The Official Olive Films Thread

[jshaide]

Shit, just preordered:

The Weapon
Track the Man Down
Woman They Almost Lynched
World of Ransom

I was afraid I would do that.

[PowellPressburger]

hoping Olive gets to release Beware, My Love with Ida Lupino on blu.

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

hoping Olive gets to release Beware, My Love with Ida Lupino on blu.

Same way here, too bad they dont bother to answer inquires about it but I heard that Warner has a print of it or something like that.. If thats the case why doesnt WB release it themselves.. Olive has promised this title for like 2+ years

[The Great Owl]

My copy of Macbeth arrived in the mail today. I did not realize that this one came with a slipcover.

I mean, I'm not a slipcover collector in any real sense, but I like nice surprises. This one is pretty cool.

[The Great Owl]

Macbeth (1948) is pretty spectacular in my book.

Orson Welles made a handful of changes to the Shakespeare play, but these alterations work for the best in terms of conveying the aesthetic of the original story to cinema. This adaption of Macbeth brilliantly captures the claustrophobic tension as the walls figuratively close in on the title character over the course of the story. Welles's film is not as viscerally graphic as the 1971 Roman Polanski adaptation, but the major plot developments are far more chilling, thanks to the eerily dark film style and cinematography. The scene where Lady Macduff's young son is slaughtered is particularly nightmarish. (Since everyone reading this thread is well-versed on the works of Shakespeare, I do not feel as though I'm giving away any spoilers.)

Welles has always given notoriously overwrought performances, but his acting style is well-suited for the material at hand here. Welles's Shakespeare is, at turns, ambitious, insane, and oddly charismatic. The final showdown is for the ages.

This Olive Films Blu-ray of Macbeth delivers the goods. There's some print damage, yes, but the deep blacks of the film come through in style.

[JMDiaz718]

Olive, please get your hands on The Day of the Triffids!!!!!

[The Great Owl]

I decided to watch my Olive Films Blu-ray of Escape from Zahrain today.

Escape from Zahrain falls squarely into the category of imperfect, yet awesomely fun Olive "guy movie" titles, along with Greed in the Sun, Taxi for Tobruk, and The Americano. I would not necessarily recommend using this movie as a guidepost for accurately-depicted multicultural roles or scathingly realistic examinations of world politics, but you could do a lot worse if you're just looking for a cool flick to enjoy on a weekend afternoon.

Yul Brynner (Westworld), Jack Warden (12 Angry Men), Sal Mineo (Rebel Without a Cause), and Madlyn Rhue are all engaging in their roles, and a cameo from James Mason (20'000 Leagues Under the Sea, Bigger Than Life) is most excellent.

This Olive disc is not demo material, but the transfer of this old Technicolor film looks pretty good to my eyes.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by JMDiaz718

Olive, please get your hands on The Day of the Triffids!!!!!

That's an iffy title. It was produced by an indie company and distributed by Allied Artists, the library of which ended up at Warner. But the rights to this film must not have been part of that catalog, as it's been released on various home video formats in the US by several different Public Domain labels.

If the film is indeed in the Public Domain still, there's no reason why Olive (or anyone else) couldn't release it on Blu-ray. The real question is whether there's a negative or print that's in good enough shape to make it worthwhile.

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by jayembee

That's an iffy title. It was produced by an indie company and distributed by Allied Artists, the library of which ended up at Warner. But the rights to this film must not have been part of that catalog, as it's been released on various home video formats in the US by several different Public Domain labels.

If the film is indeed in the Public Domain still, there's no reason why Olive (or anyone else) couldn't release it on Blu-ray. The real question is whether there's a negative or print that's in good enough shape to make it worthwhile.

Actually its owned by a man named Michael Hyatt who wants a lot of money for it, basically to make back what he spent restoring it
This is just one article. I did suggest this movie to Twilight Time and they sounded interested
http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1792trif.html

[JMDiaz718]

Originally Posted by dsman71

Actually its owned by a man named Michael Hyatt who wants a lot of money for it, basically to make back what he spent restoring it
This is just one article. I did suggest this movie to Twilight Time and they sounded interested
http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1792trif.html

Yes, that was a great article. I read it a few years back. Love DVD Savant. Is this print by Mike Hyatt, the same one that Ignite Films has? I hear there was a screening a year or two ago, at Lincoln Center. Wish I'd known ahead of time. Would have loved to see it on the big screen.

Man, it would be SO awesome, if TT got it. Of course if another company, that doesn't charge as much got it, it would be most welcome! But I'd buy it from TT as well.

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by JMDiaz718

Yes, that was a great article. I read it a few years back. Love DVD Savant. Is this print by Mike Hyatt, the same one that Ignite Films has? I hear there was a screening a year or two ago, at Lincoln Center. Wish I'd known ahead of time. Would have loved to see it on the big screen.

