Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[belcherman]

My sale order:

Cat Ballou (not on sale, but I'm not waiting for the next sale)
Cover Girl (this has been on my wish list for years so I finally pulled the trigger)

There are a few more sale items that tempted me, but since summertime is not a time when I watch a lot of movies, and with all the great movies that Kino and WAC have been putting out, plus the upcoming Criterion sale, I figured that was enough for now.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

I enjoyed Bite the Bullet...outstanding PQ as well .

I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked this one too. Great soundtrack as well.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Okay, the SAE sale finally got to me...

I just placed an order for...

Bite the Bullet
Major Dundee
The Roots of Heaven
Miss Sadie Thompson 2D/3D
Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (Scorpion Releasing title)

Bite the Bullet, Major Dundee, and The Roots of Heaven are all titles that have intrigued me, if, for nothing else, the scenic outdoor shots. I'm looking forward to checking them out at long last.

The Rita Hayworth movie this month was a no-brainer, of course.

I see a few people already threw their two cents in, but I also wanted to point out that Bite the Bullet is a great film. It has a very interesting premise with a stellar cast of stars and familiar character actors. The main horse race plot is exciting with a few interesting subplots, some of which dip into more traditional western territory. For an Oscar winning filmmaker Richard Brooks seems kind of overlooked these days but I've loved every one of his films I've seen.

[vilha]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to write this but I would like to warn international customers who are buying from SAE. The value of the last order I made during the sale was marked exactly right on the package so I wouldn't consider them customs friendly anymore.

[docc]

Bite The Bullet has everything... grand western adventure, stunning cinematography, brilliant music score by Alex North, wonderful ensemble cast. Worth many repeated viewings, I'm surprised this hasn't sold out yet.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Okay, the SAE sale finally got to me...

I just placed an order for...

Bite the Bullet
Major Dundee
The Roots of Heaven
Miss Sadie Thompson 2D/3D
Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (Scorpion Releasing title)

And, of course, I made a second trip back to SAE to catch the tail end of the sale.

I placed my second order for...

Audrey Rose
The Other
The Last Detail
The Panic in Needle Park

Audrey Rose and The Other are second-tier 1970s horror films, but I've enjoyed them both, and I love horror from that decade.

The Panic in Needle Park is not on sale, but I'm convinced that it's going to sell out shortly, and I don't want to be left out in the cold.

So much for my plan of saving money this month, but I guess that I saved some by purchasing these items on sale.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by vilha

I'm not sure if this is the right place to write this but I would like to warn international customers who are buying from SAE. The value of the last order I made during the sale was marked exactly right on the package so I wouldn't consider them customs friendly anymore.

I just received my order of four titles yesterday, the Customs tag said $12. Maybe it was a mistake in your case.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

I see a few people already threw their two cents in, but I also wanted to point out that Bite the Bullet is a great film. It has a very interesting premise with a stellar cast of stars and familiar character actors. The main horse race plot is exciting with a few interesting subplots, some of which dip into more traditional western territory. For an Oscar winning filmmaker Richard Brooks seems kind of overlooked these days but I've loved every one of his films I've seen.

He was no slouch when it came to scriptwriting, either. Among the films he wrote but didn't direct are The Killers, Brute Force, Crossfire, and Key Largo.

[mport5150]

My order to be delivered on Tuesday!


Qty Title Unit Price Item Total

1 THE BIG HEAT (1953 / ENCORE EDITION) (SPECIAL PROMOTION) $19.95 $19.95

1 JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961) (SPECIAL PROMOTION) $19.95 $19.95

1 BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962) (SPECIAL PROMOTION) $19.95 $19.95

1 FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1964) (SPECIAL PROMOTION) $19.95 $19.95


SubTotal: $79.80

Shipping: $9.56

Total: $89.36 or $22.34 each

[Dex Robinson]

Originally Posted by vilha

I'm not sure if this is the right place to write this but I would like to warn international customers who are buying from SAE. The value of the last order I made during the sale was marked exactly right on the package so I wouldn't consider them customs friendly anymore.

I beg people here to put their location in their profile so we can see where they are when they post such messages.

With laws and levels of enforcement so diverse around the world, something of concern to an international customer in one country may be of no consequence to someone in another country.

