Charlie Chaplin feature films to be re-released in 2003 (1 Viewer)

[Patrick McCart]

I don't know much about the full information, but it looks like The Roy Export Corp. will be re-releasing the Chaplin features next year.
The highlights will be a newly restored The Great Dictator and a newly remastered Modern Times with a new digital score. Kevin Brownlow is restoring The Gold Rush, but I don't know if it'll be released next year. (Carl Davis is doing the score, BTW. )
This may be the reason why the Image DVD's went out of print, but I'm sure looking forward to seeing these films on the big screen again.

 

[Evan Case]

Cool about the Carl Davis score (I assume you mean it's for Modern Times). His City Lights recreation is amazingly well-done, and completely faithful to the source (and something I really wish somebody would do with Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky score).
The excellent Beau Hunks recreations of LeRoy Shield/Marvin Hatley's Hal Roach films compositions are similar triumphs.
Evan
Edit - Wow, 1000 posts. Glad it was in praise of Chaplin, Eisenstein, Prokofiev, Hal Roach, LeRoy Shield, Marvin Hatley, and Carl Davis.

 

[Greg_S_H]

So, will the Gold Rush be the original, silent version with the original ending?

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

Good news. If this comes into fruition, I'll make it a point to see them all.
~Edwin

 

[Patrick McCart]

Timothy Brock (also a great silent cinema music composer) is doing the reconstruction score for Modern Times.

Carl Davis is just doing The Gold Rush, which he based his score on the one for the 1941 version. This will be the original 1925 version instead of the 1941 version.

Timothy Brock composed an excellent original score for the Image DVD of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and also the score reconstruction for Sunrise when it was released on laserdisc.

Best of all, Davis and Brock use real instruments instead of those often inappropriate synthesizer orchestras. Davis usually uses a full orchestra and Brock will used various arrangements for his scores. Caligari's score is based upon German avant-garde music of the 1920's and is appropriately performed by a strings-only quartet. I'm pretty sure the Sunrise score is full orchestra like the original.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

I would LOVE to see these on the big screen. But, I know the chances of that are slim and none and Slim is packing his bags :frowning: .
Bruce

 

[Greg_S_H]

So, I assume none of this will have any effect on future DVD releases? We still won't be getting the silent Gold Rush? :frowning:
I didn't read as closely as I should have earlier and didn't realize you were talking about theatrical releases.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Evan,
An orchestral re-recorded Alexander Nevsky has been done. There's an RCA VHS of it, St. Petersburg Phil. directed by Yuri Temirkanov. The recording was done in 1993 on good gear, then "overlayed" on top of the original vocal dialog. Kind of jarring, going from full modern sound on the music to the tinny Soviet sound of the dialog. I was hoping that the Criterion AN disk would have this as an alternative sound track but alas no. Soundtrack available on RCR CD.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...453640-4511141

 

[Evan Case]

Dennis,

Whoops... I knew that, actually. I was referring to the Criterion disc (which, as you say, didn't have it).

I haven't seen it with the rescoring effort. Too bad it didn't mesh well. Not surprising, unfortunately. Still, I'd like to hear it eventually--it can't be worse than the original version, which sometimes sounds like a 6-piece orchestra recorded under a blanket from across the hall. Stupid Stalin.

Evan

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

Stupid Stalin

Understatement of the century......
I was born on the day Stalin died: 10 March 1953. My friends that believe in reincarnation are worried about me....
Pick up the VHS used, it's "interesting" if nothing else. Just don't buy the Image AN, it sucks. See my review of the Image disk at DVDfile. The Criterion is far superior.