Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[CinemaScope]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

Okay, that happened.

I've never seen The Rains of Ranchipur, just the '39 B&W original The Rains Came, and not even that since the late 70s. But here we have yet another Fox 'Scope title which has been a total home video no-show until now. Is it any good? As soon as I see Lana Turner's name above the title, I immediately think 'clothes rack'. And Burton as a Hindi will no doubt require some mental adjustment...ideally accompanied by 100-proof 'medication'. Nothing could keep me away though; I'm just trying to adjust my expectations going in.

I can't for the life of me think why I like The Rains Of Ranchipur. It's a romantic melodrama, & I usually run a mile from those. There's Lana Turner being Lana Turner & Richard Burton as a Hindi with a Welsh accent. I think I must have seen it on the telly when I was young & it's sort of imprinted itself on me. It could be the earthquake & dam breaking (that shot used again at the start of Our Man Flint) & flood. It's exotic & it does look good & has a great score, & is very...50's. I have a Spanish DVD that looks really good, it could do with being a wee bit sharper, as I'm sure the Blu will be. I'm expecting an image on par with The Egyptian.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

As for Twilight Time, they obviously need to combine their customer demographics into one. Zombie musicals...

Like JESUS CHRIST VAMPIRE HUNTER, that Canadian-made indie cult classic, although that's not Fox or Sony either and is actually already on a very bad Blu-ray. Somebody definitely needs to remaster it, though, as the existing Blu-ray (cropped from 1.33 to 1.85 and with pale, lifeless colors) looks nothing like the lovely and vibrant 16mm print I saw at a film festival.

[Rory]

If I could just take a time out from Twilight Time for just a second.... I love TT but for the next two or three weeks the ONLY Blu-rays that are going to be on my mind are the Universal Classic Monsters. I know there's a thread devoted to it -- and I'm not asking that it take over this thread --, but I'm just curious if there are any regular TT customers here, being into older movies as so many of you are, like ROclockCK, that are as excited about these BDs as I am? Just a yes or no is all I'm asking.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by Rory

If I could just take a time out from Twilight Time for just a second.... I love TT but for the next two or three weeks the ONLY Blu-rays that are going to be on my mind are the Universal Classic Monsters. I know there's a thread devoted to it -- and I'm not asking that it take over this thread --, but I'm just curious if there are any regular TT customers here, being into older movies as so many of you are, like ROclockCK, that are as excited about these BDs as I am? Just a yes or no is all I'm asking.

Oh, yes. I haven't pre-ordered it because I want to buy locally if the price is within a few dollars of Amazon (and if any local stores actually carry it). But I definitely plan on buying that its first week of release. Will probably get the Bond set, too, as Best Buy seems to be matching the Amazon 50% sale price. Expensive month. Good thing I didn't order NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or ENEMY MINE, though I'll be in for THE RAINS OF RANCHIPUR and BONJOUR TRISTESSE, probably waiting to buy until THE BLUE LAGOON is also up for preorder so they'll all be in one shipment.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by Rory

If I could just take a time out from Twilight Time for just a second.... I love TT but for the next two or three weeks the ONLY Blu-rays that are going to be on my mind are the Universal Classic Monsters. I know there's a thread devoted to it -- and I'm not asking that it take over this thread --, but I'm just curious if there are any regular TT customers here, being into older movies as so many of you are, like ROclockCK, that are as excited about these BDs as I am? Just a yes or no is all I'm asking.

Who isn't looking forward to the Universal Monsters, that should be the question. My set is on pre-order, hopefully Universal spent more than a buck restoring them.

[Dex Robinson]

Originally Posted by Rory

but I'm just curious if there are any regular TT customers here ... that are as excited about these BDs as I am?

Giddy with anticipation. I have the Classic Monsters on order from amazon.uk....since the UK price works out to about $46.00 Canuck bucks.

I'm one of those guys who's guilty of loving monsters and musicals!