And did the value on the package cost you more? I've received international Blu-ray packages from Japan, Germany,the UK and the US all with full value shown on the package and only once did it actually incur a customs charge (a box of BD's from ImportCDs got tagged by Canadian Border Services about 5 years ago).

BTW, I ordered MISS SADIE THOMPSON and APRIL LOVE.

[oildude]

The Secret of Santa Vittoria should be in the collection of everyone who loves a good WWII yarn that doesn't take itself too seriously and, for a little over two hours, gives us some strong character acting to enjoy along with an engaging story. I think it would make an excellent pairing with Kelly's Heroes for an enjoyable double feature. I love this movie. It isn't pretending to be more than it is, no big moral themes to ponder or calls to look at ourselves in the mirror as we often find in the many great films of Stanley Kramer. Nope, what you get in the Secret of Santa Vittoria is Kramer having some fun with his subject matter. This isn't a great film, but it is quite a good one, a serious drama and a comedy (dramady) rolling around together onscreen, which means you get good belly laughs from watching the antics of the main characters and the sometimes absurd situations that develop from the terrors of an Italian village being occupied by German troops. People get killed, the threat of death and destruction are ever present, but amid the grim realities of war coming to a peaceful Italian village we are allowed to see the humor in the lives and resilient attitudes of its people.

The plot revolves around the villagers trying to hide the one thing they have that is worth anything (and the basis of their limited prosperity) from the Germans - their excellent locally produced wine. The Germans, of course, know the reputation of the village for making good wine and want to seize the latest vintage in order to sell it off for their own profit. What ensues is a tense but fun game of wits, hide and seek, cat and mouse, as the villagers put aside their own differences to protect their economic asset of 1,000,000 bottles from being found and confiscated.

What makes this film so good is the strength of its casting. If you are a fan of Anthony Quinn like me, then be prepared for movie nirvana as we watch Quinn in one of his best performances. Quinn plays a man named Bombolini, who is a bit of a buffoon to casual observers, often drunk, frequently engaged in dramatic but hilarious verbal fights with his long-suffering wife played with equal aplomb by the magnificent Anna Magnani. Bombolini is an emotional man in the style of characters frequently played by Quinn (think Zorba the Greek). He dances and sings when happy, cries when sad, and isn't afraid to let it all hang out on his wine-stained sleeves. But Bombolini isn't so simple a caricature, and inside him are founts of wisdom and intelligence deep enough to conceive of a plan to deceive the Germans and put them off the scent of grapes. Bombolini gets his chance when early in the film we learn that the fascist Mussolini government has surrendered and, amid the celebrations, Bombolini is found high up on a water tower too outrageously drunk to fear falling to his death. This is interpreted as bravery, and when the townspeople learn that the surrender of their government doesn't mean peace and an end to war like they thought, that in fact the German army is now occupying all of Italy including their town, they make Bombolini their leader and representative.

Hardy Kruger stars as Captain Sepp von Plum, the young aristocratic officer in charge of the German forces, who Bombolini interacts with on affairs of the village, including orders to produce the wine stocks within a certain period of time. Kruger is one of my favorite actors (Sundays and Cybele, Hatari!, The Wild Geese). In real life, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht in 1944 at the age of 16 as the Third Reich faced imminent invasion by the Allies. With his Nordic good looks, he frequently played German soldiers or adventurers in films during the 1950s and 60s and made each of his roles memorable, as he does here. His character also has an attraction to a local woman, who is in love with a young man who has deserted from the Italian army and she is hiding from the Germans, which results in deadly peril for the latter.

The PQ on this Blu-ray transfer is excellent. The film was shot on location in Italy; among its highlights is the marvelous cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno, who lensed many well-known films of the era for directors like Fellini, de Sica, Visconti, and Kramer, among them Amarcord, Fellini Satyricon, All That Jazz, The Leopard, On the Beach, Sunflower, Yesterday Today and Tomorrow, Carnal Knowledge.... the list of his accomplishments is impressive. The Secret of Santa Vittoria also won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy and was nominated for two academy awards.

[bladelia]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

I beg people here to put their location in their profile so we can see where they are when they post such messages.

With laws and levels of enforcement so diverse around the world, something of concern to an international customer in one country may be of no consequence to someone in another country.