Man, it would be SO awesome, if TT got it. Of course if another company, that doesn't charge as much got it, it would be most welcome! But I'd buy it from TT as well.

Yes, from Ignite Films...I gave TT the path and it is up to them if they decided to pursue the title or not

[Arkadin]

Day of the Triffids would be awesome to see on blu!

[JMDiaz718]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

Day of the Triffids would be awesome to see on blu!

I would LOVE to hear the gurgling Triffids, in 5.1 or 7.1 surround, if they ever upgrade the sound!!!

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching my Olive Films Blu-ray of The Mountain.

Shame on me for letting The Mountain sit unwatched on my shelf for almost a year, because I quickly decided that it's one of my favorite titles from this label.

The Mountain stars Spencer Tracy as an aging climber who is pressured by his greedy younger brother, played by Robert Wagner, to return to the top of Mount Blanc during brutal cold weather in order to retrieve loot from a downed plane. When they find a wounded passenger in the wreckage, the differing ethics and priorities of the brothers lead to an intense conclusion. Claire Trevor, who was a sex bomb in a few older film noir movies, and the always-brilliant E.G. Marshall star in supporting roles.

There are quite a few climbing sequences in this film that are still harrowing to watch even by today's standards. Even on my modest setup, this movie brought out my fear of heights.
There are also a handful of heartbreaking dramatic sequences.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just finished watching my Olive Films Blu-ray of The Mountain.

Shame on me for letting The Mountain sit unwatched on my shelf for almost a year, because I quickly decided that it's one of my favorite titles from this label.

The Mountain stars Spencer Tracy as an aging climber who is pressured by his greedy younger brother, played by Robert Wagner, to return to the top of Mount Blanc during brutal cold weather in order to retrieve loot from a downed plane. When they find a wounded passenger in the wreckage, the differing ethics and priorities of the brothers lead to an intense conclusion. Claire Trevor, who was a sex bomb in a few older film noir movies, and the always-brilliant E.G. Marshall star in supporting roles.

There are quite a few climbing sequences in this film that are still harrowing to watch even by today's standards. Even on my modest setup, this movie brought out my fear of heights.
There are also a handful of heartbreaking dramatic sequences.

Agreed. The Mountain was my first Olive purchase two years ago...the beginning of the addiction. A very good film, made even better by Spencer Tracy. Incredibly, most of those close-up climbing shots were done in a studio. Like you, I was impressed, the camera work is stellar in how it conveys a sense of peril and height during the climbing sequences. Also, the climbing technique and equipment of the mid-50s is shown accurately.

Suddenly I am reminded - once again - how much I want The Eiger Sanction on Blu-ray.

[The Great Owl]

I'm moving along through some unwatched Olive Films Blu-rays on my shelf, and I just watched The Atomic City.

The Atomic City is a competent Cold War thriller that provides an insight into the seriousness of the Communist threat at the time. When the young son of a Los Alamos nuclear physicist is kidnapped, the safety of the boy takes a backseat priority to the importance of identifying the spies responsible for his abduction. There's an interesting sequence in the film of the physicist, played by Gene Barry (The War of the Worlds), taking matters into his own hands that may remind contemporary viewers of the 2013 thriller, Prisoners. Eventually, The Atomic City de-emphasizes the espionage angle in favor of a fun conclusion on the cliffs and mesas of Santa Fe, but the story maintains what must have been a tense momentum at the time.

This movie does not quite reach the disturbing noir-esque heights of another Cold War Olive title, The Red Menace, but it's still engaging even by today's standards.

The audio quality of the Blu-ray transfer is somewhat lacking, and some popping noises are audible during the film, but everything looks decent on the video end.

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching the Olive Films Blu-ray of Bound.

This was my first time watching this Wachowski Brothers film. One reason why I dismissed Bound for many years is because, when it was released in 1996, the violent gun films with edgy cinematography in the vein of Quentin Tarantino and Luc Besson had started to overstay their welcome, and I suspected that this one was simply more of the same. Bound does, indeed, have a look and feel that is distinctly 1990s, with ultra-slick camera work and best-laid plans that quickly descend into out-of-control downward spirals, and there is a lot about this that had been done before in films like The Usual Suspects, The Last Seduction, and Kiss of Death.

Fortunately, Bound has a dynamic rush all its own, and it does a fine job of maintaining the balance between visual plausibility and flashiness. I am not always a fan of The Wachowski Brothers, but they got it right with this film and with the first entry of The Matrix trilogy. This movie provides a sizzling update on classic femme fatale characters, and, although I personally prefer the classic-era film noir movies before beautiful women started covering their bodies with hideous ink, it's impossible not to be drawn into the fold by Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon. Joe Pantoliano is an energetic blast to watch, as usual.

For my first viewing, I went with the unrated version of Bound. The Blu-ray looks and sounds all good to me.

