International Sweet Charity comes to blu ray France August 24th (1 Viewer)

[cinemiracle]

Apparently things shown where Cinemiracle lived (New Zealand/Australia?) were shown in ways they were never shown here in the US - the only ending that ever played here in roadshow was the original - they filmed the happy ending, previewed it, and cut it.[/QUOT

I would be interested to know which other countries had 70mm prints of the film with the happy ending

 

[cinemiracle]

I've never seen the happy ending. I hope it's included, but I don't want to see it since it's a travesty.

If you have the USA dvd then it is included as an extra.

 

[Matt Hough]

When Gretchen Wyler's national tour played Charlotte (which was right before the release of the movie), she said in an interview in a local paper that the company would be playing the original bittersweet ending for Charlotte. She mentioned that they had played the happier ending version in Baton Rouge.

BTW, she was the best Charity I ever saw on stage or screen, and I saw Gwen Verdon on Broadway. Gretchen's voice was eminently suitable for those songs.

 

[MBrousseau]

Amazon France is stating that it is all regions. Don't know if there are forced sub titles.

I'm a french speaking member of this forum and I contacted an Elephant Films representative to ask about forced subtitles. He confirmed to me that subtitles are not forced meaning that you can choose wether you need subs or not. So this is a good news for you all.

 

[trajan007]

I'm a french speaking member of this forum and I contacted an Elephant Films representative to ask about forced subtitles. He confirmed to me that subtitles are not forced meaning that you can choose wether you need subs or not. So this is a good news for you all.

Thank you so very much! You made my day.

 

[Thomas T]

I'm a french speaking member of this forum and I contacted an Elephant Films representative to ask about forced subtitles. He confirmed to me that subtitles are not forced meaning that you can choose wether you need subs or not. So this is a good news for you all.

Thank you for that, great news! I wish you could have asked if they are releasing the Roadshow version but that will soon be evident I'm sure. I may hold off for awhile if it's not in the hopes it gets a domestic release of the Roadshow version because I don't want to double dip. If it is the Roadshow version, I'm in!

 

[cinemiracle]

Thanks for the great news Thomas. Hopefully "both" Roadshow endings will be included as well as some extras. I am probably in the minority but I prefer the happy ending as this was the version that I saw many times in 70mm. It was this version that had the longest run in the world - 8 months in Sydney, Australia. I also understand that the film was not the huge hit at the box-office, that Universal had hoped for. Perhaps this was due to the film's downbeat ending that was shown in the USA.To me SWEET CHARITY was a flawless masterpiece and one of the greatest musicals ever filmed. This is one musical that deserves to be restored and re-released in 70mm in cinemas.

 

[Erik_H]

The Amazon.fr listing for the "Sweet Charity" Blu-Ray lists the alternative ending among the additional content on the disc. Good to hear that there won't be forced subtitles.

Speaking of the roadshow---I saw "Charity" in Boston during its engagement at the Saxon theater (now the Majestic)---this was the film's first roadshow run. Oddly enough, the world premiere of "Charity" was in Boston in February 1969 and the Saxon roadshow was in its second month when "Charity" opened at the Rivoli in NYC in April. Roadshow openings could often be staggered, either due to studio marketing plans or theater availability (the "Doctor Doolittle" and "Hello Dolly" roadshows opened in Boston months after they opened in most major US markets) but Universal's choice of premiering such an NYC-centric film outside of NYC struck me as especially unusual. This might have been an indication of the studio's lack of faith in the film but another possibility was the clout of Ben Sack---his Sack theaters had a near monopoly in Boston and "Charity" was not the only Universal film to premiere at a Sack theater during that era (e.g., Hitchcock's "Torn Curtain" and "Frenzy").

