filmlover
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Posts posted by filmlover
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Tonight, I turned on TCM just as the people were going into the theater to see King Kong near the end. I figured it was a great spot to start watching it again, so I stuck around through the end. But even though I have seen it MANY times before, I noticed some things I hadn't paid that much attention to:
1. When Kong climbs the first building and sees the woman with the dark hair sleeping, he reaches in and grabs her. Seeing it is not Ann Darrow, he lets her go and she falls. While I have seen this scene so often before, I never felt the real horror of the scene. I mean, here is a woman peacefully sleeping. She never suspects in her slumber that in a few seconds, she will be awakened as a giant ape's hand grabs her, will be pulled out of the window far above the street below and then will be dropped to her death. Could anything be so horrible as to be asleep, then wake to incredible fright, then die all in a few seconds, without a chance to even think about it? That was not only true horror back then, it still is today.
2. Likewise, the passengers on the train. They are talking or reading the paper, totally unaware they are about to be killed for no reason, other than they were just on this particular train. And those who survive the crash briefly are then murdered mercilessly by Kong pounding his immense fist down oin them until there is only silence in the car. (One thing I also spotted for the first time, one man does manage to drop free from the car near he end of it.)
3. Kong escaped at night and heads to the Empire State Building. It all looks to be done within minutes of real time. But when the planes come after him, it is daylight. Taken that the theatre show owuld have been no later than 9PM, and he tore apart NYC for a biut shortly after, where was he all those hours to dawn? It would be hard to think he was hiding.
So, anyway, I was wondering what have you noticed in a film after some time you didn't see the first time?
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It is going to be so great to see Wings! And there are so many fantastic films throughout the month.
When I was looking at the list, a thought occured to me...
So many times in the past, during the month of February we will get naysayers hating the Oscar theme or the choice of titles. But looking at the list reminded me of something very important, 31 Days of Oscar presents the greatest amount of true film classics at one time in one place. Many of the films in February are the very best of the best the cinema has ever produced in its entire history.
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Barnes & Noble must have caught on about that 50% discount code being used by a lot of people. It expired on Nov. 11th and now discounts have increased. Ford at Fox just went back up from 15% off to 20% off. Well, at least we got our orders in under it, already. That one is going under the tree this year, from me to me.
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I thought 2300 ET was 11 PM ET?
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I don't want to unnecessarily worry anybody about the Ford at Fox set but I have a sudden concern about the delivery from Barnes and Noble. I just received a package via UPS from them containing the Barbara Stanwyck Signature Collection and the new Three Stooges two disc set. The Stooges set was fine because it is tight with two thin sleeves. However, the Stanwyck had four of the five discs rolling around loose in their individual DVD boxes. Each developed scratches. B&N included no padding nor bubble wrap in the package.
Luckily, a call to them a few minutes ago was easy, and they are sending me a replacement box set and a postage-paid label for the bad one. However, what does this portend for the 21 DVDs in the Ford at Fox set??? I am now going to be living in utter dread until it gets here in December.
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The Gold Box (looks like a treasure chest icon) appears near the top of the home page.
You can sign up to be notified on a daily basis what the new item is, and usually you get the email right after midnight when the item take effect. However, for the Monday and Thursday deals that run only for a few hours, you have to check yourself by clicking on the front page Gold Box. They will usually feature three different items on those Monday and Thursday deals on the right side of the page that comes up when you click on the Gold Box, and they will tell you the category but not the item itself until the time starts for it (for example, the Frank Capra started at 6 AM PST). I think each special runs 4 hours or until they run out of stock, like the Capra set did this morning.
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I am so happy these were on. I just got through seeing them all over the weekend (had them on my DVR til then). I'm so glad that Dix wore a regular tie in the second to last of the films aired. I couldn't figure out why he always had to wear a bow-tie in so many films.
A bit of trivia: the whistling for the films was done by a woman named Dorothy Roberts, who also did it live each week when the series ran for many years on the radio (the show ran for 13 years).
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Here's the artwork for the El Cid release:
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I know the El Cid release has been mentioned before here but here is some fresh news from Digitalbits.com:
"Genius Products and The Weinstein Company have finally announced the DVD release of Anthony Mann's El Cid on 1/29/08, as part of Weinstein Co's new Miriam Collection label... yes, named after Bob and Harvey's mother. The Miriam Collection is meant to highlight "the best of contemporary and classic cinema." The 2-disc DVD will be issued in two versions - a deluxe edition and collector's edition. The deluxe edition will offer the film digitally remastered and will feature an introduction by Martin Scorsese, 1961 radio interviews with stars Charleton Heston and Sophia Loren, audio commentary by historian Neal M. Rosendorf and Bill Bronston (the son of producer Sam Bronston), a documentary on film preservation/restoration, featurettes on the producer, director and composer, and the Hollywood Conquers Spain documentary. The collector's edition will include all that, plus reproductions of the original 1961 program, a comic book and 6 production stills. Fans have been waiting for the DVD release of this film for a long time."
