Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by MortimerBrewstr

No love for "Emperor of the North"?

I'm not asking because I have any attachment to the film; I've never actually seen it. It does, however, sound like something I would love.

Curious to hear any thoughts you guys might have... Not that it'll necessarily sway me if it's terrible. The synopsis sounds too good to ignore.

Do you want to see the director of Kiss Me Deadly and The Dirty Dozen oversee maniacal train conductor Ernest Borgnine engage in a mano y mano battle with grizzled hobo Lee Marvin?

You do? Wonderful. We have just the film for you!

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by MortimerBrewstr

No love for "Emperor of the North"?

I'm not asking because I have any attachment to the film; I've never actually seen it. It does, however, sound like something I would love.

Curious to hear any thoughts you guys might have... Not that it'll necessarily sway me if it's terrible. The synopsis sounds too good to ignore.

If the synopsis interests you, I’d recommend that you definitely get it. It’s a solid film with a great cast, I really liked it.

[sb5]

It’s a good film. If you’re a Lee Marvin fan, it’s definitely worth a pickup at the sale price. Like RCRochester said, if the synopsis sounds like something you’d like, it delivers what you’d expect and does it well.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by sb5

It’s a good film. If you’re a Lee Marvin fan, it’s definitely worth a pickup at the sale price. Like RCRochester said, if the synopsis sounds like something you’d like, it delivers what you’d expect and does it well.

Also, if you're a fan of vintage trains and the Pacific Norhtwest*, Emperor of the North wtll please you with eye candy. Finally, Keith Carradine plays a weaselly none-too-bright punk (something he excelled at for a while). Highly recommended.

* Will someone please release The Grey Fox on blu?

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by MortimerBrewstr

No love for "Emperor of the North"?

I'm not asking because I have any attachment to the film; I've never actually seen it. It does, however, sound like something I would love.

Curious to hear any thoughts you guys might have... Not that it'll necessarily sway me if it's terrible. The synopsis sounds too good to ignore.

At the risk of sounding like Joe Sixpack, it's a terrific man's movie and it has that elegy for a passing era vibe that a lot of the late 60s Westerns did - Marvin and Borgnine are old school tough guys who fight their own battles with no holds barred while Carradine represents the generation of devious self-centred wimps who'd follow. You could almost see it as a allegory of the self-made studio moguls, with Sam Goldwyn and David O. Selznick duking it out while Mike Ovitz calculates his odds on beating the winner when he's down...

It makes a great double-bill with Bronson's Hard Times - or triple-bill with Wellman's Beggars of Life.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by Aclea

It makes a great double-bill with Bronson's Hard Times

This was going to be my response; the two are perfect for one another and late spring is for some reason always the time I feel like breaking either out.

Emperor of the North is just fantastic. I've always been intrigued by Peckinpah's involvement; supposedly he was deeply involved in the writing process, so I'm not sure how much the finished project retains his input.

But it's doubtful he could have improved upon what Aldrich gave us here. Speaking of which, Aldrich is one of the great unsung directors in Hollywood...and I don't just mean as a consistent hand behind professional, well-made films. This guy is one of the definitive "man's movie" directors, with Vera Cruz, Flight of the Phoenix, The Dirty Dozen and Emperor of the North under his belt...yet he gave us the "grand dame guignol" subgenre and career-defining roles for queen divas Daivs/Crawford, not to mention one of the quintessential films noir in Kiss Me Deadly.

The fierce, seemingly pointless battle waged between longtime co-stars Marvin and Borgnine against the beautiful panoramas of the Pacific Northwest takes on allegorical proportions as a Marxist depiction of America's warring class factions spurred by the Depression.

It helps of course that TT delivers a beautiful HD presentation befitting the format. Every serious film enthusiast needs this...just be sure you have a copy of Hard Times to drink it down with.

[MortimerBrewstr]

Well, I better get on it. "Emperor of the North" appears to have disappeared from the Screen Archives website...

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by MortimerBrewstr

Well, I better get on it. "Emperor of the North" appears to have disappeared from the Screen Archives website...

Yes you do.

In the mean time, convince somebody, anybody to give us an HD, extras-laden release of your namesake.

[MortimerBrewstr]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Yes you do.

In the mean time, convince somebody, anybody to give us an HD, extras-laden release of your namesake.

If only I had that kind of power! It's my biggest Blu-Ray want...

Well... second. "Roman Holiday" is a slight favorite in the 'missing on Blu-Ray' catalog.

[gregmtl92]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

[Show spoiler]A SPECIAL TWILIGHT TIME SALE!

15 TITLES FOR 15 DAYS FOR $15 EACH!

The Sale begins Wednesday, May 16th at 4pm Eastern and ends Wednesday, May 30th at 4pm Eastern.

Orders must be placed during the sale period to obtain the sale pricing. No past, currently pending or future orders will qualify.


10 RILLINGTON PLACE (1971)

AT CLOSE RANGE (1986)


BABY BOOM (1987)

CAT BALLOU (1965)


EMPEROR OF THE NORTH (1973)

HARDCORE (1979)


THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)

THE HOSPITAL (1971)


INFERNO 3D/2D (1953)

KISS OF DEATH (1947)


THE NIGHT OF THE GENERALS (1967)

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995)


STATE OF GRACE (1990)



TOM SAWYER (1973) / HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1974)


THE TRAIN (ENCORE EDITION) (1964)

Thanks!

