Showing Soon; Colossus, High Noon Again & Bette Davis On Tour… March 19, 2008
Posted by John Hodson in : DVD News & Info, Showing Soon , trackbackShowing Soon in R2
More of what’s upcoming for U.K. home entertainment fans in the world of (mostly) classic film and television…
Not the most reliable of sources I know, however, for what it’s worth, a poster on IMDB claims that the 1970 sci-fi classic Colossus; The Forbin Project - released by Universal to howls of derision as a cheapo pan and scan transfer in the U.S. - is coming to the U.K. as an OAR anamorphic ‘Special Edition’ complete with an audo commentary from director Joseph Sargent and star Eric Breaden. Now, it would be easy to dismiss that, but several etailers have a U.K. release listed as coming from Fabulous Films on May 19. I’d rest easier if/when it appears on the Fabulous Films website, but, there’s a glimmer is there not?
Early May brings John Cleese and Connie Booth’s Romance With A Double Bass: “…a truly delightful film and an important piece of film history. Based on a short story by Anton Chekhov this project was one of John Cleese’s first post-Python projects. Romance With A Double Bass was the second writing collaboration for Cleese and Connie Booth, and their first on screen appearance together, before they created the classic, Fawlty Towers.”
The film also starts a host of British talent including June Whitfield, Graham Crowden, Freddie Jones, Jonathan Lynn and Andrew Sachs.
Also May, Universal release a whole host of titles some re-releases, some that have previously been trapped in various box sets, among them Billy Wilder’s A Foreign Affair (1948) with Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich & John Lund, Leo McCarey’s 1934 Mae West vehicle Belle Of The Nineties, Preston Sturges 1940 comedy Christmas in July, two Dietrich films, Frank Borzage’s Desire (1936) and Von Sternberg’s Dishonored (1931), plus two from Douglas Sirk; All That Heaven Allows (1955) with Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson & Agnes Moorehead and Has Anybody Seen My Gal? with Hudson and Piper Laurie. More Sirk, Lubitsch et al; other titles on the same slate include Dracula’s Daughter, The Flame Of New Orleans, Angel, The Tarnished Angels, Follow The Boys, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, Golden Earrings, House Of Dracula, Magnificent Obsession, Mary Of Scotland, Morocco, My Little Chickadee, Never Give A Sucker An Even Break, Pittsburgh, Send Me No Flowers, and Shanghai Express - Universal also re-releases Dracula (1931) at the same time; hopefully the latest restoration which made it to the ‘75th Anniversary Edition’ in R1.
A cash-in release in May - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the 1982 TV version of the Broadway hit with Angela Lansbury, George Hearn & Cris Groenendaal. Extras for the upcoming (May) Warners SE of O Lucky Man! have been passed at the BBFC; the U.K. edition seems to replicate the U.S. set, including the documentary ‘O Lucky Malcolm’ (and is also included on the new SE of A Clockwork Orange both sides of the Pond).
I mentioned a 4 DVD SE release for Shallow Grave in June a while back; I should add that a Blu-ray disc is being released the same month. Some etailers are also showing June Blu-ray releases for The Boys From Brazil and Black Narcissus from ITVDVD; if the latter follows the same pattern as their recent Capricorn One Blu-ray release, it should come without any of the Network SD release’s extras, which will be a shame, but my God, the prospects of that gorgeous restoration in High Definition..! It’s almost (almost) enough to tip me into the HD camp.
Optimum continues its relentless (and movable) schedule. first up, they appear to have bumped that Assault On Precinct 13: Special Edition to September. In June, alongside the release of Angels One Five (we hope…), they are also putting the same film in a DVD ‘War’ triple with The Dambusters and Aces High.
Still in June - and these were mooted some time ago from Optimum, so be aware they could disappear off the schedule once again - ‘Screen Icons’ sets for Gerard Depardieu (4 discs) and, a month later, Brigitte Bardot (also four discs). In July, another in their ‘Boulting Brothers Collection’, the 1960 film Suspect, featuring Tony Britton and Virginia Maskell with Ian Bannen, Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence, Thorley Walters, Raymond Huntley and Kenneth Griffith; look out for Spike Milligan as an Irish caretaker! Optimum have also boxed Richard Attenborough in a ‘Screen Icons’ set in July (five discs), and they use those sometimes dangerous words ‘Ultimate Collection’ to describe a 15 DVD set dedicated to Jean Luc Godard. There’s also a release from the Studio Canal owned outfit for John Boorman’s Emerald Forest. No details yet of the content of any of these - let the speculation begin…
June, and Odeon release Peter Walker’s 1972 film The Flesh & Blood Show; the same company looks set to release 1949’s School For Randle, with Frank Randle (natch), it having been certified at the BBFC.
