Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ The Films of Mae West from Kino Lorber Studio Classics – in Blu-ray (3 Viewers)

[battlebeast]

From what I've heard, Universal/MCA had better knowledge of their asset inventory than most studios. The somewhat apocryphal story of "save the" "Brendan Fraser" version of The Mummy vs the Karloffs et al is that high res data and analogue versions of the earlier films had already been created and the new Mummy films were made using obsolete data storage/creations systems and the versions in that vault fire were more necessary to continue to be able to have the newer versions of The Mummy as future assets.

The music lost in the 2008 vault fire was a completely different issue as MCA/UMG kept on acquiring music companies and apparently were behind preserving and cataloging those assets.

The amount of master recordings lost in that fire is staggering. It’s a huge loss for the world.

 

[MikeDE]

Klondike Annie would have been one of her best, if not for the censorship problems. It’s disappointing that not all of these films are in better shape, but at least they should be better than what we have.

 

[RobertMG]

It's great news about the early films with improved picture quality; however I am disappointed about the condition of Belle Of The Nineties, which features Duke Ellington and Mae's introduction of the song My Old Flame, now a standard.

I also guess Klondike Annie's 8 minutes of censored footage are forever gone as well otherwise it would have been highlighted by Kino.

Really really off topic but this is really interesting - why would 8 minutes of censored footage be gone forever the same with missing footage from let's say Horsefeathers yet no one ever told us where the missing footage from Frankenstein was found would love to hear that story - love hearing on how missing film is recovered. Love the rumors for example that a collector in TX had the actual footage of the deleted scenes from "OZ."

 

[Robert Harris]

Really really off topic but this is really interesting - why would 8 minutes of censored footage be gone forever the same with missing footage from let's say Horsefeathers yet no one ever told us where the missing footage from Frankenstein was found would love to hear that story - love hearing on how missing film is recovered. Love the rumors for example that a collector in TX had the actual footage of the deleted scenes from "OZ."

The "It's Alive!" picture footage, along with close-ups of the syringes in the Monster's neck in the subjugation sene, was in the 1936 nitrate Lavender Picture Master. The Sound Lavender positive was cut & slugged at the spot with a censor date - this was the line "Henry in the name of God/ In the name of God now I know what it feels like to be God!". The Lake sequence was found in a nitrate print at the BFI, also censored (shots of Maria struggling in the water were eliminated, with cut backs to the Monster and her struggles). The picture portions were restored in 1984. In 2000 the missing audio for the Creation sequence was returned for the DVD from a collector's recording of Sound Discs he had access to in the 1960s.

 

[RobertMG]

The "It's Alive!" picture footage, along with close-ups of the syringes in the Monster's neck in the subjugation scene, was in the 1936 nitrate Lavender Picture Master. The Sound Lavender positive was cut & slugged at the spot with a censor date - this was the line "Henry in the name of God/ In the name of God now I know what it feels like to be God!". The Lake sequence was found in a nitrate print at the BFI, also censored (shots of Maria struggling in the water were eliminated, with cut backs to the Monster and her struggles). The picture portions were restored in 1984. In 2000 the missing audio for the Creation sequence was returned for the DVD from a collector's recording of Sound Discs he had access to in the 1960s.

What great history on rescuing film, thank you Mr. H! Now if we could just find Convention City, The Rogue Song, missing Marx Bros and Mae West scenes too.

 

[B-ROLL]

What great history on rescuing film, thank you Mr. H! Now if we could just find Convention City, The Rogue Song, missing Marx Bros and Mae West scenes too.

Well just don't get Greedy !

 

[RobertMG]

Well just don't get Greedy !

