Twilight Time Announces January/February 2014 Releases (1 Viewer)

[Ray H]

Not too thrilled MGM/Fox seem to be ending their Woody Allen Collection line in favor of the Twilight Time deal. I guess it's great Crimes and Misdemeanors is coming out on Blu-ray, but the $9.99 I paid for each of the MGM/Fox Allen releases were much easier to go for than $34.99 for a single title.

Also interested in The Front and Titus, but I likely won't be able to afford all three.

 

[JoHud]

The inclusion of two Woody Allen movies is a little disappointing, not in regards to TT but rather that MGM apparently had no larger plans for their large Woody Allen library. However, in light of just how apathetic MGM has been to releasing anything remotely deep-catalog in 2013 it's not too surprising.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

The Front isn't really a Woody film, he just starred in it.

 

[John Doe]

Not to mention that The Front is coming through the deal with Sony, not MGM.

 

[Matt Hough]

Nick Redman has weighed in on Zulu in its own thread. It can be found here.

 

[JoHud]

Not to mention that The Front is coming through the deal with Sony, not MGM.

Wasn't aware of that, thanks. Hopefully we're getting more Woody Allen from MGM this upcoming January.

 

[Richard--W]

THE FRONT (1976) is director Martin Ritt's and screenwriter Walter Bernstein's autobiographical film about the House of Un-American Activities Committee's hunt for communists in the booming New York television industry during the 1950s. I haven't seen the film since it was new, but I was very impressed with it. It was a big hit in New York at a time when the blacklist was still a living memory for many New Yorkers. It's not a comedy, but a serious drama with an occasional sense of humor. Woody Allen is very, very good as a clerk who "fronts" for blacklisted TV writers. At first he doesn't take them seriously, but when he sees the injustice and suffering of his friends he begins to take sides. When Allen himself becomes the subject of investigation, he has a great exit line. Many blacklisted actors appear in the film, including Zero Mostel who actually lived the story being told here. After starring in THE FRONT for Ritt and Bernstein, Woody Allen decided to make more serious comedies. It's a fact that Allen's career started in NY television in the late 1950s writing comedy for programs that couldn't hire blacklisted writers. So he was the perfect actor for the part.

Martin Ritt's social conscience resulted in some great and compelling films, but they haven't found their way onto blu-ray. I'm glad Twilight Time is bringing this and CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS out. I believe Sony / Columbia and MGM have lost interest in this type of film as well as in their Woody Allen catalog.

 

[Dick]

With the release of Von Ryan's Express earlier in '13 it looked like Fox wanted to run with their 'War Classics' themselves under the home label.

How I wish Fox would give TT an much-improved transfer of VON RYAN! But probably not in my lifetime/

 

[Dick]

Well with the announcements of KHARTOUM, ZULU and THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT, and line Woody Allen films we can now start mor speculation. How about EXODUS THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL LORD JIM THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY THE VIKINGS THE PARTY DOCTOR DOLITTLE STAR! THE LONG SHIPS

and... THE LION IN WINTER!

 

[Dick]

Not too thrilled MGM/Fox seem to be ending their Woody Allen Collection line in favor of the Twilight Time deal.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to assume that. This may be Fox's way of increasing the number of Woody's without having to do it all themselves. We should also be putting pressure on Lionsgate for the Mirimax Allen titles.

 

[Lromero1396]

I'm assuming that Exodus will be coming relatively soon from Twilight Time, even though the elements are in bad shape from what I've heard. I was going to import the Australian release, but I might just wait so I can hear Ernest Gold's Oscar-winning score isolated.

 

[John Hermes]

I'm assuming that Exodus will be coming relatively soon from Twilight Time, even though the elements are in bad shape from what I've heard. I was going to import the Australian release, but I might just wait so I can hear Ernest Gold's Oscar-winning score isolated.

The Australian BD is pretty nice actually.

 

[Alan Tully]

How I wish Fox would give TT an much-improved transfer of VON RYAN! But probably not in my lifetime/

I think you're in luck. I've read somewhere on the net that Von Ryan will be from a new transfer that Fox are still working on.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think you're in luck. I've read somewhere on the net that Von Ryan will be from a new transfer that Fox are still working on.

Vov Ryan's Express was released earlier this year on BD. I don't know if Fox will have another "do-over" release like it did with Patton which is a more popular title.

 

[Lromero1396]

Vov Ryan's Express was released earlier this year on BD. I don't know if Fox will have another "do-over" release like it did with Patton which is a more popular title.

I share your doubts. I thought that the BD came from a 4k scan of a bad source which was not cost effective to completely restore.

 

[Alan Tully]

Vov Ryan's Express was released earlier this year on BD. I don't know if Fox will have another "do-over" release like it did with Patton which is a more popular title.

Oops, sorry my mistake, it was The Blue Max I was thinking of. Fox re-did Patton...& then released the old waxy version in the UK!

 

[Paul Rossen]

I'm assuming that Exodus will be coming relatively soon from Twilight Time, even though the elements are in bad shape from what I've heard. I was going to import the Australian release, but I might just wait so I can hear Ernest Gold's Oscar-winning score isolated.

I highly doubt that any blu ray release of EXODUS will include an isolated score track. If one was available the score would have been released on CD ages ago...

 

[Lromero1396]

I highly doubt that any blu ray release of EXODUS will include an isolated score track. If one was available the score would have been released on CD ages ago...

Khartoum's original score recordings haven't been released, and Nick Redman and his team are restoring them from newly-discovered masters for that release. The same could occur with Exodus.

 

[Paul Rossen]

Khartoum's original score recordings haven't been released, and Nick Redman and his team are restoring them from newly-discovered masters for that release. The same could occur with Exodus.

Re: Exodus. Of course that would be great. JUST great! That said the original Khartoum recording is certainly a great find as I'll be hoping that one of the specialty soundtrack labels makes the music available on cd. Kritzerland? Intrada??

 

[Alan Tully]

Re: Exodus. Of course that would be great. JUST great! That said the original Khartoum recording is certainly a great find as I'll be hoping that one of the specialty soundtrack labels makes the music available on cd. Kritzerland? Intrada??

Yep, the (late) composer Frank Cordell has had a few lucky finds. First when the record label FSM released his album of Khartoum on CD they also found the tapes for an unreleased album of Mosquito Squadron, which they included. Then the complete music tapes for Cromwell were found & released earlier this year by the record label Intrada. I hope the Khartoum tapes are in good nick (& maybe stereo?) & get released. The sad fact is that most music soundtrack tapes are long gone.