Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[klauswhereareyou]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

After watching The Blue Max this morning, I followed it up by watching my Twilight Time Blu-ray of Brannigan.

An American mobster who is up for extradition from London to the United States is kidnapped and held for ransom. The kidnappers and all involved, though, apparently did not get the memo that nobody messes with John Wayne, who plays the title character, a Chicago detective in charge of transporting the mobster back to these shores. Richard Attenborough plays a London police commander, while Judy Geeson provides wonderful eye candy as the officer assigned to assist Brannigan in the city.

It's a trip to see John Wayne's name in the opening credits just before some funky Shaft-esque music starts to play. This is, to say the least, an interesting role choice for Wayne, but it all works out. A barroom brawl is one of my favorite moments in the film, because we get to see old-school Wayne action in the style of his older films. I also enjoyed the London cityscapes and landmarks that the film takes every opportunity to showcase.

I won't go so far as to say that Brannigan is a great film, but it's definitely fun and decently paced. I'm glad that it's in my collection, because I know that I'll have a hankering to watch it again in the not-too-distant future.

The Blu-ray looks and sounds pretty good, and the audio commentary, which I'm listening to now, is engaging.

I liked Brannigan. It was entertaining, and cool to see Wayne in 1970's London. The Twilight Time disc was the first time I had ever seen it.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

After watching The Blue Max this morning, I followed it up by watching my Twilight Time Blu-ray of Brannigan.

An American mobster who is up for extradition from London to the United States is kidnapped and held for ransom. The kidnappers and all involved, though, apparently did not get the memo that nobody messes with John Wayne, who plays the title character, a Chicago detective in charge of transporting the mobster back to these shores. Richard Attenborough plays a London police commander, while Judy Geeson provides wonderful eye candy as the officer assigned to assist Brannigan in the city.

It's a trip to see John Wayne's name in the opening credits just before some funky Shaft-esque music starts to play. This is, to say the least, an interesting role choice for Wayne, but it all works out. A barroom brawl is one of my favorite moments in the film, because we get to see old-school Wayne action in the style of his older films. I also enjoyed the London cityscapes and landmarks that the film takes every opportunity to showcase.

I won't go so far as to say that Brannigan is a great film, but it's definitely fun and decently paced. I'm glad that it's in my collection, because I know that I'll have a hankering to watch it again in the not-too-distant future.

The Blu-ray looks and sounds pretty good, and the audio commentary, which I'm listening to now, is engaging.

Brannigan was a fun and interesting film. I thought that McQ tried way too hard to imitate Bullitt / Dirty Harry and it came up short in comparison. The culture clash aspect of the Duke in modern day England was a nice touch that made it stand out on its own more.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I have a day off work today, so I watched my Twilight Time Blu-ray of The Blue Max this morning.

This was my first time seeing The Blue Max, and I think that it's a remarkable film. In fact, it might have instantly shot into my list of top ten war movies. The aerial footage is just awesome, and it's easy to see how the filmmakers of Star Wars and other subsequent films have taken cues from these scenes.

The hard-hitting aerial scenes, however, take a back seat to the dramatic elements in The Blue Max. George Preppard, James Mason, Karl Michael Vogler, and the gorgeous Ursula Andress are wonderful in their roles, but my favorite role of the film is that of Willi, played by Jeremy Kemp.

For me the best thing about the Twilight Blu is that it includes not one but two isolated score tracks for Jerry Goldsmith's remarkable score - one an extended version of the full score, the other including alternate cues and filling in the gaps with a film historians' audio commentary. Goldsmith wrote a lot more music than was used in the film, which opted to reuse his main theme in places he'd written different cues for and in others remove them entirely, and although the deleted cues aren't mixed in with the soundtrack, it's amazing to hear his bravura six minute cue for the German attack sequence that was completely removed in favor of sound effects finally against the sequence, which really transforms the scene and leaves you questioning the sanity of whoever decided to ditch it.

The Blue Max - The Attack - YouTube

Ironically the entire scene itself was cut out of the initial widescreen VHS release.

Beautiful transfer too, especially after all the disappointing previous releases.