And did the value on the package cost you more? I've received international Blu-ray packages from Japan, Germany,the UK and the US all with full value shown on the package and only once did it actually incur a customs charge (a box of BD's from ImportCDs got tagged by Canadian Border Services about 5 years ago).

BTW, I ordered MISS SADIE THOMPSON and APRIL LOVE.

That's strange, as I received Lilies of the field and When the wind blows here in London yesterday, and it was marked as Cds worth $6.

[vilha]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

I beg people here to put their location in their profile so we can see where they are when they post such messages.

With laws and levels of enforcement so diverse around the world, something of concern to an international customer in one country may be of no consequence to someone in another country.

And did the value on the package cost you more? I've received international Blu-ray packages from Japan, Germany,the UK and the US all with full value shown on the package and only once did it actually incur a customs charge (a box of BD's from ImportCDs got tagged by Canadian Border Services about 5 years ago).

BTW, I ordered MISS SADIE THOMPSON and APRIL LOVE.

I had to pay 24% VAT on all items + shipping. I'm from Finland if that really makes a difference.

[TheOneWithThePrize]

Originally Posted by vilha

I'm not sure if this is the right place to write this but I would like to warn international customers who are buying from SAE. The value of the last order I made during the sale was marked exactly right on the package so I wouldn't consider them customs friendly anymore.

You didn't happen to opt for the more expensive shipping option? Then SAE would be inclined to mark it with the correct amount in case of a lost/damaged package.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by vilha

I'm not sure if this is the right place to write this but I would like to warn international customers who are buying from SAE. The value of the last order I made during the sale was marked exactly right on the package so I wouldn't consider them customs friendly anymore.

International customers should beware of SAE, period. They have a policy where they don't replace your order if it gets lost unless you pay their extortion shipping price which is more expensive than the movies themselves. I had 2 movies on order which shipped May 25th and never got to me, so I'm out $70

[warrian]

Originally Posted by gates70

International customers should beware of SAE, period. They have a policy where they don't replace your order if it gets lost unless you pay their extortion shipping price which is more expensive than the movies themselves. I had 2 movies on order which shipped May 25th and never got to me, so I'm out $70

Not doubting your story, gates. But in the interests of full disclosure, you should probably let us know what the replacement shipping was exactly.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by warrian

Not doubting your story, gates. But in the interests of full disclosure, you should probably let us know what the replacement shipping was exactly.

Replacement shipping ? You mean the shipping that was guaranteed ? For the 2 movies it was a bit over $30 USD for 2 movies, which is almost $40 CDN.

[warrian]

Originally Posted by gates70

Replacement shipping ? You mean the shipping that was guaranteed ? For the 2 movies it was a bit over $30 USD for 2 movies, which is almost $40 CDN.

Like I said, I'm not grilling you. You just posted a rather serious warning without all the details.

So, Twilight Time offered to send you replacements for the lost shipment but you turned them down because of the $30 USD they required in addition to the $30 USD you already spent for delivery. These fees totaling more than the discs themselves, yes?

Again, just trying to understand.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by warrian

Like I said, I'm not grilling you. You just posted a rather serious warning without all the details.

So, Twilight Time offered to send you replacements for the lost shipment but you turned them down because of the additional $30 USD they required in addition to the $30 USD you already spent for delivery. These fees totaling more than the discs themselves, yes?

Again, just trying to understand.

No. The initial shipping if I wanted it guaranteed was the price I mentioned. In my conversations with them, they never even offered a replacement and mention on their site that it's "at your own risk" if you don't take the expensive shipping. They don't replace if you don't take that expensive shipping.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by gates70

International customers should beware of SAE, period. They have a policy where they don't replace your order if it gets lost unless you pay their extortion shipping price which is more expensive than the movies themselves. I had 2 movies on order which shipped May 25th and never got to me, so I'm out $70

What is there to beware of? They clearly state that policy in a big red box and you have to actively choose to take the cheaper option agreeing to take the risk of not being reimbursed if the parcel gets lost. Seeing as they DO offer a cheaper option, I'd hazard a guess that the "extortion shipping price" is what they actually get charged themselves to send a parcel out of country with a declared value of $70.