What's new

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEBUTS Manufacture-On-Demand DVD SERIES (1 Viewer)

classicmovieguy

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
3,353
Location
Australia
Real Name
Byron
I'd love to see "Peyton Place" announced soon! I predict we'll see the other 2 Doris Day titles ("Move Over Darling" and "Do Not Disturb") as those have been released on Blu in Germany. Ditto "Desk Set".
 

Matt Hough

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
26,151
Location
Charlotte, NC
Real Name
Matt Hough
classicmovieguy said:
I'd love to see "Peyton Place" announced soon! I predict we'll see the other 2 Doris Day titles ("Move Over Darling" and "Do Not Disturb") as those have been released on Blu in Germany. Ditto "Desk Set".
Desk Set is coming here in December as one of the Vote Your Choice winners from the 1950s (Carmen Jones was the other).

Fox also has another Doris Day flick - Caprice. Not one of her best efforts but I actually prefer it to Do Not Disturb.
 

lionel59

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 29, 2009
Messages
627
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Real Name
Michael Robert Lionel Evans
Getting back to the Cinema Archives releases, I have finally found someone online who has commented on the transfer of HILDA CRANE. The person commenting (on a blog) states that it is " a lovely widescreen transfer". The back of the cover states "4:3 Letterbox" but I have not had this verified. It could be a misprint. It may be 16:9. I will let those reading this topic know once I have my own copy, later this year.
 

ahollis

Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
8,864
Location
New Orleans
Real Name
Allen
Received NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY today and not only does the transfer look excellent they have a trailer attached as an extra. I am impressed, with this release.
 

ScottHM

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
916
Location
USA
Real Name
Scott
ahollis said:
Received NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY today and not only does the transfer look excellent they have a trailer attached as an extra. I am impressed, with this release.
I'm glad to hear that. Mine should be in tomorrow.

---------------
 

shoeshineboy

Second Unit
Joined
Sep 7, 2009
Messages
432
Real Name
dan olson
Any reviews on Tales of Manhattan yet? Shame Fox has gotten so many of its releases wrong, although from what I read here the odd one comes out OK. Gotta keep hoping...
 

ScottHM

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
916
Location
USA
Real Name
Scott
shoeshineboy said:
Any reviews on Tales of Manhattan yet?
I've also got it coming in today (along with No Highway in the Sky) so I hope it looks terrific.Edit:Well, I've had time to quickly scan through both No Highway in the Sky and Tales of Manhattan this afternoon, and I have to say that No Highway in the Sky looks great.---------------
 

marcco00

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
523
Location
Pasadena, Ca.
Real Name
marc
i've got "tales of manhattan"--- not too bad, image is soft in places, transfer has a slight greenishtint if the color is turned up on your tv---- quality above the average MOD's we usually get from FOX.
 

lionel59

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 29, 2009
Messages
627
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Real Name
Michael Robert Lionel Evans
In an earlier post I cited 3 westerns which have been released in France, two of which are Fox films.
I received these dvds in the mail today. Unfortunately, the information given at Amazon.fr is incorrect. THE RAID was photographed to be screened at 1.66 :1 but the transfer is cropped to 1.33:1. Not a great deal is lost however and the image is sterling in quality. I have not seen the Archives transfer in order to make a comparison.
The other two movies (GUNMAN'S WALK and THE FIEND WHO WALKED THE WEST) are in 16:9 CinemaScope and the transfers are superb. GUNMAN'S WALK looks to be 2.55:1. (So far it has only been released on vhs (P/S) in the USA as far as I know).The 'Scope cinematography on THE FIEND WHO WALKED THE WEST looks to be one of the best aspects of the movie, so I would imagine that the Panned-and-Scanned Archives release would lose a great deal of the intended impact of director Gordon Douglas. The b+w cinematography has an almost documentary-style feel to it.
All three films-regrettably- have enforced French subtitles. However, there are copying programs which will allow you to delete them if you wish to make a personal copy minus the subtitles. The extras are in French with no subtitles so 'Je ne comprends pas'. If you have a French friend they would come in handy for these.....
 