[mja345]

"The Blue Max" is an excellent film. George Peppard's performance is a bit wooden initially, but gets much more layered as the film goes on. James Mason is such a bastard in it, particularly with what he does at the end. That's a film I thought would be pretty solid going in, but it really exceeded my expectations. And, as has been mentioned, the transfer is superb.

[The Great Owl]

Yes, as soon as I finished watching The Blue Max earlier, I watched the combined isolated score/commentary track, and was surprised at some of the choices regarding Goldsmith's score.

The Blue Max is a top-notch Blu-ray across the board. I can't believe that it sat on my shelf for so long before my first viewing.

[The Great Owl]

Last night, I watched my Twilight Time Blu-ray of Born Yesterday (1950), and unearthed another long overdue unwatched disc from my stack.

I have a threshold for how long I can listen to Judy Holliday's voice in this movie (probably because I live in the south), but her performance is still endearing and this is still a terrific flick in all respects. I love how the movie eases us along the transition from Holliday's Billie being an annoying character to her being a character for whom we are cheering. One of the most fun sequences in the movie involves a card game between her and her fiancee, played by Broderick Crawford (All the King's Men). William Holden is an effective leading man in this film, and it's interesting to see him in a role that is more straight-up than his usual fare (Sabrina, Stalag 17, etc.).

Born Yesterday works well as a good-natured comedy across the board, although it takes some dark turns by today's standards due to depictions of abuse during its second half. More than anything, it succeeds because of Holliday's effectiveness in the role that resulted in her winning an Academy Award over Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard) and Bette Davis (All About Eve).

I have not seen the 1990s remake of Born Yesterday, but I figure that it's a story that invites contemporary remakes, because, unfortunately, the political aspects of the story are still quite relevant.

The Blu-ray sports a fine transfer of a black-and-white film, and the sound quality matches it. The only extra of note is the isolated score track, but I admittedly tend not to sit through those tracks for most of these discs unless it's something that really grabs my attention (The Blue Max score being one example).

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Last night, I watched my Twilight Time Blu-ray of Born Yesterday (1950), and unearthed another long overdue unwatched disc from my stack.

[Show spoiler]I have a threshold for how long I can listen to Judy Holliday's voice in this movie (probably because I live in the south), but her performance is still endearing and this is still a terrific flick in all respects. I love how the movie eases us along the transition from Holliday's Billie being an annoying character to her being a character for whom we are cheering. One of the most fun sequences in the movie involves a card game between her and her fiancee, played by Broderick Crawford (All the King's Men). William Holden is an effective leading man in this film, and it's interesting to see him in a role that is more straight-up than his usual fare (Sabrina, Stalag 17, etc.).

Born Yesterday works well as a good-natured comedy across the board, although it takes some dark turns by today's standards due to depictions of abuse during its second half. More than anything, it succeeds because of Holliday's effectiveness in the role that resulted in her winning an Academy Award over Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard) and Bette Davis (All About Eve).

I have not seen the 1990s remake of Born Yesterday, but I figure that it's a story that invites contemporary remakes, because, unfortunately, the political aspects of the story are still quite relevant.

The Blu-ray sports a fine transfer of a black-and-white film, and the sound quality matches it. The only extra of note is the isolated score track, but I admittedly tend not to sit through those tracks for most of these discs unless it's something that really grabs my attention (The Blue Max score being one example).

It's about damn time.

It was a blind buy for me when it went up for pre-order and I ended up loving it as expected. The Big Heat is my favorite Twilight Time release, but this is up there too.

[lilboyblu]

Sadly enough, Born Yesterday didn't do much for me. Went in with high expectations, but just wasn't feeling it. It wasn't a bad film by any means, but it's not something I would watch a second time either. Just one man's opinion.

If anyone is interested in a trade, see the link in my signature.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by lilboyblu

Sadly enough, Born Yesterday didn't do much for me. Went in with high expectations, but just wasn't feeling it. It wasn't a bad film by any means, but it's not something I would watch a second time either. Just one man's opinion.

I had the exact same opinion.

[The Great Owl]

Last night, I watched my Twilight Time Blu-ray of To Sir, with Love.

