Coming to DVD soon
Nothing official yet, but looks as if a company called "Twilight Time" will be putting this out on DVD early in 2012.
shareTwilight Time will be releasing this on Jan 17, 2012 on *both* DVD and Blu-ray.
screenarchives.com is where you'll be able to order it.
Unfortunately, this is not exactly the case. Twilight Time has shifted its releases of Fox films strictly to Blu-ray, starting in December 2011. (Earlier it had begun releasing Columbia titles in only in Blu as well, but all of these are already available on standard DVD from Sony.)
I have nothing against Blu-ray, but I strongly object to not having the choice of buying a perfectly acceptable -- and less expensive -- DVD as well.
I saw on TV this week that the film industry is blaming "pirating" for the decline in disc sales. But no, I think it is this ridiculous war between blu-ray and DVD. The industry is ruining itself.
If half the audience doesn't buy blue-ray, then they have locked out 50% of their own market!
Agreed, panamint. Unfortunately, in a recent interview the owner of Twilight Time seems to have no clue about the appeal of the films they're putting out, the reasons why some succeed and others don't, although he admits to one or two mistakes so far. (Although they claim the shift to all-Blu is only a 6-month experiment, frankly, from what this guy said, that's not credible.)
Because the one Fox film they put out in both formats (The Egyptian) has sold better in Blu than DVD, and because one of the Sony titles in Blu (Fright Night) sold out, they leaped to the conclusion that Blu was the key to success. He seems oblivious to the fact that many of their Fox DVD films haven't sold well because there was no demand for some of the titles they chose (especially things like Woman Obssessed, The Kremlin Letter, Stagecoach, The Left Hand of God). There was a demand for The Egyptian, and it's not surprising that aficionados might opt for the Blu-ray, especially when the discs are limited to just 3000 copies. When you think of the scores of unreleased Fox films people have been begging to see released, most of the titles TT has issued are among the least requested, good or interesting films they could find.
Personally, I like The Roots of Heaven, but even I realize it's hardly a title for which thousands of people have been clamoring, on Blu-ray or otherwise. These guys just don't get it, and have made almost all the wrong conclusions, but we're the ones who'll suffer for it.
I agree totally. You make my point even further with your use of the word "aficionado". If they are playing to a perceived "niche" or "boutique" market they are only further fragmenting the market that remains after the DVD-only crowd has been eliminated.
In this specific case this company is free to do whatever it wants, but these types of practices are why I scratch my head in wonder whenever I see Hollywood running to Congress crying about declining overall disc sales.
Quite correct. Their decision to limit issues to only 3000 copies was based on experience with CD soundtracks and other items of limited appeal. (Makes you wonder how many people are really interested in such things.)
Given the fact that they still have good quantities of most titles in stock (the Blu of Fright Night excepted), they may be correct about the 3000 limit. But it's clear to me that they've misjudged their potential audience. The fact that they make it almost impossible to get customer feedback is telling. (They are on Facebook now, but I'm not sure how much input they really get or listen to. TT doesn't even have a website or email address.)
Releasing only through SAE may be a good decision given their limited output, but they make no effort to alert a broader potential constituency of their existence, let alone their products. But the key is releasing good titles in some demand, and in this they seem completely tone-deaf. Basically this man said they choose films he and his business partner like -- leaving one to wonder what they've been watching while the rest of us have been involved in a broader universe. There's no evidence they're looking beyond their own parochial, and frankly uninformed, personal preferences. Granted they can't get hold of just any film, they still seem to be clueless about what the market really wants. Moving to all-Blu based solely on a couple of marketing results that are clearly the result of other factors is symptomatic of their utter misunderstanding of their potential market.
If they really don't want to issue 3000 DVDs and 3000 Blu-rays of the same Fox titles, split it 1500/1500. That way they can satisfy both markets and limit their losses -- or, to put it better, expand their successes.
This man also irritated me (and evidently others) by his disparaging, and frankly ignorant, remarks about Warner Archives, MGM Limited Edition, Columbia Classics and other MOD, DVD-R series (the latter two also carried by SAE!). He mocks their quality in ways which seem to inidcate he's never seen one of these discs. And he fails to realize that these series are making lots of films available that would otherwise never see the light of DVD day. If TT had more of an idea of what to release, of what people really want, and paid attention to the entire market, not just the "boutique" Blu-ray portion, they'd have much more success. With Swamp Water their next Fox title (not a bad film, but hardly high on anybody's list), it's plain they are resolutely avoiding learning anything.
Hi, hobnob53! Thanks for your informative postings about the vagaries of this whole Blue Ray/DVD thing. The thought processes of these folks at TT sure is odd. It does seem that they don't know very much, or perhaps care, about these films, and about what people would like to see. It's nice that "The Roots of Heaven" is being released, but it all seems so odd and backhanded. They really should find some knowledgeable film fan to advise them on this stuff. Hire Leonard Maltin or one of his staff or something. Or perhaps you, Mr. hobnob53, as I think you know what you're talking about with these things. I know a fair amount about classic films, but not much about the technical/business side of it all, not as much as you do, to be sure! Some consistency is definitely in order, as regards these DVD releases.
