Customer Reviews

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (The Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Robinson Crusoe On Mars is one of those films that makes you long for yester-year.

For those who love the older science fiction films with their wide eyed view of the future of science and space, or those who just love a good solo adventure into the wild, this is one of the more well made films from the Sci Fi 60s (the film also has an appearance from the soon-to-be TV Batman, Adam West). With a wonderful imagining of Mars and some War Of The Worlds like space ships (no wonder as Worlds Byron Haskin helmed this as well) this film is a great addition to any movie buffs library. If you like Forbbiden Planet, this will be right up your alley.

Criterion had offered this on Laserdisc and has been an expensive re-sell on Ebay over the years (between $100 and $200). But now you can own a much better transfer of the film with a few extra features! I have been awaiting this DVD release from them for a long time so this is my Criterion disc of the year!

I must echo my fellow reviewers on this one: "Robinson Crusoe On Mars" on DVD....FINALLY!!! This has been a longtime favorite movie of mine. I used to watch it all the time on TV as a kid, and I still love it now. As the title suggests, this 1964 sci-fi classic is the "Robinson Crusoe" story set on Mars, with the tale of one astronaut's survival on an alien world. Like "2001," "Forbidden Planet," "The Day The Earth Stood Still" and "Solaris" (the original "Solaris," NOT the god-awful remake with George Clooney), "Robinson Crusoe On Mars" is an *intelligent* sci-fi movie. It's well-written, beautifully shot, expertly directed by Byron Haskin, and acted quite strongly by a very effective trio of actors: Paul Mantee as the stranded astronaut, Victor Lundin as the alien whom our hero names Friday, and Adam West (of "Batman" fame) as a fellow astronaut (even though West's role is basically a cameo). And the movie also features THE most adorable little monkey in the history of cinema, Mona. I'm absolutely delighted to see this sci-fi classic get the DVD treatment at last. And the fact that it's being put out by Criterion is even better! (They also did a marvelous job with "Solaris" too, I must admit.) "Robinson Crusoe On Mars" is one of the sci-fi greats, a very special movie that anyone, even non sci-fi fans, can enjoy. I can't wait to get it!

Information on this disc straight from Criterion's website

Special Features:

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer

- Audio commentary featuring screenwriter Ib Melchior, actors Paul Mantee and Victor Lundin, production designer Al Nozaki, Oscar-winning special effects designer and Robinson Crusoe on Mars historian Robert Skotak, and excerpts from a 1979 audio interview with director Byron Haskin

- Destination: Mars, a new video featurette by Michael Lennick detailing the science behind Robinson Crusoe on Mars

- Excerpts from Melchior's original screenplay

- New music video for Victor Lundin's song "Robinson Crusoe on Mars"

- Stills gallery of behind-the-scenes photos, production designs, and promotional material

- Theatrical trailer

- PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by filmmaker and space historian Michael Lennick, Melchior's "Brief Yargorian Dictionary" of original alien dialect, and a list of facts about Mars from his original screenplay

The Transfer:

"Robinson Crusoe on Mars is presented in its original Techniscope aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 4K Datacine from the 35mm 2-perforation A/B interpositive struck from the original negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on this dual-layer DVD-9 was encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of material included.

The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic full coat master three track, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on surround sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound."

I'm a little disappointed that it appears that Adam West wasn't even interviewed for this release. But it's good to have this one on DVD at long last.

When you think of all the crap Paramount has released while this sat on the shelf....

Been a long wait to see this DVD released, but it's great to know it's a Criterion release so it should be awesome! I love this movie, very hard script to keep the audience engaged with so few actors but it works. Very engaging story line, well done special effects and the overall feel of the movie make this a 5 star classic sci fi must see!

I am writing this review to tell everyone just how good this film looks on Blu-Ray. As far as I can see today, there are no other reviews here for the Blu-Ray version of the film (I saw just one review from a guy who seems to think the aspect ratio on Blu-Ray is wrong....it's not....in fact it looks more accurate than the DVD in terms of the anamorphic transfer).

Before I give a few details, I feel I have to say that I just love this film. The 5-star rating is for the film. I also give the Blu-Ray top marks (4+) considering the source material. I have enjoyed this movie since I was a kid and saw it on TV in the late 1960s and 70s. So, naturally, I have a rather soft spot in my heart for the film itself. The day I found it on LaserDisc (about 1990 I think) was a happy day indeed. I bought the DVD when it was released a few years and I was happy with it, too. The Criterion material is almost the same on each three versions (not exactly the same, but I won't recount the details here because if you want to see this move in all its glory, then you will want the Blu-Ray regardless of its lack of a few extras that were on the LaserDisc).

The really good news is that this film has never looked so good! I bet it even looks better than it did when it was projected in theatres over 47 years ago. Yes, the film stock is a bit grainy (just as it was in the DVD format) due to the film stock used in 1963. The picture is much clearer, brighter, and has far better color fidelity than the DVD. The transfer of this old film onto this modern high-resolution format (1080p/24) is rather amazing, I must say. I will even admit that seeing it look this good brought a lump to my throat when I thought of all the times I watched it on a small black and white TV.

