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More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

post #1 of 37
11/25/08 at 4:47am
Thread Starter 
DVD Empire has the following up for pre-order for 2/3/09 release ($19.94 retail):

Five
Getting Straight
Gumshoe
Our Man in Havana
Vibes
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post #2 of 37
11/25/08 at 4:49am
Thread Starter 

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay E
DVD Empire has the following up for pre-order for 2/3/09 release ($19.94 retail):

Five
Getting Straight
Gumshoe
Our Man in Havana
Vibes

I already own the region 2 DVD of Our Man in Havana, so I will be picking up Five, Getting Straight and Gumshoe as all 3 have been on my wishlist for ages.

I have no idea why I am answering my own post...I was trying to edit but I must have hit the wrong button...it's too early in the morning
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post #3 of 37
11/25/08 at 5:56am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay E
I have no idea why I am answering my own post...I was trying to edit but I must have hit the wrong button...it's too early in the morning
If it makes you feel better I thought it was a good reply, I give it 7/10.

I have Our Man in Havana too, which is a great film. I think it is extremely funny. I don't think I'll get any of these though. 2009 will be the year of blu-ray for me, so I think I'll save my money for things like North by Northwest on blu-ray.
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post #4 of 37
11/25/08 at 8:01am

FIVE (1951)!!!!!


Being a devout SF fan Arch Oboler's FIVE (1951) is naturally of considerable interest to me.

Most of those 1950s post nuclear holocast SF-premised films (ie. WORLD WITHOUT END, DAY THE WORLD ENDED, TEENAGE CAVEMAN, THE WORLD THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL) are usually very interesting and make for great thought-provoking entertainment.

It good to see that there are some truly worthwhile DVD releases currently in the works!

Thank you for the advanced word.

Jeff T.
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post #5 of 37
11/25/08 at 10:55am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay E
DVD Empire has the following up for pre-order for 2/3/09 release ($19.94 retail):

Five
Getting Straight
Gumshoe
Our Man in Havana
Vibes

Good to hear about Vibes.
Wish they would release Housekeeping though.
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post #6 of 37
11/25/08 at 4:40pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

According to ClassicFlix, this is the second wave of "Martini Movies"
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post #7 of 37
11/26/08 at 6:40am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Happy to see "Vibes" come through. They should include "The Legend Of Billie Jean" under this label. It's long overdue for a dvd release.
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post #8 of 37
11/26/08 at 1:20pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

I am hoping for All the Young Men and Paratrooper both of which starred Alan Ladd.
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post #9 of 37
11/26/08 at 3:26pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Jo Morrow is so pretty. I'm in for Our Man in Havana.
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post #10 of 37
11/26/08 at 9:48pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Was hoping for HUSBANDS as that was announced as coming soon from this line. Hopefully, maybe on the next wave.
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post #11 of 37
11/27/08 at 6:41am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

I cant believe Billy Jean isnt on this list.The dvd format is over 10 years old, and the movie hasnt been released yet. If something like twilight zone the movie, can get through all the legal stuff, then there is absolutely 0 excuses, for this to not be on dvd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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post #12 of 37
11/27/08 at 8:24pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09


Region 1 cover art

Region 2 cover art

Original Poster Art
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post #13 of 37
11/27/08 at 10:21pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Why are we still waiting for the remaining Kim Novak movies? Pushover, Five Against The House and Middle Of The Night are all good, enjoyable movies.
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post #14 of 37
11/28/08 at 3:21am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin9
Why are we still waiting for the remaining Kim Novak movies? Pushover, Five Against The House and Middle Of The Night are all good, enjoyable movies.
I recorded "Pushover" onto DVD-R the other day from a TCM broadcast.





Crawdaddy
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post #15 of 37
11/28/08 at 3:53am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Getting Straight is interesting as a time capsule of the late 1960s / early 1970s, when Elliott Gould was a huge counter-culture star. Take note of the slang in this film. The slang of that period is a curiosity now, like the slang of the 1930s and 1940s in gangster movies.

I've been wanting to see Arch Oboler's seminal Five in good quality for a long time. Oboler was a great Ideas man who knew how to accomplish high quality on miniscule budgets. This film is most welcome on DVD.

