Cover & Specs - Helter Skelter (1976) (1 Viewer)

[ScottR]

Well, in the case of Roots, the film was planned and edited as eight episodes....and it is now 6......the flow of the film for certain episodes was supposed to rise and fall for an hour of drama, not two hours. And I feel that this is wrong....other mini-series have suffered similar fates on dvd (Jesus of Nazareth, Shogun, Salem's Lot, The Women of Brewster Place, etc.) And the credits after the first night contain the names of some actors not in the second night, and some of the crew differs from episode to episode. Eliminating these credits eliminates the "intent" of the filmmakers, directors, and editors to credit those involved.

 

[David Von Pein]

My question to anyone would be ..... Why would you want an extra set of identical credits rolling right smack in the middle of a 3-hour movie that you intend to watch without interruption?? This, to me, seems needless, silly, and altogether unnecessary for the format the movie is being transferred to: DVD.

The same logic applies, of course, to the "recaps" (and possibly "preview of Part 2", if one was shown for Night #2 of "Helter Skelter" in 1976).

Most DVD watchers are going to be able to sit thru a 3-hour, 4-minute movie in one sitting (especially "Helter", IMO, which is riveting from first scene to last). And I'm guessing the folks at Warner Brothers (who authored the new DVD version) know this, and anticipate most people will NOT NEED the useless recaps/Part 1 credits sequences that were originally aired. Hence, we'll get a recap-less 184-minute version, instead of the full network-aired 194m. version.

Am I alone in my view on this??? If so, I'm at a loss to fathom the reason why.

Having spouted the above....In reality, these 10 minutes of useless recaps, et al, (even if they end up being included on the DVD) really don't matter in the long run. The most important thing is getting this fine hunk of movie in the ol' DVD collection (and being able to toss out the el-crappo 4th-generation VHS (EP) copy of
the film).

Having Sadie Mae Glutz presented in Digital clarity will be a frightening experience, no doubt. (That was one creepy broad.)

 

[ScottR]

I'm just saying that the end credits were not identical, and I would like to see the names of cast and crew that worked on part one.

 

[David Von Pein]

They weren't??
I would have thought they would have been exactly the same.
But, if not, I stand corrected.

Regardless, I still don't see the need for a batch of credits crawling on the screen right smack in the middle of a movie...but I guess it'd make some people happier.

 

[ScottR]

Different crew members work on different "hours" of a mini-series and some did not work on the second half of the movie. The film is a mini-series and should be presented as such. If you would like to skip past credits, use your remote, but include the credits (maybe through seamless branching) for the rest of us to experience the series closer to the originally broadcast version.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Well, perhaps Warner will include the recap and credits as an extra; then those who want to relive the experience can program their players accordingly. Are you listening Warner? Easy way to boost your sales here.

Personally, I can live without them but I can certainly understand the position of those who want them intact.

 

[Paul D G]

I have the Manson docu on tape. Don't really remember much about it other than it being very weird. The family members interviewed were clearly out of it.

I don't expect the DVD to be much of an improvement over the video release - a low budget film shot at the time of the trial.

-paul

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Excellent news.

I hope that we'll see The Executioner's Song on DVD soon. That's an amazing TV movie; Tommy Lee Jones' performance is astounding, it really unnerved me as a kid.

 

[David Von Pein]

Are you speaking of "Manson" (1972)?

 

[James Roberts]

There was a "Manson" dvd (The 1972 Robert Hendrickson Documentary) available briefly on Amazon and in various E-Bay auctions. Hendrickson himself found out about the availability of the unauthorized product and filed lawsuits. He had planned to revisit the "Manson" documentary and incorporate alot of unseen archival footage taken from his 2 year odyssey within the family. By his account, alot of the footage would be mindblowing - He essentially had unlimited access and captured everything on film and audiotape. Currently, the reconfigured version of "Manson" (rumoured to be a 6-7 hour long production) is on hold due to his legal woes.

The original 85 minute documentary is a curious film. The central players are Sandra Good, Lynette Fromme aka Squeaky, Mary Brunner and Catherine Share aka Gypsy (Gypsy was Hendrickson's main family contact throughout the 2 year shoot). Throughout the film, they brandish shotguns, and share their thoughts on survival and society. The Bugliosi courtroom recap footage almost seems like an afterthought- tacked on to create balance. Family member Paul Watkins contributes the reverby folk songs that act as the musical score throughout the film. Hendrickson's film is probably one of the better Manson docs produced, much better than the ridiculously amateurish "Charles Manson Superstar" film released in the 1980's.

If you are interested, Hendrickson has included a 30 minute teaser of the original 1972 film on his website. I can find the link. A Warning though- it's a badly compressed real audio clip about the size of a postage stamp but still adequate.

 

[David Von Pein]

Thanks for the detailed info on that documentary, James. Very interesting.

Thanks, I'd like to see that.
(A THIRTY-MINUTE "teaser"?? Holy mega-teaser!!)

 

[David Von Pein]

Just took note of the cast list for the "Helter Skelter" remake.

I like Bruno Kirby's work. He's cast as prosecutor Vince Bugliosi. Might be strange to see Bruno in a non-comic role. ......

Charles Manson ... Jeremy Davies
Sharon Tate ......... Whitney Dylan
Vincent Bugliosi .... Bruno Kirby
Susan Atkins ........ Clea DuVall
Pat Krenwinkel ...... Allison Smith
Catherine Share ..... Yvonne DeLaRosa
Paul Watkins ........ Hopwood DePree
Kitty Lutesinger .... Cheselka Leigh
Abigail Folger ...... Elizabeth Ann Bennett

 

[James Roberts]

Here's the 30 minute clip from Hendrickson's Exclusive Film Network Website:
http://www.exclusivefilms.com/video/manson8699.ram

The quality is a bit horrendous but, you get the idea.

 

[David Von Pein]

Thanks James.

 

[David Von Pein]

An FYI ........

For anybody who might be searching for "Helter Skelter" on Amazon and
not coming up with the 1976 TVM ....

For some silly reason, Amazon has now changed the title of the film on its
website, to the alternate (video) title of "Massacre In Hollywood".

They'll certainly not sell many of these DVDs utilizing that nearly-unknown
moniker. How silly. (Esp. considering the actual title on the WB DVD is
"Helter Skelter".) :frowning:

 

[Jeff_HR]

I wonder who came up with that really lame idea? Thanks for the tip!

 

[David Von Pein]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Weird indeed, esp. given the title right there on the DVD cover.

IMDB does show this alternate title. But this, too, seems odd to me, because all the VHS videotape copies I've ever seen STILL say "Helter" on them. Including this rare Key Video version .......

 

[Jeff_HR]

What's the point of an alternate title? Everybody knows the film by title "Helter Skelter". I could have bought the cut 119 minute version many times, but I want the full version on video. I'll wait until the DVD release to get rid of my Off-the-Air Beta recording.

 

[David Von Pein]

They've now changed it back again. (Figured they would.)

 

[Jeff_HR]

Who is it over there that can't make up his mind! He is making Amazon look foolish.