Fox Cinema Archives Debuts 18 New Classic Films on DVD starting March 18! (1 Viewer)

[Richard Gallagher]

PRINCE OF PLAYERS? How did it slip by me? I've been trying to record every film with a Bernard Herrmann score from Fox.

Why not a Bernard Herrmann box set or two from Fox?

THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO
WHITE WITCH DOCTOR
BENEATH THE 12-MILE REEF
GARDEN OF EVIL
KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES
PRINCE OF PLAYERS
THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT

or a b&w one:
JANE EYRE
HANGOVER SQUARE
ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM
THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

Prince of Players will air again on Fox Movie Channel on 9/26 at 9:15 a.m. and 9/27 at 6;00 a.m. Both times are EDT.

 

[bujaki]

Prince of Players is playing in their ghastly pan & scan version (formatted to fit your screen).

 

[GregoryMesh]

Today's release - Song of the Islands

 

[classicmovieguy]

I remember liking FRENCHMAN'S CREEK a lot when it used to air on TV back in the day. Beautiful Technicolor and delightful performance by Joan Fontaine. It's based on a historical romance novel by Daphne du Maurier (REBECCA, THE BIRDS). The only problem with it was a rather uncharismatic leading man, Arturo de Cordova, who was cast because all the charismatic swashbuckling leading men were off fighting in the war or entertaining the troops or something related.

Yes I think I'll enjoy this film, firstly because of du Maurier, but mainly because of Joan Fontaine, who I've always regarded as a superior actress.

 

[lionel59]

Sadly, whenever Fox broadcast PRINCE OF PLAYERS it is always Panned+ Scanned, even on their HD channel (!?)
The film received the best notices of any CinemaScope film up until that time (1955) but was not a box office hit. This should mean that the lesser-used negatives and IPs should deliver a good print. Fox recently restored APRIL LOVE (a hit) and THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE (a so-so success) and TT will now release the former (and hopefully-one day- the latter title as well). The credentials behind PRINCE (Philip Dunne, Richard Burton,Raymond Massey, Eva La Gallienne, Bernard Herrmann) and its subject matter (the family connected to John Wilkes Booth (John Derek))should give it prime consideration for a 16:9, 2.55:1 transfer with TT. I won't watch P/S versions of CinemaScope films now and I don't think I'm the only one in this category.
The dated disclaimer "This film has been modified to fit your TV" (really? all monitors are rectangular now) should be altered to more honestly state: "We are too cheap to make up a new Wide Screen master in this film's original aspect ratio so we are giving you a shoddy cropped version from the dark ages of 4:3 TVs and VHS tape"

 

[lionel59]

Audiences in '55 may have been confused thinking that this movie was a horror movie.
A character based on Edwin Booth (who took Shakespeare monologues out west) usually turns up in movies about Wyatt Earp (egs. TOMBSTONE, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE). This film preserved highlights from some of Burton's most celebrated interpretations of Shakespeare. (For a while he was regarded as the next Olivier). It would also be good to have another rare performance from Maggie McNamara made available, whose box office appeal was strong but brief in the early days of 'Scope. (She sadly took her life in the '70's). Her reading of Shakespeare was regrettably shown to be lacklustre and limited when delivered alongside Richard Burton, however she was more than adequate in the other scenes she shares with him in this biopic.

 

[Mark Collins]

I agree about P/S versions but in this movies case I will buy it that way and have watched it several times. I have a very short list of these Fox movies THAT I will watch or buy because I love them and yes I know that I am not helping by buying them but I hope that as April Love was restored this may well be too.

I know many fans of April who purchased the bad copy and know will double dip again.

Tender is the Night was another title I was very vocal about because it was never broadcast in P/S on Fox and I simply would not buy it and kept my recording.

I believe Prince is the only title I would purchase on my list in P/S because it seems to really be the only one that Fox broadcasts this way. I really cannot think of any others and as I said I have such a short list that now that I think of it that it MAY be the only movie left on my watch or buy list.

I just keep thinking there must be something wrong as to why it is being broadcast this way.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Maybe TT will eventually get around to doing a proper release of "Tender is the Night". I can only hope.

