Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[ilenewoodsfan99]

Watched A Man Called Peter today. Wonderful movie, though the Blu Ray does have some issues throughout, such as age related scratches and what not. I'd still watch it again, but I do wish it could get a second chance at a Blu Ray restoration.

[UnionJackMix]

I watched Gidget yesterday, I really enjoyed it! Sandra Dee was a pretty good actress, as already noted that she did this and Imitation Of Life in the same year...
Does anyone know if the last scene was refilmed in the studio? It kept on switching back from location to what is clearly closed doors, the lighting was so different and the haircuts were also different. They had to redo some lines?

[jmclick]

Last Call! Just 14 copies of Short Night of Glass Dolls left at SAE!

[HaroldnMaude]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

I watched Gidget yesterday, I really enjoyed it! Sandra Dee was a pretty good actress, as already noted that she did this and Imitation Of Life in the same year...
Does anyone know if the last scene was refilmed in the studio? It kept on switching back from location to what is clearly closed doors, the lighting was so different and the haircuts were also different. They had to redo some lines?

I actually watched this Sunday night myself. Though it preceded all the "Frankie & Annette" beach movies, Gidget used some of the same California beaches, and also the same camera tricks they later used in those films where a lot is done in studio against rear projection. It would have been cheaper & simpler than having to clear the beach again for filming. Also, wikipedia says it was filmed during the winter of '59 - but since it was released April '59, I would guess more likely fall/winter of '58. Even though it doesn't get super cold, it can still be too chilly in California in December to be out in just a bathing suit for long periods. And if everyone was from Sourhern Cali, they would even more feel the relative cold.
Suddenly an unrelated story popped into my head: last May I was in Vegas for one of Celine's last concerts, & it was just getting hot enough for pools to be open, but on the Sunday it clouded over & got quite windy & a bit chilly. All the kids working as a lifeguard were sitting around in parkas like it was minus 20. Talking to a pool worker, I told him I was Canadian, & he was like " No wonder you can stay out here in this cold!" He said in January, when the pool is usually closed, they had a huge group of Canadians in for some convention, & opened the pool up at their request - he was shocked that they could all take the bitter cold of 15 Celsius! (59 Farenheit)
Back to movies, it is a shame that Sony/Columbia hasn't put out a blu-ray of their only other real beach flick, Ride the Wild Surf, even though it seems to have an hd version available for download. That film was done in Hawaii, & filmed during a year with some unusually big waves. The surfing footage, of the body doubles who were all pro surfers, is spectacular.
Watching these films makes me long for the day when I can get back to those places for myself.

[Dk8819]

Made a small order on some titles on the 6th when I heard they were low on stock:
LA BAMBOLA DI SATANA (THE DOLL OF SATAN / 1969)
SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW / DRUNKEN MASTER (1978)
BRUTAL TALES OF CHIVALRY (AKA SHOWA ZANKYO-DEN / REGION A ONLY / 1965)
SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS (LA CORTA NOTTE DELLA BAMBOLE DI VETRO / 1971)
BOSTON STRANGLER, THE (1968)

Now the wait for these awesome films.

[ToonySpoonGoon]

Ordered

INTERIORS (1978)
STARDUST MEMORIES (1980)
HUSBANDS AND WIVES (1992)

anybody know how fast SAE ships?

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by ToonySpoonGoon

Ordered

INTERIORS (1978)
STARDUST MEMORIES (1980)
HUSBANDS AND WIVES (1992)

anybody know how fast SAE ships?

I placed a small order on Saturday afternoon and it shipped out this morning. My shipping confirmation said to expect delivery within 10 days, but I often receive them within a week. Hope that helps!

[78deluxe]

Originally Posted by jmclick

You know, when I first saw Whirlpool some 40 years ago, I didn't especially care for it. That's a huge admission from a life-long Gene Tierney fan. The plot seemed like melodramatic claptrap, and I didn't especially like the performances: Jose Ferrer went way over the top; Richard Conte was blander than vanilla; even Gene seemed not at the top of her game.

Watching it again a decade later, I found it to be better than I had remembered because my sensibilities had changed. The story still seemed absurd (and I still thought Jose Ferrer was a little much), but I stopped watching the film as a noir murder mystery, and started looking at it as an examination (criticism?) of American postwar values. That change of perspective increased my enjoyment of the film immeasurably.

In the years since, I've re-watched Whirlpool many times, and now I think that it's a really good film, with a lot of interesting things to say about marriage and the role of women in society. In that sense, it was ahead of its time. Jose Ferrer's performance still strikes me as hammy, but I have new respect for Tierney and Conte, especially the former.

I would tell you to go for it, knowing that if you dislike it, you can probably resell it or trade it in the future when the title inevitably goes OOP.