Would love it if Mr. Harris could do a post every so often telling us such great history. A great story is here in NYC area WPIX actually owns the Laurel and Hardy classic Babes In Toyland having acquired it through a series of misadventures. All PIX has is about 30 plus different prints including the famous Eastman House print from the late 1940's, It was discovered that PIX had the UNCUT version and had shown it for years before they too started airing a print that was edited. The Eastman House print contains the original title by the way. UCLA has the original nitrate camera neg according to Jeff Joseph LOC has the next best source. Trying to get PIX to understand they need to preserve the title before it will not able too is unbelievable - great story is that Quentin Tarantino wanted to show the film at his theater but could not find a suitable print. The ex GM of PIX understood this but they just sold the station again and we are told new GM has too much on his plate right now so it looks like another year will go by without restoration work being done. Will go back now to the subject of this thread thank you for letting me go a bit off topic!

 

[Robert Harris]

What great history on rescuing film, thank you Mr. H! Now if we could just find Convention City, The Rogue Song, missing Marx Bros and Mae West scenes too.

Why not The Patriot?

 

[B-ROLL]

Why not The Patriot?

My mom is a member of the Colonial Williamsburg Society and they sent her a copy of the DVD of Williamsburg—The Story of a Patriot a couple of years ago

They're apparently selling it on their site: link below

Remastering a Masterwork: Restoration of 'The Patriot' | The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site

Colonial Williamsburg - Experience life in the 18th century at America's largest outdoor history museum.

research.colonialwilliamsburg.org

Unless you were referring to the Roland Emmerich film which is out on 4K ...

!

 

[RobertMG]

My mom is a member of the Colonial Williamsburg Society and they sent her a copy of the DVD of Williamsburg—The Story of a Patriot a couple of years ago

They're apparently selling in on their site: link below

Remastering a Masterwork: Restoration of 'The Patriot' | The Colonial Williamsburg Official History & Citizenship Site

Colonial Williamsburg - Experience life in the 18th century at America's largest outdoor history museum.

research.colonialwilliamsburg.org

Unless you were referring to the Roland Emmerich film which is out on 4K ...
View attachment 97914 !

This great article too https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20040704-2004-07-04-0407040045-story.html

 

[RichMurphy]

Why not The Patriot?

Several years ago, I bought a friend to Williamsburg for the first time and took him to the orientation center to see "Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot". I warned him ahead of time that this was a tradition to see, and that while entertaining as a movie, the film itself now looked like crap. To our surprise, the film looked great, so much so that I bought the souvenir DVD at the gift shop. That wascally wabbit Robert A. Harris had struck again.

 

[Ross Gowland]

Well just don't get Greedy !

That reminds me. I must get up into the loft and go through those 42 cans of film my great uncle Gibson left behind.

 

[Robert Harris]

Several years ago, I bought a friend to Williamsburg for the first time and took him to the orientation center to see "Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot". I warned him ahead of time that this was a tradition to see, and that while entertaining as a movie, the film itself now looked like crap. To our surprise, the film looked great, so much so that I bought the souvenir DVD at the gift shop. That wascally wabbit Robert A. Harris had struck again.

I love SoaP.

 

[Jim*Tod]

Several years ago, I bought a friend to Williamsburg for the first time and took him to the orientation center to see "Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot". I warned him ahead of time that this was a tradition to see, and that while entertaining as a movie, the film itself now looked like crap. To our surprise, the film looked great, so much so that I bought the souvenir DVD at the gift shop. That wascally wabbit Robert A. Harris had struck again.

Having lived in Williamsburg in the last 70's/early 80's STORY OF A PATRIOT was something of a tradition. During that time anyone could go see it in its VistaVision/Todd Ao sound glory for free. So it was a cheap date and most of my friends and I knew every line in it. Our favorite "English goods are ever the best." I did see the Robert Harris restoration years ago. Not sure if it is still showing or if indeed it is still in the restored 70mm format. It is a unique film, in some ways now just as much a historical artifact as the time it depicts.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

This will be a day one for me. Thank you RAH.

 

[Garysb]

Indicator is releasing a 10 film box set "Mae West In Hollywood" in December (recently postponed from November). All these films plus "The Heat Is On" from Columbia. The is 10 films on 6 discs. This is region B locked. Of little interest I would guess with the Kino versions already released, except for those with region free players who love extras. I assume these are the same transfers. Cost is 50 pounds to the US plus 16 pounds shipping. Code "BUNDLE" takes 10% off this set so the cost is 45 pounds. Shipping stays the same.

