Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[jayembee]

Looks like Nicholas and Alexandra is gone now.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Baltix

Khartoum is the next, 43 copies left.

Made another order for this ^^^...and added 10 Till Midnight .

EDIT: Crap I already own 10 To Midnight .

[RalphoR]

Looks like these titles are moving fast:
Jane Eyre
Drums Along the Mohawk
Oliver!
Philadelphia
The Other
Mindwarp
Swamp Water
Bite the Bullet
Pal Joey
I wouldn't wait too long on these.

[jayembee]

Khartoum is now (well, as of a few minutes ago) down to 35.

As for what I said about Alamo Bay and Royal Flash, the cart trick shows them both at exactly 50, which doesn't really mean anything.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Khartoum is now (well, as of a few minutes ago) down to 35.

As for what I said about Alamo Bay and Royal Flash, the cart trick shows them both at exactly 50, which doesn't really mean anything.

Khartoum will have another copy available tomorrow (hopefully). I reordered it with The Bounty and i will have to have my previous order cancelled since I already own 10 To Midnight.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Bah. I went back to the well one last time, and ordered...

Pony Soldier
Nicholas and Alexandra

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Just grabbed one of those .

Ordered the following:
Nicholas and Alexandra

This is what I wrote about Nicholas and Alexandra over three years ago. It's a good film, deserving to have sold out well before this sale:



Nicholas and Alexandra is the film that director Franklin J. Schaffner made in between his more famous Patton and Papillon. Like those two, N&A is an intimate character drama placed within epic events. The acting is superb throughout the entire cast, from the two leads, Michael Jayston and Janet Suzman, to the children, various ministers, and other supporting roles. Standout supporting performances include: Michael Bryant in a chilling and yet humanly vulnerable portrayal of the bloody-minded Lenin, and child actor Roderic Noble as the tragic tsarevich, Alexei. A young, dark haired Ian Holm (Bilbo from Lord of the Rings) also has a brief but memorable appearance as a commissar. And above all there is Tom Baker as Rasputin, giving an Oscar-worthy performance as the depraved charismatic monk.

The film is based on Robert Massie's award-winning book of the same name, which I first read many years ago and have revisited a few times since. Twilight Time’s blu-ray is the first time I have seen the film. The movie is remarkably faithful to the book, and is one of the most accurate historical films I have ever seen. The main differences - common to many historic works translated to film - are to compress some of the time lines and to reduce or eliminate some of the characters. N&A is a fantastic drama with moments as emotionally moving as anything ever put on film. Several scenes will burn into your memory, including the event of Bloody Sunday when a crowd of peaceful subjects marches on the Winter Palace to present a petition to their tsar.

Nicholas II is portrayed accurately as a flawed and willfully stubborn monarch, determined to lead Russia as best he can while preserving the absolutism of royal power. There is a telling moment when his ministers inform him of Bloody Sunday and the tsar, although horrified, readily admits he wouldn’t have listened to the petitioners anyway. His decisions are often clouded and poisoned by the violent nature of turbulent times catching up to a Russia that has been painfully slow to modernize compared to other European Great Powers. Even Nicholas's attempts to keep secret from the public a dreadful family tragedy afflicting his only son and heir to the throne is misguided, out of fear its revelation will make the dynasty appear weak at a time when he believes his people want a strong monarch. His attempts to protect his child contributed immensely to the downward spiral of his reign. While a decent man, he is nevertheless reviled by many of his subjects, who see him and his German-born wife as unsympathetic tyrants. The tsarina is the subject of much public anger when war breaks out with Germany. Things go to hell quickly as the trauma of World War I works its way deep into the fabric of a Russian society and aristocracy unprepared for a long conflict and its consequences.

I am not sure why N&A has never achieved the level of recognition of other similar epics, even among those from Schaffner. It could be because large parts of the film take place indoors (the interior sets are splendid, and look stunning in high def) and much of it is dialogue driven, giving it a more subdued visual sweep compared to films like Lawrence of Arabia. N&A also came along at a time when movies were moving away from this type of film.

The PQ is spectacular, with rich colors and fine grain showing the incredible amount of period details that make many scenes visual treats. The film score is magnificent and my only nitpick is I wish it had a more expansive presentation than mono can give it. Nevertheless, it is faithful to the original. Twilight Time hit this one out of the park. Thanks Nick Redman and company for bringing this “lost” epic back to life, and allowing it to be rediscovered by a new generation.

