New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Anyone familar with the company Triad Productions Corporation. They have a new dvd of Meet John Doe that was released on July 28th that could be better than all the public domain versions out but not sure. Their selling price is a good deal more expensive than most of the other public domain companies at 24.99 and the below is listed in the description:

"Triad Productions brings you a beautifully Enhanced Version of Meet John Doe. A 1941 comedy drama film, Meet John Doe was directed and produced by legend Frank Capra and stars Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. This Enhanced Version has sharper picture quality and crisper audio for today's big HDTVs. The film, about a "grassroots" political campaign, created unwittingly by a newspaper columnist and pursued by a wealthy businessman, became a box office hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for best original story for writers Richard Connell and Robert Presnell Sr. Infuriated at being laid off from her job, Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck) prints a fake letter from the unemployed "John Doe," threatening suicide in protest of society's ills. When the note causes a sensation, the newspaper rehires Mitchell. Together, the paper and Ann employ John Willoughby (Gary Cooper) to play John Doe. The Doe philosophy spreads across the country, developing into a political movement, with financial support from the newspaper's publisher, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), who plans to channel the support for Doe into support for his own political ambitions."

Amazon.com: Meet John Doe (Remastered Edition) 1941: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Frank Capra, Richard Connell: Movies & TV

Anyway I just thought that someone on here might be familar with this company from other releases and could let me know if they do a quality product. They seem to be into releasing very old porn from the 40's to 50's in titles Vintage Erotica (Burlesque Edition) Vol 1 and Vol 2 if that helps.

Amazon.com: Vintage Erotica (Burlesque Edition) Vol. 1 - 2008: Georgia Southern, Cherry Knight Virginia Bell, Joe Bonica, Various, Charles Keating, Triad Productions LLC: Movies & TV

Amazon.com: Vintage Erotica (Burlesque Edition) Vol. 2 - 2008: Sandra Storm, Scarlett Knight Virginia Bell, Charles Keating, Triad Productions: Movies & TV

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

I just found another product they released in His Girl Friday that got mixed reviews.

Amazon.com: His Girl Friday (Enhanced Edition) - 1940: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Gene Lockhart, Howard Hawks: Movies & TV

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

I'll stick with my Sony of His Girl Friday. Not impressed to read that Triad used a cut print, missing 13 minutes.

Until I hear differently, I'll hang with the Image version of John Doe as well.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Has the 132 minute version of MEET JOHN DOE ever been released on DVD?

I found one copy (the AMC/Genius edition) that says it is 135 minutes, but is actually the 122 minute print. All the PD versions out there appear to be the 122 minute version.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

I located the original nitrate camera negatives on MEET JOHN DOE around 1990. They were stored under an abandoned account in nitrate vaults in New Jersey. I believe the materials were acquired by David Packard, and he turned over the materials to UCLA. I'm told a full restoration was done on the film.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Somewhere, several years ago, I read that there was no 132 minute version, but somehow the last two digits 123 minutes got reversed in some writeup on the film and it was from this the assumption came of a longer version. The American film Institue catalog lists it as 14 reels at 11,109 ft, if anyone can figure that out. It also gives several reported timings...123, 125 and 129 minutes.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

It was passed uncut in 1941 by the BBFC thus:

When submitted to the BBFC the work had a running time of 122m 55s.
The running time of this film was calculated from the measured length of 11062 ( feet + frames ).

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Meet John Doe is my favorite film and out of the different PD versions I have seen, this region free version from Amazon UK is the best. It has some extra features on it too and I can definitely recommend this version.


Meet John Doe [1941] (NTSC): Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Gene Lockhart, Rod La Rocque, Irving Bacon, Regis Toomey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Warren Hymer, George Barnes, Frank Capra, Danie

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

You beat me to it. The region free release is the best I have seen as well. I think dvdbeaver did a comparison with this one.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Bob, you are amazing! I shudder to think what film history could have been lost without the diligent efforts of people like yourself.

You really should write an autobiography of your career to date. Your associations with Jerry Lewis and the A&C folks alone would make fascinating reading not to mention the work you've done outside of this.

