POSTPONED: The Man on the Eiffel Tower
Originally scheduled for release last Tuesday, Kino has indefinitely postponed their release of The Man on the We have cancelled all orders. |
My Three Sons - Season 1, Vol. 2 in January
A week before Volume 1 hits the streets, **Paramount** has announced a January 20th release date for My Three Sons - Season 1, Vol. 2. It will presumably be a 3 disc set with the last 18 of season one's 36 episodes.
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The Day the Earth Stood Still (Blu-Ray) in December
Three weeks after they announced the standard definition version of The Day the Earth Stood Still - Special Edition (1951), Fox has announced The Day the Earth Stood Still (Blu-Ray - Special Edition) for release on same day the standard def version hits the streets (December 2nd). Specs appear to be the same as the SD version (below).
It will retail for $34.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $27.99.
DISC 1:
- Commentary by Robert Wise and Nicolas Meyer
- Commentary by Film & Music Historians John Morgan, Steven Smith, William Stromberg & Nick Redman
- Isolated Score Track
- The Making of The Day The Earth Stood Still
- Decoding "Klaatu, Barada, Nikto": Science Fiction as Metaphor
- A Brief History of Flying Saucers
- Edmund North: The Man Who Made the Earth Stand Still
- The Astounding Harry Bates
- Farewell to the Master: An Audio Presentation of the Original Short Story
- Fox Movietonews from 1951 - Featuring the Film's Premiere
- Restoration Comparison
- Theatrical Trailer
- Still Galleries
Griffith Masterworks, Vol. 2 in November - SPECIAL 3 DAY PRICE
**Kino** has announced a November 11th release date for Griffith Masterworks, Vol. 2. The five disc DVD set will have five features, one short and a lengthy documentary.
Contents and with previous releases (if any):
- Sally of the Sawdust (1925) - Previously released by Image Entertainment
- Abraham Lincoln (1930) / The Struggle (1931) - Abraham Lincoln has had several PD releases, but Struggle is making its debut on DVD
- The Avenging Conscience (1914) / Edgar Allen Poe (1909) - Both new to DVD
- Way Down East (1920) - Previously released by Image Entertainment
- D.W. Griffith: Father of Film - New to DVD
The complete set will retail for $89.95, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $64.99. However, for 3 days only (until September 15th), we'll have it for the SPECIAL PRE-ORDER PRICE of $59.98. More details below, however, no art yet for the boxed set itself.
Sally of the Sawdust (1925)
In a fascinating departure from the austere moral drama in which he specialized, D.W. Griffith demonstrates his talent for warm-hearted comedy with Sally of the Sawdust. Fresh from the Ziegfeld Follies, W.C. Fields made his second screen appearance as Professor Eustace McGargle, a lovably disreputable confidence man who becomes the unlikely guardian of an orphaned circus waif (Carol Dempster). Intending to return Sally to her grandparents, McGargle learns that her wealthy and esteemed grandfather (Erville Alderson) is a stern judge who harbors a deep contempt for shysters and show people.
Faster than a sucker can say “three-card monte,” McGargle finds himself wanted by the police and chased by bootleggers, while trying to protect his cherished Sally, who has won the affection of a slumming socialite (Alfred Lunt). Sally provided Griffith ingenue Carol Dempster (whose work for the director is generally overshadowed by that of her predecessors, Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish) with a delightful role: the spry, innocent and hot-tempered dancing girl wholly devoted to her criminal “Poppy.” At the same time, it showcases the comic juggling and dry wit that would make a legend of W.C. Fields (who remade the film in 1936 under the title of the original play, “Poppy.”)
BONUS FEATURES:
- Filmed introduction by Orson Welles
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
The silent cinema’s renowned pioneer, D.W. Griffith, directed only two sound features: Abraham Lincoln (1930) and The Struggle (1931), both collected on this DVD. Returning to the historic era of his greatest success, Griffith paid homage to the sixteenth President in this moving drama starring Walter Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre). Focusing on Lincoln’s personal tragedies, as well as his great accomplishments, Griffith’s film depicts the American icon with a sensitivity and grace rivaled only by John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln. A departure from the historical super-productions for which he was known, The Struggle was an intimate drama of an American everyman who falls victim to the debilitating affliction of alcoholism. No stranger to the destructive influence of drink, Griffith pulls no punches in dramatizing its potential horrors, especially in the terrifying climax when Jimmie, tormented by delirium tremors, attacks his young daughter (Edna Hagan) in the hovel that was once their happy home. Abraham Lincoln has been mastered in HD from the Museum of Modern Art’s 35mm restoration of Griffith’s historical epic. The Struggle was remastered in HD from a 35mm archive print from the Raymond Rohauer Collection.
