Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[RICKBONDOO7]

Does anyone know what the story is with Twilight Time ? Are the going Out of Business ? They are Not announcing any more New Titles. ???

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by belcherman

Good to know. I already own 18 of those titles and there's not much more from that list that I want. I might talk myself into April Love. Shirley Jones is so cute!

It's a solid "small-scale" musical. I will say that Pat Boone just might be the most unconvincing "juvenile delinquent" I've seen for a film from that era. The soundtrack is quite good.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses092789

In a way, yes. The novel on which Die Hard is based on is a sequel to the novel of The Detective, but by the time the writer finished it, Sinatra was obviously too old.

Originally Posted by Gacivory

And wasn’t Die Hard at one point intended to be a Sinatra vehicle? Bringing it all back around!

Yeah, Sinatra was too old and pretty much retired from acting by the time Nothing Lasts Forever was published. At one point though the book was the basis for the script of Commando 2, but when Arnie pulled out of that project, they made it a stand-alone film which became Die Hard, and a million debates over whether it is or isn't a Christmas movie were born.

But, yeah, The Detective, check it out. If nothing else, Lee Remick's character will give you a whole new insight into the possible reasons why John McClane and his wife Holly were estranged.

[silverlakephil]

Originally Posted by RICKBONDOO7

Does anyone know what the story is with Twilight Time ? Are the going Out of Business ? They are Not announcing any more New Titles. ???

Since Nick Redman's passing last year, no one really knows. They had big shoes to fill, with all the work he was dedicated to (restorations, commentaries), so I don't think they've found anybody to replace him, hence the lack of any announcement for new titles.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

And wasn’t Die Hard at one point intended to be a Sinatra vehicle? Bringing it all back around!

I don't think there was any genuine intent, but Sinatra's contract for "The Detective" gave him first right of refusal, so they had to offer it to him.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Eagle1487

I noticed a lot of these same titles are going for $9.95 on Twilight Time's site. A little bit more than the 3-for deal, but an option if you're only interested in a single title.

As it turns out, there's only one title in that list that I don't already have: Absolute Beginners. And it's not one that I'm jonesin' for.

[octobercountry]

Originally Posted by belcherman

.... I might talk myself into April Love. Shirley Jones is so cute!

It's a really charming slice of nostalgia. Though (as noted previously) Pat Boone makes the most unconvincing juvenile delinquent EVER, and is only a so-so actor, he did have a really nice singing voice. I believe he was the second most popular singer of that period, behind Elvis.

The songs are really quite good, and the orchestrations wonderful too. In fact, I've often run the film with the music-only track playing (no vocals) as background while I'm doing things around the house.

[octobercountry]

Originally Posted by RICKBONDOO7

Does anyone know what the story is with Twilight Time ? Are the going Out of Business ? They are Not announcing any more New Titles. ???

While no one knows what the story is, many think the label is done, and we're only waiting for an "everything must go" sale. All we can do is wait and see.

[octobercountry]

Okay, placed my order. It's a rather odd combination of films to be sure! Some of these are going to be gifts.

The total for six films, shipping included (using the cheaper shipping option) came to $59.73. So, that's about $9.95 per film, and that seems pretty reasonable to me.

[mja345]

Speaking of "From the Terrace", I watched it over the weekend. It had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, as I guess I needed to be in the right mood for a 2 1/2 hour melodrama. Well, on Sunday night, after a day of sitting on my a** watching football, the mood was right.

While "From the Terrace" certainly doesn't re-invent the wheel, I enjoyed the hell out of it. It's just a good old-fashioned melodrama that, like the best melodramas, keeps the camp at a minimum while occasionally letting it boil to the surface. In this one, it's 1946 and Paul Newman plays David Alfred Eaton (he goes by Alfred instead of David for some reason), who has just returned from his military service overseas to his alcoholic mother (Myrna Loy) and wealthy, domineering father (Leon Ames). When Newman informs his father that he has no interest in pursuing the family business, his father erupts in anger.

We next see Newman attending a party at the opulent home of his best friend (George Grizzard) where he meets Mary St. John (Joanne Woodward), the daughter of another wealthy, but less nouveau-riche family. Alfred immediately seduces Mary, she soon breaks her engagement to another man much to the chagrin of her family, and the two are eventually married. The next crucial point comes when Alfred saves the grandson of a massively wealthy financier (Felix Aylmer) from drowning, which lands him a plum gig in Aylmer's company.

Good marriages aren't a lot of fun to watch, so, needless to say, Alfred's marriage to Mary starts to crumble, he becomes disillusioned with work, and he meets another woman (Ina Balin). Nothing particularly surprising happens in "From the Terrace", but it's quite entertaining watching it unfold. Woodward's character arc in the film is a bit broad, as she goes from being this somewhat spoiled, relatively pleasant woman to this haughty caricature of the absolute worst tendencies of the wealthy. Her role demands that she utter some doozies of lines, like addressing Newman as "darling" roughly 10 times in 10 seconds, but she is clearly having fun with it.

Newman's work as Alfred is solid, but certainly not in the upper-echelon of Newman performances. Really, though, there's not a lot to work with in playing Alfred. The character arc is fairly generic, so Newman isn't really allowed to sink into the role as he so often did. He's a guy from a rich family who doesn't get along with his father who marries a rich woman who he eventually doesn't get along with and...you get the picture. Pretty much the worst thing that happens to him is that his wife sucks. Alfred's plight might seem quaint by today's standards, but the notion of falling out of love with one's spouse was obviously a far more taboo subject in 1960.