 

[bujaki]

FXM Retro has been showing Henry King's CHAD HANNA in sumptuous color. Has anyone picked up the Fox Archive release of this one? If it is anything like what has been playing, it's worth getting; and maybe, just maybe, Fox's restoration team could work on it and release it themselves or through TT.
Dorothy Lamour, Linda Darnell and even Henry Fonda's blue eyes in a gorgeous color print...worth checking.

 

[Paul Scott]

It's kind of ironic that for a studio that used to bludgeon everyone who LEGALLY purchased their product with PSAs that treated us like criminals- that a whole line of their titles looks like nothing better than $hitty bootleg product.

I keep waiting year after year for them to get their act together and here it is 2014 and they are still crapping out digital discs with analog era masters.

 

[Mark Collins]

I was surprised that Frenchman's Creek was a Paramount movie which Universal must have the rights to. The movie looks about as good as Forever Amber. Needs much restoration. So sad because it could be a beautiful film. Not sorry I bought it but wished it had been and 10.99 range.

 

[Doug Bull]

Here is a new announcement for early October.

Pan and Scan anybody? Maybe 4:3 Letterbox?
16:9 Anamorphic? Yeah sure.

It's an enjoyable comedy made as a follow up to "The Seven Year Itch".

Doug.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Never heard of this, but Sheree North is always great.

 

[lionel59]

It's an entertaining comedy, just no classic. Sheree North was Fox's 'second tier Marilyn Monroe'. Reportedly, studios used performers like these to keep certain big stars in line by threatening to give them good roles destined for their major stars if they didn't do other (lesser) roles. When Marilyn left Hollywood to study at the Actor's Studio in NYC, Sheree was cast in Marilyn's place in HOW TO BE VERY VERY POPULAR (which Marylin balked at doing-with good reason, though it has its moments) and it's likely that THE LIEUTENANT WORE SKIRTS was originally purchased for Marilyn.(A re-teaming with Tom Ewell after the highly successful 7 YEAR ITCH seems a likely casting idea to me).There is even an extended gag in which THE 7 YEAR ITCH is lampooned, with Rita Moreno doing a very funny Marylin impersonation .The director, Frank Tashlin, is known for cartoon-like gags in comedies starring Jerry Lewis.
Miss North- talented in her own right- has said that she was forced to give 'Marilyn imitations' in her early performances at Fox.She seemed to be given more freedom to be herself in movies such as NO DOWN PAYMENT in 1957.
According to two website stores, this transfer will be in stereo and Wide Screen. Going by precedent, this is most likely to be 2.55 or 2.35:1 Letterbox, but they may surprise us with an anamorphic transfer (as they did with THE MARRIAGE GO ROUND and a few others). One store actually says 'Enhanced Widescreen'

 

[JoHud]

Frank Tashlin's involvement is all I need to be interested. Now where is The Good Humor Man, Sony?

Pan and Scan anybody? Maybe 4:3 Letterbox?
16:9 Anamorphic? Yeah sure.

For a change Classicflix has this advertised as "widescreen." A recent Fox Archive title, The Bottom of the Bottle was listed as "Fullscreen" yet ended up having a non-anamorphic transfer. Which is true, since non-anamorphic transfers = fullscreen presentation in my book.

Good chance we might luck out on this one. That would at least partially make up for butchering another under-appreciated Tashlin comedy, Say One For Me

 

[Vic Pardo]

Today's release - Song of the Islands

Why did they put a b&w cover--looking like a photocopy!--on a Technicolor film?

 

[Joel Arndt]

Why did they put a b&w cover--looking like a photocopy!--on a Technicolor film?

Possibly because Fox Cinema Archives used a 16mm b & w televison print from the 1950's for the transfer.

BTW, when will this title be available for sale? I can't find it on Amazon.

 

[JoHud]

Why did they put a b&w cover--looking like a photocopy!--on a Technicolor film?

My guess is the source is from the pressbook. Don't ask why they couldn't bother digging up the poster art in color...Does any other MOD line resort to using a B&W scan for the poster art? FCA does it a lot. Though the Sony line occasionally uses simple framegrabs or promotional photos for their covers, I can't recall them using B&W posters.

 

[GregoryMesh]

Another week, 2 more titles -

 

[ahollis]

Well anything with the Ritz Brothers, Joan Davis and Charlotte Greenwood is ok with me. Both are mine.