Part of Restoration Roundup
An entire civilization must confront its destiny in alternative-animation pioneer René Laloux’s final feature, a cult classic of mind-bending science fiction. In a distant world, a merciless army of automata attacks Gandahar, turning its peace-loving people to stone. Hoping to discover the source of these Men of Metal, a council of matriarchs enlists the brave yet inexperienced warrior Sylvain (Pierre-Marie Escourro), who, while journeying through his planet’s outer regions, teams up with the Deformed, a race cast out from Gandahar after failed science experiments rendered them mutants. Soon, Sylvain learns that a gargantuan brain called Metamorphis (Georges Wilson) is responsible for his utopian society’s strife and — together with the beautiful Airelle (Catherine Chevallier) — travels through time to defeat him, in the process risking their lives and Gandahar’s very existence. Featuring stunningly surreal creatures and wondrously bizarre environments designed by renowned comic-book artist Caza, GANDAHAR is a visceral, visionary head-trip in which animation opens a gateway to the furthest reaches of the imagination.
This new 4K Restoration presents the complete, uncut French original, the version American audiences never saw when the film reached the United States in 1988 as a shortened, redubbed cut called “Light Years.”
“Seeing this trippy, time-bending film as Laloux intended will convince you that Gandahar GANDAHAR deserves to be just as well known among animation aficionados as Laloux’s first feature, the 1973 cult classic FANTASTIC PLANET.” —Lee Jutton, Film Inquiry
“Nearly four decades after its original release, GANDAHAR continues to stand out as a unique blend of science fiction, fantasy and philosophical storytelling. The new 4K restoration offers both longtime fans and new audiences the opportunity to rediscover one of animation’s most imaginative and visually striking classics on the big screen.” —Sajin Shrijith, The Week