filmlover

> {quote:title=SansFin wrote: }{quote}Colorizing older movies makes them far more accessible. Henceforth, all classic literature will be updated for today to make it more accessible for today's youth. A Tale of Two Cities: "Charles Darnay, alone in a cell, had sustained himself with no flattering delusion since he came to it from the Tribunal. In every line of the narrative he had heard, he had heard his condemnation. He had fully comprehended that no personal influence could possibly save him, that he was virtually sentenced by the millions, and that units could avail him nothing. Luckily, until his death, he had his cellphone and could access the internet to pass the time."

> {quote:title=Sepiatone wrote:}{quote} > Would any of Ansel Adams' photographs be more aesthetically pleasing if they were in color? I think not. > > Sepiatone > Sepiatone, you just made me think what it would be like if somone colorized a Hurrell b&w glamour photo. It makes me shudder.

Thanks for the info and the link. I agree about SOTS. If they did release it, I think Disney would make a huge announcement.

Criterion releases for April. Nothing really classic-era this time around. Titles include *A Hollis Frampton Odyssey* short film collection, Yasujiro Ozu's *Late Spring*, Robert M. Young's* ¡Alambrista!*, Hal Ashby's *Harold and Maude*, and Mario Monicelli's *The Organizer*, and *Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of the Czech New Wave*. Of those, Late Spring is the only previously available Criterion entry receiving a Blu-ray upgrade; the rest are new to the Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and DVD. Eclipse Series 32 is DVD only. Furthermore, the Frampton, Young, Ashby, and Monicelli films are making their respective debuts onto the North American Blu-ray format. Quoted below are Criterion's release date and disc specifications for each film. A Hollis Frampton Odyssey (April 9th, 2012) — * New high-definition digital restorations of twenty-four films: - Manual of Arms \- Process Red \- Maxwell's Demon \- Surface Tension \- Carrots & Peas \- Lemon \- Zorns Lemma \- (nostalgia) \- Poetic Justice \- Critical Mass \- The Birth of Magellan: Cadenza I \- Pans 0–4 and 697–700 \- INGENIVM NOBIS IPSA PVELLA FECIT, Part I \- Magellan: At the Gates of Death, Part I: The Red Gate I, 0 \- Winter Solstice \- Gloria! * Uncompressed monaural soundtracks * Audio commentary and remarks by filmmaker Hollis Frampton on selected works * Excerpted interview with Frampton from 1978 * A Lecture, a performance piece by Frampton, recorded in 1968 with the voice of artist Michael Snow * Gallery of works from Frampton's xerographic series By Any Other Name * A booklet with an introduction by film critic Ed Halter and essays and capsules on the films by Frampton scholars Ken Eisenstein, Bruce Jenkins, and Michael Zryd Late Spring (April 17th, 2012) — * High-definition digital restoration * Uncompressed monaural soundtrack * Audio commentary by Richard Peña, program director of New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center * Tokyo-ga (1985), filmmaker Wim Wenders's ninety-two-minute documentary about director Yasujiro Ozu * A booklet featuring essays by critic Michael Atkinson and Japanese-film historian Donald Richie Alambrista! (April 17th, 2012) — * New high-definition digital restoration * 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack * New audio commentary featuring director Robert M. Young and coproducer Michael Hausman * New interview with actor Edward James Olmos * Children of the Fields, a 1973 short documentary by Young - Accompanied by a new interview with the director * Trailer * A booklet featuring an essay by film historian Charles Ramírez-Berg Harold and Maude (April 17th, 2012) — * New high-definition digital restoration * Uncompressed monaural soundtrack * Optional remastered stereo soundtrack * Audio commentary by Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill * Illustrated audio excerpts of seminars by Ashby and writer-producer Colin Higgins * New interview with songwriter Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) * A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Wood; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon; and excerpted transcripts of two interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and director of photography John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis The Organizer (April 24th, 2012) — * New high-definition digital restoration * Uncompressed monaural soundtrack * Introduction by director Mario Monicelli from 2006 * Trailer * An essay by film critic J. Hoberman Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of the Czech New Wave (April 24th, 2012) — Includes: Pearls of the Deep (1966), Daisies (1966), A Report onthe Party and Guests (1966), Return of the Prodigal Son (1967), Capricious Summer (1968), and The Joke (1969). Available for pre-ordering on Amazon.