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
48
Real Name
Joe
So I belong to a subforum on Reddit having to do with DVD collection. A guy shows up claiming to be from Fox Home Entertainment. He says he would like to know what special features people would prefer on Blu-rays.I answered him, but I also said if he was who he said he was, then he should do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) because I had a couple of questions I had that I would like answered. He eventually replied back to go ahead and ask. So I did. And I specifically asked him why Fox Archive releases were so poorly done, and not being released in their correct anamorphic. It was his answer to this question that made me believe he was legit, simply because it's the usual stock corporate answer:"Many of those titles only have pan and scan masters and it would be cost prohibitive to create theatrical aspect ratio masters. We use the best that is available, and instead of not making them available to the public, the MOD program allows for these films to be seen. We have begun to include the aspect ratio information to each titles sell page on sites like Amazon, to ensure consumers are aware before purchasing." There is nothing that irritates me more than stock answers, especially when you can point out the fact that other companies, such as Warner don't seem to have the same problem. So my response was rather lengthy. And here lately, thanks to some physical problems, I don't always express myself as clearly as I used to. But here it is:
Thank you for your answer.
I don't want to be argumentative but I suggest that Fox spend some time at the Warner Archive Store that seems to know how it's done and be successful at it along with making a profit. I do know that Warner seems to have much more respect for their film library then Fox shows they are willing to bestow upon much of their own film history.
The Warner program allows movies to be seen, and presented at the correct aspect. And they seem to be very successful doing it to the point that they have now started their own streaming service. Of course, by putting out a shoddy product that people don't want, you have presented the usual corporate excuse. People don't want to buy these.
You are so wrong. In this day and age they don't want to buy a product made for a viewing platform that in a few years, won't even be available any longer. It just seems that Fox has been short sighted in this regard and will continue to be and their only interest is to get by on the cheap.
I've spent the last 20 years, way before DVD's, convincing people why widescreen was the way to view movies. Turner Classic Movies has a short film that they run on a regular basis explaining it. And now with the advent of widescreen televisions, that is not even really a problem educating people.
The people on here that I've seen and in every other forum I visit, expect films to be at the proper aspect ratio. It's probably why we seldom see a film released in two different formats any longer. The viewing audience has wised up.How many of the film buffs here do you think would purchase any film ahead of time knowing that a 2.35:1 film has been rendered into a blurry horrible pan and scan? Yet, you are trying to convince me that people would willingly want to buy an outdated format?
Basically you're telling the public that you have no interest in preserving these films in the way they were meant to be seen because gee, the audience is limited. So let them stay in the library and disintegrate along with much of the rest of our film history.
That's fine. But if that's Fox's attitude toward their own library, and in their shortsightedness are only going to use 4:3 masters created for televisions that are now out of date, your answer actually makes no sense at all. You are basically saying these films will never again be seen the way they were meant to. And when I see all the specials on film preservation, sometimes included on DVD and Blu-rays that we buy, I have to tell you, I find Fox's Attitude quite disheartening.
Why is Warner and Universal able to provide their archive films in the correct aspect ratio? Because they understand that most of those of us who buy these films are true film buffs, who expect at the very least in this day, the correct aspect ratio. If it is not, we simply don't buy it. You say you put these films out in this manner to reach a certain audience.Yet, you'll never know how many customers you are losing because of the failure to correct this problem.
While I'll continue to buy from Warner and Universal, who also releases their archived films at the correct ratio, then Fox can continue to just try and get by on the cheap. But I won't be buying and many others won't as well. Cost prohibitive? Doesn't seem to affect the Warner Archive Store. Maybe somebody at Fox ought to pay them a visit.
But if you read that forum I linked to, I and many others will no longer purchase any movie rendered to fit on a 19 inch portable I threw out 13 years ago. And apparently unlike Warner, Fox has no respect at all for it's film history unless it's the umpteenth release of The Sound of Music or something along those lines. A very sad turn of events this is indeed.
I had so looked forward to seeing April Love and many other films, in their correct aspect ratio. And I know many others have as well. But your release is the same terribly ridiculous pan and scan as always. It's a class in why the format in this day and age should now be becoming ancient history. And perhaps I'll just make me up a little pictorial showing how awful that film really is in pan and scan.
But I thank you for your response.Here is the link to the question and answer session. No guarantee it will still be there. The guy who calls himself Finn at Fox could delete it at his discretion. No response back from him as yet. Maybe somebody else would like to throw in their two cents so I'm not out there alone on my raft. I have no proof the guy is even legit so it is what it is. And my name on there is CorporateOwnedUSA.
 

Robert Crawford

Crawdaddy
Moderator
Patron
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 9, 1998
Messages
67,604
Location
Michigan
Real Name
Robert
I do believe that's James Finn, a Fox VP, who has frequented this forum too. IMO, Fox has decided not to follow Warner's business model, when it comes to releasing their films onto MOD with OAR and some basic cleanup work. Therefore, I refuse to buy their titles even if they're at greatly discounted prices and are presented in their OAR. I need to boycott them all together! What others spend their monies on is their personal business, but it's obvious that many consumers are still supporting this MOD program despite its shortcomings. Apparently, there is not enough consumer backlash to motivate them to change their MOD strategy so it is, what it is. We complain, but we still buy their titles in enough quantities that they don't care to change. After a while, our buying habits become part of this problem as the studio has no motivation to change their practices. Therefore, even at discounted prices, I'm not buying anymore of their titles going forward. It's going to hurt, but for me to continue to buy their titles, I'm in essence have decided to support their MOD strategy. That's not the message I want to send them.