BONUS FEATURES:
- Introduction to The Birth of a Nation, featuring Walter Huston and D.W. Griffith on the set of Abraham Lincoln
- Lincoln’s assassination: comparison of scenes in Abraham Lincoln and The Birth of a Nation
- Gallery of photos and original pressbook for Abraham Lincoln
D.W. Griffith indulged his lifelong fascination with Edgar Allan Poe in this ambitious amalgam of the writer’s poetry and prose: “Annabel Lee” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” flavored with shades of “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Conqueror Worm.” Poe’s tales are interwoven in one tragedy-laden narrative of a young man (Henry B. Walthall) who yearns to escape from his overbearing, one-eyed uncle (Spottiswoode Aitken). After the nephew murders the ogre, he and his lover (Blanche Sweet) are wracked by guilt and tormented by nightmares, ghosts, and demonic entities that drive them to even more horrifying extremes. Just as Poe cloaked his horrors in artful poetry and prose, so does Griffith filter the story’s macabre elements through a Victorian lens, gilding it with quaint symbolism without diminishing its impact. When asked, in 1925, to rank the cinema’s greatest achievements, critic Gilbert Seldes called special attention to this film. “The picture was projected in a palpable atmosphere,” he wrote in his book The Seven Lively Arts, “After ten years I recall dark masses and ghostly rays of light.”
BONUS FEATURES:
- Piano score compiled and performed by music historian Martin Marks (2.0 Stereo)
- Griffith’s 1909 short Edgar Allen Poe (7 min.)
- Notes on the preparation of the music score
D.W. Griffith’s penchant for Victorian melodrama reached its height of expression in Way Down East. First performed in 1898, Lottie Blair Parker’s play was one of the most successful stageworks ever written, a theatrical chestnut, heavy with sentiment, that cried out for the touch of the master. Griffith captured the appeal of Parker’s original, while embossing it with devices borrowed from other popular melodramas, such as the climactic chase across an ice floe (inspired by stage adaptations of Uncle Tom’s Cabin).
Lillian Gish stars as a small-town girl who is seduced, impregnated, and cast aside by Lennox Sanderson, a wealthy playboy (Lowell Sherman). To escape the shame of having a fatherless child, Anna changes her name and starts a new life in a small farming community, where she meets David, an icon of male virtue and decency (Richard Barthelmess). Their delicate happiness is threatened when Lennox arrives in town, and word of Anna’s unsavory past begins to spread.
BONUS FEATURES:
- Score compiled from historic photoplay music, performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra (2.0 Stereo)
- Excerpts from Lottie Blair Parker’s original play
- Photos of William Brady’s 1903 stage version
- Film Clip: The ice floe sequence of the Edison Studio’s production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
- Image gallery, including the original souvenir program book
- Notes on the preparation of the music score
In this acclaimed three-part documentary, celebrated film historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill (Unknown Chaplin, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow) tell the proud, sad story of D.W. Griffith (1875-1948): the man who first brought artistry and ambition to the movies, and then, having dragged a reluctant American film industry to international prominence, found it had no more use for him. Judiciously chosen film clips illustrate exactly how, within seven years of going to work for the Biograph Studios in 1908, Griffith painstakingly refined camera and acting techniques; how trial and error led him to create a grammar that was the cinema’s own; and how, in 1915, he presented the fully-fledged film masterwork The Birth of a Nation. Griffith strove to outdo himself in skill, spectacle and soaring ambition, and Brownlow and Gill illuminate the successes that highlighted his career: Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, Way Down East and Orphans of the Storm. A wealth of background detail is provided by vivid accounts of Griffith at work (from Lillian Gish, Blanche Sweet, Karl Brown, Stanley Cortez, among others), and by a comprehensive account of the great controversy sparked by The Birth of a Nation. With its extensive historic details and dazzling extracts from beautifully tinted prints, Brownlow and Gill’s three-part documentary is the perfect reminder of just how great Griffith’s achievements were.