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LOL, sorry but Nashville is a film I wish I had missed.
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Re: Fanny. Very glad to hear this. The film gets me every time. I get choked up by it.
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I've tried doing several searches by keywords or even by my screenname and nothing comes up. Is it working correctly?
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ziggy, TCM is doing what they can, but you also have to factor in the amount of time they have to run them in. They start usually at 6AM EST, but have to be finished prior to the evening's Osborne showings at 8PM.
And, actually, TCM is running ALL the Hardy films. You forgot to look at the 22nd. They start then during the daytime, I think the first was called "A Family Affair," go until 8PM, then resume on the 23rd at 6AM.
Below is a list I compiled back when they first announced the schedule a few months ago (there might be slight programming changes since then):
1. Torchy Blaine (8 of the 9 in the series) (only missing ?Fly-Away Baby?)
2. Rusty (7 of the series) + Nancy Drew (all four in the series)
3. Jungle Jim (2 films)
4. regular features
5. The Whistler (6 of the 8 in the series, with 5 having Richard Dix) + 5 Ken Maynard teamed with Hoot Gibson movies
6. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (8 movies; most edited together from TV episodes and released theatrically) (one has Joan Crawford)
7. The Crime Doctor (8 of the 10 in the series) + I Love a Mystery (3 movies)
8. Philo Vance (6 of 14 Vance films) + 4 Penrod films (contains all 3 of the Billy Mauch series from WB)
9. Carry On series - replaced by Western series
10. Jungle Jim (2 films)
11. regular features
12. Dick Tracy (all 4 of the 1940s series) + The Saint (7 of the 9 in the series)
13. Lassie (6 films) + Arsene Lupin (2 films)
14. The Lone Wolf (7 of the 14 LW films) + Five Little Peppers (all four in the series)
15. East Side Kids/Bowery Boys/etc. (11 films)
16. Sherlock Holmes (4 films) + The Thin Man (5 films)
17. Jungle Jim (2 films)
18. regular features
19. The Falcon (11 of the 13 RKO Falcon films)
20. Flipper (both 1960s? movies) + The Great Gildersleeve (7 films ? 4 of his own series (complete) and his three appearances in the Fibber McGee and Molly movies)
21. Mexican Spitfire (all 8 of the series ? stars Lupe Velez, and there are two other Velez movies thrown in for good measure)
22 and 23. Andy Hardy (ALL 16 films in the series)
24. Jungle Jim (2 movies)
25. regular features
26. Maisie (9 of the 10 films in the series)
27. Four Daughters (all three of the Lemp Family series)(Daughters Courageous had the same basic cast but was a different family) + Perry Mason (all six in the series)
28. Dr. Kildare (all 9 Kildare films with Lew Ayres)
29. The Durango Kid (12 films out 15?)
30. Miss Marple (all 4 films) + Boston **** (6 films)
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I think it took me about a day before my membership # was activated, even though I got an email right away with the #. If you haven't placed the order yet, try entering the MC info on the bottom of the page first and then the 50% discount code up above. You may have to remove the 20% code first for it to accept. But I would think the 50% should still work since it is supposed to be good until 11/11. My final price before the taxes was $95.
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It looks like the code for deepdiscount.com will be "DD1109":
"Save an additional 20% Off from 11/09/07 - 11/25/07 with Promo Code DD1109.
Disclaimer from DD:
"Offer valid on currently available DVDs, Posters, Fun Stuff, and Storage Accessories. Previous sales are excluded. Prereleased DVDs are not included in sale. Coupons do not apply to video games, CDs, Books or electronics. Coupon may only be used once per customer. See site for details. We reserve the right to limit quantities."
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MissG,
If you are getting a $239 figure, then you better also make sure your Member # is being accepted into the order because the member Price without the 20% (or the 50%) should only be $229.48.
filmlover
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Kyle,
Count me in.
filmlover
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Thanks. I hope it will be 20% off at least (though 25% would be better since their prices have gone up).
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Phantom of the Opera
This is a review of the Universal DVD release of the Claude Rains version. This DVD has been available for some time but I think it is worth picking up.