[Martin_31]

First order:
Oliver!
Major Dundee
In Like Flint

Second order:
Khartoum
The Mechanic
A Man For All Seasons

Third order:
Jane Eyre
Bonjour Tristesse
The Roots of Heaven
Drums Along the Mohawk
Mindwarp

So far, second order has shipped. I was going to buy some Criterion's; this sale came and because they're limited, I had to buy them first. Sadly I missed out on a couple of others. Maybe I can find some on sale from some members here.

[Jobla]

I recommend BLACK WIDOW for the performances of Theresa Russell and Debra Winger. It has nice Seattle cinematography as well. I'm happy to have it.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Jobla

I recommend BLACK WIDOW for the performances of Theresa Russell and Debra Winger. It has nice Seattle cinematography as well. I'm happy to have it.

Also some scenes here on The Big Island.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Apparently Mississippi Burning has sold out without warning.

They better ship mine!

[jayembee]

Just placed an order for 12 titles:

The Bounty
Breaking Away
Broadway Danny Rose
The Eddy Duchin Story
Jane Eyre
Lost Horizon
Love and Death
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Oliver!
Radio Days
Shadows and Fog
Solomon and Sheba

[Baltix]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Apparently Mississippi Burning has sold out without warning.

I see that 822 copies of Mississippi Burning can be still ordered on TT. What do you think:

1) Does anyone know if if the remaining quantities shown on TT are real numbers?
2) Can we expect that TT will shift a certain quantity of the remaining copies back to SAE?

[mja345]

I watched "Inserts" tonight and, goddamn, is that a good film. An absolute masterpiece. As we're having discussions about low quantities of titles, do not hesitate to pick that film up. It's one of those films that likely will not receive a better release than what TT put out and will disappear into the ether. I can't stress enough how great it is.

[tisdivine]

Those $7.95 titles are awesome. Just picked up three for $29

Swamp Water

Mindwarp (not expecting much but its Bruce Campbell & Angus Scrimm & $8 lol)

The Only Game In Town (Seems I only dig Taylor when shes crazy & screaming at me...Virginia Woolf & Cat On A Hot Tin Roof etc) (Make a note to discuss this with a therapist)

[njhansen]

26 copies left of "Khartoum".

[Jobla]

I just received an email from SAE stating that the November Twilight Time titles (BOSTON STRANGLER, et al) are now "out the door," and should arrive to me "very soon." No tracking number provided.

However, my order on the account page still reads "Pending." I assume that they're so busy mailing stuff out that they haven't yet updated tracking numbers.

This is probably a busy time for them, with the November TT titles and the ongoing TT sale.

UPDATE: The email letter I received was actually from TT, not SAE. I regret the error. I guess I posted too early in the morning!

[Member-222782]

Sales like these usually mean shipping will take a while but I'm not even going to worry about it - I can wait the 3 weeks or whatever it'll take.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Baltix

I see that 822 copies of Mississippi Burning can be still ordered on TT. What do you think:

1) Does anyone know if if the remaining quantities shown on TT are real numbers?
2) Can we expect that TT will shift a certain quantity of the remaining copies back to SAE?

I think the number sounds accurate. I'm not sure if they shift titles back and forht between the two, or whether you'll just have to buy it from TT. They do have sales too thankfully.

[The Great Owl]

Be sure not to neglect Bite the Bullet during this sale. It's one of the most exciting westerns in my collection, because it is based on a real life 700-mile cross-country horse race. James Coburn, Gene Hackman, Candice Bergin, and Jan-Michael Vincent are all great in their roles, and Ben Johnson, who was one of the greatest supporting actors in history, has an emotionally-stirring part.

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Just placed an order for 12 titles:

The Bounty
Breaking Away
Broadway Danny Rose
The Eddy Duchin Story
Jane Eyre
Lost Horizon
Love and Death
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Oliver!
Radio Days
Shadows and Fog
Solomon and Sheba

It's good to see I'm not the only one using this sale to get caught up on the Woody Allen titles.

My order of 12 goes like this:

Broadway Danny Rose
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy
Love And Death
Scream And Scream Again
A Month In The Country
Resurrected
Jane Eyre
Audrey Rose
The Buddy Holly Story
Born Free
Man In The Dark
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie