1964
110 minutes
Color
2.35:1
Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Anamorphic
English
Special-effects wunderkind and genre master Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds, The Outer Limits) won a place in the hearts of fantasy-film lovers everywhere with this gorgeously designed journey into the unknown. When his spaceship crash-lands on the barren wastelands of Mars, U.S. astronaut Commander "Kit" Draper (Paul Mantee) must fight for survival, with a pet monkey seemingly his only companion. But is he alone? Shot in vast Techniscope and blazing Technicolor, Robinson Crusoe on Mars is an imaginative and beloved techni-marvel of classic science fiction.
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, a "Brief Yargorian Dictionary" of Melchior’s original alien dialect, and a list of facts about Mars included with his original screenplay
ABOUTTHE 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.
Cast
Commander Christopher "Kit" Draper Paul Mantee
Friday Victor Lundin
Colonel Dan McReady Adam West
Barney, the Woolly Monkey Mona
Credits
Directed by Byron Haskin
Screenplay by Ib Melchior and John Higgins
Based on a story by Daniel Defoe
Produced by Aubrey Schenck
Executive producer Edwin F. Zabel
Director of photography Winton C. Hoch
Art direction Hal Pereira and Arthur Lonergan
Production designer Al Nozaki
Assistant directors Robert Goodstein and Arthur Jacobson
Makeup supervision Wally Westmore
Makeup artist Bud Bashaw, Jr.
Technical advisor Edward V. Ashburn
Edited by Terry Morse
Process photography Faciot Edouart Special effects by
Butler-Glouner, Inc., Lawrence W. Butler Sound recording by
Harold Lewis and John Wilkinson Music
Van Cleave
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