Harold Lloyd Trust signs DVD deal ! (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Kuykendall]

The talkie version REALLY doesn't work. The worst Harold Lloyd film, as far as I'm concerned.

Can't wait for these DVDs, though. Especially Safety Last and Speedy, two of my favorite silent comedies.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Thanks Tim,

I hadn't heard about the November rumor. That said, it still seems strange that the official website is down with the theatrical re-releases imminent, and the DVD releases rumored to be only six months away. Personally, I think these films need all of the marketing that they can get (most people have no idea who he is), and they don't seem to be pushing very hard. I have a bad feeling that if something doesn't start happening, these releases are going to fail miserably. I hope that I'm wrong.

 

[TimJS]

Eric:

The Trust's forum is still up (sort of) & they provide a link to a 'trailer' for what one might assume is both the theatrical re-releases as well as the DVDs.

Tim

 

[Eric Peterson]

Yeah, I saw that, but you have to be pretty determined to find it. That's fine for huge film buffs, but HL needs exposure beyond his core base for these DVDs to make any impact. Most people know who Chaplin is, a smaller number are familiar with Keaton, but almost nobody knows Lloyd. They might recognize the famous still from "Safety Last" where he hangs from the clock, but they wouldn't have any idea what his name is. If they release everything in one clump, I couldn't really care because I'll likely buy everything, but I'm afraid that they might do this in waves and if the first wave falters, the rest might stay in the vault. In order for such a method to work, they have to get more exposure, and right now they're not doing that.

Here's hoping for the best.

 

[TimJS]

Eric:

Not trying to be either argumentative or Pollyannish, but I assume the trailer will be played in art-house theaters and possibly on TCM, & that would pretty much be the extent of the 'marketing campaign'.

From what I understand, the reason it took the Trust a long time to ink a deal with a distributor is that they wanted 1) a large fee & 2) guarantees on the distribution. Providing this is true, you can understand why the Kino, Image, & other boutique labels couldn't cough up the cash for #1, and why #1&#2 would lessen the probability of a deal from a major label. Again, providing the premise of the deal is as I described, I would assume that the marketing budget would be very carefully monitored. In other words, I see the Lloyd deal as a prestige product for New Line rather than a money-maker.

If I am correct, I don't think we have to worry about an aborted release schedule (the sets may be released in waves, but this wd be more to do with inventories and capacity of consumers). My biggest source of anxiety is that the studio will pass #1 on to the consumers, say $75 for a 3 disc set, etc. & place the collection in its' entirety beyond my means.

Tim

 

[Jon Martin]

Why would New Line get the rights? Considering they are part of the Time Warner Empire, why wouldn't Warner do it? Do they just have enough Lord of the Rings money that they are buying titles for Warner to release?

 

[Eric Peterson]

I understand that there isn't going to be a huge marketing push, but the internet is a huge marketing tool, and for the website to still be down except for a forum that is only partially operational is unacceptable. The internet in my book is the biggest marketing tool available after TV (Which won't see anything Lloyd except on TCM), and I'm astonished that they're not using it. It's also the cheapest method to market something.

The people of this forum are a very devoted bunch of movie buff, but even amongst us, there is very little talk of Lloyd, and that's what makes me very skeptical about these releases. HL needs to be sold even to the hardcore buffs, and right now there is nothing being done. If I hadn't made my semi-monthly visit to the dysfunctional forum on the HL site, I wouldn't have had any clue that the theatrical exibition is starting.

Sorry, if I sound skeptical, but it's my nature.

 

[Jason Seaver]

It played for a solid month or so at the theater where I'm spending a week watching Lloyd movies.

 

[Derek_McL]

I saw Welcome Danger(1929)in the so-called silent version (it is actually a hybrid of the talkie with some extra scenes and intertitles)in May at the Film Forum in New York city. Not his best by any means but good fun.

