filmlover

Updated info on the Blu version of West Side Story Fans of the film will have two options when picking this one up on Blu-ray. A four-disc Limited Edition giftset will include the film and special features on two BD discs, a DVD version, a tribute CD, and a full color book alongside numerous lobby card reprints. A second version will simply feature the two Blu-ray discs in digibook packaging. Special features for this release include plenty of material that breaks down the film's songs and choreographed dance sequences, as well as a good assortment of the film's theatrical trailers. This 50th Anniversary Edition also brings over the bonus content from the 2003 Special Edition DVD set. The complete list is as follows: * Pow! The Dances of West Side Story: All new featurette in which cast members, contemporary filmmakers, dancers and choreographers analyze and illuminate the film's famous dance sequences. ** Prologue ** Dance at the Gym ** Tony and Maria's Cha Cha ** America ** The Rumble ** Maria's Roof Dance ** Cool * A Place for Us: West Side Story's Legacy: All new featurette that takes a look back at West Side Story and the impact it has had all over the world. ** Creation and Innovation ** A Timeless Vision * Song Specific Commentary by Lyricist Stephen Sondheim: ** Prologue ** The Jet Song ** Something's Coming ** Dance at the Gym ** Maria ** America ** Tonight ** Gee, Officer Krupke ** I Feel Pretty ** One Hand, One Heart ** Quintet ** Somewhere ** Cool ** A Boy Like That / I Have a Love * West Side Memories: One-hour retrospective documentary. * Music Machine: Allows viewers to go straight to their favorite musical numbers * Storyboard to Film Comparison Montage * Trailers: ** Original Theatrical Trailer ** Original Issue Trailer ** Reissue Trailer ** Animated Trailer Prices for the two versions of West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition have yet to be announced. Pre-orders should be up soon. Are you kidding, I'd be all over this one even if it was just for the Sondheim song commentary.

I can't agree that the stage production was better...at least, based on the Broadway revival I saw. It was played way too much for laughs. Sure, the film has some comedy, but it also has that urgent sense of dramatic events. The stage revival tried to put laughs into almost everything. I admit I would like to have seen the original stage production, but since about 98% of the original Broadway cast in the film, it's almost like having been there. And I like the way the film opened things up a bit. As far as fact vs. fiction, they compressed two characters into one, occasionally, but much of what happened happened. The dialogue between John and Abigail was taken from their letters. And a lot of other dialogue came from letters of the period. For example, from an Adams letter about the Declaration writing, take a look at the three reasons he gives below.: "The subcommittee met. Jefferson proposed to me to make the draft. I said, 'I will not,' 'You should do it.' 'Oh! no.' 'Why will you not? You ought to do it.' 'I will not.' 'Why?' 'Reasons enough.' 'What can be your reasons?' 'Reason first, you are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular. You are very much otherwise. Reason third, you can write ten times better than I can.'" The play was published as a book and the introduction had some interesting insights to writing it. I'll see if I can find a way to recreate it here. (I would scan it, but this forum STILL doesn't have a fix for photos.)

Friday, July 7th, 1939

BestBuy.com is having a midnight sale at this moment and it will expire in a few hours. Among the items up is the Blu of Taxi Driver. $6.99. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/regularCat%3Apcmcat242800050022/regularCat%3Apcmcat242800050022/pcmcat242800050022.c?id=pcmcat242800050022&AID=10597222&PID=3594900&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2FregularCat%253Apcmcat242800050022%2FregularCat%253Apcmcat242800050022%2Fpcmcat242800050022.c%3Fid%3Dpcmcat242800050022&ref=39&CJPID=3594900&loc=01

I think what I object to is not a new thread or two, but rather the manner in which you announce it. The threads here have done well for 5 years (this current one with over 200,000 views) but within a few days of being here and only three posts, you say you need to redo things.

Back in May, I mentioned that Breakfast at Tiffany's is coming to Blu in August. It is now set for Sept. 20th, and will be a 50th anniversary edition. Here are some more updated details: from blu-ray.com: The Blu-ray presents the film in a brand new digital restoration for 1080p with both 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks and a restored monaural Dolby Digital track. The disc also includes over 90 minutes of bonus features, such as: Commentary by producer Richard Shepherd A Golightly Gathering featurette Henry Mancini: More Than Music featurette Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective featurette The Making of a Classic featurette It's So Audrey: A Style Icon featurette Behind the Gates: The Tour featurette Brilliance in a Blue Box featurette Audrey's Letter to Tiffany featurette Photo Galleries: The Movie, Production, Publicity Original Theatrical Trailer http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=6817

Barnes & Noble will have a 50% off Criterion releases sale from July 12th through August 1st. This will be in store and online.

