Oh, What A Glorious Thing To Be… December 6, 2006
Posted by John Hodson in : DVD News & Info, British Film , add a commentFor fans of vintage British entertainment - and surely there must be one or two of us still around - the news in my last post of the upcoming DVD release of George Formby’s first film proper, 1934’s Boots! Boots!, by DD Home Entertainment, should cultivate the hope that this must herald further DVD announcements featuring the man who was - in a country that now seems far, far away gentle reader - a veritable film superstar, a huge money making machine for the British film industry.
Boots! Boots! is now up for pre-order at Play.com where it says:
George Formby stars together with his wife Beryl in his very first feature film, a musical comedy that helped to launch him to stardom! George plays John Willie, the shoeshine boy at the posh Crestonian Hotel. He’s a cheeky little man with no time for authority, a head full of dreams, a pocketful of songs and a heart full of love for the hotel’s scullery maid (Beryl Formby). After causing more than his fair share of chaos at the hotel, he finally gets the chance to redeem himself - and show off his hidden musical talents - when he finds himself topping the bill at the hotel’s Gala Cabaret Night!
For Formby fans, this early performance features a host of moments to treasure including rare song performances - Why Don’t Women Like Me?, Sitting on the Ice in the Ice Rink and I Could Make a Good Living at That - George accompanying wife Beryl’s tap routines on mouth organ and ukulele and a duet with Beryl on Baby.
This special DVD edition has been extensively restored to include a number of ‘lost’ scenes originally cut from the film on its re-release in 1938. Among these is the musical number performed by a young Betty Driver (Coronation Street’s Betty Turpin).
Ah, the formidable Beryl - and Betty Driver, by the way; another big, big star in her day, now more famous for her ‘otpots, humongous floral print dresses, and being largely ignored by ‘our Gordon’ (the ungrateful whelp!). I digress.
IMDB says that Boots! Boots! was: “Re-released in an edited 52-minute version. For many years this was thought to be the only available print. However, in 2000, a nitrate version of the original full-length film was found, and is in the process of being restored.”
It looks like this is the fruit of that restoration. Exciting news n’est pas?
Meanwhile, ITV DVD seems determined to sneak DVD releases out without anyone noticing. Largely unheralded, they’ve recently released the previously mentioned David Lean Collection and an 11-disc Powell and Pressburger Collection superceding their 9-disc set with the addition of Black Narcissus and The Tales of Hoffman. From what I can gather, extras seem largely as before, and I’m not even sure they’ve been able to port across the extras currently on the version of Black Narcissus Network licensed out from Granada Ventures. Interestingly a shot of the rear of the box I managed to locate on the web reveals the logos not only of ITV DVD, but also of Studio Canal and Optimum (does that mean, with Optimum prepping an SE of Peeping Tom, we’ll see a 12 disc set at some point?).
The $64,000 question is; does the box contain spiffy new transfers? The recent French releases of many of these P&P films were highly lauded, and I rather fancy - well, indeed I hope - they the standard of the transfers be replicated in this new box; any information one way or the other will be gratefully received!
Back to marketing by stealth; it looks like ITV DVD is also behind the six disc Arthur Askey Collection: Miss London Ltd., King Arthur Was A Gentleman, I Thank You, Bees In Paradise, Band Wagon, Backroom Boy due in January.
That’s a very attractive price for the set don’t you think? Even though it’s almost certain to be extras free. Also at HMV, you’ll find each of those titles in the collection available individually for £3.99 each. Again, that set, featuring a veteran of stage, screen, radio and TV, a giant of the British entertainment world - I kid you not - has just popped up without fanfare at several etailers, which, when ITV DVD obviously wants to sell as many shiny little discs as it can, is all very strange…
Lastly, I promised to keep you up to speed on that new 16-disc Will Hay Collection; as feared, it didn’t appear as scheduled, but Amazon has a new date - September 17, 2007. Fingers crossed. If you can’t wait that long, and are currently ‘Hay-less’, the 9-disc set can be found at several etailers under £18.