Sadly as people are saying here Lloyd has become a footnote to film history,too few people have seen a lot of his work because it has been ruthlessly suppressed over the years. I've always been a fan but getting home video editions of any his films has always been very difficult.

I really hope that is about to change but the marketing vacuum accompanying the re-issues doesn't give me grounds for optimism that many more people are going to discover him. The DVDs must arrive reasonably priced and widely available so film buffs can sample him, the word is they will all be released in November in sets of at least three films each : if they price those too highly they will torpedo all interest.

They had a list of all the films they are putting out on the Lloyd forum but that has gone (that board is in a mess, posts are disappearing all the time), I think roughly all the silent features, the talkie features up to at least The Cat's Paw (1934) and about a dozen shorts. The two Welcome Dangers (silent and sound)are unlikely to be ready and might be replaced by The Milky Way (1936).

 

[Steve...O]

Sadly, I think all of the concerns expressed in recent posts are justified. I realize that November is a ways off, but I'm shocked that the Trust isn't doing more to generate excitement and buzz about these. Shutting down the website is not a good way to do this.

If relatively small players like Milestone, Kino, and Laughsmith can generate publicity about their niche product I would think the same could be done by New Line for Lloyd. They simply can't afford to wait until October to reeducate the public about who Lloyd is. They don't have to spend big bucks doing this. Send a press release or give an interview to USA Today which publishes DVD tidbits frequently. Sites like this one will pick up on it and pretty soon interest has been kicked up another level.

The points about price being a major factor are dead on. With Warners kicking out classic films box sets every few weeks at attractive price points a highly priced Lloyd collection will be dead in the water.

Frankly all of the quietness surrounding this set has caused me to go from being enthusiastic about this to being rather ho hum.

Steve

 

[Patrick McCart]

As for publicity, I would hope the many showings on TCM have generated a lot of new interest.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

It has for me. I had never seen a Harold Lloyd film in my life before I started watching TCM's "Silent Sunday" movies. Now I'm definitely a fan.

 

[AmitS]

Is the Kino 2-disc collection any good?

 

[Jack Theakston]

The Kino set is worth picking up. It is good quality and has shorts that the HL Trust will probably not release on DVD.

 

[Tory]

The Kino release is 1 disc but jam packed with greatness.

 

[Jack Theakston]

A tenative release date of November 15 has been set, with all 28 titles being released that day.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Lloyd's SPEEDY will be on TCM tonight at 9:30 EST for those interested.

 

[TimJS]

Yes, according to the Harold Lloyd Forum, 28 films on "3 boxes with 2 disks per box.... and a gift box with all those disks plus an extra special features disk."

Special features being worked on include "...mini featurettes. Photos, home movies, commentaries".

Price TBD.

Tim

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

Weren't all the shorts on that disc also broadcast on TCM? I think the Trust will probably release them at some point, if not on the initial release.

Even if the Trust does release them, though, it's still worth it to pick up the Kino disc, because the word is that at least one of the shorts on there is from an overseas print, utilizing different takes and/or camera angles than the Trust's print. I have yet to pick up this disc...picking up the Arbuckle/Keaton set, the Forgotten Films of Fatty Arbuckle set, and the Laugh With Max Linder set has completely broken me. When my bankbook has recovered sufficiently, I'm also gonna be picking up the Charley Chase Collection, the Stan Laurel Collection, the Charley Bowers Collection, and the Kinowelt Laurel & Hardy DVD that contains Charley Chase's LIMOUSINE LOVE. So much good stuff, so little money...

One addtional note re: the Kino Lloyd disc: the version of GRANDMA'S BOY does NOT contain the original artistically done credits or intertitles as seen in the Trust's version. They've all been replaced with super-bland plain-Jane jobs.

 

[Jack Theakston]

I don't recall TCM running JUST NEIGHBORS, ARE CROOKS DISHONEST?, or HIS ROYAL SLYNESS. That's practically half the disc.