Thursday, July 6, 1939

Fred, there were two swordfights in the first 20 minutes. And if you like action from the very beginning, then you should become a fan of current action films because they usually start with lots of stuff in the first minute, before the story kicks in. B-)

You ALREADY started a thread on this. http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?threadID=160018&start=90&tstart=0 I think you really want people to disagree with you, just so you think you are the center of attention again. Okay, I will disagree with you. There are a number of stars that don't usually get days...Paulette Goddard, Ronald Colman, Ann Dvorak, Ben Johnson, Jean Gabin, Monty Clift, Conrad Veudt, Peter Lawford, Linda Darnell, Carole Lombard. As to Falcon and the like, watch TCM, these things do periodically show up. And they are series. Why would they be under Summer Under the STARS? And why don't you just stick with Retro if you are not happy. Maybe you can bug THEM for Hot Spell.

Wow, this is very difficult. I've now just looked at everyone's schedules and I find things I like in them all. But how to choose? I went back over them a second and a third time and I whittled down to two, LonesomePolecat and Countessdelave. I find SO MUCH I like in each one. Among the things I really enjoy, Countess included a couple of Jim Hutton films. On Lonesome's side, there was Sid Caesar's comedy team. That appealed to me a lot because it is something like what I might come up with. But the tie was broken by one of them when they included Danny Kaye as SOTM. I would so love for that to happen. Because of that, I went with LonesomePolecat.

Thanks, movieman! Really appreciate the vote.

Wednesday, July 5th, 1939

Fred said: CNN is airing a really good documentary about new Americans from around the world, people who have recently become citizens. I've seen it. It is very good. Most of them act and sound just like us. Actually, Fred, they ALL sound like us because no matter where they are from, they are American citizens now, just like the rest of us who are Americans, no matter where we are from.

I do so love this movie! Happy July 4th, everyone!

Best Buy has a July 4th sale on that includes The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection at only $29.99. It has a list price of $89. Available online and in stores. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/LittleRascals%3ATheCompleteCollection-+Fullscreen-+DVD/9056585.p?id=1905086&skuId=9056585&st=Movies_Save_ON_Select_TV_shows_Movies_20110713&lp=9&cp=2

Happy Tuesday, July 4th, 1939 to everybody: Regular articles and ads will return tomorrow, but here's an extra 4th special, from a 1939 movie magazine:

Actually, it looks like Ken Maynard was the first, singing in a 1930 movie, three years before John Wayne (and Wayne did not sing; he was dubbed).

finance, I have to disagree with you about Milland being the only one. Looking at that list of actors, I would also rate these as extraordinary performances: Cagney in YDD Colman in A Double Life Olivier in Hamlet Crawford in All the King's Men

I think there are other ways to create categories. I feel we need to be able to better reference these titles by performer, not just by studio. Also, I would like to see DVD releases listed by genre. I do not think the average TCM viewer pays much attention to which studio made the film. They want to find a favorite star's DVDs or a certain type, like a bunch of screwball comedies or melodramas. Do you guys see what I am saying...? I like them listed by studio, because I appreciate studio output history, but I think we need multiple ways of referencing this information in this forum. The forum is big enough that we should be able to have some new threads that discuss these releases by performer, director and genre. I'm afraid I don't agree. When I had this whole DVD section created a few years ago, I created a number of genre threads. These still exist. If you go back several pages, you will see that. They were broken down into War, Musical, etc. As far as studio releases, that is only done in the case of made-on-demand titles. (And Criterion.) After several years, it's become clear that the most popular forums are the MODs, Upcoming Releases, and Special Sales. There was a short time in which individual threads were created about one title here and there, but it quickly became evident that the very first threads breaking them down in to subject were the right ones. For example, upcoming regular DVDs and Blu-ray releases all get put under "Upcoming Releases." It is one place that one can find out what is coming up, instead of having to seach through several individual threads spread out throughout the forum. In this particular forum, organization helps. I will be introducing some new threads in the future. Well, I don't want to stifle creativity, but as you are a TCM board member barely a month old, and didn't even know of this forum until a week ago, I would say it is best for you to spend time getting to know your way around here before starting any new threads...especially since it was just yesterday you wrote, "I am still learning this particular forum with all the threads." To simply say now, "I will be introducing some new threads in the future" comes across as a bit arrogant, which I am sure you didn't mean to convey. Certainly, you are welcome to post info in the current threads if you know of titles coming up that Edgecliff and I haven't listed yet. We are always on top of release info, but occasionally we will miss something. But you should always do a search before listing something because often we list upcoming info months in advance for regular DVDs and Blu-rays. MODs are usually announced just as Warners or the like starts selling them. In addition, we list just the basics instead of all the fluff the studio puts out in announcements, because we had one poster here who would list every word they said and that would end up taking up a whole page. We believe people are smart enough to either know the title or look it up.