The new 4K restoration of the uncut French version of Gandahar is being released in New York City on August 28 before expanding nationally.
Man, who remembers the crop of great, strange, watch ’em in your buddy’s finished basement (probably after a couple of bong hits) animated classics like Heavy Metal, Fantastic Planet, Wizards, and the such? Pre-internet, popping these movies into your VHS or DVD player was like playing the freak-out lottery: What weird and wonderful delights awaited you were anyone’s guess.
And now, Janus Films has unleashed a new 4K restoration of one such title, the late French animator René Laloux’s Gandahar. Laloux was also the mind behind 1973’s better-remembered cult classic Fantastic Planet (aka La Planète Sauvage). Like that film, 1987’s Gandahar is a trippy (I promise not to use that word again in this review) visit to a far-out realm, only in this case it’s a land where soulless robots attempt to overtake a seemingly utopian society, and the battle for freedom must be fought not just in the here and now, but also 1,000 years in the future. Along the way, the dangers of genetic experiments, the consequences of creating an ultimate weapon, and the effect such decisions have on future generations are all explored. Also, clothing is optional for half of these characters (the female half, as was the wont of the time).
An edited and dubbed version of the film called Light Years was released in North America by (cough) Miramax Films in 1988.
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