[The Great Owl]

Last night, I watched the Olive Films Blu-ray of China Gate.

I was really impressed by this 1957 Samuel Fuller film which stars the lovely Angie Dickinson (Rio Bravo, Point Blank), Gene Barry (The War of the Worlds, The Atomic City), and none other than singer Nat "King" Cole himself. The movie may seem politically incorrect on the surface, and many contemporary viewers may wince, but, on its own terms as a story of its times, it's an engaging look at the Vietnam situation prior to overt American involvement and it's a fairly action-packed war film. The movie also makes some points about the nature of racism, both blatant and understated, that still ring true today.

China Gate is a black-and-white CinemaScope film that might have been even more striking in color, but the end result lends a certain visual bleakness to the story that suits the mood of desperation. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Last night, I watched the Olive Films Blu-ray of China Gate.

I was really impressed by this 1957 Samuel Fuller film which stars the lovely Angie Dickinson (Rio Bravo, Point Blank), Gene Barry (The War of the Worlds, The Atomic City), and none other than singer Nat "King" Cole himself. The movie may seem politically incorrect on the surface, and many contemporary viewers may wince, but, on its own terms as a story of its times, it's an engaging look at the Vietnam situation prior to overt American involvement and it's a fairly action-packed war film. The movie also makes some points about the nature of racism, both blatant and understated, that still ring true today.

China Gate is a black-and-white CinemaScope film that might have been even more striking in color, but the end result lends a certain visual bleakness to the story that suits the mood of desperation. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great.

Angie Dickinson never looked better! Good film, especially for Fuller fans. The theme song makes subsequent viewings drag for me though, after hearing it a few times I have no desire to ever again

[oildude]

I enjoy the theme song to China Gate. The whole movie is awesome. One of my most wanted films on Blu-ray, I was ecstatic when Olive announced it. God I love Sam Fuller. Even lesser Fuller is still pure cinematic bliss.

To fully appreciate Fuller's film, I suggest anyone watching it for the first time settle down in a chair with a fat stogie between their teeth, a glass of whiskey in their hand, and let China Gate wash over them with all its jingoism, political incorrectness, raw-boned energy, rat-bastard Commie pinko bad guys, and chewy dialog. Fuller's lack of subtlety in the way he deals with central themes such as the brutality of war and the corrosiveness of bigotry is like a fist slamming down on a table. Just make sure he doesn't topple your whiskey bottle while making his point.

Fuller's film, even if flawed in some respects, is a very real reminder of the time in which it was made. There were good reasons for the red scare and paranoia in the Western democracies in the late 1940s through the 1950s, which we today see reflected in some of the films from that time. Communism seemed monolithic and lethally dangerous within a few short years after WWII. Stalin blockaded Berlin in an attempt to overturn the divided occupation of the former Nazi capital (and underestimated the U.S. during the 1948-1949 Berlin airlift). This was immediately followed by the Soviets successfully testing their first nuclear bomb in 1949. It wasn't just that the U.S. no longer had the monopoly on nuclear weapons, or that Russia had developed its own bomb.....STALIN had the bomb, and he got it much earlier than he would have working on his own thanks to a few high placed Communist-sympathizing spies working inside the Manhattan Project and the U.S. weapons program. The Soviets would have developed a bomb by the 1950s, and the West knew this, but the spies passed information that allowed Lavrenty Beria's science teams to verify development and testing concepts that worked and not waste time on false paths. It is hard for us to appreciate today the total impact and paranoia of that earlier-than-expected Soviet A-bomb test on world events.

To add to this shocking development, in that same fateful year of 1949, Mao's Communists finally overran all of China. In June 1950, North Korea launched its savage and bloody invasion of the South and suddenly the U.S. was leading a UN coalition fighting a hot war against Communist aggression only five years after the end of WWII. China's entry into Korea and increasing Soviet support (including fighter aircraft and pilots) threatened to escalated the consequences of a regional conflict. Concurrent with these events, the French were fighting their own war in Indochina. France, in trying to hang on to its colonial Indochinese empire, was using Korea and the Cold War as an excuse to successfully press the U.S. for enormous amounts of aid - and repeated requests for U.S. air force intervention which never came - in its war against the Communist-led Viet Minh. Dien Bien Phu put paid to that in 1954.

Communist spies really were inside the U.S. and other Western governments, and there were sympathizers and fellow travelers in other positions in society, including Hollywood. The red scare did not exist in a vacuum, and it wasn't an imaginary boogey-man. The world really was a dangerous place, issues were not always black and white and were frequently gray, and the democracies truly believed they were under mortal assault, from without but also from within.

China Gate, with its eye on Communist influence and our own human failings as free societies, is a reflection of that not so distant past. It shows us something of a time and place that no I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, or Leave it to Beaver could possibly convey to modern audiences watching re-runs of these TV shows in later decades.