Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[bdgking]

Fate is the Hunter . Is now Sold Out .

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by bdgking

Fate is the Hunter . Is now Sold Out .

Bummer, that answers my question on Facebook earlier. I just didn't have the money for it right now.

[Snl40boi]

I wanted radio days but it’s sold out so I was able to just pick up yentl oh well

[bdgking]

The Killer Elite i snow sold out !

Under Fire
Inherit the Wind
The Birdman of Alcatraz
Yentyl
Heaven and Earth
The Vanishing
Mississippi Mermaid
& The Believers

All are running very low from my understanding . I believe all may get sold out before the end of the sale .
This is a good sale however they should have put more titles up for sale . Seems almost half offered were on their 7 for 70 . I believe 14 titles vs 16 others

[oildude]

I wouldn't let this one pass by during the current sale. It really is an enjoyable film that most have probably never heard of or seen. One of the unsung treasures in Twilight Time's catalog.



The Secret of Santa Vittoria should be in the collection of everyone who loves a good WWII yarn that doesn't take itself too seriously and, for a little over two hours, gives us some strong character acting to enjoy along with an engaging story.

I love this movie. It isn't pretending to be more than it is, no big moral themes to ponder or calls to look at ourselves in the mirror as we often find in the many great films of Stanley Kramer. Nope, what you get in the Secret of Santa Vittoria is Kramer having some fun with his subject matter. This isn't a great film, but it is quite a good one, a serious drama and a comedy (dramady) rolling around together onscreen, which means you get good belly laughs from watching the antics of the main characters and the sometimes absurd situations that develop from the terrors of an Italian village being occupied by German troops. People get killed, the threat of death and destruction are ever present, but amid the grim realities of war coming to a peaceful Italian village we are allowed to see the humor in the lives and resilient attitudes of its people.

The plot revolves around the villagers trying to hide from the Germans the one thing they have that is worth anything (and the basis of their limited prosperity) - their excellent locally produced wine. The Germans, of course, know the reputation of the village for making good wine and want to seize the latest vintage in order to sell it off for their own profit. What ensues is a tense but fun game of wits, hide and seek, cat and mouse, as the villagers put aside their own differences to protect their economic asset of 1,000,000 bottles from being found and confiscated.

What makes this film so good is the strength of its casting. If you are a fan of Anthony Quinn like me, then be prepared for movie nirvana as we watch Quinn in one of his best performances. Quinn plays a man named Bombolini, who is a bit of a buffoon to casual observers.... often drunk, frequently engaged in dramatic but hilarious verbal fights with his long-suffering wife played with equal aplomb by the magnificent Anna Magnani. Bombolini is an emotional man in the style of characters frequently played by Quinn (think Zorba the Greek). He dances and sings when happy, cries when sad, and isn't afraid to let it all hang out on his wine-stained sleeves. But Bombolini isn't so simple a caricature, and inside him are founts of wisdom and intelligence deep enough to conceive of a plan to deceive the Germans and put them off the scent of grapes. Bombolini gets his chance when early in the film we learn that the fascist Mussolini government has surrendered and, amid the celebrations, Bombolini is found high up on a water tower too outrageously drunk to fear falling to his death. This is interpreted as bravery by the crowd gathered below. When the townspeople learn that the surrender of their government doesn't mean peace and an end to war like they thought, that in fact the German army is now occupying all of Italy including their town, they make Bombolini their leader and representative.

Hardy Kruger stars as Captain Sepp von Plum, the young aristocratic officer in charge of the German forces, who Bombolini interacts with on affairs of the village, including orders to produce the wine stocks within a certain period of time. Kruger is one of my favorite actors (Sundays and Cybele, Hatari!, The Wild Geese). In real life, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1944 at the age of 16 as the Third Reich faced imminent invasion by the Allies. With his Nordic good looks, he frequently played German soldiers or adventurers in films during the 1950s and 60s and made each of his roles memorable, as he does here. His character also has an attraction to a local woman, who is in love with a young man who has deserted from the Italian army and she is hiding from the Germans, which results in deadly peril for them both.