I've been enjoying the region 2 edition of Our Man In Havana for a couple of years, a refined espionage comedy-drama told with a dry wit that the English used to do so well. In case you're wondering, this is the film that defined the word "sublime." The cast is a pleasure to watch. Alec Guinness delivers another clinic in behavorial acting as a vacuum cleaner salesman who becomes a spy because everyone assumes he must be one anyway. Ernie Kovacs is a panic as a Cuban police inspector. A region 1 edition is most welcome and will be the first DVD of the series I pick up.

This "Martini Movies" idea is on the dumb side of promotional hooks, but if it gets the titles out, I'm all for it.
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post #16 of 37
11/28/08 at 4:44am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W
I've been enjoying the region 2 edition of Our Man In Havana for a couple of years, a refined espionage comedy-drama told with a dry wit that the English used to do so well. In case you're wondering, this is the film that defined the word "sublime." The cast is a pleasure to watch. Alec Guinness delivers another clinic in behavorial acting as a vacuum cleaner salesman who becomes a spy because everyone assumes he must be one anyway. Ernie Kovacs is a panic as a Cuban police inspector. A region 1 edition is most welcome and will be the first DVD of the series I pick up.

This "Martini Movies" idea is on the dumb side of promotional hooks, but if it gets the titles out, I'm all for it.
The R1 version is going to be SO much better than the R2 version. It is going to have two green people and one blue person in it!
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post #17 of 37
11/28/08 at 6:05am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Howson
The R1 version is going to be SO much better than the R2 version. It is going to have two green people and one blue person in it!
The region 1 cover art is no improvement, that's for sure, and will do nothing to sell the DVD. You have to get a degree in commercial art and work for years at a studio to learn how to design a cover like that.

Although the cover art on the region 2 is very fine and appropriate, I don't see how it would help sell the DVD off the shelves, either. On the other hand, it may be argued that Our Man In Havana is not the type of DVD most retailers stock, so Columbia might as well stick with better region 2 cover which so effectively evokes the genre's poster / dust jacket art of the late 1950s. Compare it to the poster art of Dr. No (1962).

The important thing is that film buffs in the USA will now have the chance to rediscover a British classic and one of the defining films of the period. It is directed by Carol Reed, the brilliant English director who was responsible for Night Train to Munich (1940), Odd Man Out (1947) with James Mason, The Third Man (1968) with Orson Welles, and the musical Oliver! (1968) with Oliver Reed. So you can expect a great film.
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post #18 of 37
11/28/08 at 7:30am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Who controls NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940)? I know that Kino brought out a VHS of it? It compares favorably to Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHS, and even reprises Wayne and Radford.
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post #19 of 37
11/28/08 at 8:31am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W
The region 1 cover art is no improvement, that's for sure, and will do nothing to sell the DVD. You have to get a degree in commercial art and work for years at a studio to learn how to design a cover like that.
The important thing is that film buffs in the USA will now have the chance to rediscover a British classic and one of the defining films of the period. It is directed by Carol Reed, the brilliant English director who was responsible for Night Train to Munich (1940), Odd Man Out (1947) with James Mason, The Third Man (1968) with Orson Welles, and the musical Oliver! (1968) with Oliver Reed. So you can expect a great film.
A Kid for Two Farthings and Trapeze are both under-rated IMO.
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post #20 of 37
11/28/08 at 8:46am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

As is The Man Between. Reed has been under-appreciated in some quarters, good to see some love for him here.
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post #21 of 37
11/28/08 at 9:18am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Carol Reed is one of the great directors, and one of the most important. He was more prolific than David Lean, and I put him in the same class. Very few of his films are on DVD in region 2, and only a handful in region 1. I know some of his films are owned by Columbia.

I would particularly like to see Night Train to Munich and Outcasts of the Islands on DVD, but we are also missing such significant works as Odd Man Out, The Man Between, The Key, and Trapeze, to name only a few.

Perhaps the release of Our Man In Havana in the USA will facilitate the rediscovery of Carol Reed.
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post #22 of 37
11/28/08 at 9:23am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

I picked up The Alien from LA for $3 from Big Lots a couple weeks ago. Darn fun. It reminds me of Vibes for some reason. Both awesome guilty pleasures. I'm not sure if I'd pay a whole lot for Vibe though. I'd sure throw 3 greenbacks away for it! :up:
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post #23 of 37
11/28/08 at 9:37am

Re: FIVE (1951)!!!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffT.

Being a devout SF fan Arch Oboler's FIVE (1951) is naturally of considerable interest to me.