Sabrina, Sunset Blvd & Roman Holiday Special Editions in November
 Sunset Boulevard (1950) Hollywood looks at Hollywood. Gloria Swanson, as Norma Desmond, an aging silent-film queen, and William Holden, as the struggling young screenwriter who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of the screen's most memorable characters in "Sunset Boulevard." Winner of three Academy Awards®, director Billy Wilder's powerful orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence -- a body found floating in a decayed mansion's swimming pool -- through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, "Sunset Boulevard" is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband and butler, and Nancy Olson as the bright spot amidst unrelenting ominousness, are equally celebrated for their masterful performances. BONUS FEATURES:
 Roman Holiday (1953) Audrey Hepburn's Oscar winning performance in her first starring role.Roman Holiday was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and Audrey Hepburn captured an Oscar for her portrayal of a modern-day princess, rebelling against the royal obligations, who explores Rome on her own. She meets Gregory Peck, an American newspaperman who, seeking an exclusive story, pretends ignorance of her true identity. But his plan falters as they fall in love. Eddie Albert contributes to the fun as Peck's carefree cameraman pal. Stylishly directed by William Wyler, this romantic comedy ranks as one of the most enjoyable films of all times. BONUS FEATURES:
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VCI: Forgotten Noir Collector's Set, Vol. 4 in November
**VCI** has announced a November 18th release date for Forgotten Noir Collector's Set, Vol. 4. This fourth installment of the "Forgotten Noir" line has the addition of "Crime" to it, and as with Volume 3, will be a three disc set with each DVD containing a triple feature.
It will retail for $29.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $19.99. However, unlike all previous sets, the discs will not be available as singles. Details below:
The titles are:
- Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950)
- Radar Secret Service (1950)
- Motor Patrol (1950)
- Mr. District Attorney (1941)
- Western Pacific Agent (1950)
- Highway 13 (1948)
- Treasure of Monte Cristo (1951)
- Roaring City (1949)
- Sky Liner (1949)
Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950)
When enemy agents obtain leaked secrets about a guided missile reservation, the chief of America's counterspy division (Howard St. John) and Scotland Yard's top sleuth (Ron Randell) get on an investigative trail which quickly leads to a reservation secretary (Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty, Amanda Blake).
Radar Secret Service (1950)
When enemy agents obtain leaked secrets about a guided missile reservation, the chief of America's counterspy division (Howard St. John) and Scotland Yard's top sleuth (Ron Randell) get on an investigative trail which quickly leads to a reservation secretary (Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty, Amanda Blake).
Motor Patrol (1950)
Roaring down America's highways in the pursuit of justice, motorcycle policemen put the heat on a car theft ringleader who uses a legitimate garage as a front. When Officer Bill Henry is killed in the line of duty, rookie Don Castle, the fiancé of Henry's sister, gets him assigned to the case and infiltrates the gang.
Mr. District Attorney (1941)
When Harvard Law School graduate P. Cadwallader Jones (Dennis O'Keefe) bungles his first assignment in the D.A.'s office, he is next assigned the make-work job of reviewing the closed case of a crooked city official (Peter Lorre) who vanished with a stolen $100,000. The cold case suddenly gets hot when the money begins to reappear, and a series of brutal murders ensues! There's plenty of fast-moving action in this crime melodrama laced with humor.
Western Pacific Agent (1950)
A "modern Western," set in the year it was released (1951). The railroad assigns its top agent Kent Taylor to investigate a payroll robbery and the murder of a paymaster. Meanwhile, the felon's father (Morris Carnovsky) is also desperately trying to convince the wayward boy (Mickey Knox) to forsake his life of crime.
Highway 13 (1948)
It's murder on wheels when a trucking company loses several vehicles in a series of mysterious crashes--and a company honcho dies in a road accident that is equally inexplicable. Truck driver Robert Lowery soon finds himself enmeshed in the whodunit, which involves a café truck stop, an ex-gangster mechanic and indications of sabotage.
Treasure of Monte Cristo (1951)
A web of death, intrigue and daring love entwines merchant seaman Glenn Langan, a descendent of the Count of Monte Cristo, as he searches modern-day San Francisco for the fortune in long-missing jewels to which he is the rightful heir. Crooked lawyers, a murder and a frame-up are among the obstacles thrown in his path. Great location photography.
Roaring City (1949)
Private eye Dennis O'Brien (Hugh Beaumont) will do anything for a dame or a dollar, tackling two more assignments filled with pistol-point suspense. The first involves a "fixed" fight, double-crosses and, of course, murder. Later, his reward for hiring out to pose as a young beauty's husband is a knockout blow to the head and a false murder charge!
Sky Liner (1949)
Attention, Homeland Security! It's Grand Hotel in the air as the usual wild assortment of travelers (movie actress, eloping couple, child singer, spinsters, crooks, more) board a LaGuardia Airport flight, unaware that other passengers might be spies and counter-spies, complete with secret documents, poison and elaborate plans to engage in international espionage!