My first two Twilight Time orders were FRIGHT NIGHT and PAL JOEY.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

VUDU has a 2-min preview and also what they call a "trailer".

http://www.vudu.com/movies/#!overvie...s-of-Ranchipur

thanks, i saw that.
(I couldn't see the amazon one, due to my location being outside of US)
I hope i could find a trailer.

Originally Posted by Imrahil2001

Are there that many left? .

as for the peplum/religious/epics etc. films.
yes, as described in later posts, there are dozens of them that could be released.
-the story of ruth
-the prodigal
-sodoma and gomorra
-barabbas
-david and bathsheba (well, there is a foreign Bluray for this)
-samson and delilah
-salome
-solomon and sheba
-esther and the king


and all the italian peplum films (eg. with Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, etc.)
I LOVE those films!

also Ulisse with Kirk Douglas, would be a great add!

[Mooch360]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

As for Bonjour Tristesse, I saw the DVD about 10 years ago and recall liking it...a lot. Not Preminger's usual kind of 'big issue' gig, more continental in tone as befitting the locale and subject, but nevertheless very well done...I mean, how far wrong can you go with Niven and Kerr on board? I don't have that DVD anymore, but I seem to recall a pretty snappy transfer too. And it's been just long enough since seeing it that I think it will feel fresh again.

Guess we should be seeing some cover art soon...

I didn't realize Bonjour Tristesse had Jean Seberg in it...I liked her in Breathless so I will probably order this. Not too interested in the other one... when do you suppose they will be up for pre-order? Probably a couple of weeks I guess...

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by CinemaScope

I can't for the life of me think why I like The Rains Of Ranchipur. It's a romantic melodrama, & I usually run a mile from those. There's Lana Turner being Lana Turner & Richard Burton as a Hindi with a Welsh accent. I think I must have seen it on the telly when I was young & it's sort of imprinted itself on me. It could be the earthquake & dam breaking (that shot used again at the start of Our Man Flint) & flood. It's exotic & it does look good & has a great score, & is very...50's. I have a Spanish DVD that looks really good, it could do with being a wee bit sharper, as I'm sure the Blu will be. I'm expecting an image on par with The Egyptian.

Okay, now I think I get it CinemaScope. This will be forbidden love (50s-style) crossed with fickle-finger-of-fate disaster...sort of Bird of Paradise meets Earthquake. I can get into that. A two-bagger on the popcorn, for sure.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Mooch360

I didn't realize Bonjour Tristesse had Jean Seberg in it...I liked her in Breathless so I will probably order this. Not too interested in the other one... when do you suppose they will be up for pre-order? Probably a couple of weeks I guess...

SAE seems to have settled on Fridays, mid month, at 4:00 EST, which means it will go up either Oct. 12 or Oct. 19.

If a Seberg biopic was in the works or in theatres, then I would predict a healthy run on Bonjour Tristesse. But since there's nothing like that out there to spike interest, I think it will just be 'core fans jumping on this Blu-ray. Too bad, because it really is a fine picture, with a superb Georges Auric score:

Bonjour tristesse

[thephantomcat]

I just wanted to subscribe to this thread, but didn't know how without replying so, uh, carry on....

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

as for the peplum/religious/epics etc. films.
yes, as described in later posts, there are dozens of them that could be released.
-the story of ruth
-the prodigal
-sodoma and gomorra
-barabbas
-david and bathsheba (well, there is a foreign Bluray for this)
-samson and delilah
-salome
-solomon and sheba
-esther and the king

and all the italian peplum films (eg. with Steve Reeves, Gordon Scott, etc.)
I LOVE those films!

also Ulisse with Kirk Douglas, would be a great add!

Since TT only has access to the Fox and Columbia/TriStar/Sony catalogues, that cuts out 4 of these filmmusic:

• The Prodigal (WB)
• Samson and Delilah (Paramount)
• Solomon and Sheba (MGM)
• Ulisse (Lux + Others)

So that leaves the following 6 titles:

• The Story of Ruth (Fox)
• Sodoma and Gomorra (Fox + Other)
• Barabbas (Columbia)
• David and Bathsheba (Fox)
• Salome (Columbia)
• Esther and the King (Fox + Other)

The titles with the greatest liklihood of HD-ready masters available would be the two from Columbia, Barabbas and Salome. TT seems to like Hayworth, so I'd say that ups its chances of finding a release slot. In favour of Barabbas is its Super Technirama 70mm image source, direction by Richard Fleischer, and a score by sword and sandal vet Mario Nascimbene.

