Coming DVDs

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Big Magilla
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Re: Coming DVDs

Post by Big Magilla »

The only one of the four films not released on Blu-ray in the U.S. is The Long Gray Line. Gideon of Scotland Yard (its U.S. release title) was released in Nov, 2016 and is still available. The Last Hurrah and The Whole Town's Talking were released later but restricted to 3,000 copies each by Twilight Time. They're all sold out at Twilight Time and Screen Archives, but Amazon has copies of both for sale - The Last Hurrah at under $30 and The Whole Town's Talking at $55.

I suspect either Indicator or Columbia itself will eventually put this set out in Region A. The Long Gray Line has recently been remastered so it's likely to find its way out either as a single or as part of the group soon.
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Re: Coming DVDs

Post by dws1982 »

Indicator is putting out a box set, John Ford at Columbia, that contains The Whole Town Talks, The Long Gray Line, Gideon's Day, and The Last Hurrah in April. (It doesn't include Two Rode Together, one of his other prominent Columbia films, because it's with Masters of Cinema in the UK.) Seems like a great set, with Tag Gallagher video essays on all of the films and audio commentaries on several of them. However, it is Region B locked, unlike most of Indicator's past releases, so you'll need a region-free player. Apparently Indicator will have to region-lock all of their discs going forward, presumably for legal reasons.
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Re: Coming DVDs

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Reza wrote:
Precious Doll wrote:Of the magazines that I did part with I couldn't give them away on the internet so into the recycling bin they went
Which magazines?
Cinema Papers & Sight and Sound before it merged with Monthly Film Bulletin.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Coming DVDs

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Precious Doll wrote:Of the magazines that I did part with I couldn't give them away on the internet so into the recycling bin they went
Which magazines?
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Re: Coming DVDs

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I'd missed the last two posts from Magilla and Reza. I know how you both feel (to a degree).

I can't help but collect but have been cutting back in recent years.

Since I stopped working back in late 2016 (and retired a year later simply because I could afford to) I've been getting rid of stuff.

I've gotten rid of some old film magazines but haven't progressed any further. I still can't bare to part with most of them though I wonder why I even bother still subscribing to Film Comment and Sight & Sound as for a number of years now I just flick through them and throw them onto the pile. Of the magazines that I did part with I couldn't give them away on the internet so into the recycling bin they went, though a friend was interested in all my old film festival programs.

I have stacks of lobby cards and memorabilia. I have sold some lobby cards on eBay and intend to sell some more. I also sold stacks of books two years ago and got rid of all my vinyl records. I've also sold off stacks of framed and rolled movie posters.

I off loaded about 1,000 DVDs/Blu Rays two years ago - I used the criteria of 'will I ever watch this again?' and only made exceptions if it was from a director that I greatly admire. As I had purchased a lot of films that I didn't like or was indifferent about over the years I kept those, wrote them down and have been slowly reviewing them. In some cases I keep them and it other cases off they go. I've sold a number of things over the internet and have made contact with people who are happy to buy things I don't want. I am in the process of updating everything I've got on DVD to Blu Ray but if I only purchased films I hadn't seen or were released for the first time I really wouldn't be buying very much at all.

But I do like the fact that I own most of the films I love and that I can just decide - I want to watch this tonight and presto its in my collection. I have to admit that I enjoy buying discs online, receiving them and watching films from my collection and whilst I can afford to do so I will continue.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
Big Magilla
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Re: Coming DVDs

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I'm still collecting, but have slowed down considerably.

I have, however, cut way down on display. I have three five-shelf bookcases of Blu-rays and one three-shelf bookcase of DVDs. Everything else is in boxes the size of shoeboxes. When I get something new, I take another older one out of its case and put in its alphabetical place in one of the boxes.

It took me six months to get rid of all the cases, but less is definitely more.
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Re: Coming DVDs

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After years of buying and collecting dvds I've finally stopped. Why bother? I'm never going to watch them again....who has the time to do that? Yes, one ventures back to a film sometimes but not often. And what happens to all the stuff I have after I die? There is still so much to see out there and now I just watch stuff for free online. Almost everything is available now or will be eventually. So my buying and collecting days are over.

All the books, videos, dvds, autographs and magazines collected over the years. So much clutter although its all neatly placed on shelves. No more!
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Re: Coming DVDs

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Record producer and music and film historian Nick Redman had a business partner at Twilight Time who is apparently on his own now. Julie Kirgo, the writer and fellow film historian who wrote the essays in the accompanying booklets for all of their releases, as well as helped provide very informative commentary on the films, married him just before he died. She is now selling his extensive CD collection on consignment to Screen Archives which was the releasing arm for Twilight Time until they decided to sell directly themselves. It is still the only other site where you can buy Twilight Time releases directly. Otherwise, you have to pay really high prices for them through third party sellers on Amazon and elsewhere.

Julie is apparently no longer connected with Twilight Time. The notes in the accompanying booklets for The President's Lady and Wild in the Country are unsigned. In the meantime she has written very gushing notes for Kino Lorber's release of Sweet Charity that make me wonder if her Twilight Time notes hadn't been at least somewhat edited by Nick. Sweet Charity looks great on the Kino Lorber but is still a prime example of why musicals in the late 60s fell out of favor. It's a 2 hour and thirty-four minute film with scenes that went on and on and then on some more. It could and should have been edited down to an hour and fifty minutes or so.

