René
Laloux double from Masters of Cinema in October
14
August 2007
One
of an increasingly large collection of filmmakers
whose work is held in high esteem but is difficult
to actually get to see, French animator René
Laloux directed just seven films in his 28-year
career but you'll be lucky if you've seen more than
one of them, and that's likely to be the 1973 Fantastic
Planet (La Planète sauvage),
which received a most welcome UK DVD release last
year by Eureka Entertainment under the Masters of
Cinema label. Now Eureka have announced the release
of two of Laloux's other, lesser seen works for
October, also under the Masters of Cinema label.
 |
In
Les Maîtres du temps (1982)
Laloux got to work with one of the most respected
illustrators in the business, Jean "Moebius"
Giraud, whose film work includes Alien
and The Fifth Element. On planet
Perdide, an attack of giant hornets leaves a young
boy name Piel alone in a wrecked car with his dying
father. A mayday message reaches their friend Jaffar,
an adventurer travelling through space. On board
Jaffar's shuttle are the renegade Prince Matton,
his fiancée, and Silbad who knows the planet
Perdide well. Thus begins an incredible race across
space to save Piel...
A
huge hit in its native France, Les Maîtres
du temps is a finely animated metaphysical
rescue mission, previously seen in English-speaking
countries as a dubbed version entitled Time
Masters. The Masters of Cinema Series is
proud to present the original French version of
Laloux's distinctive vision. The disc will include
the following:
- New
high-definition restoration of the original Laloux
version in original aspect ratio;
- Newly
translated optional English subtitles;
- Original
theatrical trailer;
- 16-page
booklet with Laloux interviews and artwork.
Gandahar
(1988) tells the story of am idyllic paradise, which
is disrupted when the mirror birds, the eyes of
Queen Ambisextra, report that the inhabitants of
entire villages have been turned to stone. A council
of women chooses Sylvain Lanvère to uncover
Gandahar's mysterious metallic attackers. In doing
so, he finds an underground race of deformed Gandaharians
and an oversized motherbrain, both the result of
botched genetic experiments.
Working
with animation designer Philippe Caza, Laloux creates
from this story a typically imaginative and trippy
adult animation that examines genetic mutation,
the importance of organic farming, and urges a respect
for nature that resonates today more than ever,
while its animation style has been compared to the
work of Hayao Miyazaki. Previously seen in English-speaking
countries as the dubbed hack-job alternatively titled
Light Years (presided over by Harvey
Weinstein who credited himself as "Director"
over Laloux), The Masters of Cinema Series is presenting
the original French version of Laloux's distinctive
vision.
- New
high-definition restoration of the original Laloux
version in original aspect ratio;
- Newly
translated optional English subtitles;
- Laloux
short film La Prisonnière;
- 16-page
booklet with Laloux interviews and artwork.
Both
films will be release by Eureka Masters of Cinema
on 22nd October 2007 at the RRP of £17.99
each.
