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Studios in contest for ugliest biblical cover (2 Viewers)

john a hunter

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Originally Posted by Douglas R





Thanks. I saw the film two days after it premiered in London in Cinerama and I'm sure it wasn't 3 hours 40 (or 45) mins. I assume it had already been cut down to the 199 minute version.


Must have been very very cool to be able to watch these on the huge Cinerama screen!

I take it you also watched Khartoum that way?

[/QUOTE]
Yes I saw Khartoum on the Cinerama screen as well, along with everything else shown in Cinerama from 1962. The frst Cinerama film I saw was HOW THE WEST WAS WON which was a wonderful experience but I was too young to have seen any of the Cinerama travelogues.



Just before they premiered HTWWW, the Casino had a rerun season of all the travelogues, each for a run of a few months. That was my first experience of the process. Sorry you missed that, Doug.
 

RolandL

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Originally Posted by OliverK

The premiere version ran 3 hours 45 minutes according to imdb:


199 min (edited version) | USA:141 min (re-issue version) | USA:225 min (premiere version)

From what I read the edited version was shown in most roadshow engagements.


Originally Posted by Joe Caps


Yes, 3 hrs and 19 min.


the roadshow version ran theree hours and 40 min.


the current dvd is the general release version that plyayed everywhere. this is the second run version that I saw several times in New York City, and Syracuse, N.Y.


I also saw the roadshow version several times in New York City.

I have a ticket to a private performance on 2/6/65 for United Artists employees - http://www.cineramahistory.com/gsetpreviewfeb6.htm . That was about 4 hours according to the writing on the ticket.


This review from a Boxoffice magazine lists it as 221 minutes plus intermission - http://www.cineramahistory.com/1965gsetreview.jpg
 

Thanks for the heads-up on The Greatest Story Ever Told. I just pre-ordered it from amazon.ca. The DVD of this beautifully-photographed film was a little disappointing. The Blu-Ray should finally do it justice.
 

GMpasqua

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I ordered the box set when it was first put up on Amazon. When I saw what the box looked like I cancelled the order and ordered the single disc version instead.


The box bites, esp when WB has done such a good job on "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" There is some really beautiful art available for "The Ten Commandments" - what was Paramount thinking?? (At least they are releasing a classic film to blu-ray, one of the very few pre-70's titles Paramount has released to date)
 

Stephen_J_H

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The only problem with that line of thinking is that you lose the 1923 silent version. Although I haven't seen it, the inclusion of the original silent version was one of my major reasons for waiting for the 4-disc version of Ben-Hur back in the DVD days, and I'm glad I did.
 

Paul Rossen

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As Joe and others have stated the DVD is of the General Release version. What hasn't been said that this version was also shown during the Roadshow engagements after the premiere version was cut down. I don't recall exactly when GSET was cut but I do recall the ads from the New York Roadshow engagement at the Warner Cinerama in March/April 1965 stating that the film ended at 11:25pm for an 8:00pm start. This clearly was the cut version.

Unfortunately, I do not recall all the scenes that were cut but the original film was extremely slow moving-not that I wouldn't love to see it 'fully' restored to its premiere length!
 

GMpasqua

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Didn't MGM release two versions of GSET - I have both - I believe the two disc set was a longer version - I'll have to check


Stephen - I really didn't care about the Silent version so that combined with a lower price help sway me over to the non-box set
 

dana martin

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pulled my two disc set the run time is aproxx 3 hours 19 min, and yes i would like to see it in it's original length as well
 

OliverK

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You two really are making me REALLY jealous - so many of those movies can't be watched in a big movie theater anymore and you saw them all!


Well, I guess we shall see them again in 4k and above at some point and until then the Blu-Ray version will have to do.


Originally Posted by john a hunter





Just before they premiered HTWWW, the Casino had a rerun season of all the travelogues, each for a run of a few months. That was my first experience of the process. Sorry you missed that, Doug.
 

OliverK

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Originally Posted by RolandL




I have a ticket to a private performance on 2/6/65 for United Artists employees - http://www.cineramahistory.com/gsetpreviewfeb6.htm . That was about 4 hours according to the writing on the ticket.


This review from a Boxoffice magazine lists it as 221 minutes plus intermission - http://www.cineramahistory.com/1965gsetreview.jpg

Thanks for the links, the review was surprisingly positive.


Having watched the movie I think that it is wrong on many accounts. Apart from the ridiculous overuse of big stars in small roles I was especially irritated by the locations and the extremely bland look of even the most improbable settings (why would a king live in something that looks more like a dungeon than a palace???) makes for a very strange viewing experience.


To me even the 199 minutes version is VERY slow moving so I can understand that some cuts were made to bring it down from 221 minutes.


So while I am getting all 4 of these releases TGSET is not my favourite, I would have to rate King of Kings considerably higher.
 

ahollis

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Our school class went to see THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD as a field trip back in elementary school when it was released (Like to see them try to do that now). I remember that I was completely enthralled with it and soaked up every minute. Went back when it was re-released and walked away thinking that something was missing. It wasn't till much later that I learned of the differences in running times for both releases. When the longer version came out on Laser I grabbed it and again was enthralled. But since then I have seen KING OF KINGS and think that film was much better, but not near as beautifully photographed. Will definitely pick up the Blu-ray of both films.