The PQ on this Blu-ray transfer is excellent. The film was shot on location in Italy; among its highlights is the marvelous cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno, who lensed many well-known films of the era for directors like Fellini, de Sica, Visconti, and Kramer, among them Amarcord, Fellini Satyricon, All That Jazz, The Leopard, On the Beach, Sunflower, Yesterday Today and Tomorrow, Carnal Knowledge.... the list of his accomplishments is impressive. The Secret of Santa Vittoria also won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy and was nominated for two academy awards.

[Rory]

I saw it with my dad back in '69. Didn't see it again until TCM showed it in late 2007. And, I bought the TT Blu-ray during a sale awhile back. Surprised it's not sold-out yet.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by oildude

I wouldn't let this one pass by during the current sale. It really is an enjoyable film that most have probably never heard of or seen. One of the unsung treasures in Twilight Time's catalog.



The Secret of Santa Vittoria should be in the collection of everyone who loves a good WWII yarn that doesn't take itself too seriously and, for a little over two hours, gives us some strong character acting to enjoy along with an engaging story.

[Show spoiler]I love this movie. It isn't pretending to be more than it is, no big moral themes to ponder or calls to look at ourselves in the mirror as we often find in the many great films of Stanley Kramer. Nope, what you get in the Secret of Santa Vittoria is Kramer having some fun with his subject matter. This isn't a great film, but it is quite a good one, a serious drama and a comedy (dramady) rolling around together onscreen, which means you get good belly laughs from watching the antics of the main characters and the sometimes absurd situations that develop from the terrors of an Italian village being occupied by German troops. People get killed, the threat of death and destruction are ever present, but amid the grim realities of war coming to a peaceful Italian village we are allowed to see the humor in the lives and resilient attitudes of its people.

The plot revolves around the villagers trying to hide the one thing they have that is worth anything (and the basis of their limited prosperity) from the Germans - their excellent locally produced wine. The Germans, of course, know the reputation of the village for making good wine and want to seize the latest vintage in order to sell it off for their own profit. What ensues is a tense but fun game of wits, hide and seek, cat and mouse, as the villagers put aside their own differences to protect their economic asset of 1,000,000 bottles from being found and confiscated.

What makes this film so good is the strength of its casting. If you are a fan of Anthony Quinn like me, then be prepared for movie nirvana as we watch Quinn in one of his best performances. Quinn plays a man named Bombolini, who is a bit of a buffoon to casual observers.... often drunk, frequently engaged in dramatic but hilarious verbal fights with his long-suffering wife played with equal aplomb by the magnificent Anna Magnani. Bombolini is an emotional man in the style of characters frequently played by Quinn (think Zorba the Greek). He dances and sings when happy, cries when sad, and isn't afraid to let it all hang out on his wine-stained sleeves. But Bombolini isn't so simple a caricature, and inside him are founts of wisdom and intelligence deep enough to conceive of a plan to deceive the Germans and put them off the scent of grapes. Bombolini gets his chance when early in the film we learn that the fascist Mussolini government has surrendered and, amid the celebrations, Bombolini is found high up on a water tower too outrageously drunk to fear falling to his death. This is interpreted as bravery by the crowd gathered below. When the townspeople learn that the surrender of their government doesn't mean peace and an end to war like they thought, that in fact the German army is now occupying all of Italy including their town, they make Bombolini their leader and representative.

Hardy Kruger stars as Captain Sepp von Plum, the young aristocratic officer in charge of the German forces, who Bombolini interacts with on affairs of the village, including orders to produce the wine stocks within a certain period of time. Kruger is one of my favorite actors (Sundays and Cybele, Hatari!, The Wild Geese). In real life, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1944 at the age of 16 as the Third Reich faced imminent invasion by the Allies. With his Nordic good looks, he frequently played German soldiers or adventurers in films during the 1950s and 60s and made each of his roles memorable, as he does here. His character also has an attraction to a local woman, who is in love with a young man who has deserted from the Italian army and she is hiding from the Germans, which results in deadly peril for the latter.