I tend to confuse Indicator with Arrow Academy, another new U.K. company that releases film separately for Regions A and B. The official website for Indicator is https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk - but I'm not sure their prices are all that cheaper than Twilight Time's and often for the same products with the Redman-Kirgo commentaries imported. One must-have, though, is Ship of Fools which they graciously provided the commentary for directly when Indicator beat them to the punch in purchasing the rights.

I don't know why Disney wouldn't continue to outsource Fox titles, especially those that don't conform to the Disney image. They withhold their own titles because they can see $ signs down the road for selling them to the family market.

Amazon has been blocking new Disney and Warner Bros. titles from release in the U.S. but the problem may have something to do with disc manufacturing. Even Warner Archive itself has been late in getting out its new product to direct purchase customers in recent months. I've heard the same thing about Disney's releases through their Disney movie club.
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Re: Coming DVDs

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I understand that the gentleman who ran Twilight Time passed away earlier this year. Apparently there are still plans to keep releasing Blu Rays and they have just hit a slow period as a result of his death. Most of the films released this year were already scheduled. I suppose we will have to wait and see how it pans out.

I know they are overpriced though over the years they have released lots of great titles. I suppose a problem they will face in the future is that with Fox now owned by Disney, they be reluctant from Disney to licence out Fox titles. After all, Disney have only ever licensed out their Touchstone titles and barely release any of the back catalogue.

The Indicator sale will be a goldmine for anyone who has been delaying purchased their titles. Unfortunately for me I've been buying everything I want as its been released and watching most of them straight away so I don't regret it. I'm sort of tempted to maybe purchase some of the titles I haven't seen that interest me but I've been spending a fortunate lately on physical media and because all of Amazon's sites have blocked Australians from buying from them since 1 July last year (the US site reversed that earlier this year) I find it cumbersome buying from different sellers all over the place other titles.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Coming DVDs

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Big Magilla wrote:I have the feeling Twilight Time has reached the end of the road. With only two releases scheduled for September and nothing announced for October and beyond, it doesn't look good.
When they first launched there was some talk about how their business model was that the business would phase itself out after ten years, so maybe they're following through.

I think it was a flawed business model to start with. Charging Criterion-level prices for films (and presentations) that generally weren't at the Criterion-level. I've got several of their releases but I've only ever bought one that wasn't for sale on a deep discount and that was a Father's Day gift (Hard Times--my dad has always loved it). I feel like Indicator in the UK is doing something similar but with a better--and maybe more sustainable--business plan.

Speaking of Indicator, they're launching a sale on their website tomorrow. Supposedly it will be their only sale of the year. A lot of their releases are region-free so even if you don't have a multi-region player, they should still play on your machine. Check the listing to make sure it's region-free though! If it was a Sony film, it's region-free, if it wasn't, chances are it's not.
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Re: Coming DVDs

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That appearance was on April 2, 1974 at the fabled 1973 awards in which Katharine Hepburn made her only appearance at the Oscrs, followed by Jack Lemmon presenting Groucho Marx with a lifetime achievement award, Hayward and Heston presenting Best Actress to an absent Glenda Jackson, Liza MInnelli and Gregory Peck presenting Best Actor to Lemmon, the streaker interrupting David Niven's introduction of Elizabeth Taylor and Taylor herself who presented the final award of the evening to The Sting for Best Picture.

Hayward lived almost another year, dying on March 14, 1975, but it was her final public appearance.
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Re: Coming DVDs

Post by Reza »

Precious Doll wrote:Heston & Hayward have such great chemistry in the film, its a shame that they didn't make more films together.
Their only other screen appearance was together at the Academy awards many years later as they presented an award together. She was dying of cancer and passed away soon after.
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Re: Coming DVDs

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I have the feeling Twilight Time has reached the end of the road. With only two releases scheduled for September and nothing announced for October and beyond, it doesn't look good.
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Re: Coming DVDs

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I'm looking forward to getting The President's Lady in Blu Ray - though I will wait until Twilight Time have a sale as I don't see it as a title that is going to sell out anytime soon. Heston & Hayward have such great chemistry in the film, its a shame that they didn't make more films together.

One of the things I miss about TCM is that it gave me a chance to catch up on a lot on unseen films with Davis, Crawford, Garbo, Robinson, Mason, Hudson, Dietrich, Power, Stanwyck, both the Hepburns, Harlow, Bergman, Winters and a host of other golden era stars. Still missing a fews films in their catalogues but mostly nothing major.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: Coming DVDs

Post by Big Magilla »

If I did see Beyond the Forest, it was so long ago that I don't remember it. I don't think know if TCM shows it or not, but it is/was available on YouTube.

For years, I thought "what a dump" was a line from Winter Meeting, but I saw that turkey a year or two ago and thought I must have dozed off when she said the line because I didn't hear her say it in the film.

I have heard Davis utter the phrase upon request in interviews, but she always uses the exaggerated camp expression of it that Liz Taylor famously used in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and not the non-exaggerated intonation she allegedly gave it in the film.

Oddly, for some reason I'm fixating on campy Susan Hayward movies right now. Yesterday, I watched The President's Lady and Back Street back-to-back and now I want to put some time aside to re-watch The Stolen Hours in which she reprises Davis' role in Dark Victory and I Thank a Fool as well as maybe Where Love Has Gone in which she impersonates Lana Turner opposite Davis as her mother in Harold Robbins' take on the Stompanato affair.
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