It was originally included as an extra by Fox on the U.K. SE release of Carousel (which is based on the same story), then pulled, though it is included with the German and U.S. sets - Fritz Lang’s 1930 film Liliom has been passed at the BBFC for release by the BFI, who have also had Anthony Asquith’s superb silent thriller A Cottage on Dartmoor certified for DVD, and coming our way May:
“Shot at British Instructional Films’ newly opened Welwyn Studios, A Cottage on Dartmoor marked another milestone for Anthony Asquith following his impressive 1928 debut Shooting Stars. A straightforward but beautifully realised tale of sexual jealousy, the film easily counters the entrenched criticism that British cinema in the silent era was staid, stagy and lacking emotion.”
In a recent Showing Soon, I mentioned that Warner were releasing Burt Lancaster’s hugely enjoyable romp The Crimson Pirate in April, but now I’m flabbergasted (and very contrite) to see that I was wrong; the release is actually coming from - gulp - PD specialists Orbit Media. I’m not sure how Orbit have secured the rights to The Crimson Pirate, (and Orbit have titles in their catalogue where rights issues are, shall I say, confusing…) but I would warn potential purchasers that past transfers from this outfit have been among the poorest ever committed to DVD. Caveat Emptor…
Metrodome release Lewis John Collins’ 1976 film The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea with Sarah Miles and Kris Kristofferson at the end of May alongside 1952’s The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By, scripted and directed by Harold French from Georges Simenon’s novel of the same name; stars Claude Rains and Marius Goring. Sony give another outing to Groundhog Day, on Blue-ray, early June.
Shameless are set to release two more giallo’s; from 1971 Aldo Lado’s Glass Dolls (aka La Corta Notte Delle Bambole Di Vetro) in May, and in June the 1974 What Have They Done To Your Daughters? (aka La Polizia Chiede Aiuto), Massimo Dallamano’s sequel to What Have You Done to Solange?; “…a perverted murderer preys on Italian schoolgirls while prowling a dark underworld of vice and ‘cappuccino sex’. The police investigate and soon discover evidence of a teenage prostitution racket.”
Showbox release another set of ’50s Group 3 films in June in the shape of the Long Lost Comedy Classics Box Set: Vol.2 (4 Discs) featuring:
Miss Robin Hood: A newspaper columnist conspires with an elderly fan to steal a secret whiskey formula from a wealthy distiller. However, it’s not long before Scotland Yard is on the case!
You’re Only Young Twice: A young girl Ada Shore, arrives at Skerryvore University in Scotland in search of her long lost uncle who was once a subversive Irish poet but is now working under another name as the University Gate Keeper…
Brandy For The Parson: A young couple on a yachting holiday become involved with Tony Rackham who is smuggling brandy from France. Through various mishaps, they find themselves personally responsible for transporting the brandy kegs to London, whilst being pursued by Customs officials.
Time Gentlemen Please: The PM is planning a celebration visit to the model village of Little Hayhoe. However, local lay-about Dan Dance refuses to work, so he’s shipped off to the local almshouse where he awaits an uncertain, yet very funny future.
Axiom films release Wim Wenders Wings of Desire in June, alongside Paris Texas; I’ve no idea what extras if any are included, but retailing around £15, they’ll have to be good. Yume release Nigisa Oshima’s Night And Fog in Japan (aka Nihon No Yoru To Kiri) at the end of June.
Vintage television, and in April they’ll be dancing in the streets of Stoneybridge with the release of an eight disc set that contains the whole of Absolutely called, aptly, Everything!
Network’s next two Armchair Thriller offerings will be Victim and Dying Day. They’ve also added yet another iteration of Romero’s Night Of The Living Dead to their schedule (May) and Jason King; The Complete Series (seven discs), for June. June TV also includes Takin’ Over The Asylum, and the two-disc The Paul Merton Collection (no details as yet).
