I don't have much more to say about Message From Space, especially since I already devoted like a lot of posts to it already (an entire category, in fact), except to say that its my favourite Japanese anything ever and the sublime Symphonic Suite LP from the Those Guys at Columbia Records is yet another contender for the title of "1978 space war soundtrack-to-beat". I could have scanned the cropped LP cover, but here's the full Toei promo art for the Golden Week release. Vic Morrow was right, you know, "There are more beautiful dreams in space...." And here's all the proof you need.
So where are the garage kits of the Prayerstar? I know there's a somewhat clunky Popy/Bandai diecast
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w27377219
(but at least it SHOOTS), but where's the resin love?
There needs to be a US DVD release of this. There really does.
Course I could make an effort to grab this LD...
http://page5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e73737652
No region coding! but probably no English dub either...
Posted by: Steve Harrison | August 12, 2008 at 11:31 PM
I had that LD before I upgraded to the R2 DVD. Reviewed it for Video Watchdog, in fact (no English dub on it, srry). I want this Earth Defense Force Battleship from Wonderfest soooofucking bad...
http://bills-kitchen.com/jpn06/b044.jpg
Posted by: Patrick Macias | August 13, 2008 at 12:19 AM
Who did the American release/dub?
Posted by: danno! | August 13, 2008 at 06:40 AM
I heard that there was gonna be a Message From Space panel at AWA this year. What's up with that?
Posted by: danno! | August 13, 2008 at 06:46 AM
Message from Space was released in the US by United Artists, who I thought was dead and gone and absorbed by MGM but UA seem to have revived.
I make the dangerous assumption that with all the buyouts since the '80s the American rights to Message from Space are currently held by Warner Brothers. ( UA> MGM > Turner > Time/Warner > AOL/Time/Warner > Warner)
But it's surely possible they could sublet the rights to some company that had an interest in releasing it.
OTOH it might magically show up as a double feature on DVD with no warning. Warner has started a line of such discs as Best Buy Exclusives (limited release, not available online, only in stores), one in particular that got me excited was the double feature 'Battle Beneath the Earth' and 'The Ultimate Warrior'
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8879797&st=70's&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1887431
These are utterly bare bones releases, not even a screen for scene selection, just choose your audio, pick one of the movies and that's it. But they look pretty darn good for bare bones.
So who knows, one day we might be all sitting here and suddenly we'll find The Green Slime and Message From Space as a double feature disc...
As to the panel, it's one of the greatest crimes of the world that it's going on and I'm not there.
Posted by: Steve Harrison | August 13, 2008 at 09:12 AM
Well, my copy of Green Slime is off air Turner Classic Movies which jibes with your Time/Warner call. TCM also showed one of my all time favorite mess with your head movies, Body Snatcher from HELL. I'd love to see both of those movies on R1 DVD.
Posted by: danno! | August 13, 2008 at 09:23 AM
Goke was inches away from a R1 release at one point, but the company that was going to release it shut down before it could happen. There's supposed to be a decent PAL release for the UK...
Posted by: Patrick Macias | August 13, 2008 at 09:28 AM
I saw the Ginga Taisen TV series as a kid. Have been fascinated with it ever since. I finally managed to watch Japanese only copy of the movie and still looking for a subtitled or even dubbed version.
Thanks a lot for the opening theme.
Posted by: Gerd | October 11, 2009 at 12:08 AM