I think what I enjoy about melodramas from this era is that they're completely unapologetic. Even the worst ones (i.e. "Where Love Has Gone") are entertaining because of the camp factor. In certain melodramas, the entertainment is derived from the fact that the elite are portrayed as rampant adulterers, drunks, bigots, morons, sociopaths, etc. and the protagonist (i.e. Newman in "From the Terrace") must escape with someone from outside of his elite circle (Ina Balin in this film). It's a premise that is often wildly entertaining. "From the Terrace" is an example of melodrama done well and I definitely recommend picking it up at a reduced price ASAP.

[octobercountry]

Originally Posted by mja345

..."From the Terrace" is an example of melodrama done well and I definitely recommend picking it up at a reduced price ASAP.

I watched the trailer on YouTube and you know, I had never even heard of Ina Balin. I guess she never became a big star, but she certainly was lovely.

So, after reading your review, I'm glad I included this film in my order yesterday!

[klauswhereareyou]

I already have a few of the sales titles, but there are still some that I'd like that I don't have.

[octobercountry]

Wow, that was pretty quick! My SAE sale order arrived today. Now for the fun part, watching the films and checking out the extras....

[bonehica]

Originally Posted by octobercountry

Wow, that was pretty quick! My SAE sale order arrived today. Now for the fun part, watching the films and checking out the extras....

Mine would have as well...except I had it sent to my work address as I never expected it to arrive so soon. Wow, that was fast. I'll get it Monday. No worries.

[ptb2010]

Originally Posted by octobercountry

I watched the trailer on YouTube and you know, I had never even heard of Ina Balin. I guess she never became a big star, but she certainly was lovely.

So, after reading your review, I'm glad I included this film in my order yesterday!

It's a beautiful transfer too of what I consider a really good movie. Newman at his best with Joanne Woodward.
Ina Balin was in a lot of Fox movies around that time, including one of my favourite westerns The Comancheros that has a glorious Blu Ray release in region 1. She made quite a few movies and did a lot of tv. Died in the 90s I think from lung cancer.

[The Great Owl]

One of many many Twilight Time titles that were begging to be released from my still-unwatched stack...



At the nondescript Consolidated Companies workplace, Judy, a mousy divorcee played by Jane Fonda, Violet, a beleaguered senior office supervisor played by Lily Tomlin, and Doralee, a spunky administrative assistant played by Dolly Parton, daydream about turning the tables on their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot boss, Franklin, who sexually harasses his female employees, takes credit for their ideas, and spreads rumors about sleeping with them. When a series of random accidents lands Franklin, played by Dabney Coleman, in the hospital, these three women sense an opportunity to turn their fantasies into reality by taking control of their department.

I was only eight years old when the 1980 office satire, 9 to 5, landed in theaters, so my first exposure to the film was by way of the infectiously catchy Dolly Parton title song that was ubiquitous for months on end on every radio station in my rural Georgia hometown. This blockbuster release, which blends the slapstick of 1940s screwball comedies with the sharp cynicism of 1970s political cinema, is a hilarious, yet affecting pop culture milestone based on a pitch from Fonda and directed with a fast-paced exuberance by Colin Higgins (Foul Play), but the song, which graces the opening credits with bouncy lyrics that were relatable even to my third-grade male self, is the engine that drives the whole endeavor. It is impossible for me to listen to that music without smiling, and that feeling reverberates throughout the 109-minute run time of the narrative. Even today, this is a shining example of how the right soundtrack choices can elevate a good movie to greatness.

Fonda, who was well-known at the time for her activism, plays against type to brilliant result. Tomlin's performance is more grounded, exuding a weary exasperation that elicits a universal sympathy from audiences, but still proves humorous, especially during one of my favorite scenes where her character, disguised as a doctor, interacts with a hospital volunteer. Coleman portrays the villain with a terrific smarminess that, to this day, makes him one of most memorable characters whom we would love to hate.

Parton, however, miraculously manages to be the Most Valuable Player of the entire project, although this was her first feature film role. Her natural showmanship and sense of timing commands attention during her every moment on the screen. I crack up laughing every time during a car trunk scene where her character nonchalantly asks her friends, “Would you come over here for a second?” She and Higgins would collaborate again soon after in The Best Little *****house in Texas, which also stayed at my local hometown theater for weeks.

In lesser hands, 9 to 5, which is sadly just as relevant in today's workplaces as it was four decades ago, might have been a well-intended, yet forgettable undertaking. The music and screen presence of Parton is a perfect spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down, though, and her inclusion in the movie, another sharply strategic idea from Fonda for the purpose of attracting a larger target audience, was a choice for the ages. My latest revisit to this film was a fine way to celebrate Parton's birthday.

This Twilight Time Blu-ray shines with a great-looking transfer fitting of the original no-frills look of the main feature. The two commentary tracks are both hugely entertaining, as are the supplementary interviews and documentaries.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Parton, however, miraculously manages to be the Most Valuable Player of the entire project, although this was her first feature film role. Her natural showmanship and sense of timing commands attention during her every moment on the screen.

Totally agree. Fonda proves that she is a great actress even in comedy, Tomlin has nothing to prove but is great... but Parton shows a natural "star quality" and steals every moment she's onscreen.

[klauswhereareyou]

So did Where the Sidewalk Ends sell out? It's no longer showing up on the Screen Archives site.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by klauswhereareyou

So did Where the Sidewalk Ends sell out? It's no longer showing up on the Screen Archives site.

Apparently so. It doesn't show up at TT's site, either.

And, apparently, The Fortune has sold out as well.

[klauswhereareyou]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Apparently so. It doesn't show up at TT's site, either.

And, apparently, The Fortune has sold out as well.

So either Where the Sidewalk Ends was "low quantity" before the sale, or it sold a heck of a lot of copies during the sale.