MovieChat Forums > Escape from Zahrain (1962) Discussion > Official DVD coming Dec. 7, 2010

Official DVD coming Dec. 7, 2010


Escape From Zahrain will be among 27 Paramount films that are scheduled to be released on DVD later this year.

A company called Olive Films has leased 27 of the studio's titles for DVD release. No release dates have as yet been set, but the first batch is reportedly due sometime in early summer.

A full list can be found in Barrie Maxwell's column dated 3/1/10 at thedigitalbits.com.

I never expected to see EFZ out on DVD, so this is great news. When a definite announcement is made we'll post the news here.

Addendum 9/9/10:

Thanks to information supplied by our friend neighturboy (who posted the reply immediately below), the official release date for EFZ is now set for Dec. 7, 2010. The usual Olive Films presentation -- no extras, price $24.95, but discounted to under $20 on most sites. If it's anything like the other Paramounts the company's released it'll be a good disc.

And at least the release date is easy to remember!

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...... December 7th, 2010 will be the release date. Details and artwork at classicflix.com

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Great! I've been looking. Thank you very much for the information, neighturboy. I've updated my OP as well. Thanks again!

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My pleasure! .... from your posts I know you're on top of things like this hobnob53, so anytime I can help I'm happy to. I owe any G-2, or knowledge, to David Greenstreet at classicflix.com. If you've ever checked his site you can see what a great job he does. He stays on top of classic film releases, and signing up for his notifications has been a revelation for me. He's got a great connection to all the studios.

Check his site for information on the huge Elia Kazan Collection, spearheaded by Martin Scorsese, due before Christmas. I had no idea it was even being worked on, prior to his message earlier this week.

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Thank you, and please allow me to return the compliment, neighturboy. You know, I tried to access classicflix.com a couple of months ago, and for some reason never connected. I must have typed something wrong or made some other error. I probably heard about the site from you, but I must try it again. Just classicflix.com, right?

I looked on a couple of sites today but they haven't listed Escape From Zahrain yet. Say, do you know what other Paramount films from Olive are due Dec. 7? Among the promised titles still out are The Savage Innocents, Rope of Sand, Sands of the Kalahari, The Mountain and Off Limits. I hope that Olive's experience with these 27 releases has been positive enough that they go grab another 27 or more Paramount titles never released on DVD. I can think of several (of varying degrees of quality, but all good to watch) I'd like to see, such as The Mating Season, The Atomic City, My Son John, The Denver and the Rio Grande, Forever Female, Secret of the Incas, Strategic Air Command, The Buccaneer, The Colossus of New York, The Space Children, But Not For Me, Man-Trap and some of the fun Pine-Thomas Bs -- The Last Outpost, Jamaica Run, Tropic Zone, Jivaro.

Hadn't heard of the Kazan collection. A lot of his stuff is already out, so I wonder how many of these titles might be retreads? I'll have to get on the classicflix site!

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I love that head-on train wreck in "Denver and the Rio Grande"!

As for the Elia Kazan set, 5 of the 15 titles are new to DVD: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Viva Zapata!, Man on a Tightrope, Wild River and America, America. I think it's great how Sony, Warner and Fox all worked together to bring their titles together into one large collection. Two minuses though, many will already have some or all of the other ten titles, and the new titles won't be released singly ..... that's the word right now.

Just accessed classicflix.com with no problem. Check out the "Announcments" section on the right side.

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Aha. When you mentioned A Tree Grows in Brooklyn I realized that that's what was meant by an announcement I saw that Fox was planning to release that title. That in itself was good news because Fox's releases of classics ground to an abrupt halt two years ago. I'm not a huge fan of that film but have really wanted to see the three other Fox films you cited released: Viva Zapata!, Man on a Tightrope, Wild River. All excellent. In fact, a few months ago Scorsese, who writes a column on classic films each month for the DirecTV satellite guide, wrote a great review of the underrated and almost forgotten Wild River. America, America was released through Warner. Even if the rest are repeats, this does sound like a set to get. And they may yet turn up singly too.

I'll try the classicflix site. Thanks again, and have a great weekend.

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You're most welcome! After all, it doesn't matter who posts the information as long as it gets out there. BTW, I was able to access the classicflix site through your mention of the link on your earlier message, so it works well. David's write-up of the Kazan set is excellent, with pics of the box set artwork and enclosed book.

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I was just coming back to add a PS to my previous post, to tell you I had accessed the site (also through the link in my post above) with no problem. (My computer warned me I had no certificate of privacy or whatever but was okay for browsing this time! Nice to be looked after by a machine.)

Only had a little time to look now but will go into it in more depth later. However, I did check out both the Kazan set and EFZ. No mention that I saw of any other Paramount titles through Olive. I would assume there'd be more coming the same day. But the Kazan set does look impressive, and from what I saw on the cover it seems things like On the Waterfront will also be included. So some duplicates, but that's okay, and we may get things already available but which we don't have. I'm guessing it will also include Baby Doll, which I don't own, plus titles I do have, like East of Eden and A Face in the Crowd. You're right, the fact that three separate studios combined forces to bring this set out is great. I assume that's Marty's work.

Gotta go now, but have a good weekend, and will talk later.

