According to superherohype.com, a collection of 15 theatrical serials from 1949 will be released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in a 2-disc set. Looks cool!
I really enjoyed watching these as a kid, albeit they're a bit on the cheesy side. I wonder if the serial released prior to this one will be released as well.
The original BATMAN serial from 1943 was released on VHS by Goodtimes in an edited and altered version which removed perceived politically incorrect content.
No way Sony would release the first serial uncut, but maybe in the altered form.
Nice that they are releasing these in anticipation of the new movie, but it would suck if all the previous Batmans get released this year except the 1966 TV show. That's the one I'm waiting for.
I pulled this and the previous Batman serial off of AMC a few years ago, but I misplaced the tape with the second half of this one, and I don't think I ever saw the end. Also, I do know that for some reason, the tape cuts out at the beginning of the second chapter, so I don't see how they escape the plane explosion (I think that's what happened).
This is a must buy.
Hopefully the first one gets released as well, uncut. When I first saw those serials, I think I wasn't even a teenager, but I didn't worry about any stereotypes.
Honestly, when dealing with these older films and their portrayals of foreigners - kids don't care, and adults understand. Those that don't . . . well, I'll stay civil on this board.
I've never seen these but have always heard about them. I never could find anywhere to buy them except at sci-fi conventions and we all know how legal those things tend to be.
Just how cheesy are we talking here in comparison to the Adam West TV series? And how much editing was done to the original theatrical versions?
The Goodtimes VHS LP speed release of the original 1943 BATMAN serial has been rather extensively altered. There are edits, re-looped dialog, and completely new narration added at the beginning and end of each chapter.
I've got the uncut versions on VHS (not the best quality though) and I can see why they were afraid to release it uncut! Lots of terms used to describe the Japanese villian that would cause all sorts of hue and cry today.
The second serial, BATMAN AND ROBIN, was slightly edited on the original Goodtimes VHS LP speed release as well, but I think the later Columbia SP speed release was uncut, as I am hopeful the DVD will be.
These aren't the best examples of the serial form (any fan will tell you those are the ones from the rival Republic Studios) but they are interesting. I for one, think the Columbia SUPERMAN serials are much better than the BATMAN entries.
When they released "Superman the Serial" on VHS it was uncut. When it came out on LD, it was edited, they left off the opening credits after the first chapter.
We can talk about how crummy some prints are now that they're on DVD. The "Phantom" is dark and not great, "Adventures of Captain Marvel" is better than the LD! "The Drums of Fu Manchu" is so soft is not worth buying.
So, it's a hit and miss scenerio. Who buys serials...not the main stream public, only a tiny niche, like us. That's why the quality is so crappy on these DVD releases!
I hope someone does a good review and I mean someone that knows what the original serials had in them.
I've seen the Captain Marvel serial, as well! All of these serials were spliced together (with all chapters' intros and credit runs left intact) into "super movies" back in the mid-1960s. The Batman serials showed up first, followed by Captain Marvel. And the reason being was to capitalize on the attention drawn by the upcoming Batman TV show.