 

[john a hunter]

Thanks for the great news Thomas. Hopefully "both" Roadshow endings will be included as well as some extras. I am probably in the minority but I prefer the happy ending as this was the version that I saw many times in 70mm. It was this version that had the longest run in the world - 8 months in Sydney, Australia. I also understand that the film was not the huge hit at the box-office, that Universal had hoped for. Perhaps this was due to the film's downbeat ending that was shown in the USA.To me SWEET CHARITY was a flawless masterpiece and one of the greatest musicals ever filmed. This is one musical that deserves to be restored and re-released in 70mm in cinemas.

In London, it performed so badly in general release that it was pulled after one week and Sound of Music substituted.
And I think that Music did have a happy ending.

 

[cinemiracle]

In London, it performed so badly in general release that it was pulled after one week and Sound of Music substituted.
And I think that Music did have a happy ending.

Yes, the SOUND OF MUSIC did have a happy ending but it was totally made up and had no comparison to what happened in real life. The Trapp family (whom I saw live during their world tour) just went to their local train station and bought a ticket . A short time later the borders were closed. The SOM is still holds the record for the second longest running musical film in 70mm. ( 3 and 1/2 years continuously in both London and Sydney). Only SOUTH PACIFIC ran a year longer in London. I was lucky to have worked in a 70mm cinema that ran South Pacific for 6 months and the Sound of Music for 10 months. SOM is not my favourite musical film however. Incidentally, the world's longest running musical film in 35mm was DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE. It ran continuously for more than ten years at the same cinema in one Indian city. A truly unforgettable masterpiece of a musical. It is worth getting the 2 disc bluray from India ( with English subtitles). The film had something for everyone- fabulous dancing, songs and everything else that you expect from a musical. The 3 hour film also has the intermission included on the bluray. No true musical fan should miss seeing this film. It is a flawless musical and the most famous musical ever seen on film in India. A feel-good musical that leaves you wanting more. How many of HTF readers have even seen this film ,let alone heard of it.

 

[trajan007]

SOUND OF MUSIC ran for two years at the Madison theater in Detroit with the same print. No damage done.

 

[Mark Mayes]

I saw that this film was being released on blu-ray August 24th in France and ordered it. My ETA is September 6th. Just wondering, anyone else getting this--and if you have, how does it look?

 

[haineshisway]

It's on its way.

 

[Robin9]

I will be very interested to hear people's opinions of this disc.

 

[Thomas T]

It's on its way.

The 2 things I'm most concerned with 1) are the French subs removable and 2) does it have the roadshow overture, intermission and entr'acte

 

[trajan007]

The 2 things I'm most concerned with 1) are the French subs removable and 2) does it have the roadshow overture, intermission and entr'acte

Its been reported that there are no forced sub titles.

 

[trajan007]

Not shipped yet.

 

[john a hunter]

SOUND OF MUSIC ran for two years at the Madison theater in Detroit with the same print. No damage done.

The Dominion in London ran South Pacific for 4 years plus with only 2 prints.
The first was the uncut original version . It had no overture as the credits of South Pacific began immediately after the crash at the end of The Miracle of Todd AO.
Showmanship!!!

 

[cinemiracle]

In London, it performed so badly in general release that it was pulled after one week and Sound of Music substituted.
And I think that Music did have a happy ending.

You say 'general release'? What about the "Roadshow" release? How long did that run and which ending did they have?

 

[cinemiracle]

The Dominion in London ran South Pacific for 4 years plus with only 2 prints.
The first was the uncut original version . It had no overture as the credits of South Pacific began immediately after the crash at the end of The Miracle of Todd AO.
Showmanship!!!

Which version did they screen? There were two slightly different versions of the film in it's original roadshow release. The opening reel was slightly different. Where I worked we screened the same version that was shown in Europe. It's re-release a decade later, was the version seen in the USA and later on dvd and video. We did have an overture to the film that was played before the Miracle of Todd-AO short. The short we screened was the shorter version that ended with the fire brigade crash. In The USA they originally had the longer version that is seen on the bluray release. Which version did they screen in London and are you absolutely sure that they did not have an overture? It was on the 70mm print that we screened.