As for the Fox titles, except for The Story of Ruth and David and Bathsheba, I've heard the masters for Sodoma and Gomorra and Esther and the King are kind of a mess...only in SD and letterboxed. If Fox has done anything with these titles recently, they've sure kept it a secret.

In one of Redman's interviews or maybe one of TT's FB posts I seem to recall mention that Sodoma and Gomorra was one of the original 100 Fox titles they asked to do...until they discovered that the best master available was for the letterboxed Laserdisc back in the 90s! So it's anybody's guess who will take that one to Blu, or when...doesn't appear to be forthcoming from either Fox or TT in the near future. Perhaps one of Fox' International divisions has something better for it though. In particular, keep your eyes on what's coming out of Germany...the film was a big hit there.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

As for the Fox titles, except for The Story of Ruth and David and Bathsheba, I've heard the masters for Sodoma and Gomorra and Esther and the King are kind of a mess...only in SD and letterboxed. If Fox has done anything with these titles recently, they've sure kept it a secret.

I think David and Bathsheba would make a suitable release for Twilight Time. It's still relatively popular on DVD for its vintage (Costco has carried it as recently as this year) and there is no chance Fox would release it themselves on BD. The Gregory Peck fans demand it.

[SpartanIre]

I would love to see a release of The Park Is Mine with Tommy Lee Jones. I used to watch this on HBO in the 80s all of the time... It never received a DVD release as far as I know.

[Blu-Velvet]

The Sony title (besides 1776 of course) that I'd most like to see from Twilight Time is still MACKENNA'S GOLD from the original 65mm elements in its original 3-hour cut (although even the 123-minute theatrical cut would be acceptable in a good HD scan with lossless stereo surround). The Quincy Jones score is one of my favorite, with Jones working for a change in full Dimitri Tiomkin mode (perhaps to impress the film's producer, who was Tiomkin).

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by SpartanIre

I would love to see a release of The Park Is Mine with Tommy Lee Jones. I used to watch this on HBO in the 80s all of the time... It never received a DVD release as far as I know.

Wow...that's a Canadian movie and I had to go to the IMDb on it SpartanIre! They claim it was made-for-TV, so that might disqualify it...dunno.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

The Sony title (besides 1776 of course) that I'd most like to see from Twilight Time is still MACKENNA'S GOLD from the original 65mm elements in its original 3-hour cut (although even the 123-minute theatrical cut would be acceptable in a good HD scan with lossless stereo surround). The Quincy Jones score is one of my favorite, with Jones working for a change in full Dimitri Tiomkin mode (perhaps to impress the film's producer, who was Tiomkin).

Both great choices Blu-Velvet, and I wouldn't count either of them out. So far the Blu-ray format seems to love Mr. Peck.

My only reservation about Mackenna's Gold is that I recall some really dodgey blue-screen work in it...I sort of dread how that might look in even higher definition. But admittedly, I haven't seen that one since it was in theatres, so maybe we just had a 'meh' print.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

As for the Fox titles, except for The Story of Ruth and David and Bathsheba, I've heard the masters for Sodoma and Gomorra and Esther and the King are kind of a mess...only in SD and letterboxed. If Fox has done anything with these titles recently, they've sure kept it a secret.

Twilight time replied recently that USA doesn't have the rights or something like this to a widescreen version of "Esther and the King".
By the way a Widescreen German DVD of the film ,was recently released.

Esther and the King DVD

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

Twilight time replied recently that USA doesn't have the rights or something like this to a widescreen version of "Esther and the King".

I'm sorry, I don't understand. Are you saying the have the rights to a pan and scan version but not the widescreen version?

[Mr Mojo]

Whatever happened to Major Dundee?

I remember reading (don't remember where) several months ago this was coming from TT this year.