Misc. Blu news: Earlier this month Blu-ray.com announced that French distributors Lobster Films are preparing a Blu-ray release of Georges Méliès' legendary short film Le Voyage dans la Lune a.k.a. *A Trip to the Moon* (1902). Flicker Alley have now revealed that they are also planning to release the original hand-painted color version of the film in the United States, in a limited-edition SteelBook case. The Blu-ray will also feature a fascinating documentary directed by Serge Bromberg and Eric Lange about the life of Georges Méliès and the magic of film history and preservation. The preliminary street date set by the studio is March 27th. This year, MGM and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will bring the *Bond 50* collection to Blu-ray. Commemorating the iconic spy's fiftieth anniversary, the box set includes twenty-two Bond thrillers - including nine never-before-released on Blu-ray - beginning with Dr. No and ending with Quantum of Solace. MGM and Fox's official press release notes that the set comes "...with more than 130 hours of bonus features including some new and exclusive content." Though the U.S. set hasn't been given a return date, in the UK the set has a release date of Oct. 1, 2012. (A new Bond film, Skyfall, opens in theaters Nov. 9, 2012.) Hipefully, the 9 that haven't been released on Blu will get individual releases. Bernardo Bertolucci's *The Conformist* will get a Blu/DVD combo release in the UK on Feb. 27th. *The Wild Geese* (1978), starring Roger Moore and Richard Burton will get a combo Blu/DVD release, but it is inknown what the release date and region coding will be.

It's also a case of not having titles that are high on anyone's list as classics.

I hope those of you who haven't seen it will stick around to watch it tonight or DVR it. Great Technicolor sequences on Earth...and then... (Alternate title for this film is Stairway to Heaven.)

News from clasicflix.com: More Paramount titles via Olive Films have been announced with a *March 27th* release date. They are: Frank Sinatra (DVD & Blu-Ray): Come Blow Your Horn Assault On A Queen Jerry Lewis (DVD & Blu-Ray): It's Only Money Who's Minding The Store? Some 1950's dramas on DVD: No Man of Her Own Something To Live For Also out is 1963's Dean Martin and Lana Turner comedy Who's Got the Action? with Eddie Albert and Walter Matthau on both standard & Blu-Ray.

Some interesting news: As part of its 100th Anniversary this year, Universal Studios will unveil the results of its extensive film restoration campaign. Beginning this year, thirteen Universal titles will benefit from the studio's labors. The list includes: * All Quiet on the Western Front * The Birds * Bride of Frankenstein * Abbott and Costello's Buck Privates * The English and Spanish language Dracula versions filmed in 1931 * Frankenstein * Jaws * Out of Africa * Pillow Talk * Schindler's List * The Sting * To Kill A Mockingbird In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Universal's Technical Operations Head Michael Daruty stresses the thoroughness of this project, as "the restorations...took three to six months each and cost $250,000 to $600,000 per title." Daruty also hinted at similar film treatment in the future, noting that "this was a commitment by the company to say, 'We're gonna devote funding and most probably continue that effort year over year, to try and preserve and restore the legacy of the company...whether we're gonna get our money back in that first year or not.' " The only caveat is that not all of the aforementioned films will receive Blu-ray treatment; Universal has only definitively confirmed All Quiet on the Western Front, Jaws, Out of Africa, and To Kill a Mockingbird Blu-rays. However, the studio's official press release includes a detail that "highly anticipated Blu-ray releases of Universal's Classic Monster and Alfred Hitchcock series" will street later in the year, which bodes well for expecting The Birds, Bride of Frankenstein, both Dracula versions, and Frankenstein HD upgrades. Update: Included in their restoration press release is a mention of E.T., which, while not officially part of Universal's 2012 restoration slate, will receive a 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition this year.

> {quote:title=Bolesroor wrote:}{quote}LoveFilmNoir, I'm not sure what you mean by proof... I was alluding to the strange coincidences this month, namely > > > > > > > > > > * Angela Lansbury as SOTM on TCM > Not exactly a first-choice, and there's certainly never been any call-out by anyone to give Angela this honor > > > > > > > > > > * Murder, She Wrote on TV Land > Of all the classic shows not being re-run- many of which are MUCH higher-quality than the plodding MSW- why did TV Land choose this show to re-run now? > > > > > > > > > > As I said I feel like someone is trying to turn her into a living legend, which isn't going to happen for two main reasons: 1) She's not a legend, and 2) The fact that she's living is open for debate. Betty White is Beloved... Angela's just Tolerated. Betty White...really? Oh, yes, she was spectacular in that movie -- um...what was it? Angela Lansbury is a treasure, AND a Broadway Legend, one of the few that can still command a standing ovation. Lansbury had played a whole spectrum of roles. To name a few, she was delightful as the love-driven-but-deadly princess in The Court Jester, vindictive as the saloon hostess in The Harvey Girls...and could anyone have been more chilling than she in The Machurian Candidate?

They do look legit, but since the release date for each isn't for a few months that may be why they don't show up yet on TCM (or on Amazon).

It's so good to see them. He really can make me forget the pressures of the day and just make me laugh. He and Keaton were incredible comedy geniuses.

Hi, kingrat, I posted the info about the David Lean set further down this same page (Dec. 15th) with a picture.

Unfortunately, 1940 is not an option. As I think I mentioned way back at the beginning of the 1939 year, I had purchased 300+ movie ad pages for 1939. I don't have that for 1940. But I do ask for patience, because I have something special I will be doing. .