I can’t for the life of me fathom what’s happening with Fox in R2, but they seem to have abandoned new classic releases altogether. There has been nothing of note in ‘08, certainly no new Studio Classics or Cinema Reserve titles - their only tactic seems to be that old standby: ‘when in doubt, re-release it in a steelbook’. Appalling…and quite worrying.
High Noon; Paramount’s License to Thrill…
A quick huzzah for an upcoming U.S. release; Lionsgate has scheduled High Noon as a two-disc SE for June. Effectively, it will be the set that Paramount abandoned some 18 months ago now, when they made that sudden and depressing about face that left their Republic holdings still in the hands of Lionsgate. Happily, the new set will boast that eye-wateringly wonderful restoration and transfer that has already been enjoyed by fans in Holland, France and Australia (you can read about it here), all the extras from previous releases, plus (the come-on for those of us that already have this) a new and potentially fascinating 50 minute plus documentary. Can’t wait to see it.
Apparently, word has it that Paramount has opened its vaults to Lionsgate and will allow them access, at last, to elements they have been busy restoring over the past few years; if that news is accurate - and Paramount, we know, appears to have little or no interest in classic releases themselves - we could at last see some spanking discs from the Republic catalogue instead of the sometimes awful fare that Artisan / Lionsgate have foisted on fans in the past. Licensing - to Lionsgate, Criterion and possibly others - does appear to be the way forward as far as Paramount is concerned. Now, what about The Quiet Man..?
Bette Davis on Tour…
They called her the ‘First Lady of Film’ – and Bette Davis saw no reason to disagree. “I always had the will to win,” she once proclaimed. Now the career of one of Hollywood’s most colourful grandes dames is being celebrated by the U.K. film channel TCM (Turner Classic Movies), the BFI and distributors Park Circus, with nationwide screenings of 11 of her most memorable dramas to coincide with the centenary of her birth on 5th April, 2008.
The 11 titles include new 35mm prints of Jezebel, The Letter and The Little Foxes, together with a fully restored digital print of All About Eve, which has been back in selected cinemas since the end of November 2007. The tour was launched at the Glasgow Film Festival in February, and it continues through to July, with over 50 cinemas thoughout Britain taking part.
TCM pays its own tribute to this tempestuous screen icon, with an on air season airing on the channel in April 2008. ‘Bette Davis on Tour’ represents ‘a unique opportunity to admire an actress whose contribution to motion picture history lives on.’
More information including broadcast times, full tour map, a run-down of the titles on offer, and more click here to visit the special TCM UK Bette Davis page.
Comments»
Great to see ‘Shanghai Express’ getting a stand alone release - thanks for that info.
That bit about Paramount is potentially very exciting - imagine getting a pristine, restored ‘Quiet Man’ on DVD!
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I think I need to go and lie down
A lot of very good news. Thanks as always John.
I would be delighted if The Colossus rumours are true. I never bought the R1 release and an OAR version has been on my ‘most wanted’ list for some time along with Charley Varrick which turns up in widescreen on ITV4 every few months but which is somehow only available on a 4:3 R1 DVD from Universal.
Already owning the Dutch release of High Noon means I am much more interested in the films in Republic’s catalogue finally getting either a brand new transfer from restored elements (The Quiet Man) or being released at all (The Sun Shines Bright and many others). I would guess the very nice version of Johnny Guitar that’s been available across Europe from Paramount since last year will also become available in the US some time soon.
Thanks for the heads up on those Universal releases. I just ordered Shanghai Express, Desire, Tarnished Angels and Lubitsch’s Angel.
I’m glad to finally get them as I had no inclination to buy the Sirk box set containg the butchered Magnificent Obsession (which is available OAR in France also including the John M. Stahl original) or Dietrich set with Shanghai Express having amassed the others through previous French, UK or US releases.
Every time I finish reading one of your new posts my wallet is a bit lighter.
‘Charley Varrick’ is a slightly diffferent kettle of fish to ‘Colossus’; while the latter is P&S, the former is open-matte and the transfer is decent enough to zoom very nicely to 1.85:1.
However, I’m told that there is an anamorphic OAR disc of the film available in Germany with an English soundtrack and if you haven’t already got it, it appears to be the one to go for, see here.
BTW, I wouldn’t dismiss the R1 ‘High Noon’ altogether; that new documentary sounds like a peach.
Thanks for the comments Bob & Colin; much appreciated.
