Rent Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955)

An intriguing curiosity - Journey to the Beginning of Time review by RJ

I was not even remotely aware of the films of Karel Zeman until I spotted them whilst browsing in the surprisingly good World Cinema section of my local HMV a few weeks ago. The descriptions on the back of the Blu Rays sounded quite interesting and the mention of mixing live action with animated creatures had me anticipating something in the mould of Ray Harryhausen's films, but in actual fact this film is like a distantly related cousin to Harryhausen's work. Yes, there are stop-motion animated creatures but there are also puppets, 2D animation, even a few actors in suits I think. More significantly, however, is the difference in tone and mood. Whilst Harryhausen's films generally involve high melodrama, extreme peril and a sense of epic adventure, Journey to the Beginning of Time is a quiet, understated film. Although it has the plot of a Boy's Own style adventure, it is presented more in the manner of an educational wildlife documentary.

The fantastical elements of the plot are depicted in a wholly matter-of-fact way. No explanation whatsoever is given as to how or why the boys are able to row down a river that takes them back in time; they simply desire to do so and that is quite enough. The boys travel back through various time periods, observing the flora and fauna of each one as they pass through. With a couple of brief exceptions, the creatures they encounter do not represent a direct threat to the boys; they just roam their habitats, minding their own business whilst the boys record their observations in their log book.

The mixing of live action and the various forms of animation is not always seamless, but in my opinion this does not in any way diminish the film. I just cannot help but admire the creativity and imagination involved in making films like this. The young cast all give surprisingly natural performances which are entirely in keeping with the calm, observational tone of the film.

These days I seem to find myself less interested in categorising the films I see as 'good' or 'bad' - instead what I am always on the hunt for are films which I find interesting, unusual, memorable or different in some way to what I have seen before, and this certainly fit the bill for me. The poignant, melancholic image of a wounded Stegosaurus taking its last few breaths whilst watching the sunset is just one of quite a few moments that I think I will remember for some time.