Product description

Quatermass 2 [1957]

Price: £18.23
RRP: £15.99
Average customer rating: 4.5

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5019322061557
Label : Simply Media
Manufacturer : Simply Media
Publisher : Simply Media
Release date : 2003-03-31
Title : Quatermass 2 [1957]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 12 years and over
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1957-06-17
Region code : 2
Running time : 81
Studio : Simply Media
Theatrical releaseDate : 1957-09
Number of discs : 1

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-09-10 rating:

A Classic !
This absolutely chilling film is one of the classic horror/ sci-fi movies. Its frightening premise still works well and the scene in which a party of visitors is taken through the "food processing" complex is truly terrifying in its understated sense of menace. Don't expect digital monsters or a gore feast but enjoy a much more subtle approach to terror.

review by: date: 2006-02-19 rating:

Not a review just a question.
I'm really confused. Does this disc contain the original 1953 version or the 1955 version? I'm an American viewer (love a lot of the british scifi and horror series from the BBC) and would like to see all the versions if I can get ahold of them. However, I'm really confused by the reviews I see, not only here, but, on www.imdb.com as well. Can anybody point me in the right direction and tell me which Sets or single discs I should buy?

review by: mynameissally date: 2005-06-22 rating:

Hammer hits
Hammer turned out a mixed bag of films, ranging from the frightful to the fantastic. The Quatermass films were among the best - and they got better. "The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955) was very good, "Quatermass 2" (1957) was even better and "Quatermass and the Pit" (1967) was better still. They all involve very different kinds of invasions of Earth by completely unrelated aliens and in each case, it's the brilliant and resourceful Quatermass whose involvement is crucial in the fight against the invader.

The Director, Val Guest, was given the job of editing Nigel Kneal's original, wonderful scripts, in order to condense each 3 hour series into films of less than one and a half hours. He had to make some radical chops and changes and Nigel Kneal was not entirely pleased about some of them. He was particularly unhappy about Hammer's choice of actor to play Quatermass, that meant changing his quiet, kindly English professor to a charmless, overbearing American. If you also happen to love the original series (as I do), you'll sympathise with Kneal. Brian Donlevy is nothing like Kneal's creation. But it's also easy to see the problem from Guest's point of view. He had to reduce the running time of each series by more than half and Donlevy is a brisk Quatermass, striding from scene to scene without pausing to ponder, debate or doubt the efficacy of his actions. Not only was there no time for the thoughtful deliberation of a careful, scholarly English prof. but it was decided that the films must have a well known American actor in the lead role if they were to sell in America. No wonder Guest was so pleased to have bagged Donlevy to play Quatermass.

So the films differ considerably from the BBC series they're based upon. Even so, these films are still very good and a remarkable achievement in light of the challenges: the time allowed for the films, the limited budget and technology. They include some fine actors. Look out for Richard Wordsworth, Thora Hird, Gordon Jackson, Lionel Jeffries, Jack Warner and even a very young Jane Asher in "The Quatermass Xperiment". In "Quatermass 2" you'll spot Syd James, Bryan Forbes, William Franklyn and Michael Ripper. There are no subtitles unfortunately. The sound on both films is fairly clear most of the time but there are a couple of occasion when subtitles would have been helpful. There are two booklets of viewing notes included with the package, one for each film and both worth a read.

I recommend these films and also Hammer's "Quatermass and the Pit" (my personal favourite) that isn't included in this package. And if you want the full glory of the full story, I would recommend that you search Amazon for "The Quatermass Collection" which includes all three BBC series.

review by: fizzy_drink date: 2003-10-05 rating:

Invaders from outer space threaten the very existence of man
The other reviews say it all really so I will just add the following to explain my 4/5 rating. This is a very nice DVD but the print quality in my opinion does not quite match the ROAN Group’s issue of this Hammer classic on laserdisc. I recently sold my LD to buy this and “yes” it lovely to see it on a more convenient & durable format with a few extra features. You may be interested to know that the laserdisc version contained both an audio commentary and a very nice reproduction press kit produced for the films cinematic release. (ENJOY!)

review by: Dr. Alan S. Altman date: 2003-04-24 rating:

I thought I was dreaming...but here it is!
As a young teen here in the States, I saw "Quatermass 2" in a local theater and thought it to be superior film-making. This example of UK Sci-fi has been most professionally done and is far superior to the "War of the Worlds" or even "Forbidden Planet" special effects-based American attempts. I have been looking for it ever since the advent of VHS tape. There was a time when I woundered if it was a figment of my imagination since so few people in the US had ever heard of it and it has never appeared on American television. "Quatermass 2" is a serious attempt at quality filmaking in the Robert Wise "Day the Earth Stood Still" genre. While escapist in theme, the filmakers obviously did a most thorough job in presenting the piece with an almost "film noir" look to it. It was always a dream of mine to see it once again. See this film! You will not be dissapointed.

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