Not anymore Fox, get your monies from others, but not from me!
 

Matt Hough

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
26,151
Location
Charlotte, NC
Real Name
Matt Hough
And, of course, there ARE some widescreen masters that they just aren't using that have been discussed in this thread. 23 Paces to Baker Street was released in widescreen in other parts of the world; just not here. It seems they don't really do a decent search of materials in their vaults before they slap something on a disc.

And I vividly recall seeing April Love in widescreen on AMC (back when they actually showed classics all day long). In fact, they used to show it and Peyton Place and Star! and others BOTH ways: in pan and scan and in widescreen.

BTW, you made a wonderful case for film buffs, Clyde. Thanks so much!
 

wesaussie

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
51
Real Name
Wes Anderson
23 Paces To Baker Street, Night People,The Man Who Never Was and The Man In The Grey Flannel Suit were all released in anamorphic versions in Australia and Violent Saturday was released in blu ray in an anamorphic transfer in France. I too have been waiting an eternity for the Pat Boone movies April love, Mardi Gras,Bernadine and All Hands On Deck in their proper aspect ratio with for the first three the glorious stereo sound that Fox cinemascope pictures were renowned for. To see them put out in pan and scan is a real tragedy and a slap in the face for one of Fox's biggest stars of the 50'swho made them a lot of money.
 

GregoryMesh

Supporting Actor
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
665
Real Name
Gregory Mesh
The most obvious example is Warlock which was released in correct aspect ratio on pressed DVD and then downgraded to full screen on MOD disc. Why???? They can't use "it would be cost prohibitive to create theatrical aspect ratio masters" excuse since the master already exists in region 1.

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit is available in correct aspect ratio on Studio Classics disc and was not released on MOD.
 
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
48
Real Name
Joe
I had been waiting for a release of these Pat Boone movies forever as well. I had always thought there was a music rights problem holding up the releases. Boy, was I wrong.And let's not forget that the 1962 remake of State Fair was included as an extra in the release of the 1945 version, and it was in it's proper aspect ratio. So how was that not cost prohibitive?Honestly, if this had been Time Warner, it's quite possible that the Pat Boone Movies would have been released as a single box set special edition. But that would require foresight.I guarantee there are many people out there who would have been willing to purchse it. Fox is so shortsighted when it comes to much of their library. If they had taken Fox Movie Channel the way of TCM, and understood what TCM was really all about, then things might have been different. But even before they decided to go the route of just becoming an over glorified commercialized clone of AMC, they would show a film in its widescreen version one day, then two days later rebroadcast it in pan and scan. It made no sense. It seems they were trying to have it both ways, but when it got down to it, some narrow minded backward thinking executive decided to do a boat load of 4:3 scans of their library under the mistaken assumption that technology doesn't advance and we'd all be watching T.V.'s shaped more like a square instead of a rectangle forever. And now they claim expense, because gee, cost is the only thing one should care about when preserving the history of film. It's as if you weren't already making billions elsewhere so you might as well penny pinch when it comes to your own heritage. At the very least Warner often does a scan from the best source material available, and it may not always be cleaned up and spotless, but I've found most of these to be fairly decent as they are. I had pre-ordered the blu-ray copies of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Fantastic Voyage. But right now I'm so disgusted with the attitude of Fox in regards to film preservation and their continual shortsightedness, I may just cancel those. I already own the DVD versions so I'll still have that in my library.But thanks to all of you who responded.
 

lionel59

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 29, 2009
Messages
627
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Real Name
Michael Robert Lionel Evans
Great letter to Fox Home Video 'Clyde'. Interesting points raised above as well. Our hopes for a change to the way the Cinema Archives people are operating appear to be dashed for the time being.
 

Doug Bull

Advanced Member
Joined
May 7, 2001
Messages
1,544
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Real Name
Doug Bull
I would have bought all the recent Pat Boone titles.
But, Pan and Scan, forget it.

Yet another lost sale for the mean spirited, non caring, non thinking Fox Archives.
 

Robin9

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
7,649
Real Name
Robin
Clyde's Place said:
I had pre-ordered the blu-ray copies of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Fantastic Voyage. But right now I'm so disgusted with the attitude of Fox in regards to film preservation and their continual shortsightedness, I may just cancel those. I already own the DVD versions so I'll still have that in my library.
Don't cut your throat to spite your face. The Fox Blu-ray division is not the same as the Fox MOD division and has a different attitude. Most Fox BRDs are state of the art. You'll probably be very pleased with those two BRDs.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,814
Messages
5,123,697
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top