Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[bladelia]

Originally Posted by dragon53

Yugoslovaia's Tito got lots of US military aid by promising to resist the USSR in its European expansionism.
KELLY'S HEROES, etc. filmed in Yugoslovia because of the huge amounts of US weapons available such as the Sherman tanks, halftracks, jeeps, rifles, etc.
The German Tiger I tanks in the movie are actually modified Soviet tanks that were used in an earlier Yugoslavia movie (the Tiger I in FURY is the real thing---it's the only operating Tiger I in existence).

KELLY'S HEROES trivia:
1. The SS officer that Clint Eastwood guns down down as they begin their attack to seize the gold in the bank is Yves Montand in an uncredited cameo.
2. John Landis, then a production assistant on the movie, played one of the nuns.
3. The script was written by TROY KENNEDY MARTIN---who also wrote the original THE ITALIAN JOB.
4. The movie reunited Clint Eastwood with director Brian G. Hutton who directed Eastwood and Richard Burton in WHERE EAGLES DARE. Another cast member of WHERE EAGLES DARE, Ingrid Pitt (of Hammer Films vampiress fame), was supposed to be the love interest in KELLY'S HEROES, but her role was deleted just as she was about to fly to Yugoslovaia for filming.
5. Perry Lopez also co-starred in CHINATOWN, but played one of the natives killed at the beginning of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (he appeared under a different name).

Troy Kennedy Martin also wrote Edge of Darkness, possibly the best thing that has ever been on UK tv, an amazing story,cast and soundtrack.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

Screen Archives is a piece of work...people who only order one movie, will get theirs before those who ordered 3-4? With those who order 3-4 being delayed days if not weeks??

Isn't that kind of backwards considering how much they charge for shipping? There is no free shipping or overnight shipping...seems like they would ship as received even if they had to eat the cost for more than one shipment.

Actually, it makes sense as the implication of "those that ordered all will be held up till everything is in" is that SAE will not necessarily be getting all of the titles at once. There's no point in holding up the person getting only Journey to the Center of the Earth and First Men in the Moon just because they don't have copies of Solomon and Sheba in hand.

Me, I'm kind of stuck in the middle. I didn't pre-order the entire March slate of titles, but I'm getting more than just 1-2. I'm getting three, so I have no idea when my order might get shipped.

[dragon53]

Here are a few military candidates for Blu-ray release by TT (depending on studio limitations) or other labels.

1. IN HARM'S WAY---not a great war movie and it's in black & white, but it has a great cast of John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Burgess Meredith and Patricia Neal.

2. HANOVER STREET--this Columbia/Sony movie was a Peter Hyams homage to the World War II movies made in the 1940s so it's real corny just like the original 1940s war movies were, but it has a good cast of Harrison Ford, Christopher Plummer, Lesley-Anne Down and Shane Rimmer (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME) as Ford's jerk commanding officer.

3. DARLING LILI---this failed Paramount romantic comedy/musical is known for creating the rift between Blake Edwards and Hollywood. It was written by Edwards and William Peter Blatty (THE EXORCIST) with a great score by Henry Mancini. If you ignore the numerous inaccuracies, it has a good cast of Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson and Jeremy Kemp (who, along with the biplanes, were originally in THE BLUE MAX--already released by TT). The dvd release was hurt by putting most of the good dogfight scenes in the deleted scenes extras. A Blu-ray version should restore the dogfight scenes and include commentary by Andrews and Blatty.

Also, I'm surprised that Warner Bros. hasn't released Blu-rays of THE THING (the original) and THEM!. Both should be released in Blu-ray along with commentary by cast/crew (i.e., James Arness, et al.) and/or sci fi film historians. Also, THE BEAST FROM 20,00 FATHOMS should be released in Blu-ray, hopefully with additional commentary.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by oildude

My preference if I order multiple titles is a box with everything in it and not an order arriving separately in baggies and envelopes.

This is perhaps the biggest point. If I recall correctly, the minimum number of discs in an order to qualify for a box is three, which is why I try to order at least three titles at a time. Which means that while I'm jonesing to receive any orders as soon as possible, even if I won't get around to watching them for a while, I'm happy to wait a few days if it means I get all three of my discs in a box.

[Angel Eyes]

Originally Posted by anthonyls

Nice. I think it captures the tone of the film well. Bravo!

Not a bad cover per say but the original poster art was so much better. This cover for me does not capture the tone of the film. Hopefully one of the many talented cover artist will be making a twilight time cover with the original poster art.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I remember those LaserDisc prices very clearly. I paid $69.95 (full MSRP) for my copy of Fox's The Egyptian, and thought I was getting a great bargain because old 16mm and 35mm copies were selling on the black market for hundreds of dollars.

