Fox Announcements including Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1 Viewer)

[MarkHarrison]

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I don't understand this reasoning. Unless I missed something, what makes you think this is a bad thing? I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and hope that Lifeboat contains more than the typical Studio Classic release.

 

[Steve...O]

This is indeed strange. I have the current DVD and it is fine. The print quality is not perfect, but its certainly more than adequate. Why OOP a title and reissue a couple of months later even if there is a re-promotion going on?

Steve

 

[Robert Crawford]

Because you're forcing retailers to restock and then promote this dvd again while a new Zorro film is being released the following week.

 

[Steve...O]

Makes sense. Thanks. That's what Hollywood needs right now, a real original idea like another Zorro movie

By the way, I looked up the DVDTalk about the Casper commentary. It was recorded in early October 2004 so it's a recent recording.

Steve

 

[Robert Crawford]

Also, it appears the Zorro dvd released in 2003 is cheaper than this October dvd release.

 

[Charles H]

Re LIFEBOAT: Is Mary Anderson, one of the occupants, still alive? The imdb does not list a date of death?

 

[Haggai]

So sayeth DVDAnswers:

 

[Dale MA]

I like that art... I can't wait!

 

[Eric Peterson]

I'll definitely be getting it, but I was hoping for the A&E biography of Hitchcock. Considering that nearly all of Hitch's movies are available, there are virtually no quality documentaries on him available on DVD, and there is not shortage of these to choose from. Fox has a trend of including biographies on their classic releases. Hopefully the making of documentary will be fairly substantial.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I like the "By John Steinbeck" credit on the cover. As if anyone knows who he is any more.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Ironically, I just read "The Pearl" last week.

 

[Josh Simpson]

"The Pearl." That was a great book that I had forgotten about since high school. I need to reread it.

As for the dvd, I'm excited. I've been looking forward to this one for a while. Now if the Universal set is everything we hope it to be, I can see off my other Universal discs and my Hitch set will pretty much be complete, except for his early early stuff. I own the Criterions and the WB set.

 

[Rob Willey]

I know perfectly well who John Steinbeck is, I read many of his novels in high school, but I had no idea he wrote Lifeboat. Learn something new every day...

Rob

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

I've never seen Lifeboat, but as a fan of Hitchcock I've been looking forward to seeing it.

Love the cover art.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

In the 30s-early 50s, American literary giants like John Steinbeck, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and William Faulkner worked sporadically for some of the big Hollywood Studios. When Fox made their O. Henry anthology film "O. Henry's Full House" in 1952, they even hired Steinbeck to be the on-camera narrator.

This situation was lampooned a bit in the Coen Brothers "Barton Fink" with the John Mahoney character who represented the practice in general, with a tilt towards Faulkner in particular.

Regards,

 

[DavePattern]

From memory, Steinbeck's treatment for Lifeboat wasn't used by Hitchcock. However, Steinbeck's contract meant that he still had to be credited with the screenplay.

I think the final script was written by Hitchcock, his wife Alma, and Ben Hecht.

Apologies if my memory if faulty - I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Hecht might have done some uncredited treatment on the script, but Jo Swerling along with Hitchcock and probably his wife did most of the writing.





Crawdaddy

 

[seanOhara]

Does anyone else feel like they're in a class listening to the World's Most Boring Professor during Casper's commentaries?

 

[Nathan Phillips]

It's funny, the more time passes, the more that seems to be revealed as the case (with Hitch and Alma). Bill Krohn's Hitchcock at Work, for example, makes some pretty surprising points about his somewhat romanticized collaborations with John Michael Hayes.

Anyway, back on topic: LIFEBOAT was my #1 most-wanted movie MIA on DVD. It will complete my collection of American Hitchcocks with the exception of THE PARDINE CASE, which is collecting tidy sums on ebay at the moment. Anybody have any ideas about acquiring it??? I managed to build a hefty collection of OOP Disney films in the last six months without paying through the nose and yet I can't get my hands on THE PARADINE CASE for less than $40????

 

[DavePattern]

Nathan - MGM was supposed to be releasing several Hitchcock DVDs in late 2004 (inc. Paradine Case), but these were shelved when Sony purchased the company.

The first Sony DVD release of a Hitchcock film is Il Sospetto - due out in Italy in Sept. Hopefully Sony will get their act together and sort out US releases of the MGM catalogue.