Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[Jobla]

I just preordered CINDERELLA LIBERTY and GENGHIS KHAN. Looking forward to revisiting both of those.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by koberulz

That's only because alphabetical is the only sensible option though.


*ducks*

I think that the only reasonable option is "an esoteric system that is comprehensible only by me".

Because, you know, why does anyone but me need to understand how I file my collection? Well, except maybe my wife. But she'll just ask me where to find anything she's interested in watching. In fact, every year on the 4th of July, she likes to watch 1776. This year, she asked, "Do we know where our copy of 1776 is?" And I said, "I don't know if you know, but I do," and proceeded to grab it from where it was and hand it to her. She finds that a completely workable system.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by mja345

If you have a pretty large collection, then you have to come up with a way of categorizing them. If I did it completely alphabetically, and were that anal about it, my girlfriend would probably leave me.

Strictly alphabetical makes no sense. Shelving Alien Resurrection before Aliens is just wrong. So would having Raiders of the Lost Ark nowhere near the Indiana Jones and the... films. (OK, with both examples, I have the collected sets, but the principle is obvious.)

OK, so you decide that you'll shelve series films together, and in chronological order. That means you've already strayed from the strictly alphabetical. And then you have to decide whether to shelve them by the series title, or by the title of the first film. And it just goes on from there. Once you start making exceptions, like series films, or separating TV shows from movies, or grouping all of the Disney animated films together (or Pixar or Studio Ghibli, or whatever), everything goes to hell.

You might as well just pick a system that works for you, and stick to it.

[The Great Owl]

I just pre-ordered...

Genghis Khan
The Revolt of Mamie Stover

I was on the fence about Genghis Khan, but The Revolt of Mamie Stover had me at hello.

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Strictly alphabetical makes no sense. Shelving Alien Resurrection before Aliens is just wrong.

Actually, alphabetically it's right.

When I only had individuals of the Harry Potter sets I shelved them in chronological order because it made no real difference anyway, but I was quite happy having Batman Begins off on its own with Batman and Batman Returns while The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises were half a shelf away.

[anthonyls]

OMG... Rapture FINALLY sold out?!? Hold the presses!

[Tns49]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

I try my best to keep my collection alphabetized b....

Everyone has their own way. Mine are mostly Alphabetic by Title. I have my Blu-ray 3-d remaining DVD separate. For some e.g. Alfred Hitchcock, I have them under Hitchcock and chronological, and some series I have them together (Bond, Harry Potter, etc.) by common series name and chronological. Some big box sets end up separate as they don't fit well on the shelves.


My Twilight Time titles are scattered through out the collection as above, some DVD, Some 3d, Hound of the Baskervilles with the other Sherlock Holmes titles.

[deltatauhobbit]

Originally Posted by anthonyls

OMG... Rapture FINALLY sold out?!? Hold the presses!

Oh no! I was just about it order it! How dare it sell out, time for a repress!

Just kidding, decent film but not one I would watch again so I had no desire to own it at any price.

[erlinmeyer]

Originally Posted by anthonyls

OMG... Rapture FINALLY sold out?!? Hold the presses!

Missed the Rapture - guess I wasn't a worthy believer.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by oildude

Suddenly, Last Summer is essential Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Is it essential Montgomery Clift? I think the more appropriate question to be is there such a thing as non-essential Montgomery Clift? Not in my book.

<snip>

Oildude's review of Suddenly, Last Summer is both beautiful and (to my mind) completely accurate. I concur with his assessment of Miss Taylor's performance: it is indeed one of her best. I would argue that she should have won the 1959 Best Actress Oscar race, and that Miss Hepburn should have come in a close second. (Simone Signoret took home the statuette that year for Room at the Top, and I've always believed that Taylor and Hepburn probably split the vote.) Paul Newman once called Taylor a "functioning voluptuary", and that description summarizes her characterization of Catherine Holly perfectly. She's almost obscenely ripe throughout the film, but especially in the scenes in which she's wearing a tight black dress, and those in which she appears in a skintight white bathing suit. I can't agree with Tennessee Williams' assessment that Taylor was too glamorous for the part; Catharine is literally used as man-bait by her unseen cousin Sebastian, and no one can doubt that there are few heterosexually-inclined men who wouldn't be aroused by Taylor's erotic charisma. She and Katharine Hepburn play off each other superbly, claws extended and teeth bared. They walk a fine and delicate line between high drama and camp, and pull it off with aplomb.

Clift's role may not be among his most demanding, but I would argue that he brings something essential to the part of Dr. Cukrowicz that no other actor could, and that's his intimate, off-screen relationship with Taylor. Knowing as we do (especially now, fifty years after the film's release) how emotionally and spiritually entwined these two fiercely supportive, semi-tragic actors were in real life, lends a special, poignant shading to both their performances. Clift's is a supporting performance in the truest sense of the term, and it is Miss Taylor he supports.

