We are living in a glorious age when previously hidden gems of the past are being given new life through the dedicated efforts of valiant boutique entities. Animation, in particular, is a field that is rapidly gaining a new appreciation as American audiences stretch beyond the stalwarts such as Disney and Hanna-Barbera and sample international offerings. Just last year, we were stunned by a new release of 1981’s mind-expanding psychedelic Hungarian fantasy film, Son of the White Mare. Just a few years later in 1984, Romania would get into the fray with its own fantastical adventure with the interplanetary journey Delta Space Mission from directors Mircea Toia and Călin Cazan. Originally conceived as a series of short films, this idea blossomed into a full-blown feature which radiates style and a radical sensibility. The film has never been widely available for American audiences, but Deaf Crocodile has once again come to the rescue with this progressive, utterly enjoyable work of art.
While many stories in the world of experimental animation can be a bit impenetrable, things are relatively straightforward with this narrative. The opening segment functions nearly like a travelog as the audience is introduced to the environment and all the key characters. The year is 3084 and young explorers Dan and Oana are working to prepare the launch of an advanced new space station alongside the help of their crew. Alma, an alluring blue-green skinned alien journalist, is covering the launch and mission when she is introduced to the incredible new super-computer, Delta. In awe of such a feat of engineering, Alma vocalizes her praise into the world. Taking cues from HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the sentient Delta takes in this admiration and twists it into an obsession that could prove fatal for the entire crew.
While this film is rapidly approaching forty years old, it is quite amazing to see how progressive some of the narrative elements seem. While Delta obviously has no gender, the male voice that is provided to it and some of the traits it exhibits aligns with what we understand about toxic masculine obsession. A single compliment sends this powerful entity into a tailspin as it begins to stalk Alma across space. The chase brings about incredible imagery including stone monsters, malicious robots and even water beings. Aided with the help of her “alien dog” Tin, a very good boy with a hankering for metal, Alma must survive hostile planets and worse – a dude who cannot take no for an answer. The thematic material is handled in a very assured and admirable way that strives to underline a larger point while never sacrificing the need for an entertaining story.
The animation style of the film is perfectly imperfect throughout; animation these days feels too reliant on being perfect so much so that it begins to feel soulless. There are the occasional hiccups in movement and landscapes, but it adds to the overall trippy vibes that the best animation embraces. The spry 70-minute runtime takes you to several different, inventive environments that dazzle you in various ways without ever overstaying the welcome. The film has a tremendous sense of propulsive energy that is complemented quite nicely by the synth score from Calin Ioachimescu. Delta Space Mission is more than just an animated curiosity from some decades past; the story at the core of this film is one that is timeless, and it has been brought to life beautifully by a talented band of artisans.
Video Quality
Delta Space Mission debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master derived from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera elements by Romanian Film Archive and CNC – Romanian Film Centre with additional digital restoration by Craig Rogers of Deaf Crocodile. The only word to describe this presentation is magnificent. The colors present in this transfer are outstanding with these vivid hues swirling amongst each other while maintaining crisp delineation. The textures of all of the environments look naturally filmic and give the feature a nice sense of depth. One of the areas where the feature really shines is the fluidity of the character designs as they relate to the environment. Black levels are strong with no serious issue of banding or compression issues. This Blu-Ray provides a practically immaculate presentation for some of the most interesting animation from this time period. Deaf Crocodile has done an outstanding job with this transfer in a way that should make anyone who decides to pick up this obscure gem extremely happy.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an LPCM 2.0 split mono track in the original Romanian (with optional English subtitles). Dialogue sounds perfectly clear without sound effects or the score trouncing on important information. The film employs some unique sound effects in the form of gadgets and blasters that are given the appropriate presence within the mix. The music adds an ominous note to the proceedings which is conveyed flawlessly here. The track handles atmospheric effects well all around. This is not a particularly dynamic presentation, but it presents everything accurately without much in the way of damage or other unwanted issues.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Kat Ellinger, author, film critic and editor-in-chief for Diabolique magazine, delivers a really informative commentary track in which she discusses the origins of the project, the vignette style of the narrative, the tone of the story, the “Eastern vs. Western” approach to animation, the influences of gothic and fairytale traditions and more. This is a great addition that fans of the film should definitely check out.
- Two Delta Space Mission Short Films: Two restored short films/episodes totaling 15 minutes are provided here which finds Dan and Oana coming into contact with some unfamiliar creatures along with another journey of exploration to an unknown world. These are “Planeta Oceanelor / The Planet of the Oceans” (1980, 7 min.) and “Recuperare ratata / Failed Towing” (1981, 7 min.), both directed by Victor Antonescu.
- Interview with Director Călin Cazan: Deaf Crocodile’s Dennis Bartok interviews Cazan who discusses his early childhood and career in Romania, his influences, the work of his co-director, the animation process of the time, his attempt to work in the United States, the film’s soundtrack and more. The only drawback to this piece is that Cazan can be a bit hard to understand at points and there are no subtitles provided.
- Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included in this release which features the essay “Delta Dawn: The Launch & Trajectory of Delta Space Mission” by Stephen R. Bissette which gives a great amount of context to the state of international animation of the time along with details about the creation of this project.
Final Thoughts
Delta Space Mission is an unbelievable piece of animation history which has been out of circulation for far too long. Not only is it notable from a historical context, but it is also immensely entertaining and thematically resonant even for a modern sensibility. The animation is free-flowing and gorgeous, and the characters make an impression during the deftly paced tale. Deaf Crocodile has released a terrific Blu-Ray in conjunction with Vinegar Syndrome which sports a top-tier A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. If you are open to embracing all that animation has to offer, do yourself a favor and seek out this ‘80s gem. Recommended
Delta Space Mission is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
