A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Thief of Bagdad (1924) -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Bob_S.]

Agreed. One of my favorite silents as well. Still amazed at the special effects. Just got it today but haven't watched it yet.

 

This release is missing credits. Has it always been this way?

 

[warnerbro]

I believe it just has the one title card at the beginning with Douglas Fairbanks' nom de plume at the bottom.

 

Ah, ok. I just thought it was odd. I know that a version that aired on tv many years back had them (it's on youtube), but they look like they were created for that broadcast.

 

[John Weller]

Raymond Roheuer was said to tamper with the credits for the films.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by John Weller
Raymond Roheuer was said to tamper with the credits for the films.

Never...

RAH

 

[alistairKerr]

There can't be many films where the "credits" are substantially longer than the movie!

 

[Pioneer14]

I may get this when the 1940 version of the Criterion collection gets a blu ray treatment.

 

[JoHud]

I may get this when the 1940 version of the Criterion collection gets a blu ray treatment.

Despite the title, the 1924 film bears little to no relation to the plot and characters of the 1940 film outside of their relation to stories in Arabian Nights.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Of all the silent movies the one i want to see in blu-ray is Abel Gance's "Napoleon" (1927). I have the MCA Home Video laserdisc which looks good but i hope one day when the legal matters have been taken care of we can see a new release.

 

[moviepas]

NEVER...
I didn't know Rohauer was alive in those Primitive days!!!! He used to carry around reels of film with scores strips with his name on them to be added to the front of prints at his insistence. He was must have had great fun visiting film programmers and projectionists in film archives with his reels and demands. Wonder how many black eyes he got? A most odious character. Even his family are said to have found him obnoxious.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by atcolomb
Of all the silent movies the one i want to see in blu-ray is Abel Gance's "Napoleon" (1927). I have the MCA Home Video laserdisc which looks good but i hope one day when the legal matters have been taken care of we can see a new release.

I'm unaware of any legal matters.
RAH

 

[warnerbro]

The man on the commentary said he believes the audience members at the original premiere were given programs with the credits and that is why there are none.

 

[warnerbro]

I got my bluray of THIEF OF BAGDAD and I couldn't be happier. It looks outstanding and probably the best we are likely to see and the Carl Davis score is a must for this film -- this score enhances this film the way the soundtrack to JAWS made it what it was. The picture is clean and sharp. You get a nice booklet and very classy packaging. The special effects in this film are stunning for their time, and much of the film has a dreamlike quality that is so beautiful you don't want it to end. This edition is all you could ever want. The only gripe I had is that you are forced to watch three trailers before getting to the menu. You get a DTS 5.1 and a Stereo track plus an informative and amusing commentary. The tints are very nice and not overly done. And, lastly, Anna May Wong steals this movie like every movie she was ever in. It is wonderful to see this overlooked superstar in hi-def. You can really see what she is thinking with her expressive eyes. She is one of the most beautiful women to appear on screen. Let's hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Cohen group and we classic film fanatics. I think they should be applauded for their maiden effort.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I'm unaware of any legal matters. RAH

Here are some info i did read on some internet posts and maybe it is old news but it makes me think there were some legal problems: "A copyright dispute over which music soundtrack should be performed with "Napoleon" exists between Zoetrope Studio/Francis Ford Coppola and the BFI/Kevin Brownlow/Carl Davis. When Brownlow assembled the original restored version in 1981 two scores were eventually produced, one (for the American market?) by Carmine Coppola (Francis' father and composer of the Godfather scores) and another (for the UK market?) by Carl Davis, veteran of many new scores for old silent movies. Prior to two live performances of the Davis score in December 2004 to accompany a new 5hr+ restoration of Napoloen, Coppola attempted to prevent the performances going ahead without his late father's score on the grounds that his family owns the copyright over the film, even though carmine Coppola's score was written for the short 4hr restoration. In the end the perfomances went ahead with Davis' score being used, although the dispute remains unresolved. It is uncertain whether Davis' score will ever be heard again while the dispute remains ongoing". "Zoetrope wants to release the 4 hour American version (1981) with the Carmine Coppola score. Kevin Brownlow wants the 5 1/2 hour BFI version (1990's) with the Carl Davis score. Also, StudioCanal apparently has international rights, Zoetrope has R1 rights to the Zoetrope version, Universal has R1 distribution rights, etc". "Who owns Napoleon? This is the hot question currently being debated in the usually uneventful world of film music. It concerns the rights to one of the undisputed masterpieces of the silent cinema, Abel Gance’s five-hour epic Napoléon (1927), which both Universal Studios and the British Film Institute (BFI) say they possess. Their rival claims have led to a legal battle over whose music may accompany screenings, including that due to take place this weekend at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The BFI version has remained loyal to a score put together by the composer and conductor Carl Davis, Universal’s to music by the late Carmine Coppola, father of The Godfather director Francis Ford, and the Coppola clan is out to protect its own".

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I believe Nino Rota would be surprised to learn that Carmine Coppola did the score for The Godfather films...

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Moe Dickstein
I believe Nino Rota would be surprised to learn that Carmine Coppola did the score for The Godfather films...

Mr. Coppola (Carmine) created additional music for Godfather II.
RAH

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by atcolomb
Here are some info i did read on some internet posts and maybe it is old news but it makes me think there were some legal problems:
"A copyright dispute over which music soundtrack should be performed with "Napoleon" exists between Zoetrope Studio/Francis Ford Coppola and the BFI/Kevin Brownlow/Carl Davis. When Brownlow assembled the original restored version in 1981 two scores were eventually produced, one (for the American market?) by Carmine Coppola (Francis' father and composer of the Godfather scores) and another (for the UK market?) by Carl Davis, veteran of many new scores for old silent movies. Prior to two live performances of the Davis score in December 2004 to accompany a new 5hr+ restoration of Napoloen, Coppola attempted to prevent the performances going ahead without his late father's score on the grounds that his family owns the copyright over the film, even though carmine Coppola's score was written for the short 4hr restoration. In the end the perfomances went ahead with Davis' score being used, although the dispute remains unresolved. It is uncertain whether Davis' score will ever be heard again while the dispute remains ongoing".
"Zoetrope wants to release the 4 hour American version (1981) with the Carmine Coppola score.
Kevin Brownlow wants the 5 1/2 hour BFI version (1990's) with the Carl Davis score.
Also, StudioCanal apparently has international rights, Zoetrope has R1 rights to the Zoetrope version, Universal has R1 distribution rights, etc".
"Who owns Napoleon? This is the hot question currently being debated in the usually uneventful world of film music. It concerns the rights to one of the undisputed masterpieces of the silent cinema, Abel Gance’s five-hour epic Napoléon (1927), which both Universal Studios and the British Film Institute (BFI) say they possess. Their rival claims have led to a legal battle over whose music may accompany screenings, including that due to take place this weekend at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The BFI version has remained loyal to a score put together by the composer and conductor Carl Davis, Universal’s to music by the late Carmine Coppola, father of The Godfather director Francis Ford, and the Coppola clan is out to protect its own".

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Thanks Robert for the Youtube link to the 2012 showing by San Francisco Silent Film Festival. This is good news that "Napoleon" is being shown in theaters so i hope a blu-ray release will happen sometime soon.

 

[David_B_K]

I am a bit confused over this business of repeating frames in The Thief of Bagdad to get the film to synch up with the score. Does this mean it no longer moves a little faster as most silent films do? Has it been slowed down to a speed more in keeping with sound films?