To Sir, with Love is one of those films that has influenced so many subsequent releases that its initial effect may be lessened for contemporary viewers. The story of a teacher changing the lives of his students has received repeated cinematic treatment with films like Dead Poets Society, Mr. Holland's Opus, Dangerous Minds, Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver, and Class of 1984. I feared as much when I started watching To Sir, with Love after I was tired from work and from my evening run, but I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging this film turned out to be, and how it kept me interested from the opening credits song sequence onward.

More than anything, I love the look and sound of To Sir, with Love. London during the late 1960s must have really been something else, and this movie showcases it in all its rough-around-the-edges glory. The title song from Lulu, who stars in the film, is good stuff.

Sidney Poitier had quite a year in 1967, and his role here stands well alongside In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Judy Geeson, whom I enjoyed watching two days ago on the Twilight Time Blu-ray of Brannigan, is great in this film as a little firecracker of a student who challenges Poitier's teacher character in a few ways.

I did not have time to go through the mountain of extras that is included on this Blu-ray, but I plan to do so tonight. The film itself looks and sounds great on this disc.

[JaseT]

Has anybody that ordered At Close Range from SAE received the replacement booklet yet?

[docc]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

To Sir, with Love is one of those films that has influenced so many subsequent releases that its initial effect may be lessened for contemporary viewers. The story of a teacher changing the lives of his students has received repeated cinematic treatment with films like Dead Poets Society, Mr. Holland's Opus, Dangerous Minds, Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver, and Class of 1984. I feared as much when I started watching To Sir, with Love after I was tired from work and from my evening run, but I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging this film turned out to be, and how it kept me interested from the opening credits song sequence onward.

As amazing as Poitier was in this film I think it's the performances by the teenagers in the cast and the way their characters were written that really made it unique and a standout. A truly wonderful feel good picture worthy of many re-watches

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by docc

As amazing as Poitier was in this film I think it's the performances by the teenagers in the cast and the way their characters were written that really made it unique and a standout. A truly wonderful feel good picture worthy of many re-watches

I watched the extras on this Blu-ray of To Sir, with Love the other night, and listened to both commentary tracks.

Lulu looks beautiful in her interview, and she looks only a few years older than her character in the movie. I'm not sure how that is possible, but it's true.

The Judy Geeson commentary track is a blast, just like her track in the Brannigan disc.

The second commentary track features an inner-city principal's observations that I found oddly comedic, although his tone is dead serious.

[sperezmore]

Originally Posted by JaseT

Has anybody that ordered At Close Range from SAE received the replacement booklet yet?

Got this email reply yesterday (9/24/15) from SAE.


"We will be automatically sending replacement booklets for all orders placed through our site. We just received the booklets in this morning and are packing them up as we speak to hopefully have sent out by the end of business today or tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Screen Archives Entertainment"

Regards,

[JaseT]

^^^

Thanks for the update!

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by sperezmore

Got this email reply yesterday (9/24/15) from SAE.


"We will be automatically sending replacement booklets for all orders placed through our site. We just received the booklets in this morning and are packing them up as we speak to hopefully have sent out by the end of business today or tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Screen Archives Entertainment"

Regards,

Got mine from TT (rather than SAE) today.

[oildude]

Heads up, vampires, vampirettes, and John Carpenter fans! Twilight Time posted the following on their Facebook page. Pre-order date for John Carpenter's Vampires is now October 14. Release date is delayed until the end of October.

Twilight Time DVD Label Our sixth title, JOHN CARPENTER'S VAMPIRES, which was also scheduled to go up for pre-order on the 30th, will now be offered TWO WEEKS LATER - on Wednesday, October 14th at 4 pm EST. Our friends at Sony / Columbia have gone the extra mile for us making sure the color timing of the new master will more accurately reflect the original theatrical version, and not the alternate look of the international blu-ray releases, and also fixing the odd edit in one scene that is present in those transfers. We apologize for the slight delay, but rest assured the new blu-ray will be much improved as a result. Available exclusively at http://www.twilighttimemovies.com and http://www.screenarchives.com

- The other five October release titles will keep their current pre-order date of September 30 at 4 pm EST.

- The first post of this thread will be changed to reflect the new information.