For those who have Blu-ray or are considering it, Best Buy will be doing another of its trade-in ANY DVD you have (must be a studio DVD with case) and get $5 off a Blu-ray, starting Jan. 8th. What is different this time is that instead of there being a limited number of titles that you could get under the program, you can get $5 off ANY Blu-ray that is $9.99 or higher (except music titles). Here are the details: Bring in your original DVD (no burned copies accepted) with the original case to Customer Service and receive a $5-off coupon valid on any Blu-ray movie priced $9.99 and up. Excludes Blu-ray music titles. See a Customer Specialist or visit BestBuy.com/upgradeandsave for more details about the Upgrade & Save promotion. Limit 5 coupons per trip. A recycling receipt must accompany the coupon at time of redemption. Once you have received your coupon, if you do not find a Blu-ray, you are unable to get your turned-in DVD back. Not valid with any other discount or package. Markdown taken from original price. Your original DVD must have been commercially packed and with the original case. Adult content DVDs not accepted. Not valid with any other offer. Valid on in-stock Blu-ray movies only. No cash value. Offer valid 1/8/12 - 1/28/12.

Capra's *Lady For A Day* is coming to Blu from Inception Media on Mar. 20th. *Jeremiah Johnson* (Robert Redford) is coming from WB on May 1st. James Stewart and Harvey arrive on Blu-ray on Mar. 6th.

More silent news from blu-ray.com: French distributors Lobster Films have revealed that they are preparing a Blu-ray release of Georges Méliès' Le Voyage dans la Lune a.k.a Voyage to the Moon (1902). This legendary short film, which was meticulously restored after a hand-colored print was discovered in 2002 (filmlover's note: believe that should be 1993), is considered the screen's first science fiction story. In addition to Le voyage dans la Lune, Lobster Films' release will also include director Méliès' shorts Le Chevalier mystère a.k.a The Mysterious Knight (1899), L'antre des esprits a.k.a The House of Mystery (1901), Le royaume des fées a.k.a Fairyland: A Kingdom of Fairies (1903), Le tonnerre de Jupiter a.k.a Jupiter's Thunderballs (1903), Les cartes vivantes a.k.a The Living Playing Cards (1904), and Le chaudron infernal a.k.a The Infernal Boiling Pot (1903). Exact technical specs and region coding status for this release are unknown at the moment, but the preliminary release date set by the French distributors is April 26th.

from Blu-ray.com: In a recently published interview, filmmaker and producer Bret Wood has revealed that Kino Lorber are planning to release a number of exciting titles in 2012, amongst them Louis Feuillade's classic (1915) and Donald Crisp and Buster Keaton's The Navigator (1924). According to Wood, in addition to more Jean Rollin films (not yet specified) the studio is also planning to release on DVD three previously unavailable in the U.S. films directed by Fritz Lang: Hara-Kiri (1919), The Wandering Shadow (1920), and Four Around a Woman (1921). Lastly, Wood has also confirmed that all of the upcoming Jean Rollin Blu-ray releases will be Region-Free. Here is a link to the interview: http://requiemforjeanrollin.blogspot.com/2012/01/fascination-q-with-kino-lorbers-bret.html

Thanks, VP.

Thanks, Eugenia. It feels kind of weird this morning that this year-long thread is done and not having an entry to do, but I am looking forward to having some time now to work on some other things. I will say this, however, if you enjoyed this thread, I think you will likely enjoy something I have coming up.

Amazon has a special Gold Box deal of the day for Jan. 1 only... All five seasons of The Twilight Zone as a set for $91.99 on DVD and $152.99 on Blu-ray. Each deal is 69% off list price. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=xs_gb_A3QTEJQKX1P3TJ?ie=UTF8&docId=1000747411&pf_rd_p=441937901&pf_rd_s=right-1&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_i=20&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0PPA02ZBW4ACMG8J0E5K Amazon also has a new set of 5 Criterion titles as part of their Blu-ray deal of the week. This time, it is: Island of Lost Souls $21.49 Four Feathers $21.49 Fanny and Alexander $32.49 Dazed and Confused $21.49 Rushmore $21.49

*Well, here it is the final entry for 1939, Hollywood's greatest year.* I hope you have enjoyed reading all the articles and seeing all the ads. Following the column below, I am presenting pages from the Film Daily Yearbook from back then that I thought you might enjoy seeing (including TV news from 1939!) So, hoping that my next leap will be the leap home, I wish you all a Happy New Year! Sunday, Dec. 31st, 1939

Saturday, Dec. 30th, 1939

Fri., Dec. 29th, 1939 Here's a little bonus for you, a look at grocery costs back on this day: And as New Year's Eve is almost here, here are some ads you might enjoy (and check out the prices)...

Coming on Blu-ray: Mar. 8 Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) Victor Mature Bite the Bullet (1975) James Coburn Mar. 20 Lost Keaton: Sixteen Comedy Shorts