A Few Words About A few words about…™ The Greatest Show on Earth – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Colin Jacobson]

Well, that would certainly make the film more tolerable for some.

Only a man with sawdust in his veins would make a comment like that!

 

[lark144]

One thing that Mr. DeMille had going for him were rather unrestrained budgets, especially in Technicolor productions such as Reap the Wild Wind.

But those tableaux don’t do it for me.

One must believe that at some point in the studio commissary there must have been discussions between he and Mr. Mamoulian. If there were, they were of little affect.

Mr. Harris, I appreciate your perspective. I think many agree with you. One could simply classify DeMille's films as an overabundance of production resources combined with a primitivisim of approach. Still, I find DeMille's use of imagery a huge, fascinating contradiction. For me, the luxuriousness, and the bursting of the seams of those tableau with non-essential elements and players alongside the staginess of the storytelling, creates a rift that makes it appear anti-illusionist, even self-referential. That's how it's always felt to me. Of course, my particular defect as a viewer is that I was more interested in the primacy of those images on the screen than the story. And while DeMille is a great visual storyteller, his storytelling technique can be risible, while the images he creates seem to transcend the tale and exist on their own. It does for me, anyway. When "The Ten Commandments" opened in 1956, I think the reviewer for the "London Times" compared the film to a ten-foot high exotic dancer, and wrote something to the effect that never before has a director thrown sand in the eye of a viewer for such an extended period. But one man's sand can be another's transcendence. That sand has physicality, and also resonance. It's so overwhelming, so powerfully imagined and presented, that it becomes it's own reason for being, an aesthetic object that fascinates. On the other hand, I do think that DeMille was doing this on purpose, as his films, visually, are remarkably consistent, though I think he thought he was reinforcing the verisimilitude of his narratives, while for me, his images undermine them, kind of exist on their own, outside of time and fashion and even meaning. I love looking at his films, while I dislike much of the acting and dialogue and staging, but for me, all that is made irrelevant by the primacy of his images.

 

[David_B_K]

Knights of the Round Table is definitely the weakest of the “Iron Jockstrap” trilogy as Robert Taylor referred to his medieval films. I loved Ivanhoe when I was a kid and still think it’s a great film (and yes, Liz is gorgeous in the film), but Knights did not resonate with me in the same way as I was not a fan of the deviations the film made from the mythology (particularly the removal of all the fantasy elements with the exception of the sword in the stone). I saw the third film of the trilogy, Quentin Durward, at a much later date on TCM and was pleasantly surprised by the more humorous approach to the material (I certainly wouldn’t mind a Blu-ray of that one).

I am probably running the risk of Crawdaddy's ire by continuing to take a thread off course, but I would love to see Knights of the Round Table in HD. I do not think it is a great movie by any means. It seems geared to kids like the ITV adventure TV shows of the 1950's. But it is so pictorially splendid I love watching it. The colors are so bright, and so well coordinated, with Lancelot in bright red with gold trim, and Arthur in gold with red trim, etc. There is a splendid scene featuring a full panoply of mounted knights in a charge reminiscent of Olivier's Henry V. Ava Gardner is lovely in the medieval costumes, Robert Taylor is at his handsomest. Miklos Rozsa contributes a magnificent music score that provides more emotion than the script itself can provide. His themes for Guenevere and Elaine are especially good, and there lots of horn fanfares through out.

It is remarkable that a a film so well mounted visually should have such a banal and juvenile script. I agree it is definitely the weakest of the three medieval films Taylor made (I think the other two are quite good), but I'd sure love to see this in HD.

 

[battlebeast]

You will, of course, have noticed Singin' In The Rain and The Bad And The Beautiful are out on Blu-ray disc while Ivanhoe languishes in standard definition only! Time heals everything . . . .

(In truth I'd love a Warner Archive Blu-ray disc of Ivanhoe: Elizabeth Taylor via Freddie Young!!!)

Me too. Even if Taylor was miscast or not, it’s a decent film... the technicolor should look amazing on BLU (is it Technicolor?)

But yes... not worthy of a BP nom.

 

[RobertMG]

This film has one of the most heartbreaking moments in any film - when Jimmy Stewart gives the cute and adorable dog away to a kid in the audience.

 

[JPCinema]

I hope iTunes and VUDU have the new transfer available.

 

[AlexNH]

Why can't Paramount join Movies Anywhere?

 

[Mark-P]

I hope iTunes and VUDU have the new transfer available.

Don’t know about Vudu, but I’ve been checking iTunes every day for weeks and it is still the old transfer with windowboxed titles.

 

[marcco00]

my blu ray arrived today, will be watching this Easter weekend!!

 

[battlebeast]

I see the trailer is on YouTube... why couldn’t Paramount include it on the Blu Ray?

they went all out on COMMANDMENTS but couldn’t make this one perfect? I’m disappointed.

 

[battlebeast]

Btw, does any have the red slip-cover that they don’t want anymore?

 

[JPCinema]

I wonder if the digital copy is the new transfer?

 

[RICK BOND]

I got mine yesterday with Ten C. Watched it last night and it looks Excellent ! Great Transfer !

 

[Joel Arndt]

Received it yesterday and watched about half last night. Overall, the presentation is great and as someone mentioned, it's interesting that the reel change markers remain. It's been quite a while since I've seen one of those.

Based upon the discussion here, I chuckled every time the name Brad was uttered. Has anyone counted? As Colin suggested a few posts back it would make a great drinking game.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Received it yesterday and watched about half last night. Overall, the presentation is great and as someone mentioned, it's interesting that the reel change markers remain. It's been quite a while since I've seen one of those.

Based upon the discussion here, I chuckled every time the name Brad was uttered. Has anyone counted? As Colin suggested a few posts back it would make a great drinking game.

No - I suggested drinking when someone refers to sawdust in Brad's veins!

 

[Joel Arndt]

No - I suggested drinking when someone refers to sawdust in Brad's veins!

Colin, you're right. If it was just the name Brad you'd be on the floor in about 5 minutes.

 

[SFMike]

So glad we're finally getting TGSOE on Blu-ray but what were they thinking using that god awful cover art when they have all that great original publicity artwork to choose from. Do they think it will fool some hipsters into thinking this is a more recent release? It just boggles my mind as the unopened slipcase fails in every aspect of good design and appears amateurish at best. What a waste of good cardboard.

 

[roxy1927]

I was thinking it was worse than some of the Criterions and how could anyone possibly manage that.

 

[JPCinema]

The Digital Copy is an old transfer.

 

[lark144]

I was thinking it was worse than some of the Criterions and how could anyone possibly manage that.

Some of the Criterions are quite good, for instance, the up coming "Merrily We Go to Hell".

And even when they're inappropriate or even clueless--for instance, using that awful ad copy of the woman's legs and lips for Bunuel's "Discrete Charm" when in an interview included in the extras, Bunuel condemns it--at their worst, most Criterion covers are attractive compared to the "original" covers--just consider "Mommie Dearest"--Paramount puts out.