Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[Jobla]

All of my current SAE orders, including THE BOSTON STRANGLER, PRETTY POISON, and RAPTURE are still listed as "Pending" as of right now.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Jobla

All of my current SAE orders, including THE BOSTON STRANGLER, PRETTY POISON, and RAPTURE are still listed as "Pending" as of right now.

SAE is a very small operation, and I'm sure that they've been deluged with orders because of the sale. Thanksgiving is also going to throw deliveries off. I placed an order (for 12 titles) on Friday, and it's also still pending. Which means that I'm not likely going to get my order before next Monday. I'm not concerned.

[spargs]

Not sure about SAE, but my order for Moby Dick from TT shipped Saturday.

[RalphoR]

No offense to anyone who jumped on the sale but I hope SAE sends out their orders in order of receiving them

[ddwall]

I have been on vacation and missed out on a few titles. Just placed a order for eight titles glad I checked this forum.

[SeanJoyce]

Placed an order of 5 on the first day of the sale, with media mail, and received the perfectly-packaged shipment two days later. That's...astonishing service. Still awaiting on the second order notification (just 2), but since I haven't heard anything about them being on the low-quantity list I think I'll be okay.

One of the movies was Rapture. After reading so many positive things at this forum, I was more than happy to bite at $7.95. I'll do my part in echoing the praise, as it is a very well-done and emotionally-satisfying piece of art. Perhaps the most astounding thing is that it bears the stamp of the guy who directed King Kong ('76) and The Towering Inferno.

I have a major caveat though, and it's curious to me that it gets virtually unmentioned whenever discussion of this film surfaces.

[Show spoiler]The underage sex. I'm no prude, can handle anything, but this just didn't sit right with me. It's exacerbated by Agnes' emotional immaturity and frail psychological constitution. In her excellent essay written for the release, Julie Kirgo is in agreement and makes what I feel is a very incisive observation: "Rapture is not an exploitative film but it raises questions about exploitation that it never answers."

Would be interested to read what others thoughts on the matter.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

I have a major caveat though, and it's curious to me that it gets virtually unmentioned whenever discussion of this film surfaces.

[Show spoiler]The underage sex. I'm no prude, can handle anything, but this just didn't sit right with me. It's exacerbated by Agnes' emotional immaturity and frail psychological constitution. In her excellent essay written for the release, Julie Kirgo is in agreement and makes what I feel is a very incisive observation: "Rapture is not an exploitative film but it raises questions about exploitation that it never answers."

Would be interested to read what others thoughts on the matter.

This is why I wrote in my recent review that Rapture is a product of a different time and that "I do not believe it would be made today with the same level of honesty and vulnerability we see on display here", and refer to Guillermin's deft handling of the material. In other words, a delicate subject that

[Show spoiler]has an "ick" factor and could derail the film into contrived and manipulative exploitation fare if placed in the wrong hands. The Dean Stockwell character isn't a gentle soul; he consciously goes where he should not venture and it makes him less sympathetic. He represents a real nightmare to parents of teenage girls everywhere. Agnes has been callously manipulated by adults throughout her life, a condition that explains her mental state, and the Dean Stockwell character is a continuation of that. Just about every character in the film is a broken doll, yet it is only Agnes who emerges from the experience strong enough to put the pieces back in place.

This subject matter would make Rapture dead on arrival today - at least in Hollywood - the moment a screen writer said...."I have this idea about an emotionally fragile teenage girl and a handsome escaped convict....."

Kirgo is right that the film raises questions it doesn't answer, but to me that is what makes it so astonishingly honest. This subject is a reason, as the years go by, I suspect we are less and less likely to see Rapture appear on TV in the U.S. ever again, and may explain why it has mostly sat in the vault for decades despite being a terrific movie that resonates with the viewer.

[The Great Owl]

I received my first sale order (seven Twilight Time Blu-rays) today. Woo hoo!

I'm going to watch The Buddy Holly Story and La Bamba back-to-back, methinks.