It was even worse in the early days of pre-recorded Beta/VHS tapes. Wanting to get a piece of the rental pie, studios would charge as much as $80 for a movie on tape (which was always pan-&-scan, to add salt to the wound). But I knew of people who, not long before studios started releasing movies on tape, paid as much as $300 for a bootleg copy of something like Star Wars or Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

If there's anything that I would like to be able to go back in time and do over, knowing what I know now, it would be to make different home video choices.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by jayembee

It was even worse in the early days of pre-recorded Beta/VHS tapes. Wanting to get a piece of the rental pie, studios would charge as much as $80 for a movie on tape (which was always pan-&-scan, to add salt to the wound). But I knew of people who, not long before studios started releasing movies on tape, paid as much as $300 for a bootleg copy of something like Star Wars or Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

If there's anything that I would like to be able to go back in time and do over, knowing what I know now, it would be to make different home video choices.

Oh, yes, I remember paying $92.99 plus tax for a VHS tape one time. I was taking care of a hospice patient, and that was her dying wish ... to see some obscure movie that had just been released on tape by 20th Century-Fox. There was no time to wait for the price to drop, so I just grit my teeth and paid it. The funny thing is, I don't even remember the title anymore, I just remember how happy it made her to see it again.

Do you remember the prices on the deluxe CAV editions of the Disney LDs? I remember seeing one on sale for $99.99! The only way I was able to afford the three Star Wars films when they first came out was to join the Columbia House LaserDisc Club and choose them as my three freebies. Of course, they later remastered them and reissued them at a $49.95 or $59.95 price point.

Yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly ... if I only knew back then what I know now!

Back to Twilight Time ... I'm very, very excited about the upcoming release of The Story of Adele H!

[anthonyls]

I remember when VHS tapes were $99.

[rdodolak]

You guys are comparing rental pricing with sell-thru which are two completely different things. Yes, rental pricing was set high for a reason.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

You guys are comparing rental pricing with sell-thru which are two completely different things. Yes, rental pricing was set high for a reason.

No, the very first retail VHS titles available to buy really were that high. Most studios were still charging $79.99 in the mid-80s except for a few titles. It was the sky-high prices of buying films on VHS that led to video rental stores in the first place.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by dragon53

Here are a few military candidates for Blu-ray release by TT (depending on studio limitations) or other labels.

3. DARLING LILI---this failed Paramount romantic comedy/musical is known for creating the rift between Blake Edwards and Hollywood. It was written by Edwards and William Peter Blatty (THE EXORCIST) with a great score by Henry Mancini. If you ignore the numerous inaccuracies, it has a good cast of Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson and Jeremy Kemp (who, along with the biplanes, were originally in THE BLUE MAX--already released by TT). The dvd release was hurt by putting most of the good dogfight scenes in the deleted scenes extras. A Blu-ray version should restore the dogfight scenes and include commentary by Andrews and Blatty.

There are two DVD releases - the European release is the original 143-minute roadshow version (the film was re-edited several times both before it opened and during its theatrical run) while the US DVD is the 107-minutre version that Edwards re-edited for TV and described as his preferred director's cut. Rumor has it that the European DVD was originally supposed to be the shorter cut as well but they accidentally transferred the roadshow version instead assuming that was the director's cut.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

You guys are comparing rental pricing with sell-thru which are two completely different things. Yes, rental pricing was set high for a reason.

No, we're not. In 1982, if you wanted to buy a copy of Poltergeist on VHS or Beta, it cost ~$80. Sell-through pricing didn't happen until at least the mid-80s, when Paramount released some of their popular titles (The Wrath of Khan and Top Gun were two that I remember) at the lower price. And even then, the lower price was $40. When they sold a shitload of tapes, the other studios realized that that was the way to go, and started to likewise drop their prices.

Before sell-through pricing, pretty much the only way you could buy movies on tape was to order them through a video store. It was only after the prices dropped to $40 or less that department stores and such put in a video section to sell tapes.

[Blu Titan]

So, my order with First Men in The Moon will probably be a bit delayed...not really an issue for me. I have 30+ Blus that need viewing anyways .

[tallrichard]

Rental VHS titles had a retail price ranging from $89 to $113.00 during the time I owned my video store.

Sell-through VHS pricing started with Top Gun at $26.99 from what I remember and it was one to two titles a year from the 80s to the late 90s.

Disney "sell-through" was $39.98 and it was most kid titles, when the Lion King came out at $26.98 and then the major titles followed suit...