And speaking of Fox, I'd love to see them release more of their really old stuff- the Fox films made before the merger of Twentieth Century Studios, and Fox, in about 1934 or '35. All the early Spencer Tracy films, Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor, some great Raoul Walsh stuff- "The Cockeyed World," "Me and My Gal," etc. As well as some interesting stuff with Bela Lugosi, Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Fay Wray, and many others. There is a treasure trove there, and most of it hasn't been touched. Some things have been released, as parts of the John Ford, Frank Borzage, and Will Rogers sets, and as individual releases ("The Big Trail," "In Old Arizona," etc.). But there are hundreds of titles there. Unfortunately, customer demand isn't that great. But they could follow your advice, and do what Warners, Columbia and MGM have done. Put them out on DVD-R, and be done with it!
Anyway, I'm not really knowledgeable about all this, but I do feel that there are some great films waiting out there, and these guys really need to get their acts together. At least "The Roots of Heaven" is being released. It is an interesting picture, and has some gorgeous photography, and amazing location filming. And a wonderful cast, too.
Hey, pitcairn! I was thinking about you just the other day. Will dispatch a PM soon.
As to TT, another thing that amazed me is that in his interview the founder said one of the mistakes he made was not putting scene selection on their discs. He said he never used it himself and knew nothing about it! When they finally put it in after customer complaints (I'd love to know where they get those from -- Facebook?), he took someone's advice and installed the "cheap" version, where you can cut into the film only at regular ten-minute intervals (you see this on Warner Archives DVD-Rs). There was yet more negative feedback, after which he made his statement of not knowing anything about this feature, and he promised to put in a normal, chapter-oriented feature in future releases. Scene selection is not a big deal to me, but the fact that this guy admits he basically knew nothing about it or how it worked is astounding. He and his partner used to be in the CD side of the business, so clearly they know next to nothing about DVDs, the market, or what people expect.
I take your point about the 20th Century (pre-Fox) films, as well as the pre-merger Fox Films. Of course, I'm so oriented to the 40s and 50s that my laundry list concentrates mainly (though not exclusively) on films from that era. But as to the early stuff, you must know the 1930 "science fiction musical comedy" (it's bad on all three counts) Just Imagine, with its bizarre look at life in far-off 1980, plus a climactic trip to Mars. Just weird. A big hit in its day, but it hasn't held up well. Still, I'd like to have it!
I'll PM you so we can catch up. Just please bear with me for a few days! See you.
Hi, hobnob! I have seen "Just Imagine." A right weird film, as you say. It does boast some pretty attractive women, in some very sexy costumes, though. Real Art Deco outfits. And Maureen O'Sullivan was always an appealing actress. It's fun seeing her in one of her earliest films. El Brendel, who specialized in Swedish comedian types, does wear on a person, though. The ethnic humor of those times dates as badly as the racial stuff does, I think. A little of Mr. Brendel sure goes a long way. I guess audiences of the time liked him, though, as he appeared in many films, especially at Fox. Raoul Walsh and John Ford seemed to like him, so what do I know? I think he really came from the Bronx or something, and along the way found that this phony accent served his career pretty well.
I do like the F/X in the film, though. Pretty basic by today's standards, but not bad for the time. I think the electrical gizmos were designed by Kenneth Strickfaden, the same guy who did the mad lab equipment for the '30s Frankenstein films (and, much later, "Young Frankenstein"). And the rocket ship that they travel in to Mars was re-used in the Universal "Flash Gordon" serials, I believe. Or perhaps it was a prototype for the rockets used in that later series. And some of the 'world of 1980' scenes remind one of "Metropolis." Overall, though, as you said, it is a "science fiction musical comedy," that's "bad on all three counts." Couldn't have said it better myself.
I'd love to see some of Spencer Tracy's early Fox films on DVD. "Up the River," with Humphrey Bogart, and directed by John Ford, has been released, and a couple of others as well. But most of his films remain in the vaults. He was one of their biggest stars at that time, and made some enjoyable, though perhaps (mostly) not classic films. Early Tracy was a lot like James Cagney, doing for Fox what Cagney did for Warners- weisenheimer working-class stiffs, etc. And, like Cagney, he was an aggressive charmer of the ladies. I love Tracy in about anything, and it would be great to see these films. I've seen a number of them on vhs, or at film archives, and some of them are good. "Goldie, with Tracy and Jean Harlow, would seem to be a good candidate for release.
Ditto with Raoul Walsh, one of my all-time favorite directors. I think he did his best work at Warners, starting in 1939 (with "The Roaring Twenties"), but his Fox films are pretty entertaining, too. Lots of Edmund Lowe, Victor McLaglen, etc. Rowdy but fun.
And Humphrey Bogart made a number of early Fox films, too. "Up the River," with Tracy, "A Devil With Women," with McLaglen, "Body and Soul," with Charles Farrell, and "A Holy Terror," with George O'Brien. I have a vhs tape of "A Holy Terror," so it is around (and Bogie's good in it, as an irate cowhand). And I've seen clips from "A Devil With Women," so presumably it's not a lost film. Bogie is still such big -box office that it seems like a no-brainer to release his early, almost- unknown films. Bogart fans would send Valentines to Fox if they did that.
Cheers, Pitcairn.
At first it wasn't too bad but now they're running up to 20 minutes of previews on dvds without a way to bypass them. That's got to be a cause of losing customers. As for Blu-ray I won't be blackmailed into buying them.
I bought my excellent commercial free copy from a seller on I-offer, one that was aired on AMC in the late 80s or early 90s and have no complaints whatsoever.