I’ve no doubt the High Noon documentary will be excellent but I was thinking I’ll wait until an eventual Blu-ray release which would hopefully include the documentary before I upgrade High Noon once again. That would also require me upgrading to Blu-ray of course but that Black Narcissus news brings me a step closer.
Of course there’s a world of difference in P&S of 2.35:1 and open matte of 1.85:1 with the latter just being a non-anamorphic transfer without black bars but part of the reason I had been holding off on Charley Varrick was the knowledge that as soon as I bought that DVD a brand new anamorphic one would be released.
Thanks for the tip on the German DVD. I hadn’t heard about it.
Thanks for yet another informative column, John. But why are you - and others here - resisting HD? Is it a financial matter? I know the idea of replacing old discs with Blu-ray versions is daunting, but it’s going to take a long time for them all to come out (if they ever do). I just feel with all these films you own, don’t you owe it to yourself to see them in the best quality possible? I also resisted for a time but once you’ve seen a classic movie in HD, it’s hard to go back. The prospect of BLACK NARCISSUS on Blu-ray is eye-watering.
Personally, there are several reasons I’m resisting right now. Blu-ray appears to employ far from finished technology; when they offer a player that is multi-region - for both HD and SD discs - when it comes at a price that is reasonable, when the user is not being played for a beta tester by Sony or is ‘future proofed’ inasmuch as Sony does not keep moving the profile goalposts, then I will consider it.
I’m watching a 42″ screen from a distance of 12 feet; I have access to BBC HD and it’s decent but not mind-blowing, though I wouldn’t doubt it would look spiffy if I was watching something, say, twice the size via PJ (or if BBC HD actually broadcast something mind-blowing…). I’m none too sure about replacing many of my current discs (some of which have been double or even triple dipped), and I’m a little dubious (given my personal circumstances outlined above), that some of my older films will look significantly better in HD, even if they get round to transferring them thus.
I’m far more interested in the new Oppo 934, which already looks like ‘the’ SD player to buy, which apparently upscales SD better than any HD player on the market and which will serve my bloated DVD collection (amassed at no little cost) far better and for some time to come.
All of this will, of course, come back to haunt me when, in a few short months I buy that damned Blu-ray player; please come back Duggie and tell me ‘I told you so…’!
BTW, a chap who has seen the restoration of ’Black Narcissus’ on the big screen tells me that the only problem with such a beautiful job on such a large scale is that you can see the matte lines clearer! Small cost though, I would have thought.
Yes, multi-regionality is an issue but only if you’re concerned about having everything in one box. I’m using a PS3 which some people are suspicious of because it’s not a dedicated standalone (and yes, I’ve lost a few hours of my life to gaming since, which I never did before) but its load-times are as quick as any dvd player and it’s actually more “future-proof” than could be expected, given its ability to download firmware updates.
As for the HD broadcasts, I’ve never seen one that’s matched the quality of a good Blu-ray. They still look compressed to me - somebody more technically-minded might be able to confirm that (or not). But no matter what anyone says, I have a fair few classic films on HD and even the poorest of them is still significantly better than the best DVD transfer. Upscaling is all very well (and I use an Onkyo 705 for that) but you can’t get resolution that simply isn’t there.
Sorry - I sound like I’m haranguing. It’s just that whilst one can make a reasonable case for not buying into Blu-ray yet, the beauty of hi-def is such as to render it all meaningless. I’m just glad I have it, and have it now. I’m also glad that I’m buying HD where possible, as otherwise I’d be replacing even more of my collection (and yes, it’s in the thousands) in the future.
I suppose I just want everyone to be a convert like me (and, of course, I want the format to take off). It’s a good job I’m not a religious fundamentalist; merely a lowly worshipper at the feet of Hi-Def.
Wonder what’s on the Dickie Attenborough set?
No word; and it’s still only showing at one etailer, so we can only hope it firms up - my eyes are peeled.
Regarding the Crimson Pirate - I’ve had that Orbit R2 release since well before Christmas (I’m slightly perplexed that according to most etailers it hasn’t been officially released yet) and, indeed, it is utter trash PQ wise. Blurry, VHS quality.
Thank you Bill; at the very least Orbit are consistent in their approach to DVD transfers.
I see the BBFC have passed ‘The Ship that Died of Shame’ for Optimum, so that should be on the Attenborough set.