Rental pricing was a way of revenue sharing for the studios, it locked in their profits from the very beginning. It changed when revenue sharing came into play during the mid 90s, and a company called Rentrak came into play.

With the release of DVD by Warner Bros in March of 1997, sell-through came to almost every title with pricing running from $26.99 from the major studios and $39.99 for the smaller studios like Kino.

[sandman slim]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

Most of you obviously did not collect laserdiscs. Fox would charge $60. for discs and would get away with it. And the Criterion CAV Special Editions would be at least $100.00. Most discs from the Studios would run between $35. and $40. Warner had some bargain discs for $25. I remember really having to budget and save during that time because walking into Tower Records and plopping down that much cash in one shot was impossible.

I have really clear memories of walking into Suncoast Video with a magazine article/ad about the laserdisc special edition of Aliens, asking if they could order a copy for me. They had to call the manager, who then had to call his boss to figure out how to order this ridiculously expensive item. Took about half an hour, and I had to make a down payment on it.

Hundred bucks for one movie, and that was 20+ years worth of inflation ago. Kids, this is why us old farts on the board laugh when y'all complain about a movie costing THIRTY FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS!!! You have no idea how good you have it now...

[RodChester]

Originally Posted by Sporkies

I don't think you're understanding what they wrote. What they're saying is that they'll ship the titles as they receive them. If the titles are coming in staggered as opposed to all at once, how do you expect them to ship titles that they don't have yet? Would you rather them hold up everyone's order until all of the titles arrive and then start shipping them just so they can ship to those who ordered multiple titles first?! Man, people really will complain about anything...

I don't think that's what they are going to do. If you ordered one title you will get it sent out when they get it in. But if you ordered more than one title you will have to wait until they have all your titles in stock. They aren't going to send out multiple shipments for people that ordered a few titles. They are holding them until all the items for an order are in. Which is what the OP is talking about.

It is unfortunate and depending on the length of the delay, I think SAE should break up and send out multiple packages for people to help avoid to much of a delay.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by jayembee

No, we're not. In 1982, if you wanted to buy a copy of Poltergeist on VHS or Beta, it cost ~$80. Sell-through pricing didn't happen until at least the mid-80s, when Paramount released some of their popular titles (The Wrath of Khan and Top Gun were two that I remember) at the lower price. And even then, the lower price was $40. When they sold a shitload of tapes, the other studios realized that that was the way to go, and started to likewise drop their prices.

Before sell-through pricing, pretty much the only way you could buy movies on tape was to order them through a video store. It was only after the prices dropped to $40 or less that department stores and such put in a video section to sell tapes.

Yes, I'm aware of that.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by sandman slim

I have really clear memories of walking into Suncoast Video with a magazine article/ad about the laserdisc special edition of Aliens, asking if they could order a copy for me. They had to call the manager, who then had to call his boss to figure out how to order this ridiculously expensive item. Took about half an hour, and I had to make a down payment on it.

Hundred bucks for one movie, and that was 20+ years worth of inflation ago. Kids, this is why us old farts on the board laugh when y'all complain about a movie costing THIRTY FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS!!! You have no idea how good you have it now...

Yeah, I remember those days (I was born the day The Last Wagon was released). And I remember those prices. I wouldn't pay it then, and I won't pay it now. I also skipped over the laserdisc phenomenon for the same reason. Most of the VHS tapes I did buy we're previously used rentals, although I occasionally paid $20 for new VHS movies, such as the Disney movies for my kids.

Yeah, so this is one old fart who still thinks $35 is a lot for a catalog blu ray, but I've paid it when it was something I really wanted. I don't regret the money I spent on Bell, Book and Candle, but I've also passed on some good movies that I might have purchased had the price been in the $15-20 range. For me, it's not about quantity, it's about value. My budget for video purchases is not unlimited, so I have to figure ways to maximize my dollars in terms of total quality of my collection. I'm not sure why some people have a hard time understanding that, but I'm done trying to explain it.

[duggie walker]

Originally Posted by dragon53

Also, I'm surprised that Warner Bros. hasn't released Blu-rays of THE THING (the original) and THEM!.

WB recently said on facebook that both of those are likely for release, along with TIME AFTER TIME. One of these titles has just been restored and will be released this year for certain.

UPDATE: It seems the recent TCM screening of THEM! was in native HD and formatted in widescreen unlike any previous broadcasts. So it looks like THEM! might be first out of the gate.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by duggie walker

WB recently said on facebook that both of those are likely for release, along with TIME AFTER TIME. One of these titles has just been restored and will be released this year for certain.

love TIME AFTER TIME...........a must have for my collection.... ohhh Malcolm McDowall... what happened to your career?????????