Most of those 1950s post nuclear holocast SF-premised films (ie. WORLD WITHOUT END, DAY THE WORLD ENDED, TEENAGE CAVEMAN, THE WORLD THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL) are usually very interesting and make for great thought-provoking entertainment.

It good to see that there are some truly worthwhile DVD releases currently in the works!

Thank you for the advanced word.

Jeff T.
The World the Flesh and the Devil was MGM or United Artists wasn't it? One of the best films of its kind. I often wondered if it was not inspired in some way by Matheson's novel I Am Legend which had been published about 4 years before.

Speaking of Harry Belafonte films, The Columbia title I most want to see again, aside from their noirs, is Porgy and Bess. Why no Porgy and Bess ?
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post #24 of 37
11/28/08 at 10:02am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL is owned by WB. It was based on a 1906 sci-fi novel THE PURPLE CLOUD by M.P. Shiel. Harry Belafonte was not in PORGY AND BESS. Sidney Poitier and Dorthy Dandredge starred.

One terrific Reed film that never made it to homevideo is THE RUNNING MAN with Lee Remick, Laurence Harvey, and Alan Bates. It's a Columbia film. TCM shows a lot of great British films that are apparently owned by MGM and OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS was shown last summer. I believe that THE MAN BETWEEN is coming up in January.
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post #25 of 37
11/28/08 at 10:50am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles H
THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL is owned by WB. It was based on a 1906 sci-fi novel THE PURPLE CLOUD by M.P. Shiel.
1906?!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles H
Harry Belafonte was not in PORGY AND BESS. Sidney Poitier and Dorthy Dandredge starred.
Oops. I forgot about that. It is also a Columbia film.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles H
One terrific Reed film that never made it to homevideo is THE RUNNING MAN with Lee Remick, Laurence Harvey, and Alan Bates.
I vaguely remember this on television. Another title for Columbia to put in the works. Maybe they'll accelerate now.
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post #26 of 37
11/28/08 at 11:12am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W
1906?!


Oops. I forgot about that. It is also a Columbia film.


I vaguely remember this on television. Another title for Columbia to put in the works. Maybe they'll accelerate now.

Porgy and Bess, as I'm sure you know (who couldn't know this after all the threads here and elsewhere?), is not owned by Columbia. It is owned by the Gershwin Estate, and they don't seem to want it out and haven't for years - they have, however, allowed occasional screenings, using the only known 35mm stereo print, owned by a collector in LA, I think.
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post #27 of 37
11/28/08 at 11:55am

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyFeldman
Porgy and Bess, as I'm sure you know (who couldn't know this after all the threads here and elsewhere?), is not owned by Columbia. It is owned by the Gershwin Estate, and they don't seem to want it out and haven't for years - they have, however, allowed occasional screenings, using the only known 35mm stereo print, owned by a collector in LA, I think.
If it's okay with you, I forgot all about the Gershwin Estate controlling Porgy and Bess. I'm not good at trivia, and my mind is on other things. Columbia is the original distributor of this title.
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post #28 of 37
11/28/08 at 1:02pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W
If it's okay with you, I forgot all about the Gershwin Estate controlling Porgy and Bess. I'm not good at trivia, and my mind is on other things. Columbia is the original distributor of this title.

It's perfectly fine with me. Hardly trivia, but I understand your mind being on other things, holidays and all. Columbia was the original distributor but hasn't been for many, many years, which is why this film has never appeared on cable and hasn't appeared on TV in decades. I'd love to see a gorgeous DVD transfer off the ToddAO elements, but I don't think it will ever happen.
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post #29 of 37
11/28/08 at 4:05pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

someone needs to start designing alternative covers for this series!
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post #30 of 37
11/28/08 at 7:25pm

Re: More Columbia catalog releases - 2/3/09

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W
Carol Reed is one of the great directors, and one of the most important. He was more prolific than David Lean, and I put him in the same class. Very few of his films are on DVD in region 2, and only a handful in region 1. I know some of his films are owned by Columbia.

I would particularly like to see Night Train to Munich and Outcasts of the Islands on DVD, but we are also missing such significant works as Odd Man Out, The Man Between, The Key, and Trapeze, to name only a few.

Perhaps the release of Our Man In Havana in the USA will facilitate the rediscovery of Carol Reed.

Odd Man Out, The Man Between, and Trapeze are all available in region 2 in very nice transfers.
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