Without Tierney it is a film I'd never re-watch.

I'd seen it a few times before and then got the Blu-Ray. Honestly in no rush to watch it again....outside of her stunning beauity and quality performance the movie isn't particurly worthwhile, IMO.

When it was annouced for BluRay it was at the top of my list, mostly becuase I must have forgotten how mediocre it was and my idolaization of Gene took over my memory.

Note I didn't even buy Black Widow as it was a far worse waste of her talent.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by 78deluxe

Without Tierney it is a film I'd never re-watch.

I'd seen it a few times before and then got the Blu-Ray. Honestly in no rush to watch it again....outside of her stunning beauity and quality performance the movie isn't particurly worthwhile, IMO.

When it was annouced for BluRay it was at the top of my list, mostly becuase I must have forgotten how mediocre it was and my idolaization of Gene took over my memory.

Note I didn't even buy Black Widow as it was a far worse waste of her talent.

Black Widow was a huge disappointment for me, too. The mystery is pedantic, and Ginger Rogers is so over the top that I think the Academy should have taken back the Oscar she won for Kitty Foyle. George Raft, on the other hand, is wooden, and Virginia Leith is colorless.

Gene is indeed wasted, and yet I think she gives the best performance in the film. I especially like the scene in which she expresses her feeling of betrayal at the idea of Van Heflin discussing their marriage: "Big? Little? Who's to say?" She chooses to pull back during the scene rather than go for the histrionics, and I think her choice is very effective.

The Twilight Time release of Black Widow is a must-own for me because I suffered through countless washed-out Pan-and-Scan television showings for more years than I want to admit. The Cinemascope presentation on the blu-ray was a revelation, and allowed me to see the film through new, more appreciative eyes. Although it's regrettably short, I also enjoyed the short feature on Gene's films noir that is included as an extra on the disc.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by HaroldnMaude

Watching these films makes me long for the day when I can get back to those places for myself.

Never been too much of a fan myself but after watching Mr Hobbs Takes A Vacation, it's what put me in the mood for another beach movie, hence Gidget. Now I think I've run out of them and was thinking of the Funicello movies, of which I have zero.

[HaroldnMaude]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

Never been too much of a fan myself but after watching Mr Hobbs Takes A Vacation, it's what put me in the mood for another beach movie, hence Gidget. Now I think I've run out of them and was thinking of the Funicello movies, of which I have zero.

If you've never seen those, you need to be prepared for a lot of silliness. In the mid-80's we had a local TV station that played these on Saturday afternoons alongside Elvis, Godzilla, & Planet of the Apes films. There is zero reality to those pictures - like "Bonehead" falling in love with a mermaid in Beach Blanket Bingo. But my favorite is Candy Johnson's special powers over men in Muscle Beach Party:

https://youtu.be/5sqMOXOEI3U

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by 78deluxe

Without Tierney it is a film I'd never re-watch.

I'd seen it a few times before and then got the Blu-Ray. Honestly in no rush to watch it again....outside of her stunning beauity and quality performance the movie isn't particurly worthwhile, IMO.

When it was annouced for BluRay it was at the top of my list, mostly becuase I must have forgotten how mediocre it was and my idolaization of Gene took over my memory.

Note I didn't even buy Black Widow as it was a far worse waste of her talent.

hmm... really? w/ Preminger, it being a Ben Hecht written screenplay, Tierney, and Richard Conte's face (he of the best Twilight Zone episode, IMO, Perchance to Dream,) I think there are plenty reasons to re-watch. Sure, it's kinda dumb with the hypnosis stuff, but I don't think it's bad by any means.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by HaroldnMaude

If you've never seen those, you need to be prepared for a lot of silliness. In the mid-80's we had a local TV station that played these on Saturday afternoons alongside Elvis, Godzilla, & Planet of the Apes films. There is zero reality to those pictures - like "Bonehead" falling in love with a mermaid in Beach Blanket Bingo. But my favorite is Candy Johnson's special powers over men in Muscle Beach Party

I saw this one ages ago, with an incredibly weird beach sing-along scene for the ages.
Would have been hilarious to have more Jayne titles from TT other than The Wayward Bus and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by HaroldnMaude

If you've never seen those, you need to be prepared for a lot of silliness. In the mid-80's we had a local TV station that played these on Saturday afternoons alongside Elvis, Godzilla, & Planet of the Apes films. There is zero reality to those pictures - like "Bonehead" falling in love with a mermaid in Beach Blanket Bingo. But my favorite is Candy Johnson's special powers over men in Muscle Beach Party:
https://youtu.be/5sqMOXOEI3U

Yeah, they're silly but they're a lot of fun and they have interesting casts including the likes of Don Rickles and Buster Keaton, Harvey Lembeck channeling Brando as the bumbling biker Eric Von Zipper, Timothy Carey sneering menacingly as the pool shark South Dakota Slim, plus lots of cool musical guests like "Little" Stevie Wonder and Dick Dale & The Deltones. I think it was Ski Party, which is not technically a beach party movie but still, has James Brown as a musical guest.

