The Sword of Granada AKA El Corazón y la Espada 3D Blu-ray (1953) [Region Free]

[T. Warren Scollan]

Thanks for helping to restore this film: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-la-espada1953

El Corazón y la Espada is included on 3-D Rarities Volume II Blu-ray - order direct from Flicker Alley


from 3-D Film Archive

This film was made in Mexico during the '52/'53 "Classic period in dual strip. It was originally titled as "El Corazón y La Espada" (The Heart and the Sword). Obvously it was Spanish language and I don't know if it was either subtitled or English dubbed. Probably not. B&W and likely a decent film because of its stars, Cesar Romero and Katy Jurado. Now Bob and Greg are going to hate me for reminding you all of this, but Bob mentioned once in his website that the 3D archive had the rights. Correct me Bob, if I'm wrong. Now this would be for not just a niche market, but a niche of a niche market: those of us rabid 3D fans who also speak Spanish. It would probably be beyond financial practicality to either English dub it or to English subtitle it (much more complex for 3D), but we can dream. -------- Discuss!

[BleedOrange11]

It was released in the US, according to IMDB, so I assume some sort of English version exists. Good 3D subtitles would be extra work, needing optimal depth placement, but that's certainly not impossible. I'd like to see it and the other two Mexican 3D Golden Age films.

[Richard--W]

Of course, we all want to see this.

I looked all over for a one-sheet in both languages but didn't fine any.

Anybody have a poster?

[Zivouhr]

This could be interesting. I haven't heard of this one. Can't find a trailer yet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Granada

I don't mind subtitles to the original language, though I also don't mind a dubbed version when I'm watching a movie while falling asleep for the night, this way I don't have to watch the text and can focus on the images.

[Robert Furmanek]

We own rights to the original Spanish language version only. We'll eventually work on this title but it's on the back-burner for now. Too many studio licensed features in the pipeline!

[Zivouhr]

I like the poster art and good to see Cesar Romero (The Joker in Batman series) as a starring role.

[Interdimensional]

Originally Posted by Robert Furmanek

We own rights to the original Spanish language version only. We'll eventually work on this title but it's on the back-burner for now. Too many studio licensed features in the pipeline!

I'm quite keen to see some of the foreign language vintage 3-D out there, I'd certainly support such a release, especially a 3-D Film Archive release.

Those posters are great by the way, somehow Romero almost looks like an old man in the Mexican version, and a matinee idol in the US version. If you ever acquire the rights to the English language version, it'd be well worth doing a reversible cover.

[Richard--W]

... and if the English-language version is unavailable go ahead and release the Spanish version with subtitles. When you have the time. I would assume the film needs a scan and a clean-up and perhaps an alignment pass. Does it need much other work? I'll buy it in a heartbeat as I'm sure most vintage 3-D fans would.

[Robert Furmanek]

It needs a LOT of alignment work and costs must be kept to a minimum. This will not be a big seller so don't count on sub-titles. That's a VERY costly expense.

[FatalSpiderbite]

Originally Posted by Robert Furmanek

It needs a LOT of alignment work and costs must be kept to a minimum. This will not be a big seller so don't count on sub-titles. That's a VERY costly expense.

In Spanish with no subtitles would probably kill most of your sales in the US. I know they would be expensive but why even consider releasing it that way? I am not a dub fan but at least you would get some sales ith a dub or with subtitles. Spanish only would really kill your potential sales.

[revgen]

According to this site, they'll do subtitles for foreign languages for $7.50/minute and include English captions for free. So for an 80 minute film, that's $600.

[robtadrian]

Just thinking that this could be the cornerstone for 3D Rarities Vol 2 (as discussed in the 3d Rarities thread)..if the language option was a barrier. I'd also like to see the tiny bits of 3D Top Banana, the portions of Southwest Passage (2D version now airing on MGM HD) music videos, commercials and Return to Bronson Canyon on it as well!

[T. Warren Scollan]

Originally Posted by Robert Furmanek

It needs a LOT of alignment work and costs must be kept to a minimum. This will not be a big seller so don't count on sub-titles. That's a VERY costly expense.