I've seen Suddenly, Last Summer many times over the years, and my appreciation of its attributes grows with each viewing. I consider it one of the essential films from the 1950's. Indeed, for those film buffs who are fascinated by the Hollywood Production Code and its eventual demise, it's a must-see because, despite some thematic timidity in the screenplay, it pushed the envelope of what was acceptable just-a-wee-little-bit-further. Indeed, compare its treatment of homosexuality to the previous year's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, another Tennessee Williams property which starred Elizabeth Taylor, and you'll see a notable increase in frankness.

Twilight Time's presentation of the film is leagues better than the Columbia DVD, and is heartily recommended. Catch it the next time it's on sale or there's a "Buy Four, Get an Autographed Freebie" promotion. (It's well worth the full Suggested Retail Price if you can't wait for a sale.) You'll be proud to add it to your collection.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Strictly alphabetical makes no sense. Shelving Alien Resurrection before Aliens is just wrong.

Originally Posted by koberulz

Actually, alphabetically it's right.

That was my point. Alphabetically it's "right", but it's still wrong.

[EVERYONE LIES]

I placed four separate orders during the Fox sale. I just watched Stormy Weather which is a fun movie with Bojangles, who should have been on the cover.. I know TT posts in here sometimes, so I have to ask, what is the deal with the Shirley Temple movies? Why are they off limits? In 12 years none of her Fox movies have seen the light of day. She was the biggest child star of all time, the biggest star of the 30’s, and the reason 20th Century Fox exists.

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Any chance Picnic gets re-released? Been on a 50s melodrama kick lately.

[Widescreenfilmguy]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyHighGuy

Any chance Picnic gets re-released? Been on a 50s melodrama kick lately.

They said a few years ago that there would be no more encore editions, sorry

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyHighGuy

Any chance Picnic gets re-released? Been on a 50s melodrama kick lately.

You can import it from Spain (Region Free) or France (Region B) for reasonable prices. The first Spanish release was likely a bootleg, but Sony just released its own legitimate edition in Spain.

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Originally Posted by Widescreenfilmguy

They said a few years ago that there would be no more encore editions, sorry

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

You can import it from Spain (Region Free) or France (Region B) for reasonable prices. The first Spanish release was likely a bootleg, but Sony just released its own legitimate edition in Spain.

Thank you - I saw a Spanish one on eBay that I figured was a boot, I'll look for the Sony one though. Secondhand TT copies are too rich for me.

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyHighGuy

Thank you - I saw a Spanish one on eBay that I figured was a boot, I'll look for the Sony one though. Secondhand TT copies are too rich for me.

Whatever version of PICNIC you decide on just remember you have until Labor Day to get your hands on a copy.

I watch mine about every other Labor Day. prob will watch it again this year.

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyHighGuy

Thank you - I saw a Spanish one on eBay that I figured was a boot, I'll look for the Sony one though. Secondhand TT copies are too rich for me.

Official Sony release (with Amazon link): https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Picnic-Blu-ray/207264/

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Official Sony release (with Amazon link): https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Picnic-Blu-ray/207264/

Exactly what I need - thank you!

[mja345]

Is there any film that is carried more by the charm of the stars than "Two for the Road"? I re-watched it this week and it struck me how much is put on the plate of Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn in that film. They portray two incredibly spoiled, inherently unlikable people, yet they never become unlikable. It's a remarkable achievement and it's a hard film to conceive with lesser talents.

Finney pulls off, IMO, what is a remarkable performance in that he portrays a character that is written as a complete a-hole, and he infuses it with a certain sarcasm and intrigue. This is a character, with the way it's written, that could have easily veered into being insufferable, but Finney is so masterful as an actor that he never lets it get close to being that. Truly a testament to what an incredible actor he is.

Audrey Hepburn is equally great in the film. Her character is written paper-thin compared to Finney's IMO. This is a character that so many actresses would allow to become an airhead, with no substance, to not allow the feelings of frustration to rise above the fortunate circumstances of the couple. But Hepburn, being one of the truly special actresses of the last 50 years, makes the character vulnerable and conflicted. And, because she's Audrey Hepburn, infuses the character with a sophistication and intelligence.

This is a film I love. You can watch it with your significant other and pass it off as a romantic film, but it's really a deep meditation on the nature of relationships. Finney and Hepburn deliver remarkable performances and bring out so much more in these characters than what in on the page IMO. There are films where scripts provide shelter for the actors, but this film is an example where actors take any deficiencies in the characters written on the page and absolutely obliterate them with their charisma.