New Roger Corman Early Films & Comedy Collections from Disney. PAN & SCAN Spec Edtns?

Johnny G · 02-02-2006, 10:36 AM

I've been looking at the 18 or so new releases at Christmas from Disney classed as either the Roger Corman Early Films Collection or Roger Corman Comedy Collection and although some seem to have a few special features including audio commentaries on titles such as A Girl 3 Guys And A Gun & Cheyenne Watrrior, they don't seem to be in OAR.

Now call me stupid but I can't see the point of poeple involved with a film recording commentaries when you're not seeing the film the way it was meant to be presented.

Can anyone confirm the ratio of these films including Welcome To Planet Earth, Suburbia, Stalled, School Spirit, My Brother's War, Loose Screws, Last Resort (1986), Jackson County Jail, I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, A Girl 3 Guys And A Gun, Love Thy Neighbor, Corporate Affairs, Cheyenne Warrior, Caged Heat, Brain Dead (1990), Big Doll House, Beach Balls?

walter o · 02-02-2006, 11:18 AM

JACKSON COUNTY JAIL, CAGED HEAT, SUBURBIA, LAST RESORT, BIG DOLL HOUSE and especially I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN's OAR has to be 1:85, considering they played wide theatrically, the rest are direct to video fare, so full frame is probably the OAR.

By the way, I have the earlier DVD of ROSE GARDEN, and the Disney re-issue seems to have deleted the audio commentary which is in the earlier edition.

Can anyone confirm this?

Richard--W · 02-02-2006, 12:40 PM

The only one I've checked out so far JACKSON COUNTY JAIL.

What a disappointment.

It's full frame when it should be at least 1:85, and vhs quality, looks as if it were transferred from a blurry 16mm dupe.

Mike Frezon · 02-02-2006, 01:32 PM

As I'm putting together next week's Weekly RoundUp...I see there is another big wave of the 80s & 90s Disney comedies being released 2-7. I would expect probably more of the same. These titles are falling in the $6.99 to $10.99 range.

Jon Martin · 02-02-2006, 05:01 PM

Quote:

It's full frame when it should be at least 1:85, and vhs quality, looks as if it were transferred from a blurry 16mm dupe.

Corman is the one to blame for this though. Disney is just acting as the distributor, taking the elements that Corman gives them and releasing it.

**HTF Ads**

Richard--W · 02-02-2006, 10:28 PM

I don't doubt it's Corman's fault. Maybe he thinks there's no profit in restorations.

I would like to get more in the series -- espeically the Jack Hill films -- but not if they're this poor quality.

Can anyone advise me on the quality of Caged Heat or Big Doll House ?

walter o · 02-03-2006, 01:04 AM

Well Corman is kinda to blame, for if he really cared about these films, he would have used Viacom or MGM's pristine transfers that are in their vaults, as Viacom and MGM been running nice widescreen masters of SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, LADY IN RED, THE NEST, on cable, yet on DVD, he used his old analog vhs 1" masters.

Richard--W · 02-03-2006, 08:00 AM

This series is pressed from vhs 1" masters?
Really?
That's incredible.
No, it's unprofessional.
But when I look at the quality, I believe it.

I would surprised if the inferior quality doesn't hurt sales.
In the digital era, consumers expect better for their money.
What's Corman thinking of.

ChristopherDAC · 02-03-2006, 11:49 AM

No, VHS masters would be 3/4" U-Matic cassette. One-inch is broadcast-quality; at worst they would look like 1980s-90s TV-on-DVD, and a lot of that looks pretty good. You can see it came from composite, if you know what to look for, but it looks pretty good.

Mike Heenan · 02-03-2006, 11:10 PM

He is notoriously cheap, so it's no surprise he's not springing for full restorations or at least new transfers. What a shame.

walter o · 02-04-2006, 12:01 AM

my bad, I shuld have said 1" tape masters, not vhs (when I hear tape, I automatically think of vhs).

Yeah, 1" inch isn't bad, but with restored editions at MGM and Viacom, you would think he would ask them to use their master of his films for the DVD.

(wait until you compare the Japanese DVD of HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP that they used the uncensored edition from the MGM/UA vaults, or the one running on IFC channel awhile back, when compared to his poor DVD of it)

Richard--W · 02-04-2006, 11:35 AM

My old vhs of Jackson County Jail looks better than this DVD.

I've always admired Roger Corman for his business savvy and integrity and all the opportunites he gave to people. He knows how to entertain, he directed many fine films (particularly The Man With the X-Ray Eyes), and produced some great ones along with the bad. His paradigm for producing two for the price of one should be adopted by film makers everywhere (just look at The Shooting and Ride In the Whirlwind). I cherish his Price / Poe collaborations for AIP. His autobiography, How I Made A Million Dollars In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime, is essential reading. He's an interesting commentator, too.

Corman's always accomplished a lot on a little, but he's never ripped off consumers before the way he does with this series. After all, the MGM Midnite Movies double-features were all excellent transfers with some informative supplements. So naturally I expected the same high quality with this series. It's unlike Corman to put his name on a blatant rip-off. There must be more to this distribution deal than we know.