The Illusionist
Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD: "Space: 1999—The Complete Series," The Illusionist and Felix Austria!
“Space: 1999—The Complete Series”
1999 seemed a long way off in 1975 when “Space: 1999” debuted. It envisioned a lunar base with shuttle service to Earth, ray guns—a considerably more advanced space infrastructure than possible even today. The plastic model special effects look cheesy now and the pre-Star Wars aesthetic shows a future sterile, shiny and spotless. The plot device is clever: the moon is a dumping ground for nuclear waste (there’s an idea!) and—in episode one—the radioactive material ignites, sending the moon careening into deep space.
“Space: 1999” is an Anglo-Italian coproduction with an international cast and a pair of American stars. Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, costars of the original “Mission Impossible” and married in real life, play the lead roles as the lunar base-cum-wandering star ship proceeds on a space odyssey. The Blu-ray/DVD release includes all 48 episodes plus a disc of interviews and other bonus features.
The Illusionist
Edward Norton stars as Eisenheim, an illusionist of unusual gifts in circa 1900 Vienna. When his love interest Sophie (Jessica Biel) is slated to marry the sadistic crown prince, the political intrigue thickens. Paul Giamatti plays the police inspector caught in the middle. Elegantly composed by writer-director Neil Burger with tinted frames, The Illusionist (2006) suggests an early film produced with contemporary technology. The magic of stage conjurers is linked to the illusions of cinema.
Felix Austria!
This strange but intriguing 2013 documentary delves into the life of a young Californian who becomes absorbed in the culture of early 20th-century Vienna and a correspondent of the heir to Austria’s vacant throne, Otto von Habsburg. Felix Austria! follows Felix Pfeifle’s aesthetic quest and his meeting with Habsburg, an amiable old gentleman. They travel together to Sarajevo where the assassination of Habsburg’s ancestor sparked World War I. Identity and reinvention form the film’s subtext.
