COOPER, BRANDO, AND NEWMAN BOXSETS IN NOVEMBER - Page 4

Simon Howson · 08-08-2006, 05:23 AM

I have this weird desire to see The Silver Chalice, the film where Newman apparently took out adverts apologising for his performance because it was so bad.

The film The Hanging Tree was raised in discussion in this thread. According to IMDB Karl Malden actually completed the film. Does anyone know if this actually occurred, and if so why? Was Delmer Daves sacked, or was he otherwise unable to finish the film perhaps due to health reasons?

Robert Crawford · 08-08-2006, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Howson

The film The Hanging Tree was raised in discussion in this thread. According to IMDB Karl Malden actually completed the film. Does anyone know if this actually occurred, and if so why? Was Delmer Daves sacked, or was he otherwise unable to finish the film perhaps due to health reasons?

Daves was too sick to continue and Malden took over for the rest of the production schedule.

I always wonder why Malden didn't direct more films besides this film and one other? That other film "Time Limit" was a good film in my opinion.

Crawdaddy

Jim*Tod · 08-08-2006, 12:13 PM

I know that the initial prints for REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE were done in a special color process, according to contemporary reviews, which combined sepia tones and deliberately faded looking colors. The look that was intended by director John Huston. Apparently the reaction was negative to these prints and subsequent prints were in full color. I am wondering if the new dvd will follow the original intention or be in full color. Robert Harris might have some insight into this.

Nice to have another large format road show film available on dvd with MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.

Conrad_SSS · 08-08-2006, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim*Tod

I know that the initial prints for REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE were done in a special color process, according to contemporary reviews, which combined sepia tones and deliberately faded looking colors. The look that was intended by director John Huston. Apparently the reaction was negative to these prints and subsequent prints were in full color. I am wondering if the new dvd will follow the original intention or be in full color. Robert Harris might have some insight into this.

Nice to have another large format road show film available on dvd with MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.

It appears that they are honoring the film as created by Director John Huston and Cinematographer Oswald Morris:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archi...ndo_bounty.php

Jim*Tod · 08-08-2006, 01:48 PM

Thanks Conrad SSS. I have always wanted to see it in that version.... this boxed set is looking more interesting all the time.

Simon Howson · 08-09-2006, 01:39 AM

I'm surprised Warner didn't do a 2 disc, or double sided disc with different colour timed versions of the film

Apparently John Boorman's film The General was offered in two different versions on a dual sided disc in the U.S. The Australian copy of The General is the desaturated colour version of the film, but apparently there is a version that is completely black and white.

The desaturated look of Reflections in a Golden Eye is mentioned in a book called Practical Motion Picture Photography

Quote:

More drastic desaturation effects are possible using the dye transfer method and have been produced on a few occassions; the technique however tends to be troublesome and expensive:

"It is difficult to obtain the effect of complete desaturation without going through dupe negatives. The well-known example of Reflections in a Golden Eye was processed by Technicolor Rome with a very extreme technique which required elaborate multiple printing and was therefore costly. The result was very grey, extremely desaturated, extremely decolourised picture, but although very effective in its way, the results were not accepted for general distribution in this form in the United States. Going back some years, Moby Dick was an outstanding example of a very special way of making prints, involving the preparation of unusual dupe negatives and making transfers with a grey component, which again adds to the expense of processing.

Moby Dick was photographed by Oswald Morris, who describes the colour effect which he and director John Huston were seeking;

"The director asked if we could make almost a black-and-white colour film, as it was a very masculine story and there were no women in it. We experimented for a long time, and finally came up with an idea. We broke the negative into three separation positives and printed these with what they call 'wide-cut' filter bands, not the clean cut filter bands, and this gave a very desaturated print, but unfortunately it desaturated all the blacks, making everything look very lovely but very washy and weak. John Huston asked what we could do to add the black. We had a long chat with Technicolor and decided to try and overlay a black and white print on this. We got the most wonderful effect, in fact the whole of Moby Dick was printed that way."

Jim Bur · 08-09-2006, 03:23 AM

I haven't had the opportunity to see this thread for a couple of days, however I see now that Warners has indicated that the reason they won't be releasing The Hanging Tree at this time is that the film elements are in bad shape, and in need of restoration. That being the case, the tentative criticsm for Warners not including the film in the Cooper box set is unjustified. It will be nice to see a restored version of The Hanging Tree, hopefully sooner rather than later.

If The Hanging Tree had been available it would have been the second best film in the Cooper set, however the best film in that set is clearly Sergeant York (1941). I respectfully disagree with the critical comments made about the film. Sergeant York is one of the all time great American films. With Sergeant York you get what practically amounts to two outstanding films rolled into one. The first half of Sergeant York is one of the greatest slices of rural Americana ever filmed, and is so well done it almost stands on its own as a separate film. The film then morphs into an exciting and well executed traditional action/war film, with the big difference that the hero's accomplishments are, for the most part, the real deal, as opposed to some writer's imagination.

I can recall that back in the early 1990's one of the film critics for the Los Angeles Times (I apologize that I can't remember his name) wrote an extensive piece for the Sunday Calendar, in which he quite persuasively argued that 1941, rather than 1939, was the real apex of the golden age of motion pictures. If memory serves me right, the critic opined that Sergeant York was the second best film made during that golden year (with Citizen Kane being first), and the critic placed Sergeant York ahead of The Maltese Falcon and How Green Was My Valley ( which won the academy award for best picture that year), and all the rest of the legion of great films made in 1941.

I also recall reading somewhere that Sergeant York was the number one box office hit of 1941. So in what was arguably the greatest year in motion picture history, Sergeant York was the film which apparently most pleased the public. I would ask that those whose recollections of this film are negative give the film another viewing, as I think you might be pleasantly surprised at how really good a film it is. c Jim Bur

Charles Ellis · 08-09-2006, 08:27 AM

So, what's the final story on Reflections? Which version is going to DVD?

Roger Rollins · 08-09-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon Howson

I'm surprised Warner didn't do a 2 disc, or double sided disc with different colour timed versions of the film

Apparently John Boorman's film The General was offered in two different versions on a dual sided disc in the U.S. The Australian copy of The General is the desaturated colour version of the film, but apparently there is a version that is completely black and white.

The desaturated look of Reflections in a Golden Eye is mentioned in a book called Practical Motion Picture Photography

...which would have cost them twice as much. Not a financially viable decision. Watching a film the way the director and cinematographer intended the film to look, and as it was shown in theatrical release is enough for me.

I'm very impressed and pleased that they are honoring Mr. Huston's (and Mr. Morris' ) vision.