THE THIN RED LINE: UK is getting a box set...How about a Five-Star SE in the US? (1 Viewer)

I'm sure there has been a thread similar to this, but the search function was disabled, so I was unable to check.

Let me just say that, IMHO, The Thin Red Line is the best film of the 1990s, and one of my favorites of all time. However, the film is not getting the treatment it deserves in the US:

A Thin Red Line Collector's Box Set is slated to be released in the UK soon. The box includes the DVD, soundtrack, a production book, and a pencil sketch print of the cast (which is quite nice). Here is one on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4365 Considering this release, is a US special edition far behind?

Mr. Staddon, will we ever see an SE of this wonderful film? How about a Five-Star edition, including multiple versions of Malick's masterwork (several cuts are in existence)? Granted, the current DVD features amazing audio/video, and I'm happy to own it in any form. However, it is quite barebones--not even the superb trailer is included!

I've heard Malick is against DVD extras. Is this true? Are we doomed from the start?

Are there any other fans out there who would like to see an improved DVD edition?

Have been waiting for a special edition for the longest time. Why would they release a box set in the UK but not in the US. It would seem that many of the fans of this movie reside in the US and would appreciate a box set just as much as they would in the UK.

5-Star won't happen. They have discontinued that line.

I agree. It seems odd. Then again, Europe has recieved many SEs of popular US films well before we have (Black Hawk Down from Columbia, The Great Escape, and some other US unreleased MGM SEs come to mind).

The Thin Red Line is prime for a special edition re-release. It was nominated for Best Picture! That has to count for something.

Five-Star has been discontinued? Didn't hear about that.

I totally agree, TTRL is one of the most underrated movies ever. Everything in this movie is so perfect- music, cinematography, writing, atmosphere, everything. I get chills just thinking about it.

This would make a GREAT Criterion title. Imagine the cover.
Malick might be against extras, I don't know; Days of Heaven has interactive menus(!), and Badlands has scene selection (oooh!). In any case, I would kill for Malick commentary on TTRL.

What does Canada have in terms of these 3 movies?

There's an idea: A Criterion edition of TTRL! Now I'm getting chills!

I'd love to see what cover Criterion would come up with. How about a white cover with palm trees jutting into the sky (similar to the Chants from TTRL CD cover) with the films title hand written, like on the pencil sketch in the UK box....?

If Fox can devote 9 (!!!) discs to the Alien films, I think they can manage at least 2 for TTRL...

I wouldn't get too excited over this release, unfortunately. This box set could be barebones, as there are no disc specs listed in the description. The sketch, soundtrack, and production book are just fluff in my opinion.

I remember reading somewhere that Malick is unwilling to record a commentary track and does not want the 3+ hours of deleted scenes to be available. (I'll try to find the exact source.)

I would definitely purchase any reissue of this film that Fox gives us. It's a shame that one of the best trailers of all time is not on DVD. :frowning:

Agreed,
The picture and booklet are kinda fluffy.
The soundtrack (which is HDCD) is amazing though (which I already own).
If they made an SE, I would buy it again in a heartbeat.
Its my favourite movie of all time.

I was looking at some of the other auctions and the special edition supposedly includes the theatrical trailer and a "making of." I'm not sure if that's a featurette or if it refers to the production booklet.

I still don't think that would be enough to justify a region 1 re-release. :frowning:

Agreed, the UK box extras are somewhat fluffy, and do not offer much new material, especially for fans like myself who already have the DVD and CD. I'm just wondering if this indicates any kind of US re-release.

TTRL is Zimmer's best score. Great CD, as well. Be sure to check it out if you haven't already.

Nice to hear some support from fellow HTF members on this issue.

Bill,

Interesting to hear of a trailer and making of in the set...whether these are new features on the DVD itself remains to be seen, I suppose...

It's kind of funny...despite how common trailers are on DVDs, some of my favorite trailers did not make it on to DVD for various reasons (probably related to music rights): Pearl Harbor theatrical (w/TTRL score, "Journey to the Line"), We Were Soldiers theatrical, and of course, all of TTRL's amazing trailers, which featured alot of footage not in the final film. Perhaps this is why they were not included...

Any UK readers out there know any more about this box?

It's the same thing as those Warner box sets. Nothing special, same disc

Sorry to stray from the main topic a little, but since we're discussing Malick, and his movies...

