Jeffrey, there was some further discussion about Old Dark House above, but yes, I agree that there is a potentially great DVD of this terrific film that I hope we see one day.
In the meantime, I'm going to buy that Kino disc, since from comments above it sounds a little better than I had feared.
Good move! It's certainly a worthy disc and besides, in keeping with my theory above, once you go ahead and buy it that may mean we'll suddenly get an official announcement of a "new release"!
But seriously, THE OLD DARK HOUSE is a must-have. If it never comes out again, at least you'll have the Kino version. And it's got a Gloria Stuart commentary and a wonderful recollection by the late Curtis Harrington as to how he saved this film from obscurity.
I'll be 40 next month and grew up watching these ole' Universal horror titles during the 1970s - when there was no such thing as cable, VHS, laserdisc, DVD, HD DVD, and Blu ray. Sometimes I'd have to fight with the antenna just to get a decent enough, but still snowy, picture to watch a film I was longing to see. The fact that a lion's share of these titles are available in uncut, good-looking prints almost qualifies as a miracle. The fact that The Old Dark House is available at all is also something of miracle. So, to my aging eyes, Kino's DVD looks quite fine.
Well, to be fair, these releases are meant for R1 only but the point was taken. There have been MANY R2 releases that were only available at bookstands so I understand people being upset. However, Mario knows that if he sends me the cash I'll gladly pick the sets up for him or he can get me a R2 release that I'm needing and we can trade.
If it weren't for these BB "deals" then we might not be getting any of these titles at all. If Universal is making extra cash to sell them through BB and this leads to future titles then I'm all for it. Again, many titles from the past few sets weren't even released on VHS so I'm a happy camper (even though I just bought a DVD-R of THE LEECH WOMAN two weeks ago).
I agree John. Just because THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) is my all-time favorite movie - tied with BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935), of course - I ordered the Network disc as soon as it came out (rather than waiting for the price to come down as I usually do with R2 DVDs). Well, at the very least, I was expecting it to be on a par with the Kino disc but I couldn't believe it when, a full 7 years after the R1 edition and with that restored 35mm print making the theatrical rounds, we were presented with such a wretched print! I was so disappointed that, after watching the disc in its entirety - including a typically informative and jovial Audio Commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones - I sold it off to my pal at the local DVD rental store!
Mario, consider the sets in your hands as I'll pick up double copies on release date. It'll be worth it just so that Joe and I can read your review of CAPTIVE.
Oops, guess I didn't read the entire thread before posting...my apologies.
Yeah, it's not horrible, not really bad at all actually, but it could be so much better, because the elements are out there.
It is definitely worth it for now, and the commentary and Curtis Harrington interview are indispensable. And the cover, featuring the original poster art, is absolutely sublime.
Re: the first Universal sci-fi classics set, wow, I'm glad I snagged that from Best Buy shortly after it came out...it didn't register with me that it would be such a limited deal. You gotta love having THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN in its proper aspect ratio at last, and I can more than live with the open-matte transfers of the others. Although, the packaging is mega-sucksville. I don't know what the hell they were thinking.
I wouldn't put it past me, of course, but as you often told me in the past, star ratings ain't enough to convey one's feelings/thoughts...which is why I'm investing so much effort in making my reviews so thorough, if nothing else!
By the way, Mike...you're THE man and, if you want some R2 DVD really bad, all you need do is drop me a line and I'll get it for you.
Yep, THE BLACK CAT is a highly enjoyable little movie, with a good cast and very atmospheric photography by Stanley Cortez. So buy the g-damn set already!
Hey, I didn't say that the '41 BLACK CAT is a better film than (let's say) BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN or PSYCHO, just that it's highly enjoyable if you like gorgeous photography, a good musical score and watching folks like Gale Sondergaard and Gladys Cooper chewing up some scenery. YMMV.
The whole Best Buy exclusive thing would make more sense if they actually stocked the damn things. I scoured the local stores for the Classic Sci-Fi set for a long time and came up with nada. And now it's OOP? Jeez louise.
Forgot about that; I was so disappointed, I didn't even listen to it before shuffling it off out of the door...there was a specious Ian McKellan interview too wasn't there?
Yes there was...but it's just fluff promo talk shot around the time of the theatrical release of GODS AND MONSTERS (1998). The Audio Commentary was good, though, and they come up with some astute interpretations which had even passed me by...