Well, Bob, looks like I stirred up a small hornet's nest.(LOL) But I have to admit that that was my intension! I'm partial here as I'm semi-fluent in Spanish. Those posters are great! They seem to indicate that the U.S. release version was in some sort of English (dubbed or subtitled) and probably flat.

BTW, BleedOrange11 mentioned that there were two other Golden Age Mexican 3D films. What were their titles?

Don't you just love Bob's words: "Too many studio features in the pipeline!"?

[BleedOrange11]

Originally Posted by T. Warren Scollan

BTW, BleedOrange11 mentioned that there were two other Golden Age Mexican 3D films. What were their titles?

Don't you just love Bob's words: "Too many studio features in the pipeline!"?

https://www.blu-ray.com/The-Price-of-Living/593806/

https://www.blu-ray.com/The-Rider/593807/

[Robert Furmanek]

Originally Posted by revgen

According to this site, they'll do subtitles for foreign languages for $7.50/minute and include English captions for free. So for an 80 minute film, that's $600.

In 3-D, with shot-by-shot placement within the stereo window?

[the13thman]

Getting subtitles right in 3D is a tricky thing, you can't have them clash with the 3D or move around so much that your brain can't handle them.

I'd watch a dubbed version, sure, but I'd also be happy to contribute to a Kickstarter to get this subtitled...

[BleedOrange11]

Honestly, 3D subtitles aren't bad at all if you just auto-set them at one constant depth in front of the screen. I've done that before myself with free online 2D-->3D subtitle converters. Where distributors get in trouble, is when they set the subtitles too close to the screen. As long as they don't interfere with the image for >90-95% of the movie, they are easy enough to tolerate. Strong popout scenes don't usually have dialogue anyway. The important part is being able to hear and understand the original audio. I have several Hong Kong Blu-ray 3Ds that are some of my favorite discs despite minimal-effort clashing subtitles (and these would have been perfectly fine if they had just auto-set the sub depth another notch or two forward). It would be a shame to see a release like this not get officially subbed.

[Robert Furmanek]

Another obstacle is that we do not have a continuity script for the dialogue meaning that someone would have to watch the film and provide a translation meaning - more expense.

I'm just not convinced the extra costs would be made back in extra sales.

I don't mind breaking even - and have on many projects related to 3-D - but I don't want to lose money.

[BleedOrange11]

I can imagine that a professional translation would be expensive. I hope that you are able to find some cost-efficient options when the 3Dfilmarchive has the chance to restore it.

I've dabbled in re-wording some poor English translations for some of my favorite Asian films. Lining up each sentence at the appropriate timestamp and deciding subtitle on-screen duration was by far the most tedious, time-consuming aspect of subtitle creation for me.

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by Robert Furmanek

Another obstacle is that we do not have a continuity script for the dialogue meaning that someone would have to watch the film and provide a translation meaning - more expense.

I'm just not convinced the extra costs would be made back in extra sales.

I don't mind breaking even - and have on many projects related to 3-D - but I don't want to lose money.

I wouldn't worry about losing money on a Mexican 3-D film.

There is a Spanish-speaking audience and consumer base for epoca de oro del cine Mexicano -- the Golden Age of Mexican cinema -- into which the Mexican 3-D films fall. I've bought about 200 of them, mostly films noir and caberateras, the comedies of TinTin, rancheros (Mexican westerns), the social justice films of directors Emilio Fernandez (did you know Hemingway and Steinbeck wrote scripts for him?) and Ismael Rodríguez, and the classic horror restorations released by the late great CasaNegra. If the 3-D film(s) is marketed to the USA's Mexican audience, via their forums websites and publications, you'll sell plenty. They own 3-D enabled flatscreens, too. In Mexico, people think Disney is a Spanish-speaking company, since all Disney animation films are released in Spanish, which are enormously popular down there. And of course the Spanish editions sell like crazy above the border.

That consumer base doesn't need subtitles. But we do. I'm willing to bet sales to the Spanish-speaking audience will pay for it.