And for those wondering why TT did not keep the 9/30 pre-order date for Vampires and just release it later than the other titles:

Twilight Time DVD Label No, because it will hold up the other 5 titles until at such time we can ship VAMPIRES - too many complaints will ensue!

[docc]

Originally Posted by oildude

Twilight Time posted the following on their Facebook page. Pre-order date for John Carpenter's Vampires is now October 14. Release date is delayed until the end of October.

Thank you!.....the international version's color timing was hideous

[gates70]

Since it doesn't seem to have a thread, I'll ask here since it's a TT release. Anyone seen The Song of Burnadette ? Does Vincent Price have a big role in it ?

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by gates70

Since it doesn't seem to have a thread, I'll ask here since it's a TT release. Anyone seen The Song of Burnadette ? Does Vincent Price have a big role in it ?

Yes, he does, and it's one of his best understated performances:



"There was something about her that precluded laughter. Her exaltation was so genuine that the observer almost had the impression that he saw what the child saw."

In the hands of screenwriter George Seaton and Henry King, one of the greatest and most unfairly forgotten directors of the studio system era, The Song of Bernadette is a surprisingly measured and intelligent film about faith that rarely reaches for the easy sentiment and schmaltz that has been the downfall of so many others before and since. Bernadette barely even features in the opening reel that establishes the hard life of her impoverished family as her father is forced to cart diseased hospital dressings to the dump to earn a few sous. It's a surprisingly lengthy film for its era - 165 minutes with its overture and playout music - but it takes its time establishing the time and the place and the people before Bernadette has her first vision to stress that it's a first and foremost film about real people caught up in extraordinary events. Even then, the film is careful to keep the visions brief and shot purely from her point-of-view while stressing no-one else can see anything. It's a style that sets the film's battleground as clearly as the film's opening caption: "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible".

The forces opposing Bernadette are those of reason and authority, and not just in civic power but also the Church, which at first keeps silent for fear of being embarrassed by a fraud and later becomes openly hostile, forgetting their own scripture and repeatedly demanding proofs and miracles. Not all are won over, the film content to end with doubt or, in the case of Vincent Price's local prosecutor, an awareness of the void they've created in themselves by rejecting hope for something miraculous in their lives. There aren't miracle cures for all, at least one owes more to a worried mother's hypochondria-by-proxy than divine intervention and the film makes pertinent jabs at the cynical commercial business that grows up as Lourdes becomes a tourist trap, the beneficiaries including some of her fiercest opponents.

Although the film does reflect the notion of suffering being the primary path to redemption that can be problematic for some faiths, it's not an uncritical commercial for Catholicism: the novel was written by a Jewish refugee and is more about the problem of trying to reconcile the comfort that faith can bring to some with the need to explain it away that drives those who see it as step back towards the darkness. More intriguingly it finds the humanity in her opponents and doesn't dismiss them as worthless monsters: Gladys Cooper's vicious nun, eaten up with jealousy and Price's relentless adversary never become caricatures, both with their reasons and regrets. It's genuinely moving without being mawkish and it's not without humour either, with Sig Rumann getting the film's funniest scene.

The performances are uniformly strong, with Jones managing to pull off a fairly impossible part that requires innocence, sincerity, moments of transcendence and the ability to play someone who really isn't particularly bright or gifted without falling into the pitfalls of too much artifice in a role that cannot tolerate even the hint of fakery: sure, it's a Hollywood performance, but it's a genuinely sincere one. The supporting cast are equally impressive. Price is perhaps the standout, but there's impressive work from Charles Bickford's disbelieving cleric, Anne Revere's mother and Lee J. Cobb's confounded doctor among a fine cast who never overdo the reverence or go for easy sentiment. Alfred Newman's powerful score never over-eggs the pudding, only breaking into his oft-recycled Hallelujah theme from The Hunchback of Notre Dame in the closing titles: it grasps that the film's central issue is love as much as faith, and that's rarely without pain or struggle.

Newman's score gets an isolated track on Twilight Time's impressive Blu-ray release, which boasts a fine transfer with optional overture, audio commentary by Jon Burlingame, Edward Z. Epstein and Donald Spoto, reissue trailer and excellent booklet notes by Julie Kirgo. It's a pleasing package for a surprisingly powerful and mature film.