[MikeZ.]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm going to watch The Buddy Holly Story and La Bamba back-to-back, methinks.

What the cable channels did in the early 90s.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I received my first sale order (seven Twilight Time Blu-rays) today. Woo hoo!

I'm going to watch The Buddy Holly Story and La Bamba back-to-back, methinks.

I did that myself recently. The Buddy Holly Story, despite whatever minor factual flaws it may possess, was a fun viewing experience. It doesn't dwell on the end we all know is coming and it's really a great celebration of his life and career. And Gary Busey is fantastic as Buddy Holly. His live performances particularly near the end of the film are just full of energy.

La Bamba? Well, I don't think it held up as well since I last saw it in the 80s. It has its moments but overall I found it a bit dull and kind of hokey and I felt it was a bit too influenced by the John Hughes style teen dramas of the era.

Long story short, I would recommend watching Buddy Holly Story second and finishing the double feature on a high note.

[lesco]

Only picked up one title on sale - Rapture - at that price, who can resist? I saw it a few years ago and was very taken with it. (I only have a half-dozen TT titles - I'm choosy!). Thank you, SAE!

[theater dreamer]

I'm so looking forward to getting Rapture in a few days. Seriously, based on all the raving I've seen about the film, and considering I'm getting it for about $8....it very well could represent the best movie buy I've ever made, from a purely value standpoint. A new DVD at that price would be a steal. A blu, and from Twilight Time? Oh, hell yes! Come to Butthead!

And let me echo the sentiments already expressed in this discussion. Firstly, thank you for everything you do, Oildude. /chapeau, good sir, and preach on, brother! This is one of a handful of threads I bookmark, and actively read. When I see new posts, my eyes light up like a 6 year old kid at Christmas time.

Secondly, I'm loving the jovial nature of the discussion. We're all here because of our love of film. It's great to see this kind of unbridled enthusiasm for the sale, the films being purchased, and the overall positive vibe of the general discourse. Just occasionally, there is this harmonic confluence that appears on the forum, and it makes for a really enjoyable way to pass some time. I thank everybody who has shared their two cents thus far. Let's keep it going.

Originally Posted by oildude

Since 2011, there have been 234 unique Blu-ray releases from Twilight Time. That is a lot of great films put out in the last five years. To this day, Rapture is a giant that stands tall above just about every film TT has released, and is probably the best blind buy I have ever made. Why is that? TT has released films that I rate higher or that are personal favorites I would pick ahead of Rapture to regularly revisit or take with me to a desert island (of course, my version of a desert island has electricity, a large screen plasma, and a Blu-ray player ). Yet no other release from TT's catalog has surprised me as much as this wonderful little drama from the late director John Guillermin. The joy of discovering something new and unheard of that can amaze me, move me, entertain me with its story and acting, is one of the reasons I love classic films from the 1940s through the 1980s so much. Rapture is one of these joys of discovery.

Rapture was released on Blu-ray December 13, 2011, together with the first release of Mysterious Island. As it approaches its five year anniversary, it remains the longest surviving Blu-ray title still available from Twilight Time. It should have sold out long ago. This title is on sale right now for a mere $7.95 and yet it still lingers after so many of its peers have sold out in the past few days. It has never been on the low quantity list.

I will take this opportunity to once again stand on my soapbox and preach the gospels of Oildude's Favorite Films.




Rapture is an astonishing film. Except for occasional visits to network TV over the years, it had been relegated to vault status since its theatrical run in 1965 until Twilight Time's Blu-ray release. If you like Bergman, Polanski, or Hitchcock, you will like Rapture. It slowly sets up an emotionally isolated character for a potential psychological explosion, teetering on the edge of a horror film without actually being one. Director John Guillermin (The Blue Max, The Bridge at Remagen, King Kong) dances on the precipice with our expectations as he takes us on one of the most beautifully written character driven journeys I have ever experienced in a film. Rapture builds taut suspense because the viewer is never quite sure what is going to happen as we are pulled deeper into the plot. It is filled with excellent performances and stunning black and white cinematography that emphasizes the dark neo-gothic atmosphere of a story as brooding and ominous as the storm-shrouded Breton coast where events takes place. I have never seen rocky beaches and coastlines look so stunning as they do here in black and white widescreen CinemaScope.