A special edition of Badlands is due for release in the UK soon. Here's the press release:

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The cult classic road movie Badlands starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek will be made available to own for the first time on DVD from 26th May 2003.

The original Natural Born Killers road movie, Badlands is a seminal classic that catapulted both Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek into the big league. Spacek was nominated for the Best Newcomer BAFTA Award for her moving portrayal and Sheen won the Best Actor nod from the San Sebastián International Film Festival with director Terrence Malick receiving the Golden Seashell at the same festival. Quentin Tarantino paid homage to Badlands in both his cult classics True Romance and Natural Born Killers where the influence of Malick's film is very apparent.

This DVD release includes the recently produced and never before seen featurette Absence of Malick with contributions from Sheen on the set of The West Wing as well as Spacek and many other crew members.

Emmy Award Winner Martin Sheen (The West Wing) and Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek (In The Bedroom), are Kit and Holly in this explosively, riveting film from director Terrence Malick. South Dakota, 1959.

Kit and Holly are adrift in a double fantasy of crime and punishment, a headlong flight from nowhere, to nowhere. They're playing make-believe but the bullets are real. And the bloodshed is very real.

Badlands was inspired by true events, the story is a provocative study of people numbingly alienated from everyday life. But fascinating to us. Beautifully shot, splendidly acted, Badlands is a spellbinding journey. The plot and lead characters of Kit and Holly are based on Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate, who in 1958 embarked on a murder spree that horrified the country.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
In an all-new DVD documentary The Absence of Mailck, stars Sheen and Spacek recall their experiences of working on the film that Sheen states gave him the role of his life. Malick first cast Spacek, who was blown away by Sheen's screen test which bagged him the part despite the actors fears that a 31-year-old couldn't play the part of a 19-year-old. Sheen's good looks and impressive aloof performance was created by totally immersing himself in the character.

For the steely-eyed amongst us, the featurette also highlights Malick's performances in the film. He was forced to stand in when an actor failed to show with the intention of re-shooting his angle shots at a later date with the actor. Sheen however refused to do so in order to keep Malick's presence in the film. Malick also makes a further appearance, but we'll leave that for viewers to discover on their own.

Title BADLANDS (1973)
Release Date 26th May 2003
Certificate 18
Price £15.99
Running Time 90 mins
Special Features Absence of Malick Featurette - a look at Badlands with Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek and other crew members
Theatrical Trailer

Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Widescreen
Audio Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Arabic, Portuguese, Romanian, Bulgarian, For Hearing Impaired: English & Italian

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Doesn't seem like much of a "Collector's Edition" to me... looks like fluff. I already have the soundtrack (which is simply incredible), so there would be very little added value.

Julian,

thanks for the info on Badlands. I hope this means we'll see a re-release in Region 1. I don't expect much in the way of extras, but the transfer could really use some sprucing up. The current release has some scratches and speckles, and the biggest problem is the commpression artifacts (probably due to it being single layer, and it was an early release when compression wasn't handled as well as it is now).

Fox have issued several similar boxed sets of previously issued DVDs in the UK, such as TITANIC and BRAVEHEART, which include the exact same DVD with no additional features plus the soundtrack CD.

I want to see Malicks original 5 hour cut

uggh, as if it couldn't get any longer

I'm just glad that the original R1 release was anamorphic (at a time when anamorphic was still a dirty word to Fox.) It would've been a crime to put out a non-anamorphic version of this superb film. But why Fox bothered with the dts reissue (as part of the 'Enhanced Widescreen' label) is a mystery to me, especially when you consider there are still many non-anamorphic Fox titles on US shelves.

Wow, I've never seen badlands, but that press release REALLY makes me want to run out and buy it. How bad is the video? Would it really matter if I had an average-size flat-screen tv?
While I'm at it, how good is the video on Days of Heaven?

btw, that press release says the movie's rated 18, but here it's only PG. What gives?

Damn, I sure wish Malick would make some more movies.

Nathan,

the video quality of Badlands isn't horrible, you can just tell that it was an earlier DVD release.
I only paid about $17 CAD for it, so it wasn't much of a gamble... and I'd be happy to upgrade it just for the video quality alone. It's a fantastic little film, and I easily rank it in my top 5 films of the 70's.

Days of Heaven has a very nice transfer. There are some minor scratches and such, but they don't detract from the picture quality. Cinematography is a key ingredient in this film (one of the best I've seen, and another Malick film in my top 5 of the 70's), Paramount does the film justice.