Twilight Time joins forces with Sony Pictures to release BD editions of classic Columbia Titles - Page 4

Could not resist sharing these four promotional ads from the November 8, 1941 Box Office Mag.  They went all out in those days to promote a film.  I mean even sending live baby alligators to critics. Wonder what the not said - "If you don't like our picture here is something that will eat you.  LOL 

 

 

So funny that Dana Andrews gets 4th billing when he's inarguably the center of the film. Brennan's in it for maybe 15-20 minutes, although it is one of his finest performances (i.e., not being his usual "intensely annoying old coot").

I'm fairly sure Brennan got top billing due to his winning the Academy Award for his performance in "The Westerner" the year prior. I agree that I prefer his performances before he was typecast.

Those ads are fantastic.  Love that stuff.

Yes, indeed! Thanks so much for those ads. They certainly have me looking forward to the release now.

Andrews was at the beginning of his film career as his star was still rising.  Let's remember that Ox-Box Incident, Ball of Fire and Laura came after this film. 

 

gaga
Edited by jaaguir - 11/18/11 at 10:05am

Oh don't get me wrong, I know why they did it. I just think it's amusing (and pretty damn misleading).

Seems the Fright Night pre-order launch crashed the site server

Called to try and order over the phone and SAE seems overwhelmed by Fright Night orders and told me to try again tomorrow. Unusual for Twilight Time, though I agree with the assessment I was given that there's still "plenty" and not to expect a sell-out in such a short timespan.

Their Facebook page has gotten more activity than I have seen before, though its mostly frustration.
Edited by JoHud - 11/14/11 at 12:43pm

My 500th post at this site.

 

I just ordered Fright Night at screen archives, i hope the expense is worth it, i have fond memories of seeing this back in the eighties, but i gotta say that this is costing me a lot for a blu ray release, in fact its the most i have ever paid for one, $52 which is approx £32 inc registered delivery, registered is costing me a whopping additional $15 but they say a lot of goods go missing when shipped to the UK and without the registered they will not entertain any lost post enquiries, so its safer to go registered.

 

The price would be a lot more reasonable to me without the registered post option, i have done online shopping from a number of sites in the USA, nothing has ever went missing before but that warning scared me into paying extra.

You can order FRIGHT NIGHT online now. The server crashed for about 2 hours today.

All the folks preordering RAPTURE no doubt...

I understand you (I live in Spain), but I risked it with both The Egyptian and Mysterious island, and have been lucky so far, nothing lost. Still cost me 31 Euros (but I don't mind!).

I must have bought about 100 sountrack CD's from this site (to the UK) & none of them have ever gone missing, & nore did The Egyptian Blu, which was to be my one & only expensive Blu from TT, but I've gone & ordered Mysterious Island (the last expensive Blu! ...maybe), & didn't pay the extra.

Porgy and Bess (1959) Maybe someone can answer this question, with the deal that Twilight Time has with Sony and the deal that they have with Fox, I mention both , because it is a Samuel Goldwyn / Columbia release originally. Most of the Goldwyn’s are now under control of MGM which is released by FOX. Also the Gershwin estate has part to play in this as they own rights as well.

 

My question is does anyone know if there is a possibility of the original 70mm presentation, how badly it is in need of restoration? This is a title that has never had an official release, but would make a great release if done right.  

It's a Renoir.
A very interesting Renoir, although it does take an adjustment because it's not French.
He made few films in English in the USA.

Thanks for your kind words, much appreciated and this is the nicest and indeed the most knowledgeable film forum, its very pleasing to see the site owners take part here as that doesn't really happen as much at some of the other large film sites.

 

 

 

 

I decided to pay the extra this time just in case i am the first one not to receive the shipped item, next time i may take a chance but i'm not much of a gambler.

Regarding Porgy and Bess.

This is a great film, which I have unfortunately only seen on a DVD made from a VHS recording of a faded cut panned and scanned 16mm print. [How is that for a sextuple hit!]

The story is a long one.

1. The Gershwin estate objected to this film on artistic grounds and tried for decades to suppress it, even destroying prints. The last I heard, they had softened their stance, even allowing some showings (there was one at the Egyptian in 35mm dye transfer magnetic), and there was hope that they might entertain a video release.
2. I heard from someone (not sure who) that the 70mm materials were in the hands of the Goldwyn company and were in good shape, that they wanted to do something with it but were waiting for approval from the Gershwin folks.
3. I don't think that Sony/Columbia has anything to do with this anymore.


This is a very significant film historically. It won awards, it is the only film of one of the Gershwins' best works, it has nearly every African-American performer from the era in its cast, it is the last work of one of the greatest showmen of the 20th Century.

It now belongs to MGM/UA through their deal with the Goldwyn estate.  I the Goldwyn estate does not put the money into it for any work that needs to be done, it is highly unlikely that MGM will, so it will sit on the self for now. 
 

 

The music is magnificent, and the dubbers used for many in the cast were some of the best singers in the business. The direction of the film, unfortunately, is rather static and labored, and Preminger isn't able to electrify the material in the same was he did with Carmen Jones. Still, I'd love to have an official Blu-ray release (or, if the upcoming Broadway revival proves successful, do a film of that version and release it). The show deserves to be much better known.

With a new (and somewhat controversial) Broadway revival opening soon now's a good time to release it.

Given that the Gershwin estate has (1) allowed (or even suggested, as I've read elsewhere) some of those controversial changes in the book and score for the current production (some of most radical of which have been mercifully returned to "normal" by the producers), and (2) that they have even "officially" changed the work's title to the absurd and laughable "The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess"... I would hope that they are no longer withholding the film on the basis of any real or perceived objections to, ahem, artistic standards. 

 

Another obstacle to its release, if I've heard this correctly over the years, has been Sidney Poitier's longstanding objection to the film.

 

A collector's print shown at the Ziegfeld a few years ago was either very problematic in itself, or the folks at the theater just didn't know how to handle it.  If I recall correctly, we were told by the author of the then-new Otto Preminger biography that it was one of the few remaining elements and that something would have to be done soon if it's to be salvaged for a proper home video release and for posterity.

 

The film itself was gorgeous.  I'd seen it once as a kid (it was single-handedly responsible for my lifelong love of Gershwin's music, exactly as the film of "West Side Story" was for the music of Bernstein just a few years later).  This time, in 2008, it was obvious to me how incredibly static the staging and cinematography really were...almost shockingly so.  There are musical and dramatic moments that would have been highly served by a close-up or some kind of movement or cutting.  Nevertheless, it's a masterpiece in its own right and a priceless document.  It retains more of the opera score than you'd expect, and the talent involved is beyond incredible.

Edited by Chas in CT - 11/18/11 at 7:22am

it might depend on the title, also it is realitivitly know, the title is, per se but most people havent seen it, the reason for bringing this up in this thread was the fact of a possible isolated score, the Goldwyn films were not part of the deal that MGM had with Criterion, so i thought that possibly this might be a different route. but a proper presentation would need to be done, think fiddler or CCBB and not WSS