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Looking at the list of Kazan's films this is what I would surmise the list of 15 to be:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
Boomerang (1947)
Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Pinky (1949)
Panic in the Streets (1950)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
Man on a Tightrope (1953)
On the Waterfront (1954)
East of Eden (1955)
Baby Doll (1956)
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Wild River (1960)
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
America, America (1963)

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You are a mind-reader! Shortly after my last post I looked over Kazan's filmography in a reference book and chose precisely those 15 titles. I had no time then to come back on line to mention them and was going to now when I read your post. This list leaves I believe only four other Kazans, one of which at least -- The Last Tycoon, his last film -- is out on DVD (though it's probably out of print now). The Sea of Grass, from MGM, is controlled by Warner and perhaps should have been included in this set, but I always suspected this was a title they'd put out in their Warner Archives series. Otherwise, this list consists of 8 from Fox, 6 from WB, and 1 from Columbia.

Excluding the five new releases (two of which I have on off-the-air tapes) I have all but three of the remaining 12, but I have no problem with duplications.

Now to learn which other Paramount titles may be being released along with Escape From Zahrain on December 7th.

Okay, now I'm off for the weekend, and off line, so have a good one, my friend.

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The 15 titles now verified at amazon.com, and we're both correct in our assumptions! Their pre-order price is $149.00, and the Scorsese documentary "A Letter to Elia" will take up one whole disc. No news yet on what, if any, extras will be included on the five new-to-DVD titles.

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Yeah, I've seen the news. What can I say, you and I should be doing this stuff! If there's commentary on the five new discs (I'm assuming there will be), I hope it's better than most commentary usually is. So often so many things I've heard are so stupid or downright incorrect that it's a waste. But with MS overseeing the thing I'd expect a higher standard than normal.

BTW, I haven't checked in over a week, but I saw two other Paramount/Olive titles being released at the same time as EFZ, though at the moment I only remember one -- WUSA. Whatever the other one is, it wasn't one I was looking for. (Neither was WUSA!) I want more new (i.e., old) films now!

P.S. -- I just went on Amazon and saw they finally have EFZ listed for pre-order, at $17.49, or 30% off. Based on previous experience with Olive's Paramount prices, that looks pretty good to me, so I pre-ordered a copy. (I love this term, "pre-order". The kind of thing George Carlin always skewered. "Pre-order? You mean you order before you order?") Anyway, you may want to have a look, my friend.

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so .............. did you buy "The Elia Kazan Collection" yet????? If so, what's the verdict on the entire box set, as far as to how the discs are packaged? Deepdiscount.com is selling the set now (with coupon code 25MORE for under $116. Sale runs through 12/10.

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I did get the set (and ultimately for $136, as Amazon's pre-order price guarantee got me a refund of $14 from their original sale price of $150...so not too bad compared with DeepD's price). Anyway...

The set consists of what are basically two albums (about 11" long x 7 5/8" high). One contains brief essays of each film in the set, augmented by photos. The other holds the discs themselves, in sleeves on the right-hand side page, with brief notations about the films on the left, in chronolgical order. Two of the films (Streetcar and Eden) have two discs, the second containing special features. Scorsese's DVD A Letter to Elia is the first one in the album. The one odd thing is that the designs on the Fox films' discs are all the same, apparently made to complement the look of the albums, deep red and black color schemes; not even the already-released Fox films' discs are in their original form. (The WB and lone Columbia films use their original designs, and even America, America has a design unique to that film.) The Fox discs, with their uniform, frankly uninteresting design, aren't especially attractive from that point of view, but of course that aspect doesn't matter much.

Anyway, as to the packaging, it's fine. My quibble is that the albums are bulky and would have been better had they been in a more easily held size and shape. The discs are packaged well but here too I would have preferred separate slip cases. But as to the larger question of whether the set is worth it, in my view, it is, especially if you can get it at $116.

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Thanks for the info. Sounds similar to the packaging used for The Paul Newman Tribute Collection, a few years ago. In that set all the discs are the same design, all predominantly blue in color, probably as close a possible to Newman's eye color. The same blue color is featured in all the packaging.

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Maybe this set is red-hued in honor of Kazan's past political affiliations?

I'm now awaiting my order of Escape From Zahrain (to bring us back full circle), but now as it happens I'll be away for a month (Nov. 30 - Dec. 29) so won't even see the thing till three weeks or more after it's delivered! Speaking of which, as I'll have only sporadic access to the internet while I'm away, if we don't talk beforehand, have a great holiday. We must compare EFZ notes later on.

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Interesting color analogy ..... never thought of that, but it does make sense.

You have a great holiday also ..... wherever you are, wherever you go!

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And let us not forget to compare our takes on EFZ come January. You know, I've never seen this film widescreen? Can't wait...though I guess I'll have to! Later....

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We'll have to compare only your take, since I've never seen it, and haven't ordered it. My original post was made based on a message from classicflix.com to let anyone interested know of its DVD release.

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Ah -- that was actually even more generous of you, alerting people to a film you yourself weren't really interested in. I'll write something up next month after I (presumably) see it.

I've always liked this film -- I do have an old (mid-80s) off-the-air tape from TBS -- not TNT or TCM -- that's how old it is -- with the commercials knocked out. But I haven't seen it broadcast since around 1988 or so, or even watched my tape since the 1990s. I found it an exciting and interesting chase/action/drama and have frankly always been surprised at the relatively weak reviews it's gotten from a lot of people. Assuming the DVD lives up to expectations in terms of its quality, the film should be all the better seen in its proper aspect ratio and uninterrupted. Given its premise -- a revolt against a corrupt Middle Eastern regime -- in some ways it's as timely as ever; in others, it goes to show that the kind of Arab leaders we thought so terrible fifty years ago (Nasser et al) now seem, by the standards of a world confronted by psychotic suicidal terrorists, the epitomes of reason and sanity. See you in January.

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