Robert Harris on The Bits: The Alamo (1 Viewer)

[Powell&Pressburger]

I hope the restoration can move along as best as it can. Is it ok to disclose how much is needed for the restoration... is it upwards to 3 million or more.
 
Are we looking at possibly 2 more years to go?
 
I feel bad MGM is in so much trouble, MGM/UA seems to have a healthy catalog of titles. I would still like a BD released for Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story. I am also a sucker for the old Corman Midnite Movie selections etc.

 

[Robert Harris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powell&Pressburger
I hope the restoration can move along as best as it can. Is it ok to disclose how much is needed for the restoration... is it upwards to 3 million or more.
 
Are we looking at possibly 2 more years to go?
 
I feel bad MGM is in so much trouble, MGM/UA seems to have a healthy catalog of titles. I would still like a BD released for Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story. I am also a sucker for the old Corman Midnite Movie selections etc.

1.3 million.

 

[Jamie E]

Just saw this article that paints a pretty optimistic picture that MGM's situation will be settled soon. Let's hope so!

 

[DakotaSurfer]

I just did some searching and found 3 more articles that seems to paint a better picture then the EW article did.
 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i4b7c0879c181d50b66a3bea780098bc7
 
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/08/spyglass-close-to-a-deal-to-takeover-management-of-mgm.html
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1017539120100810
 
I still have the 3-disc laser set. It's still sealed. I'd love to get that copied over to DVD someday. Has to be better quality then my VHS copy to DVD I made.

 

[ahollis]

 

Originally Posted by DakotaSurfer
I just did some searching and found 3 more articles that seems to paint a better picture then the EW article did.
 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i4b7c0879c181d50b66a3bea780098bc7
 
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/08/spyglass-close-to-a-deal-to-takeover-management-of-mgm.html
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1017539120100810
 
I still have the 3-disc laser set. It's still sealed. I'd love to get that copied over to DVD someday. Has to be better quality then my VHS copy to DVD I made.

The articles do seem brighter, but the underlining tone of all three, is where is the money coming from to make new films? Without that funding there is no MGM.
 
I too still have the Roadshow laser version of the Alamo. I will hold on to that until either a DVD comes out or my laser players die. And even then I will hold on to it.
 

 

[RolandL]

 

Originally Posted by DakotaSurfer
I just did some searching and found 3 more articles that seems to paint a better picture then the EW article did.
 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i4b7c0879c181d50b66a3bea780098bc7
 
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/08/spyglass-close-to-a-deal-to-takeover-management-of-mgm.html
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1017539120100810
 
I still have the 3-disc laser set. It's still sealed. I'd love to get that copied over to DVD someday. Has to be better quality then my VHS copy to DVD I made.

 
I copied my rented laser disc to S-VHS. I wish I had a DVD player back then to copy it to.
 

 

[David_B_K]

I need to record my roadshow laserdisc to DVD, too. I guess a worst-case scenario release could be seamless branching with the low-res laserdisc master used for the new content only. I should think the final result would be rather like watching the Pioneer 1776 laserdisc that used scratchy work-print stock for some scenes.

 

[DakotaSurfer]

I still have an unopened copy of The Alamo on Laserdisc. I don't have a machine anymore but if I did I would connect it to one of my DVR's and copy it to a high quality DVD. That's about the only way I'd open this copy. Here's to MGM finding the money for this project real soon.

 

[john a hunter]

Originally Posted by DakotaSurfer
I still have an unopened copy of The Alamo on Laserdisc. I don't have a machine anymore but if I did I would connect it to one of my DVR's and copy it to a high quality DVD. That's about the only way I'd open this copy. Here's to MGM finding the money for this project real soon.

i suggest you find a machine and check it out. Laserdiscs have a track record of "laser rot" which develops over time. You might be unlucky.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Mr. Harris. Now that MGM's situation seems to be resolved, are there any updates on the restoration of the Alamo.

 

[Robert Harris]

Wish there was something to report. The tracks have been saved. The image languishes.

 

[John Hodson]

Gah!

 

[Ransom Stoddard]

Rubbish movie. John Ford directed better ones in his sleep. A pity he didn't give any pointers to ole Marion.

 

[John Hodson]

If you know anything about Ford, I'd have thought that you'd at least know that he do'd, er, did.

 

[ahollis]

I read that Ford paid John a visit on the set of the film and was giving him so many pointers on how to direct it that John asked him to direct some of the Mexican Army shots to get him off is back. Ford actually went and did this.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris
Wish there was something to report. The tracks have been saved. The image languishes.

That's too bad. Actually, I think that it is a very good film. It's not as good as if John Ford had done it, but it is better than some of Ford's late Westerns. Since Wayne saw it as his personal statement, he probably did not want it to be a John Ford film. I have always liked it a lot since I saw it on a national network's Sunday Night movie in the 1970s. Hopefully, something can be done.

BTW: Can you explain exactly how the 1990s 202 inute VHS was not exactly the original roadshow version. I did notice that after the credits, the aspect ratio of the letterbox decreased, but I a curious about the rest.

 

[JoeDoakes]

BTW: You know, there are still unspent stimulus funds. I don't know if Joe Biden is a John Wayne fan, but it might be worth a shot to submit an application. A lot less worthy projects than this have received money. Perhaps DiFi could do something.

 

[DakotaSurfer]

I think there are so many sizes and times of this film it's hard to keep track of. The roadshow version, the cut version after the roadshow was pulled. The re-release in 1967, the DVD release, the UK release, the laserdisc release and the TV release. Some has different aspect ratios, differences for NTSC and PAL. Robert may be able to give a shortened reason but a detailed one can be found here: http://movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3869

 

[AbbyNormal]

I am currently researching a bio of Wayne for a writer and have just gone through the Batjac files at USC. Since the film did not get into profit until two decades ago, UA has all rights to the film and I do not think Batjac or the Wayne family sees any money from it. UA and the people Wayne went to for extra funding saw money first before he did, and since MCLINTOCK! was a UA release, only the success of that film got Wayne solvent again.

I used to know Rennie Johnson when he was with MGM/UA, and I know he was thrilled to put that deluxe laserdisc out some years ago.

I think the reason the film exists in that longer version is because it opened in Canada two weeks before the big premiere in Texas, and since Batjac was paying a royalty to Todd-AO for each print, they might have decided to just let the print run until the booking ended rather than spring for another print. It ran for four months there and then just went to that distribution center there where it was forgotten.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by AbbyNormal
I am currently researching a bio of Wayne for a writer and have just gone through the Batjac files at USC. Since the film did not get into profit until two decades ago, UA has all rights to the film and I do not think Batjac or the Wayne family sees any money from it. UA and the people Wayne went to for extra funding saw money first before he did, and since MCLINTOCK! was a UA release, only the success of that film got Wayne solvent again.

I used to know Rennie Johnson when he was with MGM/UA, and I know he was thrilled to put that deluxe laserdisc out some years ago.

I think the reason the film exists in that longer version is because it opened in Canada two weeks before the big premiere in Texas, and since Batjac was paying a royalty to Todd-AO for each print, they might have decided to just let the print run until the booking ended rather than spring for another print. It ran for four months there and then just went to that distribution center there where it was forgotten.

The print was far from forgotten. It was there if requested, was run into the 1980s, and would have still been in pristine condition were it not for
its mishandling, and subsequent mis-storage during and after the creation of the laser disc.

RAH