I compared the Blu-Ray to the DVD using a Playstation3. The exceptional transfer to Blu-Ray does mean that you can see the small flaws in the optical effects (for example when the fireballs move across the screen or when the character "watches" movies of how to find water on another planet or when he's taking a swim in the underground pool Mona finds). That's a small price to pay, so to speak, for the wonderful look of the rest of the film. The skyline views of Mars are just magnificent--the dark, starry sky against the reddish atmosphere, the daytime shots....wow, in Blu-Ray the film's many wonderful vista shots are almost breathtaking. I know, I know. I sound breathless. I am. Bringing this movie to Blu-Ray so soon after the long-awaited DVD release is a real gift and, I think, a wonderful tribute to this wonderful old film. Of course, the price of both the DVD and Blu-Ray are high (they are, after all, Criterion products). But, if you're a fan of films like this one, you know the high price is justified. If you own the DVD version, buying the Blu-Ray will not be money wasted.

I will also mention that I own a high-end 60-inch rear projection set (Sony's KDS series which is no longer made) and a high-end 52-inch LCD set (Sony's XBR9 series). The film actually looks best on my projection set, but then I'm partial to most films on it rather than on LCD. Oh, and if anyone does review this Blu-Ray and tries to assert that it's not that much better than the DVD, then you can be sure he/she has an inferior TV that is incapable of showing the difference between the two (oh, if I had a nickel for every such review I have read on Amazon I'd be able to buy copies of this Blu-Ray dics for all my friends!).

In summary, if you are wondering whether to buy this film on Blu-Ray, I say the answer is YES. Buy it. Enjoy it. Show it to your family, friends, even the whole neighborhood. There's so much crap being produced nowadays (i.e., repetitive special effects instead of a good story or poor remakes or "reimaginings" like "The Day the Earth Stood Still"). I think it's refreshing to watch a good, old movie that was a valid, even valiant, effort to be a "scientifically-accurate" (with what was known about Mars at the time) adventure tale that was at least loosely based on the famous Dafoe novel. (I do like that "Friday" in this version comes from a more-advanced technology, not a less-advanced one like the novel.)

Oh, and if you want to buy--or even borrow--my LaserDisc, it's not for sale or to lend. <grin>

If you found this review to be helpful, or even amusing, please leave a comment. Thanks.

"Robinson Crusoe on Mars" was a noble and enjoyable attempt, if not entirely successful, to show what exploring a strange new planet would really be like, telling the tale of an astronaut in a space program not terribly far advanced from the year this movie was set (1964) on an orbital mission to Mars, who is forced to crash-land on the Red Planet and survive with what meager resources he has.

The science is not perfect (but no worse than in any "Star Wars" movie) and the technical effects reflect their time, but the creators of the film (who included the film's director Byron Haskin, who also directed the original "War of the Worlds" and several classic episodes of the 1960s "Outer Limits series) resisted the attempt to camp it up with silly "sci-fi" perils. (One of the extras indicates that an early version of the script had the hero fighting giant Mars ants!)

Their are many extras, including commentaries by the actors and film creators, pre-production designs and storyboards and more. These appear to have been slightly truncated from those on the laserdisc version, which I previously owned, but the laserdisc had so much material that a little editing may have been in order.

One extra from the laserdisc, which I loved, I thought had been deleted but discovered to my delight is still there as an unadvertised "Easter Egg."

This is a recording of the 45 record of the movie's theme song "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" which came out when the film was first released. Note that the DVD does contain another song with that title sung by film star Victor Lundin and included as a music video, but it is far inferior to the original song.

To hear the original song, access the theatrical trailer and go to the alternate English tracks. One track has a short commentary from a collector of movie memorabilia (including that from "Crusoe") and the other has the theme song.

Back in the 50s and 60s Hollywood came out with many modestly-budgeted science fiction flicks that we all went to see on Sunday afternoons. "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" was one of the very best. It is terrific that this old classic is finally available on DVD.

Although some of the speculations contained in this film concerning the nature of Mars are now a bit dated, this film has nonetheless stood the test of time, and has lost none of its zip. The theme is simple enough: a US Astronaut is marooned on Mars and must learn to survive. What he discovers is surprising, to say the least. The storyline of this film moves along at a reasonably good pace, and holds the viewer's interest. Despite the tiny cast, this is a very entertaining film, and for reasons I cannot quite explain, it retains a certain plausibility.

I very much enjoyed watching this old favorite after having not seen it for many years. Most viewers will enjoy it too, many times.

This happens to be one of the best all time sci fi movies ever made! I loved watching it on the BBC when I was a kid at Christmas and I'm thrilled that it has finally been released on DVD. Highly recommend, great family film. No CGI and no bad language.

The staff of Adventure Books of Seattle highly recommends this film. Using camera filters and Death Valley locations, director Byron Haskin made a film that still stands the test of time. The most famous scene in the film is when a lonely Paul Mantee stands above the rim of a canyon and shouts, 'Hey, Mr Echo! Go to hell...'

Amazingly, although no photographs existed of the Martian surface in 1964, the producers were able to depict Mars reasonably accurately. An amazing film that stands as one of the great classics of science fiction.

Our thoughts: Buy it.

Robert M Blevins
Managing Editor
AB of Seattle

The DVD packaging for this film promises remastered sound and picture quality. Well, given its age and the fact that it was only shot on 2-perf Techniscope the picture quality is just fine, showing up the cinematography and effects to their best advantage. So far so good. But what about the sound?

Oh, boy. What *about* the sound? Maybe I just have a faulty copy, but the sound levels fluctuate wildly, badly distorting the music and sound effects (though not so much the dialogue). It's just horrible. It's almost like somebody put the sound through a limiter, so that every time it gets above a certain level it drops right down again. If my copy really is typical then on the basis of the sound quality there's no way I can give it a 5-star rating and Criterion ought to be ashamed.