Warner Bros - How about a restored Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? (1 Viewer)

[Douglas R]

It’s surely high time that The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) was issued on DVD. I know it bombed on release but I’ve always enjoyed the film, although it is years since I last saw it (it never seems to be on TV here in the UK). It is superbly dramatic with fine visual flair by Vincente Minnelli and contains one of Glenn Ford’s best performances, as well as arguably Andre Previn’s greatest original music score. It would be great if Warner Bros could restore the film to its original 3 hour plus running time as first previewed, with stereo sound and the original intermission and Entr'Acte music.

 

[JPCinema]

I have an anamorphic DVD released in France that looks very good but does not have the overture. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a domestic release will be coming soon. (Perhaps in a Glen Ford Signature Collection?)

 

[Charles Ellis]

Well, Glenn Ford did a lot of films for MGM in the 50s (like the already-out The Blackboard Jungle and the original Ransom with Donna Reed), so a set would be a good idea.

Regarding Horsemen: wouldn't be a hoot if they found Ingrid Thulin's original voice track? Apparently MGM felt her Swedish accent was too distracting, so faster than you can say "Lina Lamont", Angela Lansbury was called into service to redub her lines. This is nothing new: Paul Frees allegedly did Tony Curtis' 'drag' voice as Josephine in Some Like It Hot, and in the 1980s Andie McDowell's soft Southern voice was redubbed by the WASP-ier Glenn Close as Jane in Greystoke.

I've always felt that Glenn was too old to play Julio, and I recently found out that Minnelli wanted Alain Delon in the role, a casting that would've made more sense. Just imagine him in the role with his then-fiance Romy Schneider as Marguerite- the film would've been a bigger hit than it actually was.

 

[Joe Caps]

I also like this film and there was a beautifully restored laserdisc with restored color and sound.

This title was talked of for an upcoming Glenn Ford Signature collection that has never arrived.

 

[Sean A]

It would be great to any of the remaining Minnelli dramas (Where, o where is SOME CAME RUNNING ????)

 

[Charles H]

...And TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN and THE COBWEB. Both were released on laserdiscs but never on VHS.... Fox should release GOODBYE CHARLIE and Whoever (MGM?) A MATTER OF TIME.

 

[Simon Howson]

Yeah I'm really looking forward to these two.

Surely Some Came Running will be in a Sinatra set, and Four Horseman in a Glen Ford set?

We can't really complain though, by my count Warner have released 15 Minnelli films, and that is without releasing a Minnelli boxed set. I believe this is all of them:

The Pirate
Madame Bovary
The Clock
Home From the Hill
Cabin in the Sky
The Sandpiper
Designing Woman
Father of the Bride
Meet Me In St. Louis
Lust for Life
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Bells are Ringing
The Band Wagon
Brigadoon
The Bad and the Beautiful

Lastly, Paramount has released On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, which is my least favourite Minnelli film.

 

[Miguel M Santos]

yes, but I'd still would love if they released TEA AND SYMPATHY... they could easily create a box with the unreleased ones, especially the scope melodramas.

 

[Stefan Andersson]

A DVD box headlining Minnelli´s name probably would not sell that well, he´s not a household director name like Chaplin or Hitchcock. But WB could easily do an All-Star Movies Collection including FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, THE COBWEB, TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN plus THE YELLOW ROLLS-ROYCE, HOTEL PARADISO, LADY L and A STORY OF THREE LOVES (rights issues permitting). The Valentino FOUR HORSEMEN should be included as a bonus feature since Valentino is generally regarded as a silent movie era superstar, and because that film would probably not sell many standalone units.

 

[Danny Burk]

I'm hoping for the silent any way it comes out. If it's doubled with the '62 version, I'd buy it for the silent, although I'm not interested in the '62 version itself.

 

[TonyDale]

Controversial Classics Volume 3, anyone?

 

[Simon Howson]

And Two Weeks in Another Town could be reissued as a 2 disc set with a re-issue of the Bad at the Beautiful - I'm really not a fan of snapper style cases, and would love to get rid of my old copy.

According to Minnelli's biography, Two Weeks was heavily edited by the studio. So if there are any surviving prints of the original version, I'd like to see that, even if the quality isn't perfect. Minnelli said that the studio re-cut the negative, so I doubt the original version exists. :-(