MAE WEST IN HOLLYWOOD, 1932-1943 - LE​

Regular price£59.99
Default Title


Includes an exclusive double-sided poster only available with direct orders from this website (poster features original designs for She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel). While stocks last.

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (Archie Mayo, 1932)
SHE DONE HIM WRONG (Lowell Sherman, 1933)
I’M NO ANGEL (Wesley Ruggles, 1933)
BELLE OF THE NINETIES (Leo McCarey, 1934)
GOIN’ TO TOWN (Alexander Hall, 1935)
KLONDIKE ANNIE (Raoul Walsh, 1936)
GO WEST YOUNG MAN (Henry Hathaway, 1936)
EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY (A Edward Sutherland, 1937)
MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (Edward F Cline, 1940)
THE HEAT’S ON (Gregory Ratoff, 1943)
Release date: 13 December 2021
Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set (9 x UK Blu-ray premieres, 1 x World Blu-ray premiere)
When Mae West went to Hollywood in the early 1930s, she was already a major star. Having sensationalised Broadway, it was time for the movies to receive the same. Her fame allowed her control, picking her co-stars (including a young Cary Grant), receiving screenwriter credits, and baiting censors and audiences alike as the pre-Code era gave way to a more sanitised period in American filmmaking. This six-disc collection brings together all ten of West’s classic Hollywood features, from her supporting turn in 1932’s Night After Night to 1943’s musical extravaganza, The Heat’s On.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

• 4K restoration of I’m No Angel
• 2021 restorations of Belle of the Nineties, Go West Young Man and Every Day’s a Holiday from 4K scans
• 2018 restorations of Goin’ to Town and My Little Chickadee from 4K scans
• 2017 restoration of She Done Him Wrong from a 4K scan
• High Definition remasters of Night After Night, Klondike Annie and The Heat’s On
• Original mono soundtracks
• Audio commentary on She Done Him Wrong by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson (2021)
• Audio commentary on I’m No Angel by critic and writer Farran Smith Nehme (2021)
• Audio commentary on Klondike Annie by academic and curator Eloise Ross (2021)
• Audio commentary on Go West Young Man by writer and film historian Nora Fiore (2021)
• Mae West at UCLA (1971): archival audio recording of the great performer in conversation at the University of California, Los Angeles
• Introduction to My Little Chickadee by Dr Harriet Fields, granddaughter of W C Fields (2021)
• Lucy Bolton on Mae West (2021): the writer and academic discusses the irrepressible stardom of West
• Christina Newland on Mae West (2021): the writer and critic looks at West’s glamour and attitudes to sex
• Two Super 8 versions of I’m No Angel: a pair of original cut-down home-cinema presentations, each consisting of different scenes
• Super 8 version of The Heat’s On
• Original theatrical trailers
• New and improved subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by Iris Veysey, archival articles, contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• World and UK premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 6,000 numbered units
• MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

All extras subject to change
#PHILTD250
BBFC cert: PG
REGION B
EAN: 5060697921823

From Indicator:

We will be moving the release date of MAE WEST IN HOLLYWOOD, 1932–1943 to 13 December in order to allow us the time we need to accommodate an exciting new addition to this already expansive set. The BUNDLE OFFER will continue to be active until the next new-release announcement.

 

[bujaki]

Indicator is releasing a 10 film box set "Mae West In Hollywood" in December (recently postponed from November). All these films plus "The Heat Is On" from Columbia. This is region B locked. Of little interest I would guess with the Kino versions already released, except for those with region free players who love extras. I assume these are the same transfers. Cost is 50 pounds to the US plus 16 pounds shipping. Code "BUNDLE" takes 10% off this set so the cost is 45 pounds. Shipping stays the same.
View attachment 112568

MAE WEST IN HOLLYWOOD, 1932-1943 - LE​

Regular price£59.99
Default Title


Includes an exclusive double-sided poster only available with direct orders from this website (poster features original designs for She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel). While stocks last.

