One, Two, Three!!! and other MGM Wilder announced! (1 Viewer)

[Gordon McMurphy]

Paramount will hopefully release ACE IN THE HOLE if the MGM's new Wilder DVDs sell well. Great film, shamefully never released on video. :frowning:


Gordy

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I have One, Two, Three and The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes in the post. Can't wait to check these out.

Any reviews online yet?




Gordy

 

[Anthony Neilson]

Gordy - that's early ! Where have you ordered from ?

I'm also with you on ACE IN THE HOLE. Can you believe that's never been released ? I can't even recall it being on tv in the last few years.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

The early bird catches the DVD: PLAY USA!

I was surprised too, but Play are always early with their MGM and Warner DVDs. Nice prices, too.

BTW, have you ever used http://www.store4.com/index.php ?

Ace In The Hole was shown on Film Four (Sky TV) two years ago and the print was in good shape. Amazing film. If Paramount are wise, they will issue a DVD next year.

Cheers!


Gordy

 

[Eric Peterson]

I saw the new DVDs at a rental store in Chicago last week and was amazed at how early they were out.

The good news is that "Kiss Me Stupid" does include the alternate scene. I can't wait to get all of these in my hands.

As for "Ace In The Hole", it is easily my most wanted title on DVD and I remember somewhere that Paramount was discussing releasing it. I saw it on a small big screen in Chicago last year and the elements seemed to be in good condition. A few years back, Spike Lee was going to remake the film. Has there been any updates on this? If this were to happen, I'm sure that it would accelerate the release of the original.

 

[John Hodson]

The (pretty poor) Hoffman / Travolta pic Mad City was essentially a remake of the sublime Ace in the Hole.

Anybody read Cameron Crowe's book Conversations with Wilder (of course you have...)? The saddest thing in the whole tome was the thought that Billy Wilder considered himself and his work 'forgotten'.

Let us know what you think of One, Two, Three and Private Life won't you Gordon? I already have The Apartment, The Fortune Cookie (both need better restorations) and Some Like It Hot (which could be better). But I cherish Sunset Boulevard - excellent.

And I'd kill for an SE of Double Indemnity.

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So many films, so little time...

 

[Rain]

I already have The Apartment, The Fortune Cookie (both need better restorations)

I'm no technical expert, but it looks to me like the problems on The Apartment DVD are due to the transfer, not due to the condition of the source elements.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Okay, they arrived this morning!

I never watch a DVD all the way through during weekday mornings/afternoons, so I only at the first few seconds of each chapter of each DVD:

The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes

The opening credits have some dirt, but after that, we are treated to a clean, albeit soft (the film may have been shot this way) but fairly colorful 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. Fine film grain is present throughout, with the foggy/smokey scenes having larger grain patterns, but overall it is a very nice transfer. The mono sound is clear and has substantial bass.

15-minute interview with Christopher Lee.

28-minute interview with editor Ernest Walter.

50-minute featurette of the deleted sequences with script pages, photo stills, brief film-clips etc.

Behind-the-scenes photo gallery


One, Two, Three

Superb monochrome transfer! Clean, sharp (for 1961) and well-defined. 2.35:1 anamorphic; and, strangely, a 1.33:1 pan and scan transfer on side B!

Good mono sound.

Pity there are no extra features, other than the trailer.


Quality DVDs, in my opinion, for a very nice price.


Gordy

 

[John Hodson]

Thanks Gordon - sold!

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So many films, so little time...

 

[Douglas R]

The opening credits have some dirt, but after that, we are treated to a clean, albeit soft (the film may have been shot this way) but fairly colorful 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer.

I've just got THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and the picture is not just soft, but VERY soft. The colors look pale as well. I've seen the film theatrically and the picture was very sharp, not at all softly focussed. The picture quality of this DVD is very disappointing.

 

[oscar_merkx]

thanks for the update about those two Billy Wilder dvds and like John, I am sold as well..

 

[Anthony Neilson]

I have to disagree with you there, Douglas R.
When I went to see PRIVATE LIFE at the NFT on its recent re-release, I remember being surprised how soft the picture was. It looked like Wilder had made pretty consistent use of a fog filter throughout, which I guess is kind-of appropriate. How does it compare to the LD ?

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Yeah, Doug, I watched the whole DVD last night and the picture is indeed soft and... (what is the technical term?) ... 'dupey' and 'contrasty'. After such truly stunning MGM transfer of budget titles like The Masque Of The Red Death and other AIP films, I have come to expect a lot from MGM, but this release is below par. But with that said, it is still a good transfer for the most part and the extras are comprehensive.

I'm really looking forward to MGM's August slate, especially The Howling, Burnt Offerings, the Corman/AIP horrors and in September, Eureka, The Hospital and Robert Altman's, almost-lost Images.


Gordy

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

That's interesting, Anthony. Some scenes certainly look stylistically soft via fog-filtering. I don't know enough about this film to give a defintive assessment of this transfer. Softness in a transfer of a vintage film doesn't bother me if it suits the film, and the cinematography in the film is truly beautiful. I was too harsh in saying the transfer is "below par". It's just that Masque Of The Red Death etc look so good that I keep judging all MGM's subsequent transfer with them, which is wrong, as no two films are shot the same.


Gordy

 

[Douglas R]

When I went to see PRIVATE LIFE at the NFT on its recent re-release, I remember being surprised how soft the picture was. It looked like Wilder had made pretty consistent use of a fog filter throughout

Anthony - Well, you may be right based on your recent viewing of the film. It's around 15 years since I saw the film at the NFT and perhaps my memory is playing tricks but I didn't think the film was as soft as the DVD. Anyway, it's a great film and I'm glad to have it on DVD, especially with so many extras.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Agreed, Douglas - it is a great film!

But it would be greater had it not be cut. As one can see from the deleted sequences on the DVD, the cut segments are pure gold, especially the "Naked Honeymooners", which is comedy par excellence, in my opinion. Colin Blakely's performance is utterly brilliant.

Now... Paramount, Ace In The Hole!


Gordy

 

[Peter Kline]

I assume the alternate scene in Kiss is the original ending? Too bad they won't have the original dialogue as it was re-dubbed to eliminate some "off color" stuff.