- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,393
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
It seems as though the Twilight Time label, which releases licensed product from both Columbia and Fox, serves much the same purpose as Warner's Archive label of products, especially now that Warner's more recent fare are derived from new transfers, original elements, along with a bit of clean-up.
And this is a very good thing, as without TT, we might not be seeing the releases they support.
My Cousin Rachel is one such title. A quality project, based upon an important novel, and with a very interesting cast of leads and supporting players, inclusive of Richard Burton in his first American role -- he already had several UK productions to his credit.
This is an interesting film for many reasons. In one case, I'd make a comparison to Black Narcissus, as both were essentially studio bound productions, using variations of painted backdrops, rear projection, matte work, etc. The difference is that while Black Narcissus had the magic of The Archers, My Cousin Rachel worked within the Fox studio production system. What this means is that while BN is virtually transparent, the backdrops in MCR are far more obvious.
Directed by Henry Koster, who spent a great deal of his time at Fox, doing many of their A pictures, and beautifully shot by Fox contract DP Joseph LaShelle. Check out his credits -- Hangover Square, Fallen Angel, Doll Face, Foxes of Harrow, Cluny Brown and Laura -- and you'll see why this film looks as it does.
And then, of course, there's the score by Franz Waxman.
Possibly best defined as psychological, gothic, noir, My Cousin Rachel holds a myriad of twists, turns and surprises, and a much more layered performance from lead Olivia de Havilland than one might surmise at first glance. My initial reaction when I first saw the film years ago, was that she was still playing Melanie Hamilton.
I was very wrong. And most of the subtleties that one finally understands must have come from direction.
Twilight Time's standard definition DVD is a very good looking affair, that made me wish I was viewing Blu-ray.
I'm hopeful that as the series of releases takes off, that DVD will be left behind with Blu-ray coming more to the fore.
Once again, a limited edition of 3,000 units.
As an aside, and as a bit of trivia, can anyone give me the connection of this film to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Recommended.
RAH
And this is a very good thing, as without TT, we might not be seeing the releases they support.
My Cousin Rachel is one such title. A quality project, based upon an important novel, and with a very interesting cast of leads and supporting players, inclusive of Richard Burton in his first American role -- he already had several UK productions to his credit.
This is an interesting film for many reasons. In one case, I'd make a comparison to Black Narcissus, as both were essentially studio bound productions, using variations of painted backdrops, rear projection, matte work, etc. The difference is that while Black Narcissus had the magic of The Archers, My Cousin Rachel worked within the Fox studio production system. What this means is that while BN is virtually transparent, the backdrops in MCR are far more obvious.
Directed by Henry Koster, who spent a great deal of his time at Fox, doing many of their A pictures, and beautifully shot by Fox contract DP Joseph LaShelle. Check out his credits -- Hangover Square, Fallen Angel, Doll Face, Foxes of Harrow, Cluny Brown and Laura -- and you'll see why this film looks as it does.
And then, of course, there's the score by Franz Waxman.
Possibly best defined as psychological, gothic, noir, My Cousin Rachel holds a myriad of twists, turns and surprises, and a much more layered performance from lead Olivia de Havilland than one might surmise at first glance. My initial reaction when I first saw the film years ago, was that she was still playing Melanie Hamilton.
I was very wrong. And most of the subtleties that one finally understands must have come from direction.
Twilight Time's standard definition DVD is a very good looking affair, that made me wish I was viewing Blu-ray.
I'm hopeful that as the series of releases takes off, that DVD will be left behind with Blu-ray coming more to the fore.
Once again, a limited edition of 3,000 units.
As an aside, and as a bit of trivia, can anyone give me the connection of this film to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Recommended.
RAH
I give up, but I bet it's more obvious than I think. DVDs, Blus, MODs--I love 'em all, though by necessity, as the first market declines for catalog titles, I've been buying more of the other two. That said I've been scooping up a number of older DVDs on Amazon Marketplace, mostly titles unlikely to be reissued on Blu. And that's the dilemma--not everything will cross over to the promised land of streams and downloads, just as not everything crossed over to VHS, LD, and DVD. (And there are some region-free titles on Blu unlikely to appear here on Blu or on DVD.) You're pretty much obliged to keep a toe in all the waters, until the waters dry up. Thomas T, you sound like me a year ago. I was gifed an HDTV, and at Christmas my wife bought me an affordable Blu-ray player with streaming capability. "Changed my life," as they say. DVD is fine--until you see the same title side by side on Blu. Amazon is for example offering a cheap DVD/BD twofer of ThE GAUNTLET, not the most stylish flick. The DVD looked scuzzy, as I thought the movie must have looked--but the Blu-ray revealed a vastly improved image, the image that was always there, but buried. And it's hardly the only instance. If you were to take the plunge (and now's a good time, as the BD players and discs come down in price) I know you'll see the benefits of coexistence from both sides.
