Battle Of The Worlds Restored By The Film Detective For Release As New Blu-ray And DVD Product Offerings On Aug. 09

The Film Detective announced this past week that a new 4K film restoration of director Antonio Margheriti’s 1961 (1963 domestic theatrical rollout) sci-fi thriller, Battle of the Worlds, will be heading home as both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings on Aug. 09.

A mysterious object has been discovered and it is heading for Earth.   But after careful analysis, an international astrophysics consortium headed by Professor Benson, determines that it will be a near-miss within the Moon’s orbit.  Whew, world saved!!

Claude Rains drew this key role and, coupled with some pretty solid special effects, Battle of the Worlds turned out to a most enjoyable sci-fi release.  Italian Spaghetti Westerns, sure, but Spaghetti Sci-Fi?

Rains, who was nominated for four Oscars (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, Mr. Skeffington and Notorious), turned in a stellar performance as Dryden in Lawrence of Arabia, which was filmed after Battle of the Worlds, but Margheriti’s English-dubbed theatrical release didn’t arrive on these shores until the spring of 1963, so having Rains as the star was a super bonus.

In a plot point that foreshadowed Independence Day, the mysterious object, which has now been dubbed “The Outsider,” suddenly slows down and goes into an orbit around Earth … gulp, that can’t be a good thing!!

In this version of the future, Earth not only has a Mars colony, but the ability to dispatch a spaceship to investigate our surprise visitor, but they encounter a fleet of flying saucers … it’s “war of the world.” 

Like David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum’s character) in Independence Day, Benson is able to interpret the “harmonics” of the saucers and defeat them.  Even though “The Outsider” is in a decaying orbit of our planet, he demands an expedition to the mysterious visitor to uncover its secrets … what scientific treasure await?

Or, will time run out and either “The Outsider” is destroyed … or, horror of horrors, it crashes into Earth!!

Bonus goodies include commentary by film historian Justin Humphreys and newly-minted featurette titled “A Cinematic Outsider: The Fantastical Worlds of Antonio Margheriti.”