Claude Rains only received third billing in this film, a fact that seems unbelievable now, right after Nelson Eddy and Susanna Foster, and his and Foster's name appears in smaller case than Eddy's in the opening credits roll. Eddy does have more scenes than anyone, possibly, and the musical scenes do dominate the film, but there is still the excellent Rains as the violinist who kills a music publisher because he believes the man has stolen his concerto. The violinist gets his face burned by acid and flees to the sewers and to the depths of the Opera House. From there, he seeks to make a star of his beloved Christine (more about this relationship further on).
This single DVD is chock-full of good things. The color print is exceptional, still beautiful to behold. The commentary by Scott McQueen is very lively, intelligent, and highly informative, one of the better commentaries I have come across.
Also on the DVD is a 50-minute documentary on the history of the Phantom of the Opera, including interviews with Susanna Foster and Turhan Bey (who starred in "The Climax," a film originally planned as a sequel). One of the very important reveals in the documentary is that there was originally a scene in this Rains version in which it was revealed that the Phantom is secretly the father of Christine, the singer, something she doesn't know, and that he had left when she was born to pursue his music career. It was something I had never known about this version...but now knowing it, it adds many layers to Claude Rains' performance. The reason that the scene was cut was that some studio execs were worried that people might think there was some sort of incest at play here. I don't feel that at all. I think if you see it again now, knowing he is her father, you will find that scenes of his overcaring now make much more sense than before. And addressing her at one point as "My child," an affectionate expression an older person might make to any person much younger, takes on a whole new meaning in the film.
There is also a photo gallery of 60+ photos.
Very much recommended.
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Edgecliff, thanks for the notification. Do you know of any special code yet that will be needed?
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I'm going to record a lot. Luckily, I signed up for DISH Hi-Def recently and my new DVR holds up to 350 hours of standard broadcasts. I'm ready for November!
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It's alive! It's alive!
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Some stuff we know about and don't know about yet: (from digitalbits.com)
From Grapevine Video in October:
Silents:
Harry Langdon Comedies (Saturday Afternoon/Soldier Man, 1926)
In the Tentacles of the North (1926, starring Gaston Glass and Alice Calhoun)
The Man from Beyond (1922, with Harry Houdini)
The Whirlpool of Fate (directed by Jean Renoir, 1925)
A Woman in Grey (1920, complete 15 chapter serial).
Sound double-bills:
Murder on the High Seas with Jack Mulhall, 1932/The Sunset Murder Case with Sally Rand, 1938
Revolt of the Zombies with Dean Jagger, 1936/King of the Zombies with Mantan Moreland, 1941.
From Lionsgate:
Cary Grant box set (Jan. 8th) includes:
Indiscreet (1958)
Operation Petticoat (1959)
That Touch of Mink (1962)
The Grass Is Greener (1961).
From MGM:
In the Heat of the Night: 40th Anniversary Edition (Jan.15)
John Frankenheimer Gift Set (Jan.22):
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Ronin (1998)
The Train (1964)
The Young Savages (1961)
Restored Serials is working on restoring four serials:
Young Eagles (1934)
The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi, 1934)
Son of Tarzan (1920)
The Three Musketeers (John Wayne, 1933)
Fom Sony:
20 Million Miles to Earth (Dec.4)
Ray Harryhausen Gift Set (Dec. 4th((colorized and b&w for each title):
20 Million Miles to Earth
Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers
It Came from Beneath the Sea
From VCI Serials (Dec. 4th)
White Eagle (1941 Buck Jones)
Battling with Buffalo Bill (1931 Tom Tyler).
From Warner Bros.:
Val Lewton Collection reissued with Martin Scorsese Presents Val Lewton: Man in the Shadows (Jan.8th)
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I agree with you about Amoeba. As I said, I basically use them as a reference point to see what is available, then go look it up online and buy it there instead. I've taken some things and sold them to Amoeba but, generally, only things I haven't been able to sell elsewhere for a decent price but I always go for the trade value rather than the cash because it works out to be more.
I've sold things at an L.A. comic book show and done well doing that, and will be going back again next week.
Another place I will sell to is DVDplanet.com They can end up paying several dollars each for used DVDs (based on different titles, of course). Generally, I will build up a credit of a $200 or so at a time. And when you use that credit to a future purchase, they give you points for every dollar spent on that purchase (including the ones from your credit) and you can bank those points to another purchase. It's not bad...but I have had some problems with their organizational ability from time to time. They can take a month to examine the DVDs you send them before crediting it to your account. And you can't take cash; only credit towards a DVDplanet.com purchase.
Things you never really noticed in a film until you saw it again later
in General Discussions
Posted
Oh, I agree about time compression in films, but considering that the theater was likely in Times Square, and the Empire State Building is a few blocks away, and the size of Kong...well, unless he was on a tour...