Great Scott! Where's THE CHALLENGE? (1 Viewer)

[Louis Letizia]

1982's The Challenge has yet to appear on DVD in any part of the world. I would assume that this CBS Theatrical would now belong to Paramount -and that may be my answer right there (although they have released CBS' Back Roads and Grandview USA).
Could this also lie with Lionsgate or MGM via it being amn Embassy release to theaters?
In any case this is one of the best later films of John Frankenheimer. Great action and very entertaining.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I saw this theatrically back in the day and enjoyed it quite a bit. I haven't thought about this film in a long, long time. A good early Scott Glen role and a solid film.
I recall watching this later (on cable?) and while perusing the credits saw that Steven Seagal was listed as a martial arts consultant. This was after Above the Law and his name held some recognition.
- Walter.

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

1982's The Challenge has yet to appear on DVD in any part of the world. I would assume that this CBS Theatrical would now belong to Paramount -and that may be my answer right there (although they have released CBS' Back Roads and Grandview USA).
Could this also lie with Lionsgate or MGM via it being amn Embassy release to theaters?
In any case this is one of the best later films of John Frankenheimer. Great action and very entertaining.

Scott Glenn is great in this, indeed. Shot this during the time that the PERSONAL BEST production was shut down due to a writers strike.
Been wanting this for years. It would be via Paramount, if it ever came to DVD. Theatrical rights are handled by Hollywood Classics, but they don't have a print (I've checked). Used to have a nice big box VHS from CBS/Fox, which I stupidly sold in one of those periods when I was downsizing (or trying to); I did make a DVD-R of it before I sold it.

 

[Bob Gu]

I had THE CHALLENGE on CED, and copied it to VHS, before getting rid of my CEDs, knowing it was out of print on VHS, and not on DVD.
Today on Amazon, there are only five VHS copies available. Asking price: $58.00-$2459.95!!

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

I had THE CHALLENGE on CED, and copied it to VHS, before getting rid of my CEDs, knowing it was out of print on VHS, and not on DVD.
Today on Amazon, there are only five VHS copies available. Asking price: $58.00-$2459.95!!

Yeah, some of the prices seen on Amazon and eBay do elicit genuine guffaws. I bet that CED would look nice on display right now. Great artwork.

 

[Bob Gu]

Thanks Jon. Now I wish I kept it. Some of the CEDs had great original cover artwork and some had surprisingly dull cover still photographs. My favorite was the cover painting of John Wayne and Montgomery Clift for Red River: http://www.cedmagic.com/v-title-database/rose/red-river-11.html

 

[Louis Letizia]

This would have been great for either Shout!, Code Red or Scorpion to release. I see it-at best-going to Olive or as a barebones Paramount release ala Monte Walsh/ Grandview USA .
The medium size /big box hybrid CBS/Fox boxes were beautiful. Very detailed-with much info on them. When I remembered The Challenge being released by Fox, I thought of the possibility of it belonging still to Embassy (MGM/LG) was exciting-but, CBS/Fox released all of the CBS films on video.
This and The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia -both CBS/Fox med box rekeases-are long overdue. Avco/Embassys transition from A/E and a stellar 1981 sched with The Howling, Escape From New York, Georgia, Take This Job..., Carbon Copy, Time Bandits all doing well -didnt continue well with the transitional Embassy's 1982 flops - Paradise ,Humongous, Swamp Thing, The Challenge, The Soldier. The only hit of the bunch was Zapped! that year.

 

[Bob Cashill]

Put me down for a release of this.

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Would be great if this could be part of Olive's deal with Paramount, but since it's really a CBS title, handled care of Paramount, that seems unlikely or uncertain at best.

This would have been great for either Shout!, Code Red or Scorpion to release. I see it-at best-going to Olive or as a barebones Paramount release ala Monte Walsh/ Grandview USA .
The medium size /big box hybrid CBS/Fox boxes were beautiful. Very detailed-with much info on them. When I remembered The Challenge being released by Fox, I thought of the possibility of it belonging still to Embassy (MGM/LG) was exciting-but, CBS/Fox released all of the CBS films on video.
This and The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia -both CBS/Fox med box rekeases-are long overdue. Avco/Embassys transition from A/E and a stellar 1981 sched with The Howling, Escape From New York, Georgia, Take This Job..., Carbon Copy, Time Bandits all doing well -didnt continue well with the transitional Embassy's 1982 flops - Paradise ,Humongous, Swamp Thing, The Challenge, The Soldier. The only hit of the bunch was Zapped! that year.

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Put me down for a release of this.

Not that this thread was needed as confirmation, but you have immaculate taste, sir.

 

[Louis Letizia]

Not that this thread was needed as confirmation, but you have immaculate taste, sir.

We all have immaculate taste. That's what makes this the best board. Although sometimes our tastes run rampant...we are mostly not against..but forum.

 

[Bob Cashill]

I'm blushing. I just wish all our love got us these discs...

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Hope I didn't ruin your afternoon, Bob ...the good thing is these things can be had pretty cheaply these days. THE CHALLENGE on CED will certainly run you less than a VHS copy would. That is a sweet cover for RED RIVER, indeed.

Thanks Jon. Now I wish I kept it. Some of the CEDs had great original cover artwork and some had surprisingly dull cover still photographs. My favorite was the cover painting of John Wayne and Montgomery Clift for Red River: http://www.cedmagic.com/v-title-database/rose/red-river-11.html

 

[Bob Gu]

I am O.K. Jon, luckily finding my favorite CED covers posted online works for me, rather than buying them again just to look at the covers/sleeves.
CED was so early in the home video era that just like the VHS counterparts, the prints used were "best available prints" territory and did not always look that good compared the later restored/remasted movies that came out just a few years later.
I watched my CED to VHS copy of THE CHALLENGE last night and was surprised how dull and not sharp the colors were, even on a movie that had been released on home video within a year of the theatrical release.
Still, I enjoyed the movie: sword-fights, throwing stars, archery, gunfights, head-splitting (ouch), eating creepy crawly things, and even tasteful nudity with the female co-star (body double?). The gunshot sound-effects used, were the great MGM sound effects that were used on COMBAT! back in the '60s. Action nostalgia.
Bring on the DVD.

 

[Louis Letizia]

Never having owned CED's , you just answered my question about quality. They were basically vhs dubs? Great site with ced coverart. Were they prone to rot?

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

Never having owned CED's , you just answered my question about quality. They were basically vhs dubs? Great site with ced coverart. Were they prone to rot?

Quality was in the same range as VHS or Beta, inferior to laserdisc.

 

[Bob Gu]

Just noticed that, per Mister Lime on the Kino Lorber Studio Classics thread, THE CHALLENGE is coming to DVD and Blu-ray, Feb.16, 2016, with a new HD master.