The Twilight Time News and Info Thread (4 Viewers)

[benbess]

I'm now watching the TT release of the horror movie The Believers, starring Martin Sheen. As usual, Sheen brings some gravitas to his role. Somehow completely missed this one when it came out in 1987.

Interesting that the director of this one, John Schlesinger, also directed Day of the Locust and the '67 version of Far From the Madding Crowd. I like both of those movies—but they are so different.

Just looked on google street view at 126th and Lexington, which was a location in The Believers that was economically depressed and almost ruined in 1987. 30+ years later the google street view shows newer and restored buildings.

Spoiler

Yikes—what an ending for The Believers.

 

[benbess]

I don't know if anyone else here listens to the isolated music tracks that TT has, but I enjoy them. Right now I'm grading student papers with Bernard Herrmann's music for the movie Beneath the 12-mile Reef playing in the background. I have the picture and subtitles on too, and so if I glance up I can see what's going on while only distracting myself from my work for a little while....

 

[Dee Zee]

TT, please consider licensing The Girl Can’t Help It. I’ve never seen it and it’s supposed to be a seminal rock and roll movie that UK musicians often site as influential. Color and wide screen I believe. Originally a Fox film.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I don't know if anyone else here listens to the isolated music tracks that TT has, but I enjoy them.

Absolutely, same here. One of the chief joys of doing official reviews of TT releases is that I get to listen to the isolated scores while I’m writing. Even if I don’t love the movie, the score is almost always worth a second or third listen.

 

[benbess]

Absolutely, same here. One of the chief joys of doing official reviews of TT releases is that I get to listen to the isolated scores while I’m writing. Even if I don’t love the movie, the score is almost always worth a second or third listen.

Glad I'm not the only one. Sometimes I don't have time or energy to watch a full movie with full attention, and the isolated scores allow me to "half watch" a movie without guilt lol!

And PS—Your reviews have been great, Josh. They are well-written and insightful. Hope you can keep doing them!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Thanks so much! No plans to stop - I’m looking forward to next month’s TT shipment and also working on a Criterion and a Flicker Alley title at the moment. All of these boutique labels are putting out some extremely high quality releases right now. But the TT isolated scores are often a unique bonus and listening to them is a really enjoyable part of my process.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I'm a music guy myself, and I really love the music-only tracks. One of my most cherished laserdiscs remains the widescreen "Chinatown" with the isolated score on one of the analog tracks. It's a wonderful way to watch a well-loved movie in my opinion. I have in the past recommended to my local improv comedy group friends that they use Twilight Time Blu-Rays for sharpening their skills. One memorable evening we took a crack at "Zardoz"; it was INCREDIBLE.

 

[JohnMor]

I was massively disappointed to find out that Streisand had specifically stipulated no isolated score track on the TT blu-ray of Yentl. Such a beautiful Michel Legrand score that’s never been available on record except in brief medleys on a few Legrand recordings. Sigh. Not sure her reason, but what a missed opportunity.

 

[PGB]

What a disappointment. I was hoping for a blu ray release of this classic and viewed TT as the best label to release it. I share your appreciated of The Rains Came and find the remake...The Rains of Ranchipor nearly unwatchable. I've recorded the TCM version and find it acceptable flaws and all.

And can I ask once again of TT whether we are going to see a blu ray of The Long Gray Line and The Left Hand of God?

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Being a music guy myself also, I wonder if anyone else here shares my love of HD audio ... I'm slowly replacing my favourite classical, jazz and rock/pop CDs with high-def audio files (usually 24-96) which I burn to blank DVD-Audio discs. They sound as sensational as an old LP or new SACD, and give new life to old material which has so often been badly mastered to CD. Off-topic I know, but thought I'd just mention in passing while we're discussing the Twilight isolated music tracks.

 

[Robin9]

Being a music guy myself also, I wonder if anyone else here shares my love of HD audio ... I'm slowly replacing my favourite classical, jazz and rock/pop CDs with high-def audio files (usually 24-96) which I burn to blank DVD-Audio discs. They sound as sensational as an old LP or new SACD, and give new life to old material which has so often been badly mastered to CD. Off-topic I know, but thought I'd just mention in passing while we're discussing the Twilight isolated music tracks.

I can tell you now that Frank Sinatra singing the title song on the soundtrack of Three Coins In The Fountain sounds better than the CD version.

