Three Fantastic Journeys

And now for something completely different. Fans of Monty Python-style cutout animation will appreciate this trilogy of films from 1955-1962 by Czech animation master Karel Zeman, whose groundbreaking techniques would later influence contemporary filmmakers such as Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, and Wes Anderson. Presented in 4K digitally restored editions in a beautifully designed slipcase with pop-up fold-out and sliding panels, all three narratives are either explicitly or implicitly informed by the works of Jules Verne. Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955) is a Boys’ Own adventure-type tale following a quartet of lads who take a boat trip into a cave and wind up going back in time through geological epochs over hundreds of millions of years—an odyssey from the Pliocene to the Silurian that will feature critters ranging from wooly mammoths to trilobites (and dinosaurs, of course, in The Lost World-like model animation fights). Next up is Invention for Destruction (1958), an often visually stunning monochrome film using superimposed images and life-size model sets to tell a nuclear age melodramatic tale about a kidnapped professor whose invention of a powerful explosive is being turned to nefarious purposes. Whimsical sights include men in full diving suits riding futuristic bicycles underwater that have old-time bells on the handlebars. Finally, The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) is one of several films inspired by Rudolf Erich Raspe’s 1785 book Baron Munchausen's Narrative of His Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, chronicling the exploits of a German nobleman whose itinerary takes him from the craters of the Moon to the war-torn battlefields on Earth. The copious extras include the 1960 U.S. release version of Journey to the Beginning of Time, an alternate opening for the 1961 U.S. release of Invention for Destruction (and an English-dubbed option for the film), the 2015 feature-length documentary Film Adventurer: Karel Zeman, short films by Zeman, video appreciations of Zeman’s craft, short documentaries produced by the Karel Zeman Museum on the director and his work, restoration demos, and a booklet with an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson. General viewers may not be wowed by either the special effects or the wacky storytelling, but animation buffs will be delighted by these films from Karel Zeman, a true heir of Georges Méliès, the legendary pioneer of imaginative filmmaking. Recommended. (R. Pitman)