The Adventures of Prince Achmed

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MichaelB
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The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#1 Post by MichaelB » Fri May 03, 2013 11:54 am

Lotte Reiniger's beautiful animation with a wealth of previously unreleased films as extras.

Out on 19 August in a dual-format edition.

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
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Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#2 Post by TMDaines » Fri May 03, 2013 1:35 pm

I know that there has been a few sets of Reiniger's work recently. Be interesting to see the extras. I'll definitely be upgrading anyway.

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L.A.
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Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#3 Post by L.A. » Fri May 03, 2013 2:43 pm

Wonderful! \:D/

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antnield
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Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#4 Post by antnield » Sat May 04, 2013 11:31 am

The Adventures of Prince Achmed was the first feature-length animation in film history, created by Lotte Reiniger and hand-tinted frame by frame. Based on 'The Arabian Nights', this classic film tells the epic tale of Prince Achmed, who is tricked into mounting a magical flying horse by a wicked sorcerer. The horse carries Achmed off on a series of adventures, over the course of which he joins forces with a young Aladdin, battles ogres and monsters and romances the beautiful Princess Peri Banu.

Newly mastered to High Definition, this exquisite film is presented with the original Wolfgang Zeller score, as well as a newly-created track which combines Zeller score with a voice over (by actress Penelope McGhie) based on Reiniger's own telling of the tale.

Also included in this Dual Format Edition is an extensive selection of Lotte Reiniger's celebrated animated shorts, including The Lost Son, Star of Bethlehem, The Flying Coffer and the 'Dr Dolittle' films (Trip to Africa, In Cannibal Lane, The Lion's Den).

Special Features

- New High Definition transfer of the film
- All films presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
- Original Wolfgang Zeller score
- Optional narration soundtrack
- The Flying Coffer (1921, 9 mins): the Emperor of China banishes his daughter's mortal suitors in Lotte Reiniger's first film using silhouette animation
- The Marquess Secret (1922, 2 mins): early advertising film for Nivea
- Dr Dolittle and His Animals (1928, 31 mins): a series of three short films about the famous doctor and his menagerie
- The Lost Son (14 mins): a prodigal son returns in Lotte Reiniger's colour version of the biblical story
- Star of Bethlehem (18 mins): three wise men follow the star to Bethlehem animated in colour by Lotte Reiniger

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#5 Post by Gregory » Sat May 04, 2013 11:44 am

The Adventures of Prince Achmed was the first feature-length animation in film history...
Untrue, but it's the earliest surviving one, since Quirino Cristiani's earlier works are lost.
This looks like a valuable set, though it would have been nice to see a documentary on Reiniger included.

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MichaelB
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Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#6 Post by MichaelB » Sat May 04, 2013 11:58 am

I suspect there'll be ample background info in the booklet.

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HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#7 Post by HerrSchreck » Sat May 04, 2013 2:09 pm

Majorly cool, I love this film. South Park is unaware of its debt to this film (or maybe they are aware, who knows).

Interesting to see the extras.

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#8 Post by colinr0380 » Sat May 04, 2013 3:26 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:Majorly cool, I love this film. South Park is unaware of its debt to this film (or maybe they are aware, who knows).
Not to mention that a certain sequence in the Harry Potter films shows a big Reiniger influence

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Lemmy Caution
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:26 am
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Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#9 Post by Lemmy Caution » Sat May 04, 2013 4:33 pm

One of the other editions has a nice extra in which we visit with Reiniger at home and in her workshop where she demonstrates how she animates a character. As I recall whatever edition I had didn't have English subtitles for that extra, but it wasn't terribly necessary as it's relatively easy to follow the process.

Edit: I guess that would be the Image Enterainment 2002 edition with
"Special Features: Lotte Reiniger: Homage to the Inventor of the Silhouette Film, a 60-minute documentary written and directed by Katja Raganelli.
I don't remember the extra doc being that long and that should be subbed in English, I'd assume. I think my most recent viewing of Prince Achmed was from a German edition which had something more along the lines of 15 mins of mostly workshop footage.
I probably have 3 different editions of the film.
A great film.

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#10 Post by Gregory » Sat May 04, 2013 4:59 pm

The Raganelli documentary on the Image/Milestone DVD is a fairy conventional documentary rather than a visit to Reineger's workshop. It uses English voiceovers rather than subtitles.

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knives
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Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#11 Post by knives » Sat May 04, 2013 5:04 pm

Perhaps he's thinking of the good extra that was featured on BFI's Fairy Tales set.

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MichaelB
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Re: The Adventures of Prince Achmed

#12 Post by MichaelB » Fri Jul 19, 2013 6:57 am

Full specs announced:
The Adventures of Prince Achmed
(Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed)
A film by Lotte Reiniger

Three years in the making, Lotte Reiniger's beautiful 1926 silhouette animation, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, brings to life magical tales from the Arabian Nights. The earliest surviving animated feature film – preserved in the BFI National Archive – it has been hailed as one of the world’s most innovative and influential animations. On 19 August 2013, the BFI releases The Adventures of Prince Achmed on Blu-ray for the first time in a Dual Format Edition with a newly recorded narration and the original orchestral score, along with a selection of Lotte Reiniger's short films.

Handsome young Prince Achmed is brave and eager for adventure, so when the most powerful sorcerer in the world challenges him to fly a magic horse, Achmed plunges headlong into a series of exciting escapades which take him from Baghdad to China via the enchanted spirit lands of Wak-Wak.

Made in card, cut entirely by hand, and then manipulated using sheets of lead joined by wires, Reiniger’s exquisite shadow characters move intricately through colourful worlds of demons, witches, beautiful princesses and flying castles. The incredible talent and creativity shown here has influenced the animation in other films including Snow White, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and The Sword in the Stone.

Special Features
• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition;
• Original orchestral score by Wolfgang Zeller;
• Newly recorded alternative narration based on Lotte Reiniger's own translation of her German text Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed, spoken by actress Penelope McGhie;
The Adventures of Dr Dolittle (Lotte Reiniger, 1928, 30 mins): a series of three short films based on the classic stories by Hugh Lofting;
The Flying Coffer (Lotte Reiniger, 1921, 8 mins): a poor young fisherman tries to rescue the Emperor of China's daughter who is imprisoned in a sky high pagoda;
The Secret of the Marquise (Lotte Reiniger, 1922, 2 mins): an early advert for Nivea skin care products;
The Lost Son (Lotte Reiniger, 1974, 14 mins): the New Testament parable animated in Lotte Reiniger's inimitable style;
The Star of Bethlehem (Lotte Reiniger, 1956, 18 mins): the nativity story with music by Peter Gellhorn, performed by the Glyndebourne Festival Chorus;
• Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays by Jez Stewart and Philip Kemp and a contribution by Marina Warner.

Product Details
RRP: £19.99 / cat. no. BFIB1165 / Cert PG
Germany / 1926 / tinted and toned / silent, German intertitles with English subtitles / 67 mins / Original aspect ratio 1.33:1
Disc 1: BD50 / 1080p / 24fps / PCM mono audio (48k/16-bit)
Disc 2: DVD9 / PAL / Dolby Digital mono audio (320kbps)
And here's The Secret of the Marquise, Reiniger's 1922 skincare ad.

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