Rapture evolves around a teenage girl and her widower father, a former big city judge, living on the coast of Brittany in France in a large old house together with their young housekeeper. There is tension in this idyllic setting, for backstory reasons that I won't reveal for to do so would spoil some of the impact of the film. Patricia Gozzi (Sundays and Cybele) gives what surely must be one of the finest performances by a young star in the history of cinema in her portrayal of the troubled and fragile teenage daughter Agnes (pronounced ahn-yes). The story takes off when an injured escaped convict (played by a young Dean Stockwell) makes his way to her father's house and dons the ragged clothes of a scarecrow Agnes had made earlier and placed in the garden. Agnes becomes infatuated with the handsome man who shows up out of the night, as if her scarecrow has come to life. She vows to nurse him back to health and look after him. From there events spin toward the film's powerfully moving climax.





Patricia Gozzi is absolutely phenomenal here. Her portrayal of Agnes gives us a vulnerable girl on the verge of becoming a woman. Like a living version of the childhood doll she still cherishes, Agnes is easily torn and shattered if handled carelessly. She is isolated in the world around her, and confused by a sudden awareness of her budding sexuality after the arrival of the stranger. With no mother for comfort or guidance, and a nubile young housekeeper with problems of her own as her only female companion, Agnes is a ball of fury and pathos for much of the film. Rapture is magnificent. On the surface it plays like a dark fairy tale about an emotionally troubled young girl's coming of age, and yet within its heart of darkness there is a joy of life that beats undeniably loud and makes it an unforgettable affirmation of hope and redemption. There is so much depth to the story, captured with skillful sensitivity by Guillermin, as we realize in the end that a lonely teenage girl is not the only broken doll in the playpen.





The PQ is a glorious, rich, and beautiful black and white Cinemascope feast for the eyes. Audio is also good; the visuals are overlain with a haunting music score by Georges Delerue that compliments the film perfectly.

Rapture is a daring film and a product of a different time. I do not believe it would be made today with the same level of honesty and vulnerability we see on display here. VERY highly recommended.

Note: the images above are taken from the internet and do not represent the disc itself. The transfer is superb.

[theater dreamer]

Resistance is futile.

Originally Posted by lesco

Only picked up one title on sale - Rapture - at that price, who can resist? I saw it a few years ago and was very taken with it. (I only have a half-dozen TT titles - I'm choosy!). Thank you, SAE!

[gates70]

When does the sale end ? Right now I have in my cart:

The Bounty
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison
Jane Eyre
Rapture
Salvador
Zulu

All blind buys but I want to cut a couple and the choice is hard!

[oildude]

Originally Posted by gates70

When does the sale end ? Right now I have in my cart:

The Bounty
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison
Jane Eyre
Rapture
Salvador
Zulu

All blind buys but I want to cut a couple and the choice is hard!

December 6, and those are all great movies. I wouldn't cut any. You have three of my favorite movies there - Rapture, Zulu, and Heaven Knows Mr. Allison. I'd at least keep those three.

I prefer the more filmic and natural look of TT's Zulu to the UK Paramount release. Although the Paramount has eye-popping color and is quite beautiful, it does have a bit too much DNR. Zulu is a damn good classic action film. I love it so much that - in a rare case for me - I actually own both releases I am always amazed when someone writes they have never seen it, but then again it was always on network TV in the 70s and 80s when I was growing up.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by oildude

December 6, and those are all great movies. I wouldn't cut any. You have three of my favorite movies there - Rapture, Zulu, and Heaven Knows Mr. Allison. I'd at least keep those three.

