiety typical of many films in the 50s.
Invaders From Mars stars Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Morris Ankrum, Leif Erickson, and Hillary Brooke.
The Cinecon classic film festival will honor former child actor Jimmy Hunt with a special screening of the 4K restoration of Invaders From Mars at this year’s festival, which will run Labor Day weekend, from September 1-5, 2022 in Hollywood. Other special screenings of the 4K restoration have wowed audiences at the TCM Classic Film Festival, Hollywood, CA in April, Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, Italy, and the Fine Arts Film Festival, Venice, CA in June.
In support of the release, Ignite Films has created The Maze, a home for critical and analytical writing pertaining to the exciting restoration and release of Invaders From Mars.Named after the landmark 3D horror noir by William Cameron Menzies, every corner and avenue of the history and subtext of Invaders FromMars will be explored in The Maze by some of film history’s greatest critical minds. Led by editor and critic Scout Tafoya. The Maze is available on the Ignite Films website at https://www.ignite-films.com/blogs/the-maze
Ignite Films commissioned the new trailer, led by creative director and editor Dan de Winter, with special effects by Deux Wave, and score by Andy Huckvale.
Artist and Illustrator Laz Marquez is Creative Director, leading the creative vision of the release, including key artwork and packaging.
Ignite Films will initially release the 4K restoration of Invaders From Mars in US/Region 1 on September 26, and will roll-out the release worldwide, excluding the UK, where Arrow Films will distribute.
Bonus Features
Restored 4K original 1953 trailer AND a newly commissioned 2022 trailer
Interviews with star Jimmy Hunt, William Cameron Menzies’ biographer James Curtis and recollections of Menzies’ eldest granddaughter Pamela Lauesen
Featurette with acclaimed film directors John Landis, Joe Dante, editor Mark Goldblatt, special visual effects artist and two time Oscar Winner Robert Skotak (foremost expert on Invaders from Mars), and enthusiast and film preservationist Scott MacQueen
John Sayles’ introduction at Turner Classic Movie Festival in Hollywood, April 2022
Before/after clips of restoration – original negative and archival film elements – with film restoration supervisor Scott MacQueen
Restored segments in 2K of the Alternate International Version — alternative ending and extended Planetarium scene
Gallery with original Press Book pages, behind the scenes photos from the restoration process
Twenty page extensive essay on the restoration process: “Invaders From Mars: A Nightmare of Restoration” by Scott MacQueen
Product Details
Studio Ignite Films
Run Time: 78 minutes
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Certificate: Approved
Cast:
Helena Carter Dr. Pat Blake
Arthur Franz Dr . Stuart Kelston
Jimmy Hunt David MacLean
Leif Erickson George MacLean
Hillary Brooke Mary MacLean
Morris Ankrum Col. Fielding
Max Wagner Sgt. Rinaldi
William Phipps Maj. Cleary (Bill Phipps)
Milburn Stone Capt. Roth
Janine Perreau Kathy Wilson
Languages: English (original version), Latin Spanish