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (Archie Mayo, 1932)
SHE DONE HIM WRONG (Lowell Sherman, 1933)
I’M NO ANGEL (Wesley Ruggles, 1933)
BELLE OF THE NINETIES (Leo McCarey, 1934)
GOIN’ TO TOWN (Alexander Hall, 1935)
KLONDIKE ANNIE (Raoul Walsh, 1936)
GO WEST YOUNG MAN (Henry Hathaway, 1936)
EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY (A Edward Sutherland, 1937)
MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (Edward F Cline, 1940)
THE HEAT’S ON (Gregory Ratoff, 1943)
Release date: 13 December 2021
Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set (9 x UK Blu-ray premieres, 1 x World Blu-ray premiere)
When Mae West went to Hollywood in the early 1930s, she was already a major star. Having sensationalised Broadway, it was time for the movies to receive the same. Her fame allowed her control, picking her co-stars (including a young Cary Grant), receiving screenwriter credits, and baiting censors and audiences alike as the pre-Code era gave way to a more sanitised period in American filmmaking. This six-disc collection brings together all ten of West’s classic Hollywood features, from her supporting turn in 1932’s Night After Night to 1943’s musical extravaganza, The Heat’s On.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES

• 4K restoration of I’m No Angel
• 2021 restorations of Belle of the Nineties, Go West Young Man and Every Day’s a Holiday from 4K scans
• 2018 restorations of Goin’ to Town and My Little Chickadee from 4K scans
• 2017 restoration of She Done Him Wrong from a 4K scan
• High Definition remasters of Night After Night, Klondike Annie and The Heat’s On
• Original mono soundtracks
• Audio commentary on She Done Him Wrong by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson (2021)
• Audio commentary on I’m No Angel by critic and writer Farran Smith Nehme (2021)
• Audio commentary on Klondike Annie by academic and curator Eloise Ross (2021)
• Audio commentary on Go West Young Man by writer and film historian Nora Fiore (2021)
• Mae West at UCLA (1971): archival audio recording of the great performer in conversation at the University of California, Los Angeles
• Introduction to My Little Chickadee by Dr Harriet Fields, granddaughter of W C Fields (2021)
• Lucy Bolton on Mae West (2021): the writer and academic discusses the irrepressible stardom of West
• Christina Newland on Mae West (2021): the writer and critic looks at West’s glamour and attitudes to sex
• Two Super 8 versions of I’m No Angel: a pair of original cut-down home-cinema presentations, each consisting of different scenes
• Super 8 version of The Heat’s On
• Original theatrical trailers
• New and improved subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by Iris Veysey, archival articles, contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• World and UK premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited edition of 6,000 numbered units
• MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

All extras subject to change
#PHILTD250
BBFC cert: PG
REGION B
EAN: 5060697921823

From Indicator:

We will be moving the release date of MAE WEST IN HOLLYWOOD, 1932–1943 to 13 December in order to allow us the time we need to accommodate an exciting new addition to this already expansive set. The BUNDLE OFFER will continue to be active until the next new-release announcement.

I decided to order this set over the separate Kino releases. It's more thorough.

 

[ahollis]

The only one that is not on Blu-rays from Kino is The Heat’s On, which I have on DVD, and expect Sony or Mill Creek to release on Blu-ray within the next year, I do not see any of the Extras that attract my attention that are not on the Kino discs. So this is a non purchase for me.

 

[Brian W.]

Love the rumors for example that a collector in TX had the actual footage of the deleted scenes from "OZ."

Where did you hear this rumor? This is the first I've ever heard of it.

 

[RobertMG]

Where did you hear this rumor? This is the first I've ever heard of it.

In the early to mid 1980's I was very close friends with a honcho at MGM in NYC his name was Dennis Murphy. Sadly he lost his job when Ted Turner bought MGM he told me that there was a collector in TX who had the footage and footage that was scrapped from other MGM features they had tried to get the material but he would not co-operate.