I prefer the more filmic and natural look of TT's Zulu to the UK Paramount release. Although the Paramount has eye-popping color and is quite beautiful, it does have a bit too much DNR. Zulu a damn good classic action film, I love it so much that - in a rare case for me - I actually own both releases I am always amazed when someone writes they have never seen it, but then again it was always on network TV in the 70s and 80s when I was growing up.

John Barry's score to the film is one of the greatest I have ever heard.

I grew up in the 70's and 80's as well, so I might of caught it back then but it's been so long. I don't remember if I did. I love Michael Caine so that's one that I was pretty sure I was keeping anyways. It's just that I'm in Canada so the exchange makes it expensive. Might bite the bullet and get them all, we'll see. Thanks for your input!

[oildude]

Zulu is one of the must-have films in anyone's collection. It is one of THE great classic films, an icon of film history, and in my top ten of all time.

John Barry's score to the film is one of the best I have ever heard. It is a rare example where the score makes a very good film great. To this day, I cannot think of Zulu and not hear the stirring notes of Barry's theme in my head.

Here is a great montage of Barry's music set to images from the 1964 film as well as illustrations and photographs from the actual 1879 Zulu War. For those who haven't seen the movie yet, or even for those who have, this little clip will get you pumped up. I think it is better than the actual movie trailer.

JOHN BARRY ZULU THEME - YouTube

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by gates70

When does the sale end ? Right now I have in my cart:

The Bounty
Heaven Knows, Mr Allison
Jane Eyre
Rapture
Salvador
Zulu

All blind buys but I want to cut a couple and the choice is hard!

I hate to be an enabler, but just go for it. Some of those titles if they linger long enough might end up being reduced even more or conversely they might sell out entirely. Then you'll be regretting not having bought them. You'll be flipping channels one night and The Bounty will be on. And you'll stop to watch it and get caught up in it and think "Man, this is kind of good. I wish I had bought it". And then again, you might sit down and watch your Twilight Time bluray of Salvador and you might like it but not enough to want to watch it again or keep it and it'll be out of print so you wind up selling it for $40-$50 (American!) on E-bay and you can use that money to buy two or three titles you really want. Go on man, it's not like you've got thirty movies there. It's only six. It's the starting lineup of a hockey team. Do it! Do it now!

[gates70]

Originally Posted by oildude

Zulu is one of the must have films in anyone's collection. It is one of THE great classic films, an icon of film history, and in my top ten of all time.

John Barry's score to the film is one of the best I have ever heard. It is a rare example where the score makes a very good film great. To this day, I cannot think of Zulu and not hear the stirring notes of Barry's theme in my head.

Here is a great montage of Barry's music set to images from the 1964 film as well as illustrations and photographs from the actual 1879 Zulu War. For those who haven't seen the movie yet, or even for those who have, this little clip will get you pumped up. I think it is better than the actual movie trailer.

JOHN BARRY ZULU THEME - YouTube

Cool thanks, I'll check that out!

Originally Posted by baheidstu

I hate to be an enabler, but just go for it. Some of those titles if they linger long enough might end up being reduced even more or conversely they might sell out entirely. Then you'll be regretting not having bought them. You'll be flipping channels one night and The Bounty will be on. And you'll stop to watch it and get caught up in it and think "Man, this is kind of good. I wish I had bought it". And then again, you might sit down and watch your Twilight Time bluray of Salvador and you might like it but not enough to want to watch it again or keep it and it'll be out of print so you wind up selling it for $40-$50 (American!) on E-bay and you can use that money to buy two or three titles you really want. Go on man, it's not like you've got thirty movies there. It's only six. It's the starting lineup of a hockey team. Do it! Do it now!

LOL all good points...and yes, you are an enabler lol. In the end I'll probably end up getting all of them I'm sure

[Martin_31]

I have to say that I always enjoy reading your short, insightful, and great reviews oildude and The Great Owl. Both of you and many other members have greatly expanded my knowledge and appreciation of films. And I'm so happy that I discovered this website, and with this SAE and the previous 7 for $70 my TT collection has grown. I'm so behind, that this winter break from school, l I'll be watching one or two everyday. Thanks for everything!