TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEBUTS Manufacture-On-Demand DVD SERIES (3 Viewers)

[borisfw]

Maybe Fox is getting their pan & scan fiasco corrected.

If true that would be great . But I won't hold my breath . At least most of the pre scope films they put out were ok . Even if they continue the program with that it would be better than zilch !

 

[JoHud]

Maybe Fox is getting their pan & scan fiasco corrected.

The last time they had a longer than usual gap between announcements I had the same hopes and I'm still waiting. It would certainly go a long way in redeeming this home video line, but personally I really wouldn't care if it went belly up the way it stands now.

 

[lionel59]

STOP PRESS! See below for cover art of the next 5 FCA releases.
Has anyone picked up BATTLE OF BROADWAY with Gypsy Rose Lee? Curious to learn what the quality of the print/transfer is like. I have just received MOSS ROSE. Good transfer but the print is not as pristine as others have indicated in their summations. At least not to my eyes. No doubt the best we'll get and more than adequate (which I guess these days is like a "rave review" for a FCA release!)

 

[lionel59]

Apologies for the double-up re this message. There doesn't seem to be a "delete post" option that I can locate.....
Here are the next 5 coming from Fox Cinema Archives on Dec 17th. Sonja Henie fans will rejoice, as will lovers of rare Fox pre-coders. At least there are no CinemaScope titles in the mix for Fox to destroy......

 

[JoHud]

Young America should be identical to the previous DVD transfer from the Murnau/Borzage set, but considering the FCA's past attempts at reissuing OOP titles (remember Warlock?) we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Vic Pardo]

Gypsy Rose Lee is in that last film, but billed as "Louise Hovick," which was, of course, her real name. (Her sister June changed it to "Havoc.") Why is she billed that way here? She was already famous as Gypsy Rose Lee by then. And the font is so weird that at first I read it as "Hovkk."

 

[ajabrams]

Gypsy Rose Lee is in that last film, but billed as "Louise Hovick," which was, of course, her real name. (Her sister June changed it to "Havoc.") Why is she billed that way here? She was already famous as Gypsy Rose Lee by then. And the font is so weird that at first I read it as "Hovkk."

The reason she used her birth name of Hovick is that the Legion of Decency objected to the fact that a "stripper" was appearing in Hollywood films. The Hays office would not let her use "Gypsy Rose Lee" as her movie biliing --at least in her early films.

 

[lionel59]

I guess things had changed drastically by the time Warners made a G-rated musical called GYPSY with Natalie Wood!
I have finally got my copy of HILDA CRANE. I am very happy with it. The soundtrack is- surprisingly for this or any other title released by FCA- very stereophonic, as originally released. The color is strong and not at all "washed out" as one Amazon reviewer described it. The image is a little grainy but this is the norm for non-anamorphic transfers. Fine performance by Jean Simmons and an outstanding turn by Evelyn Varden, who is truly frightening as Guy Madison's dominating mother. Great score by David Raksin, which sounds terrific in stereo.

 

[ahollis]

While I have been enjoying the three Sonja Henie films out, it was YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING that I have really enjoyed. You just can not like an Alice Faye film especially when it also features The Ritz Brothers. The transfer is old. Some parts look exceptional but most of it is soft, and excuse me, but very grainy. I do enjoy film grain but at times this borders on excessive. This must be a transfer made a long time ago for VHS. It's a fun film with some great numbers. The dance number by Tip, Tap, and Toe is outstanding and they are artists in dance. The Ritz Brothers never fail to entertain and then you have Alice Faye. You also have the film debut of Louise Hovkk or more notably known as Gypsy Rose Lee. Hope Fox will give us the rest of the Ritz Brothers films soon. Just with better transfers..

 

[Doug Bull]

Hope Fox will give us the rest of the Ritz Brothers films soon. Just with better transfers..

We all live in hope Allen.

 

[kingfish]

hopefully fox will release the glory brigade with victor mature.

 

[David Weicker]

hopefully fox will release the glory brigade with victor mature.

"rock 'em, sock 'em, kisses you never got"

Sorry. Every time I hear that title, I think of the announcement in M*A*S*H

 

[lionel59]

I have just read a dvdsavant review of the Fox Cinema Archives release of a very early 'Scope title BENEATH THE TWELVE MILE REEF. Formerly in the public domain (with many poor to average releases in the past- one at least was in LBX), this release is apparently in 16:9 (2.35:1) and is a strong transfer in stereo. It is also possibly a longer cut of the film containing a complete fight scene which may have suffered censorship cuts when shown on cable in recent years.
I had no idea this was coming out. Is Fox minimizing its publicity for these titles. a 16:9 transfer of a good print from these people is cause for dancing in the streets........

 

[borisfw]

Very glad to hear the good reports on Beneath Twelve Mile Reef . Received mine in the mail last night from Amazon . Let's hope that Fox now gets it and will release more scope films proper with good prints . There are still so many titles for them to release . Goods news and I'll keep my fingers crossed .

 

[Jobla]

Yes, BENEATH looks lovely, in CinemaScope and 2 track stereo I believe. A major step in the right direction for Fox Studio Archives.

 

[JoHud]

Looking good for Fox so far, even if they are just screening out the P&S and non-anamorphic WS titles. Not to mention Beneath the 12-Mile Reef could have been well beneath expectations given the amount of sub-par transfers of this title are out there. 2014 might mark the year the Fox Cinema Archive starts getting good, or at least starts acting like a competent major studio product line.

Has there been any reviews of the Sherlock Holmes MODs yet? I would like to know if they are better transfers than what MPI had to work with.

 

[GregoryMesh]

I think those Sherlock Holmes MODs were cancelled.

 

[Doug Bull]

It would be a wonderful thing if Fox Archives revisited some of their previous pan and scan disasters such as "The Best Things In Life Are Free"and "April Love" and presented us with brand new Anamorphic transfers.
But I highly doubt that will happen although I still live in hope.

 

[JoHud]

I think those Sherlock Holmes MODs were cancelled.

A shame...unless Fox saved us the disappointment of two really bad transfers.

It would be a wonderful thing if Fox Archives revisited some of their previous pan and scan disasters such as "The Best Things In Life Are Free"and "April Love" and presented us with brand new Anamorphic transfers.
But I highly doubt that will happen although I still live in hope.

Some of those don't have anything better, so we'll be stuck with those until Fox goes through the effort and expense of remastering those--in other words, they should have held off on those to begin with. However, I bet at least half of those could easily be updated to anamorphic WS transfers if the FCA had half a mind to locate the correct video masters. That goes for some of the bottom-barrel pre-widescreen transfers we've gotten as well. But I also have serious doubts that they will ever be revisited by the FCA.

 

[Thomas T]

Just scanned my copy of Beneath The 12 Mile Reef which came in today's mail. All I can say is ... Wow! Gorgeous anamorphic transfer (though the back of the jacket erroneously says 4x3 letterbox) with a nice clean stereophonic soundtrack! For fans of this film, it's a dream finally come true after all those hideous public domain P&S transfers.