Master fantasist Karel Zeman once again dips into the imagination of Jules Verne and comes up with this fascinating tale of juvenile adventure. “The Stolen Airship” is nominally based on Verne’s “Two Years' Vacation”, but adds elements of “Mysterious Island” and other fantastic adventures. The young heroes of the tale are five boys who steal a balloon from a county fair and set off for adventure. But their craft is destroyed in a storm and they wind up on a desert island. There they encounter many amazing things, including strange beasts, mutineers and Captain Nemo and his submarine, ‘The Nautilus’. There’s a spy (with a removable arm) and a whole host of odd and fascinating aircraft and machines. Zeman creates a dazzling array of visual images using stop-motion and hand drawn animation combined with a layout of backgrounds designed to look like moving woodcut pictures from old children's books. Combine his understated sense of humor and you have the recipe for a classic adventure for young and old.DVD EXTRAS Le Dirigeable Fantastique (1907) - The always imaginative George Méliès creates his own vision of an imaginary airship. (B&W, Silent with a new music score). Voyage To Jupiter (1909) - An early French fantasy film in which a magical scholar takes a trip to the fifth planet only to receive a rather unwelcome reception. (B&W, Silent with a new music score). The Flying House (1921) - Animator Winsor McCay sends a married couple on an unlikely journey around the universe while still in their own bed. (B&W, Silent with a new music score).
R**M
Neglected Zeman Gem
The 'product description' included for this DVD pretty well sums up the essence of the film's storyline but I would add that I found this to be one of the most all around enjoyable movies produced by Czech fantasy film-maker Karel Zeman that I have seen. People who are familiar with Zeman's work will find all of his trademark stylistic elements well represented in this imaginative tale which celebrates, and brings to life, the writings & visions of Victorian period SciFi author Jules Verne. Live actors are blended with animated artworks to create an atmosphere reminiscent of the fanciful engravings that illustrated the books and magazines of Verne's day. Zeman's artistry makes even the most fantastic inventions appear plausible and the story contains many examples of fabulous machinery... a 'Steampunk' lovers dream!Zeman often injects some sly political satire into his works and I found 'The Stolen Airship' to be one of the most 'amusing' of his pieces that I have viewed. Visual puns abound and the sheer cleverness of some of his mechanical creations caused many a chuckle as the plot unfolded. Zeman uses a subdued color palette that creates the feeling of old 'tinted' photographs and adds to the 'period' feeling of all the imagery. This disk also has 3 additional short subjects included that are of an earlier vintage than Zeman's feature piece but have similar subject matter and show examples of some of the early fantasy film-makers works that influenced Zeman (such as George Melies).Zeman's films may be considered a bit 'quaint' by modern special effects standards but he represents a prime example of the vanishing breed of 'solo' visionaries who hand-crafted his filmic fantasies. The quality of the DVD transfer is very good. The sound is in Czech language with English subtitles. My only 'beef' with the product was that the (sole) 'distributor' would only ship to addresses within the U.S. which created a bit of a hassle in getting the disc to Canada. Otherwise - a great film - highly recommended!
W**D
Fun, maybe a little campy
The plot works well enough: sort of a pastiche of pirate, spy, castaway stories and more, with slightly goofy airships of many designs. Some with engines, or oar-like wings, or bicycle propulsion, and a similar look in the aging Captain Nemo's Nautilus - of the era for steam-punk, but not nearly as serious.But really, it's the whole look that makes this special. Backgrounds evoke Edward Gorey's from the PBS "Mystery" show. Animation might have been learned from (or taught to) Terry Gilliam, and general buffoonery oozes from the people most desperate to be taken seriously. And stripes - anything anywhere, clothing, walls, backgrounds, anything - is covered in stripes. It's almost Zeman's trademark, but I find it a bit hard to look at after a while. And the color, or lack: the old-timey look is bolstered by the sepia tones, overlaid with gradient filters. You really see what Sky Captain was trying to emulate.If it's a rainy Saturday (like mine today) and you've already been through your Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, give this a shot. The acting might look more modern, but the visual style won't be far off. Enjoy!-- wiredweird
J**P
Karel Zeman, a unique & true visionary (what an overused & devalued descriptor!)
If you love the films of Karel Zeman then this definitely is worthy of a look-see. Not as spectacular or droll as his “Invention of Destruction” or “Baron Munhausen” (still my favorite) films, “The Stolen Airship” is in the same vein (was this perhaps around the time of the Soviet crackdown, and financing became more difficult), I would liken it story-wise to Zeman’s “Journey to the Beginning of Time,” featuring a band of boys on a grand adventure. Great fun, lovingly visualized in a 19th-century (some would call, “steampunk”) storybook fashion.
L**N
Product and delivery OK...movies wasn't to good
I'm not rating the delivery, or quality of the product...Just wasn't a very good movie. I was very disappointed since I enjoyed the Fantastic World of Jules Verne so much
J**T
Three Stars
It's different but not bad.
M**I
subtitles
the faster the actors talk the less I read. Picture was fair and color was so so.I would not give it the thumbs up .
T**L
Karel Zeman films are essential for the special effects fan and student.
This film comes with English subtitles and the transfer is very good. Zeman's extensive use of miniatures, mattes and stop motion animation are a joy to behold.
S**T
Two Stars
Poor video quality.
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