Interview Interview with Twilight Time: Nick Redman on who they are, their business model and more. (2 Viewers)

[Richard--W]

Twilight Time would be just the right company to rescue Robert Totten's remake of The Red Pony (Universal / NBC, 1973). This was a different take from the original, an entirely new adaptation, and I think a better one. A poignant coming of age drama in the west, involving a horse. It was shot like a theatrical feature and could have played theatrically. It equates with Hallmark specials like Sarah Plain and Tall and O Pioneers, only better. Played on a small intimate scale by Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara, and Ben Johnson. Clint Howard played the kid, when he was still young enough to be cute. The saloon fight between Fonda and Johnson remains the best fight I've seen in a western since Shane (1953). If I remember correctly, there was no music under it, just grunts and breathing and the sound of bone hitting flesh and boots scraping a dusty floor. They fight until they are too exhausted to continue. The film also offers one of the best performances of Fonda's career, and that's saying a lot. The score by Jerry Goldsmith will just slay you. The film was repeated a few times in the 1970s and I'm sure I watched it each time, but it has never been released to home video and is impossible to obtain in any shape or form. There isn't even a poster or stills to be had anywhere. The Red Pony needs to be rescued from obscurity.

Hey, Richard W, get outta my head! I watched The Red Pony just the other day, i.e., it is not impossible to obtain. Definitely needs an official release. For the record -- the saloon fight isn't between Henry Fonda and Ben Johnson. It's mainly between Fonda and another character, the husband of a woman a drunken Johnson has just smooched. The husband punches Johnson down to the floor and while he sits there dazed, Fonda (almost as drunk) comes to the rescue. It's a great fight and seems very realistic to me, i.e., Fonda and the other guy are almost instantly utterly exhausted and spend as much time staggering around as they do delivering punches. Sheriff Rance Howard (Clint's dad) finally breaks it up. Ditto also on Noon Wine and The Westerner. Director Robert Totten had been a friend of Ben Johnson's since he (Totten) was a teenager and directed him in a number of projects, my favorite being a very touching episode of the 1966-67 series The Monroes called "War Arrow." Now there's a series that should also be released on DVD. (Teenage Barbara Hershey, anyone?) Someone told me that he had heard the reason it wasn't on DVD was that one of the actors in the show had some kind of ownership interest in it and had refused to sign off on a home video release. No idea if that's actually true, though.

Did you miss Billy Buck when you watched The Red Pony? Totten did some interesting work in the genre. He's best remembered for the mini-series The Sacketts, but I think The Red Pony might be his most memorable. What makes it interesting is that he eliminates the character of Billy Buck (played by Robert Mitchum in the 1949 version), the interloper who distracts the mother, competes with the father, and encourages the boy to break the rules with the red pony. By eliminating Billy Buck, the story becomes about an estranged family instead of jealously, rivalry and competition. The boy's affection for the pony makes more sense, too. A different set of emotional dynamics for the actors to play on. I didn't notice Billy Buck was missing at first because the story is well told without him. Perhaps Twilight Time will look into rights and think about releasing this version.

 

[Towergrove]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce

Originally Posted by dpippel [url=/t/317186/interview-with-twilight-time-nick-redman-on-who-they-are-their-business-model-and-more/180#post_3884890]




I disagree. After pushing 3D as the "next big thing", display manufacturers will need a new technology to convince people they need to buy new TVs. 4K is the logical technology to drive those future sales. That would be my guess anyway.

Yeah, and 3D was such a HUGE hit.

Doug

Actually 3DTV sales are doing pretty well right now and had a good holiday:


NPD: Xmas 3DTV Unit Sales Skyrocket 100%

Unit sales of 3DTVs increased more than 100% during the five-week winter retail holiday period ending Dec. 24, according to new data from The NPD Group. While 3D movies remain a mainstay at the box office, 3D consumption in the home has been sluggish due in part to premium prices on 3DTVs, limited content availability and requisite eyewear, among other issues.

That said, 3DTVs accounted for one in five dollars spent on TVs during the holidays – underscored by the fact that sales of big screen TVs, 50 inches or bigger, increased more than 32%. One in six flat panel TVs sold were above 50 inches, with screen size considered a prerequisite for 3D viewing.

[url=http://www.homemediamagazine.com/3d/npd-xmas-3dtv-unit-sales-skyrocket-100-26053]http://www.homemediamagazine.com/3d/npd-xmas-3dtv-unit-sales-skyrocket-100-26053

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Towergrove






Actually 3DTV sales are doing pretty well right now and had a good holiday:


[SIZE= 18px]NPD: Xmas 3DTV Unit Sales Skyrocket 100%[/SIZE] [url=http://www.homemediamagazine.com/3d/npd-xmas-3dtv-unit-sales-skyrocket-100-26053]http://www.homemediamagazine.com/3d/npd-xmas-3dtv-unit-sales-skyrocket-100-26053

If you believe what Best Buy says, then 3DTV did not sell this year during the holidays. The next test on 3D will be when and if ever, the Superbowl or some Music Award show is broadcast in the 3D. It will be interesting how many sets sell then.

 

[RickER]

Of course, just because you have a 3D TV, that does not mean you are using it for 3D. In many cases, it just so happens if you want a top of the line, best TV that ____ company puts out, you might buy a 3D TV. I have ZERO interest in 3D TVs, but i often love what a higher end TV offers in picture quality.