Please keep up the great work!

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Preservation confirmed.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

What studio originally owned it, and is there a chance of a proper release from the original negatives? I've never seen it, but the clips shown on the documentary in that "FRANK CAPRA COLLECTION" sure made me want to.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Hi Russell_G,
It was made at Warner's so they would have been the original owners. It would be great if they could get it back and put out a proper release of the original negative.

You really should see it as it is a wonderful film. Not counting Sergeant York which I watched in school in 6th grade (many years ago – ha!) this was the first film I saw of Gary Cooper (where I really took notice of him) and also Barbara Stanwyck. By the time the film was half over, I was hooked on both of them. I had seen bits and pieces of some of Capra’s films and after seeing this one, he has become my favorite director and his long time screenwriting partner Robert Riskin, is also on my faves list. This film also has great performances from some very talented character actors including Walter Brennan, James Gleason, Spring Byington, Edward Arnold, Regis Toomey, J. Farrell MacDonald, and Irving Bacon.

Thanks to the wonderful script, direction and acting, the characters in the film seem like real, fleshed out people. I don’t cry much at films but there are three scenes that really get me in this one and the film is a good mix of some comedic elements (Gary and Walter practicing baseball in their hotel room with an imaginary ball) and dramatic, heartfelt scenes. I would list this one as my fave b/c so many of my favorite classic Hollywood people are in it or made it and it’s a great story and an all around wonderfully made film.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

One of the reasons for the differing running times may be due to the ending being changed after the film was originally released. Details from the AFI catalog via the TCM website:
Although the national release date for this film was May 3, 1941, the film played at selected theatres around the country following its 12 March premieres. According to his autobiography, Capra acknowledged that five different versions of the ending of Meet John Doe were filmed and audience-tested before he arrived at the decision to release the fifth one for the 3 May national release. Capra also admitted that he was not satisfied with any of the endings that he shot, and that at one point, during the film's first run, following its 12 March premieres, three different versions of the film were playing in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington. One of the five versions ended in John jumping from the City Hall roof, while another had Ann and D. B. Norton talking him out of suicide. The fifth and final version of the end was suggested to the director by way of an anonymous letter, signed "John Doe," which read: "...I have seen your film with many different endings...all bad, I thought...The only thing that can keep John Doe from jumping are the John Does themselves...if they ask him." In an interview, Capra admitted that "for seven-eighths of the picture we had a fine, fine thing going for us there; the very end collapsed like a brick sock."
Capra called the actors back and the final version of the ending was filmed March 23, 1941.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

This is my favorite Capra film - and one which remains very relevant today.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

wow lots of great information being shared

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Thank you so much for the kind words Steve, but outside of my immediate family and a few friends, I doubt that anyone would find my story very interesting!

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

So many versions available...how to choose from...Triad, Margengo, VCI, etc. I don't want to spend more then I have to and cost doesn't always reflect quality but since I project on a 92" screen image quality is a concern. Please offer suggestion.

I looked at the amazon/uk link but that version looks out of print and only available from smaller resellers.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Skip all of the others and get the Margengo / Sanctuary UK NTSC Region 0 disc -its worth hunting down. Quality is heads and shoulders above the others, has lots of special features and the cover art is attractive too!

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

What came of it? Why hasn't it been put on DVD?

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

It was made at Warner's so they would have been the original owners. It would be great if they could get it back and put out a proper release of the original negative.

==

My understanding is that the film was made independently by Capra and writer Robert Riskin and that Warners's distribution rights eventually lapsed after the rights were sold on to another company (Goodwill Pictures), rather like RKO's rights to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, made under the banner of Liberty Films, another independent company set up by Capra, George Stevens and William Wyler.

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

I *loathe* that and I want to throw things at the screen; is it nuts to say that this very nearly ruins my enjoyment of the film? I suppose it is...

Re: New dvd out on Meet John Doe

Not true. The nitrate camera negative was in excellent condition when I found it back in the early 90's. There was no deterioration whatsoever.