[ToonySpoonGoon]

once titles are out of stock they won't come back right?

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by ToonySpoonGoon

once titles are out of stock they won't come back right?

Not 100%, but mostly true.

There have been quite a few titles over the years that have been temporarily OOS and returned as either a regular title with quite a few copies or as a Special Extra item which can have 1 to several dozen copies and usually aren't listed under the Twilight Time filter (like Experiment in Terror and a few others right now)

There is also a rumor that some of the more recent releases didn't get their full 3000 printing done initially and at least in theory MIGHT legally be allowed a 2nd print run/restock. Whether SAE would go to the expense with items that have sold very slowly already is entirely a different argument than whether it could legally happen.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

There have been quite a few titles over the years that have been temporarily OOS and returned as either a regular title with quite a few copies or as a Special Extra item which can have 1 to several dozen copies and usually aren't listed under the Twilight Time filter (like Experiment in Terror and a few others right now).

Which is interesting because EiT was announced as sold out over 4 years ago.

[ToonySpoonGoon]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

Not 100%, but mostly true.

There have been quite a few titles over the years that have been temporarily OOS and returned as either a regular title with quite a few copies or as a Special Extra item which can have 1 to several dozen copies and usually aren't listed under the Twilight Time filter (like Experiment in Terror and a few others right now)

There is also a rumor that some of the more recent releases didn't get their full 3000 printing done initially and at least in theory MIGHT legally be allowed a 2nd print run/restock. Whether SAE would go to the expense with items that have sold very slowly already is entirely a different argument than whether it could legally happen.

ah okay, thanks! i was just wondering cause i wasnt sure if i missed out on Zelig for good

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

Which is interesting because EiT was announced as sold out over 4 years ago.

That was one of the more surprising one's and it was a dozen copies they found somewhere -- even with the UK version now I'm a little surprised it didn't sell out fairly quickly once the last group was put up a couple weeks ago.

The 1-2 copy re-adds make more sense since they could easily be buy backs or copies that were held as promo/emergency replacement.

This appears to be the list I came up with then and the updated numbers in red right now.
1 BELOVED INFIDEL (1959) 19.95 - 0
1 DISAPPEARANCE (1977), THE 29.95 -- 1
1 MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION (1962) 29.95 -- 1
1 OLIVER! (1968) 29.95 -- 0
2 BITE THE BULLET (1975) 34.95 -- 0
3 REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993), THE 19.95 -- 2
8 SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993) 29.95 -- 6
12 EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) 29.95 -- 9
28 WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT (1964), THE 19.95 -- 27
>50 BELIEVERS (1987), THE 19.95 -- >50
>50 VANISHING (1993), THE 19.95 -- >50

Originally Posted by ToonySpoonGoon

ah okay, thanks! i was just wondering cause i wasnt sure if i missed out on Zelig for good

Certainly keep an eye out. Occasionally with brand new sell-outs, a few orders often seem to get cancelled either by SAE or the buyer (credit card rejections) so cna pop up randomly. Zelig was listed sold out nearly 2 years ago for a few weeks then came back with a few hundred copies which have lingered since then and through many sales.

[HaroldnMaude]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

That was one of the more surprising one's and it was a dozen copies they found somewhere -- even with the UK version now I'm a little surprised it didn't sell out fairly quickly once the last group was put up a couple weeks ago.

The 1-2 copy re-adds make more sense since they could easily be buy backs or copies that were held as promo/emergency replacement.

This appears to be the list I came up with then and the updated numbers in red right now.
1 BELOVED INFIDEL (1959) 19.95 - 0
1 DISAPPEARANCE (1977), THE 29.95 -- 1
1 MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION (1962) 29.95 -- 1
1 OLIVER! (1968) 29.95 -- 0
2 BITE THE BULLET (1975) 34.95 -- 1
3 REMAINS OF THE DAY (1993), THE 19.95 -- 2
8 SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (1993) 29.95 -- 6
12 EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) 29.95 -- 9
28 WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT (1964), THE 19.95 -- 27
>50 BELIEVERS (1987), THE 19.95 -- >50
>50 VANISHING (1993), THE 19.95 -- >50
.

Bite the Bullet is no longer available

Edit: also before anyone buys Experiment in Terror, the 1st edition of the UK Indicator version is region free, and has a very good interview with Stephanie Powers not on the TT version. The listing on blu-ray.com says their second edition is locked Region B though.