edgedrv Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Criterion is set to release two FOX comedy classics on DVD: Ernst Lubitsch's HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943) which stars Gene Tierney and Don Ameche on June 14 and Preston Sturges' UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (1948) which stars Rex Harrison and Linda Darnell on July 12. These two retail @ $29.00, quite a bit higher than the FOX STUDIO CLASSIC series but are still worth having since Criterion always does a bang up job in releasing their films to DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardny4me Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 I have been waiting to see UNFAITHFULLY YOURS for years, so I am definitely going to get this one. Criterion's DVDs are always priced higher, but as I am sure you are aware, the quality of their DVDs is always miles ahead of almost every company - most of their DVDs are on the level of the special editions that Warners produces. I have HEAVEN CAN WAIT on laser disc so I have to see what the extras will be prior to my purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgedrv Posted April 28, 2005 Author Share Posted April 28, 2005 richardny4me, here are the the extra features for HEAVEN: New video conversation between film critics Molly Haskell and Andrew Sarris; Creativity with Bill Moyers: A Portrait of Samsom Raphelson (1982), a 32-minute program exploring the screenwriter's life and career; Audio seminar with Raphelson and film critic Richard Corliss recorded at the Museum of Modern Art in 1977; Lubitsch home piano recordings; A new essay by film scholar William Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flickerknickers Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 That's great news edgerv but--as I've whined many a-time here on these boards--what's keeping Fox from releasing those fabulous Betty Grable Technicolor miracles from the 40s? "Moon Over Miami" and "The Dolly Sisters" are two beautifully filmed movie dreams that deserve to be on disc. And I think it's Fox that made the delightful early talkie, "Sunnyside Up" from l929 which I taped years ago on a PBS station. This comedy/musical starred the then most popular movie duo--Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell--and had numerous unforgettable musical numbers--especially one wild and bizarre extravaganza called "Turn on the Heat," that featured a dozen chorines writhing around a sound stage while miniature volcanoes erupted all around them. The singing voices of Gaynor and Farrell may sound strange today--slightly nasal--but this was before the harsh, wailing style of the early 30s took over. And just dig Gaynor's late twenties wardrobe--floating chiffon frocks and large straw hats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgedrv Posted April 28, 2005 Author Share Posted April 28, 2005 patypancake, I recently attended a rare screening of the restored 55MM version of Carousel in Los Angeles. A FOX rep who was in charge of the restoration attended. I could kick myself for not asking him about Grable and other FOX musicals. Since I have his name I will try to e-mail him and see if he can give me any answers. If I secure any info I will post it here! Possibly Criterion will release Lubitisch's THE LADY IN ERMINE in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealfuster Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 only a magnificent, as usual, piece of Lubitsch fare, but is noted as being one of the few films considered to be...a Film Noir Comedy by the intelligentsia. Personally, I have many books on Noir, and don't think Noir really exists no matter what anyone says and I am a big fan...unless there are Venetian blinds in the film, but if it does...then this film is a justifiable anomaly, and could be Noir and Comedy at the same time. It's kind of like "Babydoll" by Kazan, being a Gothic comedy, and not to be taken seriously, even though it is a bit perverse. "Unfaithfully Yours" is deliciously funny, and reminds one of the Marcello Mastroanni film, 'Divorce Italian Style" but is more fun to watch being a Lubitsch rendition of a similar theme. Thanks for telling us that it is now available on DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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