IGNITE FILMS SETS LAUNCH DATE OF JULY 11, 2023
FOR RETAIL DISTRIBUTION OF THEIR AWARD-WINNING
4K RESTORATION OF THE 1953 TERRIFYING
CINE-COLOR SCI-FI CLASSIC
INVADERS FROM MARS (1953)
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 73 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video: 2160p Ultra HD Fullscreen (1.37:1)
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Cast: Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Morris Ankrum, Leif Erickson
Ignite Films, the Dutch company formed in 2005 by Jan Willem Bosman Jansen, lives up to its motto, “Classics for the Future,” with the award-winning sensational 4K restoration of William Cameron Menzies’ Invaders From Mars, the first title released under the Ignite Films label. The groundbreaking sci-fi classic will be released in partnership with MVD for retail sales in stores including Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and through online retailers including Amazon.com, on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 11, 2023, with
Pre-orders open now, announced Jan Willem Bosman Jansen, founder of Ignite Films.
“Following the successful launch on our website of our first release on the Ignite Films label in January 2023, we are excited to announce our partnership with MVD to invade US retail and Amazon, and more widely share our new 4K restoration of ‘Invaders from Mars’ with earthlings, both new fans and old,” said Jan Willem Bosman Jansen.
The must-have restoration for all Invaders From Mars fans, both Earthlings and Martians alike, features spectacular special bonus features on the 4K UHD and Blu-ray versions, including a restored 4K version of the original 1953 trailer and a newly commissioned 2022 remix of the trailer, an interview with the film’s star, Jimmy Hunt, an in-depth look at the restoration process led by Scott MacQueen, Restoration Supervisor, plus a new featurette about the film featuring interviews with directors Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), multiple Visual Effects Academy-Award winner Robert Skotak (Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and other luminaries. The DVD version does not include bonus materials.
The response to the love and attention to detail given to the restoration has been overwhelmingly positive. The restoration process was spearheaded by renowned film preservationist Scott MacQueen, former Head of Preservation at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. MacQueen and Jansen, of Ignite Films, literally scoured the planet to locate any and all materials to help ensure the restoration was as complete and true to the original as
humanly possible. The 4K restoration of INVADERS FROM MARS recently won the inaugural Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Jury Award for Restoration and Preservation, and the prestigious Rondo Awards for Best Blu-ray and Best Restoration.
Fearful memories of this timeless 1953 bone-chiller still haunt the dreams of fans who have never forgotten the story of David MacLean, a young boy (Jimmy Hunt) who witnesses an alien invasion. Invaders from Mars was filmed from a child's point of view, using exaggerated sets and upward angles. It became a modern classic and was also one of two early 50s classic alien-invasion science fiction films (the other is Robert Wise’s The Day the Earth Stood Still) reflecting Cold War tensions, the Red Scare and paranoid anxiety typical of many films in the 50s.
Invaders From Mars stars Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Morris Ankrum, Leif Erickson, and Hillary Brooke.
The 4K restoration was initially released exclusively by Ignite Films via direct sales on their website in January 2023, with a special slip-cover collectors edition of the 4K UHD still available there for collectors, along with other exclusive merchandise, including a limited-run autographed poster by the film’s star, Jimmy Hunt. The Big Pieces Company is supporting the release in the US and overseeing international sales.
Special Features:
- Restored 4K original 1953 trailer and a newly commissioned trailer 2022
- Interviews with star Jimmy Hunt, William Cameron Menzies’ biographer James Curtis and recollections of Menzies’ eldest granddaughter Pamela Lauesen
- Featurette with acclaimed film directors John Landis, Joe Dante, editor Mark Goldblatt, special visual effects artist and two time Oscar Winner Robert Skotak (foremost expert on Invaders from Mars), and enthusiast and film preservationist Scott MacQueen
- John Sayles’ introduction at Turner Classic Movies Festival in Hollywood, April 2022
- Before/after clips of restoration – original negative and archival film elements - with film restoration supervisor Scott MacQueen
- Restored segments in 2K of the Alternate International Version -- alternative ending and extended Planetarium scene
- Photo Gallery with original Press Book pages, behind the scenes photos from the restoration process
Official Website: http://www.InvadersFromMars1953.com
Order Link: https://www.Ignite-Films.com/products/invaders-from-mars
