Anthony Mann Westerns, etc...Universal>Criterion?, MGM/WB, Paramount (1 Viewer)

[Jon Hertzberg]

THE FAR COUNTRY was just shown cropped on AMC the other day and it got me thinking again about all those great Anthony Mann-Jimmy Stewart collaborations, done mostly through the auspices of Universal.

I already own Columbia's THE MAN FROM LARAMIE and I would love to add WINCHESTER '73, THE FAR COUNTRY, BEND OF THE RIVER, THUNDER BAY, and THE GLENN MILLER STORY from Universal. Perhaps these, or some of these, could be licensed out to Criterion. I'm especially interested in the westerns. From Warner's MGM library, THE NAKED SPUR and Paramount's STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND.

How about these other Mann titles?

Warner (MGM): BORDER INCIDENT, SIDE STREET, DEVIL'S DOORWAY, THE TALL TARGET, CIMARRON
Paramount: THE TIN STAR, THE FURIES
Columbia: THE LAST FRONTIER
Warner: SERENADE
MGM (UA): MEN OF THE WEST
???: EL CID

Jon

 

[Eric Peterson]

Second me, on most of those titles. I'd gladly buy Winchester '73, Bend of the River & the remaining Mann & Stewart compilations.

 

[Jim_K]

:b double post

 

[Jim_K]

I've been begging for most of those for quite some time. :frowning:
Universal has a lot to be desired when it comes to their handling of classic films on DVD (outside of Hitchcock).
Since Universal & Criterion have a working relationship a CC version of Winchester '73 would be a dream. Criterion certainly needs some westerns in their DVD catalog.
El Cid & fall of the Roman Empire were either on schedule last year or just rumored but those 2 never came through.
I also asked MGM about Man of the West in last years chat.
Other than this that's all I know about any of Mann's films coming to DVD. Its a shame such a great director is so under-represented on DVD.

 

[Dave B Ferris]

Great post!

If Mann directed it, I'll buy it on DVD.

And, while we're at it, let push for DVD's from the great but neglected director of Westerns, Budd Boetticher.

 

[Christian R]

EL CID and FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (as well as CIRCUS WORLD and 55 DAYS AT PEKING)are finally being released in widescreen...but you gotta be able to play R2 PAL. The German DVDs from EMS will be in English (no word yet on the sound format, altough EL CID will definitely be in stereo)I've basically given up on Miramax doing ANYTHING with these four films, so I'll order these (reasonably priced at 14.99 EURO)from Europe. Just in case any one else is interested I just thought I'd share this info...

 

[Gabe Oppenheim]

I just saw Man of the West and The Naked Spur on the big screen (thank you, Gene Siskel Film Center!) and would be interested in buying nearly all of these titles on DVD.
Thanks for bringing this up; I was thinking about the lack of Mann on DVD while viewing those two films.

 

[Randy_M]

How about Mann's noir films, nicely represented in a little 3 film box set by the Roan Group. It was once an Ebert Video Pick, that's how I found out about it...may be out of print now

 

[Ben Motley]

Randy, I was just gonna say.
Yes, the Roan set is very nice, but Troma doesn't offer it anymore, so I am afraid it probably is out of print. I see it from time to time on eBay, and not for too much.

But, it would be in any noir or Mann fan's best interest to seek out the set.

 

[Jim_K]

I guess I've been living under a rock for a while. I wonder how this passed me by. :frowning:
Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Mark Anthony]

With regard to the 4 Bronston epic's...the delay to the R1 Miramax releases, now not due out 'till next year, is due to the huge amount of visual and audio restorational work that these 65mm epics needed doing to them before they are acceptable for the modern home viewer.

Whether this is purely digital work or a film project I have no idea - but seeing as how they are taking their time over it and when Disney want's to restore something properly the results are often excellent, these will probably be worth the wait.

They are also apparantly assembling a handsome set of supplements...BTW if the results of the Criterion laserdisc are anything to go by, the 35mm master used for El Cid (which was salvaged 10 years ago by Martin Scorsese) is still in need of a lot of work and so if the region 2 dvd's are using this as a source I would not be too hopefull for the results.

M

 

[Douglas R]

I doubt whether the German versions of El Cid and Fall of the Roman Empire will be any better than the French issues The French versions are anamorphic wide screen but lack the Overture, Intermission and Exit Music or any extras. If the German versions are anything like the UK versions issued by Universal they should be avoided like the plague! I'm sure the R1 Miramax discs, when they eventually appear, will be the definitive versions.

 

[ChristianLiemke]

The details for the german E-M-S DVDs:
El-Cid
1993 US-restored version
08/27/2002
- 173 Min. [PAL]
- 2.35:1 anamorphic
- German and English DD 2.0 mono
- No subtitles
- Biographies and filmographies
- Trailer
The Fall of the Roman Empire
08/27/2002
- 162 Min. [PAL]
- 2.35:1 anamorphic
- German and English DD 2.0 mono
- No subtitles
- Biographies and filmographies
55 Days in Peking
August 2002 (no exact date announced)
- 147 Min. [PAL]
- 2.35:1 anamorphic
- German and English DD 2.0 mono
- No subtitles
- Biographies and filmographies
- Trailer
Circus World
August 2002 (no exact date announced)
- 133 Min. [PAL]
- 2.35:1 anamorphic
- German and English DD 2.0 mono
- No subtitles
- Biographies and filmographies
- Trailer
Source: http://www.dvd-inside.de/archiv/0802/020802-2.htm

 

[Mark Anthony]

These details pretty much seal the fate for these german discs....mono for films originally shown in varying 70mm multi-track stereophonic formats, 2.35 (presumably 35mm sourced) transfers for films which should be in their 65mm 2.21:1 ratio's - except for Roman Empire that should be in it's photographed 2.76:1 Ultra Panavision ratio and finally the 1993 restoration print of El Cid still had a number of visual defects...as witnessed by the criterion laserdisc.

All in all I'm not impressed and will wait for the Miramax editions

M

 

[ChristianLiemke]

In addition I have to say, that E-M-S isn't one of the german top-labels. The only label, not being a major like Warner, Fox, Universal etc., and doing a good job is "Kinowelt". For example, they are responsible for the bonus material of the MGM "The Fog" Special Edition, because it was an idea of Kinowelt's Joerg Bauer to produce a SE.
E-M-S is one of the labels I try not to buy DVDs from. They have only some good discs in their catalog, for example some Rainer Werner Fassbinder 2-DVD titles with digitally restored sound and picture, which will be licensed for the US-market.

 

[Dick]

I, too, long for dvd release of the classic Mann films, particularly the westerns. Universal would have a great new series if they issued the half-dozren or so Mann titles in their inventory. They have done practically nothing with westerns so far. But they seems to be slowly creating new classic series with Bob Hope, sci-fi (IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, ANDROMEDA STRAIN due soon, SILENT RUNNING, etc. Let's hope they tackle their westerns soon.