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Centennial (1978). But since I'm the only person to have mentioned itI would think chances are mighty slim.

I agree with Mark. These must be among the last 'Roadshow' productions yet to receive the full DVD treatment. Is the delay caused by copyright problems? Does Anchor Bay own them or Miramax? With the upheavals at Miramax lately, might these movies have slipped through the cracks? HTF...

Great news indeed! But for those of us without projection systems what sort of effect, if any, does Smile-box produce on widescreen CTR televisions?

I thought you might be interested in this little known piece of movie history from the write-up on 'Ben-Hur' from the 'PlayUSA' DVD website:

Richard is absolutely correct regarding the R2 UK version and I would add that the picture quality is among the worst I've seen on a non-PD release. The PQ was actually better on the VHS which I'm keeping - but even that is only 1.85:1.

Douglas - PlayUSA.com did exactly the same to me. I returned the set to them over a week ago and haven't heard anything from them yet. In any case, I'm still hoping to receive the new box set from them soon.

El Cid and Fall of the Roman Empire to be released "in the near future" (2004/2005) the link says. It's fantastic news but it's also a year old. Anyone heard of any updates?

'Centennial' (1978)

Wasn't the 1925 'Ben-Hur' a remake of a 1907 version? It's disappointing that it was remade at all and right now we could be enjoying a DVD of the 1907 production. After all, it had nearly 100 extras and some beautiful painted backdrops. Do we really need all those so-called technical advances...

This was produced in Cinerama a system that, from its invention in the early 50s round to 1963, was filmed on three synchronised cameras, projected with three synchronised projectors onto three screens which, although joined, still had visible lines. All this was necessary to produce a deeply...

Darn it! Thanks Douglas, it looks like I bought too early. I would have loved a bit more of the Rozsa and Tiomkin music. Who knew... Still, I guess I'll stick with I've got until somebody (Miramax?) gets their act together and comes out with a special edition. Or something.

I bought all three of the movies you mention from the German branch of Amazon about two years ago. A friend also purchased 'The Magnificent Showman' from the same source - I think. It's German anyway. Here's what's not so good about them: They're in mono. There are no extras (unless you count...

I've lost track - is it Anchor Bay or Miramax that's supposed to have the rights to the Samuel Bronston epics (El Cid, Fall of the Roman Empire, 55 Days at Peking etc.)?

They Died With Their Boots On is an enjoyable, large-scale western with Errol Flynn as Custer but it is even more fictitious than Custer of the West. For accuracy (mostly), it's hard to beat Son of the Morning Star with Gary Cole - one of the biggest and best TV western mini-series made.

You're right, it is a good film. Saw it on TV many years ago. I think you'll find that many of the 'Mexican' exteriors were filmed in Spain.

If Mark is right about Miramax being prompted by people buying in other regions then perhaps I could add that I bought these three Bronston epics from Amazon, Germany. Basically, they're movie-only discs with little or no extras. However, they are in widescreen which means they beat any...

This was to have been released last Spring and I've had it on order since May. I was about to give up and cancel my order but now maybe I'll wait until the January 12 chat.

And "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines".

Thanks Kim for your helpful answer. And Gordon is right, the dubbing is pretty bad (although I've seen worse) so I'll be watching the rest of it in Russian. But even if for some reason anyone wanted to hear it in English throughout, be warned - you can't.

I'm getting through the recent Russcico SE of Bondarchuk's War and Peace. I have the sound set for English 5.1 audio. So anyone got any idea why it frequently swings from English to Russian with sub-titles and then back again - sometimes in mid-sentence?

Good news about the Mike Todd version. I haven't seen it properly presented since I saw it on the big screen over 40 years ago.

Any possiblity of 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'?

Yes, Miramax was said to be restoring these more than 18 months ago but I have been unable to find out anything since. The work was supposed to have been carried out on 'Empire' and 'Circus World' as well as 'El Cid' and '55 Days at Peking'. I started a similar thread to this some months ago...

Gary - you are right about Benny Hill being in 'The Italian Job' (which is available as a Region 2 DVD, don't know about Region 1). He was also in 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines', another Brit comedy (although it was produced by Fox) that I've asked about in several HTF threads...

Page is quite right about "Carry On Doctor" and there were several other 'medically' titled films in the series, like "Carry On Nurse". However, some of the early "Carry Ons" (they started in 1958) might seem rather basic and their humour may not travel well. However, some later productions...

Still no news on 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines' then?

Any dates on Around the World in 80 Days (the 1956 version I take it)?

I was hoping for news about 'Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'.

Many thanks Danny - Excellent news and very helpful.

Thanks Danny N. Can anyone recommend a dealer for the German discs?