DVD Review by Maggie Woods | Les Maitres Du Temps

Les Mâitres du Temps

ANOTHER SCIENCE FICTION ANIMATED film from René Laloux in the same style as Gandahar is Les Mâitres du Temps (The Time Masters). A huge box office hit in France, Les Mâitres du Temps features art by famous comic artist Jean Giraud — aka Moebius.

Laloux's penultimate animated feature film was made in 1982 and combines his famous imagination with that of Giraud. Again, English subtitles are easy to read and do not detract from the beautifully presented film.

While trying to outrun an attack from giant hornets on planet Perdide, Claude crashes and is fatally injured. His small son Piel is left alone, but Claude's mayday message has reached his friend Jaffar, an adventurer travelling through space with Princess Belle and the renegade Prince Matton.

Jaffar's friend Silbad knows Perdide well and, while at his wonderful man-made island home, the three travellers watch Silbad save
some hatchlings — natty little creatures called shrews ("sweet little gnomes") who warn the humans to "close your minds" as they are telepaths. The adorable shrews stay with them, but there is someone who wants to sabotage the mission to go to Perdide and save Piel.

Jaffar and Belle keep in contact with Piel through "Mike", a transmitter, and try to advise him on keeping safe — Perdide is a dangerous planet with hordes of "brain-eating" hornets and other menacing creatures called sarpeels.

The film also has its fair share of cute creatures, out-of-this-world landscapes, brightly-coloured fruit, angel-like humanoids and the pirates of Gamma 10. There is also a shape-shifter called an Onyx: "Onyx fully controls his molecular structure and can mimic anything" — including, we see, a bouquet of flowers.

Piel is not safe on Perdide and time is running out. There are only certain times they can land on the planet and the race is on to save the little boy.

If you love science fiction and animation, this delightful film is for you.

Les Mâitres du Temps is a finely animated metaphysical rescue mission, previously seen in English-speaking countries as a dubbed version entitled Time Masters. The Masters of Cinema Series is "proud to present the original French version of Laloux's distinctive vision".

Special features include, as for Gandahar, the new high-definition restoration of the Laloux version original aspect ratio; newly translated optional English subtitles; original theatrical trailer; and a 16-page booklet with Laloux interview and artwork.

• Les Mâitres du Temps (The Masters of Time) was released for the first time on DVD (76 minutes) on 22 October at a RRP of £17.99 (Catalogue No EKA 40259; Barcode 5060000402599).

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