The PQ on this Blu-ray transfer is excellent. The film was shot on location in Italy; among its highlights is the marvelous cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno, who lensed many well-known films of the era for directors like Fellini, de Sica, Visconti, and Kramer, among them Amarcord, Fellini Satyricon, All That Jazz, The Leopard, On the Beach, Sunflower, Yesterday Today and Tomorrow, Carnal Knowledge.... the list of his accomplishments is impressive. The Secret of Santa Vittoria also won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy and was nominated for two academy awards.

Good write-up, thanks! I picked this up during the sale. It's a blind buy and I didn't know much about it but for $10 I decided to give it a chance. I still wasn't sure about it but this makes me feel more confident in my decision.

[donidarko]

Originally Posted by iamnoone

I saw THE FORTUNE on vhs many years ago, recall not liking it, but didn't remember a thing about it. It has a good cast, though, so it couldn't have been that bad... Bought one in the sale and boy, is this movie painfully grating. Slapstick-type comedy, appallingly unfunny, and screeching performances; 87 minutes has never felt so long. Thankfully it was only $10, and into the ebay pile it goes.

Ewwww….looks like I may be following your move. I'll take a chance on it and see...

[krasnoludek]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Neither should anyone else. This is a great film, and you can't beat the price.

I agree with this entirely. Violent Saturday is a solid, color noir. Well worth watching.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by krasnoludek

I agree with this entirely. Violent Saturday is a solid, color noir. Well worth watching.

looking forward to watching this when my order arrives!

[mja345]

Originally Posted by donidarko

Ewwww….looks like I may be following your move. I'll take a chance on it and see...

If you like a lot of Coen Bros. comedies, you'll enjoy "The Fortune". Both list it as one of their five favorite films of all-time. It's the only film to make both of their lists.

[Blu2u]

Gun Fury is horribly zoomed in on the capsaholic comparison. Any word on this one?

[Gorgon]

I purchased 10 titles from the sale on the 21st and though I received acknowledgement of order and also acknowledgement of payment received, no notice of shipment yet.
Curious to read their disclaimer that nothing ships until order is filled but why the devil would they put titles on sale not in stock?
Weird....

[ThisKid]

Anyone else ordered Titus in this sale?

I did, this being my first Twilight Time blu-ray.

[JoeDeM]

Originally Posted by Gorgon

I purchased 10 titles from the sale on the 21st and though I received acknowledgement of order and also acknowledgement of payment received, no notice of shipment yet.
Curious to read their disclaimer that nothing ships until order is filled but why the devil would they put titles on sale not in stock?
Weird....

It might be in stock, they just have not gotten to your order yet, mine is still awaiting shipment as well, but this is normal when there is a sale.

[78deluxe]

Originally Posted by Blu2u

Gun Fury is horribly zoomed in on the capsaholic comparison. Any word on this one?

A few posts above mention horribly out of sync audio...that is a deal killer in and of itself, IMO.

[Jobla]

I don't even receive shipping emails from SAE, but I just log into my account and check my orders to see if any of them have moved from Pending status to showing a USPS tracking number.

[Gorgon]

Originally Posted by Jobla

I don't even receive shipping emails from SAE, but I just log into my account and check my orders to see if any of them have moved from Pending status to showing a USPS tracking number.

Yes, of course I did that as well. I'm patient, just found it curious is all, after reading their disclaimer that "nothing ships until everything is ready". In the email acknowledgement list I received, some titles displayed cover art and some only displayed the SA logo as a place holder. So was just curious if that perhaps meant "not currently in stock". I'm sure by Friday there will be movement.

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by mja345

If you like a lot of Coen Bros. comedies, you'll enjoy "The Fortune". Both list it as one of their five favorite films of all-time. It's the only film to make both of their lists.

I'd already ordered it by the time I read your comment, but this new information makes it much more anticipated (although it's still tempered by the decidedly mixed reviews).

[bdgking]

Alert to all . The title Yentl is now under 50 copies remaining before it is Sold Out .
I just got mine so I made this one .

Letting all know in case you have been waiting you may want to decide fast .