Does anyone have any idea why it TGSET is released in Canada and not the US?
 

Paul Rossen

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Originally Posted by ahollis

Our school class went to see THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD as a field trip back in elementary school when it was released (Like to see them try to do that now). I remember that I was completely enthralled with it and soaked up every minute. Went back when it was re-released and walked away thinking that something was missing. It wasn't till much later that I learned of the differences in running times for both releases. When the longer version came out on Laser I grabbed it and again was enthralled. But since then I have seen KING OF KINGS and think that film was much better, but not near as beautifully photographed. Will definitely pick up the Blu-ray of both films.


Does anyone have any idea why it TGSET is released in Canada and not the US?



The laser disc does not have the longer premiere version.
 

Stephen_J_H

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I have two distinct memories of The Greatest Story Ever Told. The first is when it was broadcast on TV around 1980-81. My dad was laughing uncontrollably at Charlton Heston's performance as John the Baptist, which he found hammy in the way only Heston could be. The second was 1988 when The Last Temptation of Christ came out. At the time, Cineplex Odeon had recently opened a new sixplex, with Last Temptation playing on one screen. The protests were minimal, but the owner of the Famous Players theatres in the area booked TGSET for a 1-week engagement at the third-largest screen he had, advertising with the tagline: "Come See the Real Story of Jesus Christ!" I am a Christian, but I had no desire to see either.


re: Canadian release- amazon.ca indicates the studio is MGM, but gives no other details.
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by Paul Rossen

Our school class went to see THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD as a field trip back in elementary school when it was released (Like to see them try to do that now). I remember that I was completely enthralled with it and soaked up every minute. Went back when it was re-released and walked away thinking that something was missing. It wasn't till much later that I learned of the differences in running times for both releases. When the longer version came out on Laser I grabbed it and again was enthralled. But since then I have seen KING OF KINGS and think that film was much better, but not near as beautifully photographed. Will definitely pick up the Blu-ray of both films.


Does anyone have any idea why it TGSET is released in Canada and not the US?



The laser disc does not have the longer premiere version.

[/QUOTE]

I believe that it was the second release on Laser that was longer. I will pull it out and take a look.
 

Joe Caps

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MGMs two disc set is the general release on one disc and disc two is docs about the film.


the problem with GSET is that it needed a great score to keep it moving and it originally got a great score from the great Alfred Newman.


george Stevens was afraid it was too theatrical, and he made Newman rewrite major portions of it.

this was redubbed into the film at a very low volume.

Newman also wrote two super incredible pieced -

A. the rainsing of Lazarus and finale to act one (newmans own hallelujah chorus)


B. the raising of christ and his ascension ( another version of Newmans Hallelujah chorus).

the film works beautifully with these pieces.


Steven replaced both. the first was replaced with a newly recorded performance of Newmans Crucifixion music from the Robe segueing instead to a performance of Handel hallulah chorus (totally out of place in this film)


The second piece was also replaced with the Handel.

Newman asked to have his name removied from the credits.

the only print I know of the 199 min version is a 70mm print in Library of Congress. It barely has any color in it.

One can not just take the extra minutes and patch them in to the short version as the soundtracks don't match.


Every time the film was cut shorter, Stevens kept putting more of Newmans cut music back into the film !!


When I saw several of the short version in new york, no two prints were cut the same way with the same footage but all had the same running time.

What a mess.


It would be great to see a GSET disc with an alternate backup track with ALL of Newmans music returned and dubbed at a proper volume.

I would kill for that.
 

ahollis

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Not going to doubt you Joe on the running time of the laser disc, but I could have sworn it was the 199min version. I know the 225 version does not exist anymore in any form. The cutting of TGSET seems to be the same history has STAR!. The film was cut at the theatres and it was disappearing each week and no two runs were the same.
 

Paul Rossen

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Joe-


I believe that the Library of Congress actually has the 221 minute premiere version. I always question what does the Library of Congress do with the films under their 'protection'?


Also, I believe that the laser disc (I don't have a copy) is indeed the 199 minute version. Not the original full length 221 or so version.
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by Paul Rossen

Our school class went to see THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD as a field trip back in elementary school when it was released (Like to see them try to do that now). I remember that I was completely enthralled with it and soaked up every minute. Went back when it was re-released and walked away thinking that something was missing. It wasn't till much later that I learned of the differences in running times for both releases. When the longer version came out on Laser I grabbed it and again was enthralled. But since then I have seen KING OF KINGS and think that film was much better, but not near as beautifully photographed. Will definitely pick up the Blu-ray of both films.


Does anyone have any idea why it TGSET is released in Canada and not the US?



The laser disc does not have the longer premiere version.

[/QUOTE]

I think we are getting confused on the different running times. The version I saw in theatres the first go around and is on the Laserdisc is the 199min version. The re-release version I saw was the 141min the second go around in theatres.
 

Paul Rossen

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A third running time! I'm sure that the short version lost its continuity from time to time. Wow! I still believe(but could be wrong) that the Library of Congress has the longest version in faded 70mm.
 

dana martin

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The Canada release of TGSET, sort of takes the wind out of this, i was hoping that this would be one of the titles in the Criterion deal that MGM made, definately could see a two or three disc set out of this especially if we could get all three cuts of the film properly scored, and the Stevens Doc in HD as well,
 

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