For the latest slate of online store additions, 4xblu.com received Paul Verhoeven’s “Spetters,” “The Marriage of Maria Braun” by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” by Lotte Reiniger. Prior to making “Prince Achmed,” Reiniger — both a pioneering animator and female filmmaker — had produced a handful of animated short films (including “The Flying Coffer” and “The Secret of the Marquise,” two of the numerous extras included on this set). Based upon one of the most popular tales from the “Arabian Nights” collection of stories, “Achmed” — a “silhouette film” produced between 1923 and 1926 — is believed to be the oldest surviving feature length animated film. For years it was thought to have been lost when the negative was destroyed in 1945 during the Battle of Britain. However, the discovery of a second negative made by the British Film Institute led to the film’s revival in 1972.
New Additions: 10/21/16
For the latest slate of online store additions, 4xblu.com received Paul Verhoeven’s “Spetters,” “The Marriage of Maria Braun” by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” by Lotte Reiniger. Prior to making “Prince Achmed,” Reiniger — both a pioneering animator and female filmmaker — had produced a handful of animated short films (including “The Flying Coffer” and “The Secret of the Marquise,” two of the numerous extras included on this set). Based upon one of the most popular tales from the “Arabian Nights” collection of stories, “Achmed” — a “silhouette film” produced between 1923 and 1926 — is believed to be the oldest surviving feature length animated film. For years it was thought to have been lost when the negative was destroyed in 1945 during the Battle of Britain. However, the discovery of a second negative made by the British Film Institute led to the film’s revival in 1972.