 

[Richard--W]

Not many people find the best buys at Best Buy. To put it another way, Best Buy does not offer the best buys because it charges higher prices than other outlets forcing consumers to shop elsewhere. So I believe Best Buy when it says 3D displays did not sell in its stores. But that fact is no barometer of how 3D displays sell elsewhere. So you may disregard whatever Best Buy says about trends in sales. Let us now return to the interview with Nick Redman and the prospectus for Twilight Time.

 

[Douglas Monce]

I agree, people need to stop making the mistake that all 3D films are the same and are nothing more than a gimmick. Crawdaddy

There are definitely some excellent 3d movies, but typically those films don't use 3d as a crutch. In fact most of them you would never know there were 3D if you saw them flat, because they aren't constantly poking you in the eye with something. Doug

 

[Worth]

Of course, just because you have a 3D TV, that does not mean you are using it for 3D. In many cases, it just so happens if you want a top of the line, best TV that ____ company puts out, you might buy a 3D TV.

That's exactly what I did. I picked up both a 3D capable plasma and a 3D capable blu-ray player, but I've never bought or rented a 3D disc and never even bothered to purchase 3D glasses for the set.

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

For the satellite &/or Cable enabled persons with DVRs, there are Hi-Def channels such as TMC, Showtime, HBO, etc that allow you to record all you can eat for a monthly charge. And it won't self destruct like PPV films usually do. I use this as a source for films not on physical media, such as one of my Favorite films - "The Devil's Disciple" starring B Lancaster. I believe Streaming is/will become a PPV type situation. If I want over a period of time view a film 20 times, I REFUSE to pay for it 20 times.

Don't have cable because of costs, but I do keep up with the HD schedules for rarities...there are always a few per month. That said, there are still numerous titles that have not appeared on any of the premium cable outlets (in HD or SD) for decades, if at all, and have never been on home video, which do reside on streaming outlets such as Netflix and Crackle.

 

[ShowsOn]

Twilight Time has confirmed they will be releasing Desirée (1954) on Blu-ray within a few months: http://www.facebook.com/twilighttimemovies/posts/331943146824358 This is a title that Fox has restored, but they never bothered even releasing it on DVD. It features a good performance by Marlon Brando that no one ever seems to talk about. It was Henry Koster's second CinemaScope film after he completed The Robe, and has beautiful cinematography by Milton Krasner. It should look spectacular in HD. Hopefully it will have a 5.1 audio track, and will most likely have Alex North's score on an isolated track. This release should be another winner from Twilight Time.

 

[Matt Hough]

That's great news about Desiree. I wish the next Fox announcements from them would include Good Morning Miss Dove and The Best Things in Life Are Free. These are two more Cinemascope movies from the 1950s that aren't nearly well known enough.

 

[john a hunter]

And can I put in a pitch for"Boy on a Dolphin".Great location photography( was originally scheduled for 55mm), score and a fun story. Also a very busty Sophia Loren which will no doubt please some and aid sales!.

 

[ShowsOn]

And can I put in a pitch for"Boy on a Dolphin".Great location photography( was originally scheduled for 55mm), score and a fun story. Also a very busty Sophia Loren which will no doubt please some and aid sales!.

I don't think Fox has an anamorphic master of Boy on a Dolphin. The Spanish and Australian versions use the same non anamorphic transfer which is terrible.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by ShowsOn


I don't think Fox has an anamorphic master of Boy on a Dolphin. The Spanish and Australian versions use the same non anamorphic transfer which is terrible.

The Fox Movie Channel always shows The Best Things in Life Are Free in pan and scan. I don't guess they've got an anamorphic widescreen transfer of it either.

 

[JoeDoakes]

... and while Twilight Time looks into The Westerner, Noon Wine and some of those foreign-made documentaries about Peckinpah, they might want to inquire into the availability of The Deadly Companions (1961). This was Peckinpah's first feature, much in the spirit of The Westerner TV series, with Brian Keith playing a similar character, if not the same character under a different name. The film was independently financed by Maureen O'Hara's brother, I understand, and took full advantage of Old Tucson Studio's western town and neighboring park. The film was distributed by various companies in different countries. Pathe distributed it in the USA. An HD transfer has been struck and released in Japan and Germany, I understand. But all USA editions are pan & scan on cheap budget labels and look like crap. Its very proliferation in PD hell means the film is well-liked and that consumers are interested in buying a decent transfer. On Blu-ray.

Is this the movie where Chill Wills also plays the talking horse?

 

[JoHud]

April's release schedule has been revealed: DESIREE (1954) BLU-RAY - April 10th BELL, BOOK & CANDLE (1958) BLU-RAY - April 10th

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by JoHud

April's release schedule has been revealed:

DESIREE (1954) BLU-RAY - April 10th
BELL, BOOK & CANDLE (1958) BLU-RAY - April 10th

Thanks for the info. What are February's releases?

 

[JoHud]

SWAMP WATER (1941) BLU-RAY - Feb 14th PAL JOEY (1957) BLU-RAY - Feb 14th They'll be up for pre-order on the 16th, this coming Monday

 

Is this the movie where Chill Wills also plays the talking horse?

Chill was the voice in the Francis the Mule movies.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by JoHud

SWAMP WATER (1941) BLU-RAY - Feb 14th
PAL JOEY (1957) BLU-RAY - Feb 14th
They'll be up for pre-order on the 16th, this coming Monday

Thanks. I remembered Pal Joey was up, but I couldn't remember the Fox release.

 

[TonyD]

The Fox Movie Channel always shows The Best Things in Life Are Free in pan and scan. I don't guess they've got an anamorphic widescreen transfer of it either.

FMC Recently changed their policy to be more  like AMC. Cropped movies during prime time and proper ratio during the day.