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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: PASSPORT VIDEO
Salesrank: 116330
Released: March 10, 1998 |
| Our Price: $5.94 |
| Used Price: $11.47 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Hosted by internationally acclaimed star, Christopher Lee, A CENTURY OF SCI-FI features the best of science fiction and fantasy from a century of Cinema.
This program traces the roots of science fiction movies from the marvelous trick films like "A TRIP TO THE MOON" to mega-hits such as "INDEPENDANCE DAY," "THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL," "THE TERMINATOR," "THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU," and many more.
A CENTURY OF SCI-FI is a two-hour, star-studded special, which introduces the twenty-six half hour series, featuring spectacular film clips, fabulous behind-the-scences footage, and interviews with sci-fi and movie greats like ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, KEVIN COSTNER, WILLIAM SHATNER, LEONARD NIMOY, JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME, VINCENT PRICE, VAL KILMER, EDDIE MURPHY, RAY BRADBURY, RAQUEL WELCH, WILL SMITH, BURT LANCASTER, SHARON STONE, CHARLIE SHEEN, SYLVESTOR STALLONE, SIGOURNEY WEAVER, CHARLTON HESTON, and many more.
Join us on an inter-galatic journey through SCI-FI Cinema at its greatest!
Description of A Century of Science Fiction:
Aimed more at newcomers to science fiction than aficionados, A Century of Science Fiction nevertheless provides a thrilling survey of filmed SF, from the early silent days to the modern age of computer-generated spectacle. As the program's host, veteran horror actor Christopher Lee has been inserted optically into the screen à la Max Headroom, leading us through a variety of science fiction themes, usefully grouped into such categories as "Aliens" and "Robots & Computers." Along the way there are engaging interviews with the likes of Vincent Price on The Fly and Ray Bradbury on Fahrenheit 451. The film's real strength is the wealth of clips from little-seen features, such as Larry Cohen's God Told Me To, the silent 1916 version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Brian Donlevy in The Creeping Unknown. All of this goes a long way toward making up for the narration, which sometimes gets its facts wrong. For example, Alien does not owe its story to The Thing, as they would have us believe, but to It! The Terror from Beyond Space and its antecedent, A.E. Van Vogt's classic story, "The Black Destroyer." Likewise, Total Recall was adapted not from a Philip K. Dick novel, but from his acclaimed short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale." Also, Christopher Lee's recitation is pitted with long Shatnerian pauses, making the words "Independence" and "Day" sound like they belong to entirely different sentences. More often than not, we're in Mystery Science Theater 3000 territory here. In other words, devotees of that show might find this disc to be a useful training ground, or home game, for honing their heckling skills. --Jim Gay
A Century of Science Fiction Reviews:
A Century of SF Trailers 
2003-04-01 - This DVD contains mostly Trailers and some behind-the-scenes shots and small interviews (like the one with Yul Brynner about "Westworld") from SF movies of the last century, narrated by the great Christopher Lee (with his pleasant voice). There are also some rather rare clips (like the ones from "Fire Maidens from Outer Space" or "The Mysterians").
The 99 minutes are divided in 8 parts of about 12 minutes each with the following categories: Aliens, Time Travellers, Mad Doctors, Robots & Computers, Sci-Fi Lunacy, Lost Worlds, Future Worlds and Weird Worlds.
And yes, it sometimes looks like it was made with the good ol' Commodore 64, but that's rather charming in a certain way ;-)
If you want an overview of SF movies of the last century or you find pleasure in a so-called "Best of" then this is for you. Especially when you can get it at a low price.
Not worth the plastic it was encoded on 
2001-04-05 - This video looks like it was put together in someone's basement with a Commodore 64. The production values are of the poorest quality, but they look good compared to the awful script they force Christopher Lee to mouth.
The film clips look like they were copied from TV trailers and Lee has a blue chromakey halo around him. The only way I can figure they got him to appear in this bottom-of-the-barrel production is that his taxes were due and he was strapped for cash.
The content ignores the history of both print and film science fiction, instead larding on purple prose to cover poor research.
Don't waste your time or money on this one.
