Sam Peckinpah Westerns Collection is Here, But! See Post #81 (1 Viewer)

[Jeremy Brupaste]

A couple Canadian online sites (Amazon.ca, Videomatica) list this set as coming out on January 24th now, instead of the American release date of January 10. Curiously though, they still list The Wild Bunch as coming out this Tuesday.

Futureshop and Best Buy Canada still list this set coming out on the 10th, though. Anybody know what's going on? Any Canucks get their set early?

 

[ChristianB]

Checked my distributor and yes, January 24 is the new street date...

...same goes for the single editions...

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched the "The Wild Bunch" dvd and I think many of you will be very happy with it. IMO, this film was the best western and perhaps one of the greatest, if not influential films ever made. The writing, directing, acting, visuals and musical score are all outstanding. The first time I watched this film back in the summer of 1969, I knew it was a special film, the scenes involving "The Walk" and the depiction of the shootout at "Bloody Porch" are among the greatest cinematic moments I have ever experienced. God, everytime, I hear that snare drum in the background during "The Walk", goosebumps appears on my arms. What a great film!

Next up is "Ride the High Country".







Crawdaddy

 

[Jim_K]

That's good to hear Robert. The Wild Bunch is probably my favorite Western & I love a lot of Westerns.

Ever since I was a teenager I was always a fan of the Leone/Eastwood & solo Eastwood Westerns from the 60's/70's (Also Mag 7 and a few others) but that's about as far as my interest went with the genre.

It wasn't until after catching The Wild Bunch in the early 90's that I really got hooked on Westerns. After that I fervently sought out the other Peckinpah films, the films of Anthony Mann, Budd Boetticher, Delmer Daves, etc & I gained a new appreciation to the classic Westerns of Ford, Hawks, etc.


BTW - My set is in transit so it should get to me early next week.

 

[Keith Paynter]

Interesting. Amazon.ca still lists The Wild Bunch for 1/10/06, but the box set for 1/24.

Taking no chances, I've ordered from Amazon.com (along with Eraserhead and the Harold Lloyd set) for the 10th...

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Haven't all of the Warner boxed sets so far been delayed in Canada by a week? I know that this was the case with the Controversial Classics and the Val Lewton box. I was expecting the Peckinpah to be later in Canada. I live in the UK and I used DVD Import.

Here's DVD Savant's review in case you haven't read it yet:
www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1860peck.html?___rd=1

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Not again...

I was really looking forward to this. I even planned a Thursday night Wild Bunch screening with friends at my place.

What's the deal with this, is Warners just slow with their distribution or is this some calculated marketing device?

Does anyone have any word on whether all of the contents remain?

Guess I'm gonna have to make some phone calls and reschedule that screening. I was saving up for The Pink Panther Collection on the 31st and a number of other sets toward the end of the month so this release date was ideal being right into Jan. It's so frustrating when these things happen.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched the "Ride the High Country" dvd and to see this great film in it's proper aspect ratio again was too sweet. When I was a boy, I remembered going to the theater with my buddies and watching this film during it's initial theatrical run. The thing I remembered most of all was it was the first time I watched a western in which a gunfight took place with the guns already being held instead of being pulled from their holsters.
I guess I was too exposed to John Wayne/John Ford films and watching Gunsmoke. Anyhow, this is also a great film and in some ways on the same level as "The Wild Bunch". Next up is "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid", which at the time of it's release was the weirdest western I ever watched.







Crawdaddy

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I'm so jealous of you Robert.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Are you guys 100% sure that the release date is being postponed until ther 28th, because my local retailer is still listing these for this coming Tuesday's new titles?

http://metrovideo.ca/pages/home.html

 

[CraigF]

Crawdaddy: please stop! I think this is the best Western package EVER. And I haven't even seen it yet, but the content is just so good that it can't not be.

I am dismayed to find out it's been delayed 2 weeks in Canada. I am also bothered that the current amazon.ca pic does not show a box, like it did when I ordered a month ago. I hope that pic is just so you can see the included titles, that they're the SE's where expected. I think that's it.

Edit: moved order to amazon.com since existing order "delayed" for Eraserhead on same day. May even save a few bucks overall besides getting it a week+ sooner = happy camper, and thanks for the info.

Edit again: Keith, I may have caught that order for Eraserhead just in time to add this set, as I had ordered E some time ago. The guy was saying something about "a problem" and "in process" and what you said is probably what he was meaning: they were ready to ship it already. He refused to acknowledge that amazon ships new releases a few days early to Canada, but we know better!

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Hmmm...must be my day for seeing Western stuff out early. I picked up the Wild Bunch SE (blind buy) at Circuit City. While I was at one Best Buy I saw the box set was out. Then I was at another Best Buy and picked up the new Magnificent Seven CE early. Love those lax retailers!

 

[Keith Paynter]

Craig, I just got note that my Amazon.com order has now shipped (including Eraserhead and the Harold Lloyd collection, which I've been waiting for almost 2 months for from the Canadian site)

"Being sure is my business..."

 

[Elijah Sullivan]

Nice box! Just watched Ballad of Cable Hogue for the first time. Solid flick with decent image and sound.

The Wild Bunch remasted is very nice. Considering the soft look of the film, I can forgive the little bit of edge enhancement I saw. The sound is good, too.

Such a great film! Next up: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, which I've never seen, but the trailer made it look fascinating. Which version should I watch first? The longer cut or the new director's cut?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Hard to say because it depends on who you talk to. Just so there is no confusion, the theatrical version I'd watched 33 years ago is not present on this dvd. That version is about 103 minutes. The so-called Director's cut which is present on the disc runs for 122 minutes while the other (new) version on this dvd runs 115 minutes. So they've basically taken some scenes from the Director's cut and placed in this new 115 minute version which some Peckinpah experts might call a definitive version of the film. Personally, I decided to watch this new version out of curiosity.







Crawdaddy

 

[PaulaJ]

Has anyone seen Jeffrey Wells post about The Wild Bunch at www.hollywood-express.com? He says the transfer's color is off that is off and anamorphic image distorted and says fans should "steer clear" of the new DVD. He has posted two screen captures comparing the old DVD to the new one.

 

[John Hodson]

Paula: link? www.hollywood-express.com doesn't seem to work for me.

 

[Mark VH]

The correct url for the Wells column is http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com[/url]

 

[John Hodson]

Oh fer cripes sake; if either looks distorted it's the first one, and this loyal Peckinpah fan can't wait for his copy to arrive...

(Thanks for the link)

 

[Scott Merryfield]

The hollywood-elsewhere link doesn't work, either (at least, not for me).