I bought :

- The Hospital
- Hardcore
- At Close Range
- 10 Rillington Place

All blind buys but they had been on my watchlist for a while.. Can't wait to watch them.

[CrushOfTheDark]

AT CLOSE RANGE (1986)
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)
THE HOSPITAL (1971)
INFERNO 3D/2D (1953)
KISS OF DEATH (1947)
THE NIGHT OF THE GENERALS (1967)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995)
STATE OF GRACE (1990)
TOM SAWYER (1973) / HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1974)
THE TRAIN (ENCORE EDITION) (1964)

Any idea which of these might be closest to selling out?

[Man From Hammer]

How long has it been since TT released a title worth $30?
I think it was a Harryhausen title the last one I paid $30 for. Picked up a few in sales since but the really exciting titles that you thought might sell out before release don't seem to appear anymore.

Although many of the excellent MGM titles I was once expecting from TT have since come from KL and thankfully at a more reasonable price.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

Do you want to see the director of Kiss Me Deadly and The Dirty Dozen oversee maniacal train conductor Ernest Borgnine engage in a mano y mano battle with grizzled hobo Lee Marvin?

You do? Wonderful. We have just the film for you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFhQ49qsfIQ

I think I'll have to do a second order based on that alone.

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by MortimerBrewstr

No love for "Emperor of the North"?

I'm not asking because I have any attachment to the film; I've never actually seen it. It does, however, sound like something I would love.

Curious to hear any thoughts you guys might have... Not that it'll necessarily sway me if it's terrible. The synopsis sounds too good to ignore.

Emperor of the North is a gritty and tactile suspense drama from director Robert Aldrich. About 1930s depression-era hobos determined to ride a freight train and the conductor who's just as determined to keep them off if he has to break their bones to do it. I know an award-winning film-editor who hates the film because it diverges from the novel on which it's based, but I never read the novel. I see only the outstanding film that Aldrich made. It has a kind of Peckinpah-esque spirit that I respond to. Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine give their best performances, and Keith Carradine is really good too. The film kicks ass. There are long confrontation sequences with no dialog that you can't look away from.

Twilight Time's bluray puts you right there on the train.

Don't hesitate.
Buy It Now.

[MortimerBrewstr]

Originally Posted by Man From Hammer

How long has it been since TT released a title worth $30?
I think it was a Harryhausen title the last one I paid $30 for. Picked up a few in sales since but the really exciting titles that you thought might sell out before release don't seem to appear anymore.

Although many of the excellent MGM titles I was once expecting from TT have since come from KL and thankfully at a more reasonable price.

I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I don't *think* I've paid full price for any Twilight Time title. It's tough to justify the pricing to ship to Canada... As an example, I just ordered two titles from Twilight Time's website ("Emperor of the North" and "Hardcore") and even with the $15 discount on each it still cost me $55 CAD for two titles, shipped. And again that's with two titles at half price. I just can't justify paying full price.

However, I use the sales to discover movies that I've never seen before (such as the two above), and in that respect, the sales have been fantastic.

That being said, there's a few titles that I've discovered through sales like this, that sell out (during said sale) while I'm researching them. When I go back to buy them... Gone!

Admittedly, however, I got to the Twilight Time party quite late compared to others.

[MortimerBrewstr]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

Emperor of the North is a gritty and tactile suspense drama from director Robert Aldrich. I know an award-winning film-editor who hates the film because it diverges from the novel on which it's based, but I never read the novel. I see only the outstanding film that Aldrich made. Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine give their best performances, and Keith Carradine is really good too. The film kicks ass. There are long confrontation sequences with no dialog that you can't look away from.

Twilight Time's bluray puts right there on the train.

Don't hesitate.
Buy It Now.

Done and done! Thankfully Twilight Time's official site still had it in stock, though it is listed in the "Going Fast" section.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by CrushOfTheDark

AT CLOSE RANGE (1986)
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)
THE HOSPITAL (1971)
INFERNO 3D/2D (1953)
KISS OF DEATH (1947)
THE NIGHT OF THE GENERALS (1967)
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995)
STATE OF GRACE (1990)
TOM SAWYER (1973) / HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1974)
THE TRAIN (ENCORE EDITION) (1964)

Any idea which of these might be closest to selling out?

Of the ones you listed, "The Night of the Generals" is in the "going fast" section.

[Page14]

Seeing The Night of the Generals disappear from my cart on the SAE website prompted me to quickly place an order on the Twilight Time website (where TNOTG is still available). I might go back for more before the sale is over, but for now I placed an order for:

Baby Boom
Inferno
The Night of the Generals
Tom Sawyer / Huckleberry Finn

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Man From Hammer

How long has it been since TT released a title worth $30?
I think it was a Harryhausen title the last one I paid $30 for. Picked up a few in sales since but the really exciting titles that you thought might sell out before release don't seem to appear anymore.

Although many of the excellent MGM titles I was once expecting from TT have since come from KL and thankfully at a more reasonable price.

I paid full price for the Seven-Ups and it was well worth it.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Man From Hammer

How long has it been since TT released a title worth $30?
I think it was a Harryhausen title the last one I paid $30 for. Picked up a few in sales since but the really exciting titles that you thought might sell out before release don't seem to appear anymore.

Although many of the excellent MGM titles I was once expecting from TT have since come from KL and thankfully at a more reasonable price.

I think it would happen if they release another high request horror/sci-fi title... nobody would have the luxury of playing the "wait it out until it's $15" like everybody is doing now....