 

[Dee Zee]

Being a music guy myself also, I wonder if anyone else here shares my love of HD audio ... I'm slowly replacing my favourite classical, jazz and rock/pop CDs with high-def audio files (usually 24-96) which I burn to blank DVD-Audio discs. They sound as sensational as an old LP or new SACD, and give new life to old material which has so often been badly mastered to CD. Off-topic I know, but thought I'd just mention in passing while we're discussing the Twilight isolated music tracks.

Might be worth a separate thread to discuss.

 

[Rialto]

I don't know if anyone else here listens to the isolated music tracks that TT has, but I enjoy them. Right now I'm grading student papers with Bernard Herrmann's music for the movie Beneath the 12-mile Reef playing in the background. I have the picture and subtitles on too, and so if I glance up I can see what's going on while only distracting myself from my work for a little while....

Oh, gosh - so I'm not the only one! I really appreciate the TT isolated music tracks on those movies for which soundtracks are utterly unavailabe. Now, if I could just figure out a way to transfer those tracks to a portable device to listen to while working out or taking walks, that would be perfect.

 

[BRAD1963]

And can I ask once again of TT whether we are going to see a blu ray of The Long Gray Line and The Left Hand of God?

I believe TT is waiting for a 4k remaster from Fox for The Left Hand of God. The Long Gray Line seemed like a sure thing at one time for TT. But lately Sony has been releasing many titles themselves. I'm sure The Long Gray Line will show up at one point. It has a new 4k remaster so it will look stunning. It seems like TT is getting less from Sony these days. There is not one Columbia / TriStar title being released in April.

 

[Dick]

I'm a music guy myself, and I really love the music-only tracks. One of my most cherished laserdiscs remains the widescreen "Chinatown" with the isolated score on one of the analog tracks.

CHINATOWN has become my near-favorite film score. Uan Rasey's trumpet solo through the main credits gives me the shivers every time I hear it -- so full of longing and melancholy, dripping with nostalgia for lost relationships and an irretrievable past. The expanded score, including probably all cues heard in the film, is still available from Intrada:

http://j-j-gittes.blogspot.com/2016/07/chinatown-expanded-score.html

 

[ptb2017fr]

I just watched a newly restored ( finally correct aspect ratio) blu ray of TENDER IS THE NIGHT that I bought in Paris a few days ago. It looks like a 4K restoration. Any chance this gorgeous transfer will be released by TT?

Gorgeous is the only word for this beautiful Blu Ray! It also includes a lovely booklet on Jennifer Jones. But you need to read French.

 

[ptb2017fr]

Just taken delivery of Twilight Time Quiller Memoranda.
At last a great restoration of this terrific movie. Probably hasn’t looked this good since it’s first cinema release. Throwing out the Blu Ray i bought a couple of years back and couldn’t watch after 10 minutes, so bad was it.

 

[ptb2017fr]

Finally watched Twilght Time Exodus all the way through. Disappointing as the quality is not great with a lot of colour variation throughout.
It’s a pity when 70mm epics like this do not have access to the original elements and end up only slightly better than the DVD release.
There is a pretty good French Blu Ray Of 55 Days At Peking, and an average one of the Circus World John Wayne epic.
For what is possible just look at the beautiful restoration done on King of Kings. The other Samuel Bronston epics have also suffered from lack of proper attention, both the magnificent El CID and the truly epic Fall Of The Roman Empire, have very disappointing Blu Ray releases. With the release of Gladiator, a virtual remake of Fall, but without the 60s epic necessary inclusion of a religious message, one would have thought it worth the copyright owners time doing a proper restoration.
King of a Kings has all the beautiful images of a 70mm film release.

 

[RichMurphy]

I highly recommend the British 55 DAYS and CIRCUS WORLD Blu-rays with the Pinewood restorations. I agree that EL CID and ROMAN EMPIRE should be given equal loving care.

 

[ptb2017fr]

I highly recommend the British 55 DAYS and CIRCUS WORLD Blu-rays with the Pinewood restorations. I agree that EL CID and ROMAN EMPIRE should be given equal loving care.

Thanks Rich I'll check them out.
Both El Cid and Fall have had tv airings and in both cases the images were disappointing. Even in France which seems to get an awful lot of very good looking High definition copies to broadcast El Cid looked average.
I was surprised with Exodus, being originally released by United Artists, a company now owned by MGM, that MGM let this one out unpolished.