When enemy agents obtain leaked secrets about a guided missile reservation, the chief of America's counterspy division (Howard St. John) and Scotland Yard's top sleuth (Ron Randell) get on an investigative trail which quickly leads to a reservation secretary (Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty, Amanda Blake).
Radar Secret Service (1950)
When enemy agents obtain leaked secrets about a guided missile reservation, the chief of America's counterspy division (Howard St. John) and Scotland Yard's top sleuth (Ron Randell) get on an investigative trail which quickly leads to a reservation secretary (Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty, Amanda Blake).
Motor Patrol (1950)
Roaring down America's highways in the pursuit of justice, motorcycle policemen put the heat on a car theft ringleader who uses a legitimate garage as a front. When Officer Bill Henry is killed in the line of duty, rookie Don Castle, the fiancé of Henry's sister, gets him assigned to the case and infiltrates the gang.
Mr. District Attorney (1941)
When Harvard Law School graduate P. Cadwallader Jones (Dennis O'Keefe) bungles his first assignment in the D.A.'s office, he is next assigned the make-work job of reviewing the closed case of a crooked city official (Peter Lorre) who vanished with a stolen $100,000. The cold case suddenly gets hot when the money begins to reappear, and a series of brutal murders ensues! There's plenty of fast-moving action in this crime melodrama laced with humor.
Western Pacific Agent (1950)
A "modern Western," set in the year it was released (1951). The railroad assigns its top agent Kent Taylor to investigate a payroll robbery and the murder of a paymaster. Meanwhile, the felon's father (Morris Carnovsky) is also desperately trying to convince the wayward boy (Mickey Knox) to forsake his life of crime.
Highway 13 (1948)
It's murder on wheels when a trucking company loses several vehicles in a series of mysterious crashes--and a company honcho dies in a road accident that is equally inexplicable. Truck driver Robert Lowery soon finds himself enmeshed in the whodunit, which involves a café truck stop, an ex-gangster mechanic and indications of sabotage.
Treasure of Monte Cristo (1951)
A web of death, intrigue and daring love entwines merchant seaman Glenn Langan, a descendent of the Count of Monte Cristo, as he searches modern-day San Francisco for the fortune in long-missing jewels to which he is the rightful heir. Crooked lawyers, a murder and a frame-up are among the obstacles thrown in his path. Great location photography.
Roaring City (1949)
Private eye Dennis O'Brien (Hugh Beaumont) will do anything for a dame or a dollar, tackling two more assignments filled with pistol-point suspense. The first involves a "fixed" fight, double-crosses and, of course, murder. Later, his reward for hiring out to pose as a young beauty's husband is a knockout blow to the head and a false murder charge!
Sky Liner (1949)
Attention, Homeland Security! It's Grand Hotel in the air as the usual wild assortment of travelers (movie actress, eloping couple, child singer, spinsters, crooks, more) board a LaGuardia Airport flight, unaware that other passengers might be spies and counter-spies, complete with secret documents, poison and elaborate plans to engage in international espionage!
The Lone Ranger - Seasons 1 and 2 in November
**Classic Media** has announced a November 11th release date for The Lone Ranger - 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition. The 13 disc set which commemorates the creation of the Lone Ranger character by Fran Striker will have the complete First and Second Seasons from 1949 and 1950. No word on bonus features.
It will retail for $119.93, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $84.99.
Burke's Law: Season 1, Vol. 2 in November - SPECIAL 3 DAY PRICE
**VCI** has announced a November 18th release date for Burke's Law - Season 1, Vol. 2. The last 16 episodes from Season 1 will be spread over 4 discs and retail for $29.99, but is available at Classicflix.com for only $19.99. However, for 3 days only (until September 4th), we'll have it for over 45% off retail for the LOW, LOW PRE-ORDER PRICE of $15.98.
We don't have the disc breakdown or guest stars listed yet, but if it's any thing like Burke's Law - Season 1, Vol. 1, it's sure to please! Each episode from Volume 1 had three to five well known actors as evidenced below by the list of guest stars below:
William Bendix, Cedric Hardwicke, Zasu Pitts, Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Ruggles, Jim Backus, Mary Astor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Paul Lynde, Lizabeth Scott, Chill Wills, Joan Blondell, Eva Gabor, Barbara Eden, Don Rickles, Ed Begley, Terry-Thomas, Rita Moreno, Keenan Wynn, Arlene Dahl, Sammy Davis Jr., Burgess Meredith, Carolyn Jones, Cesar Romero, Ida Lupino, Nancy Sinatra, Rhonda Fleming, Frankie Laine, Anne Francis, Celeste Holm, Joan Caulfield, Telly Savalas, Gloria Swanson, Frankie Avalon, Edward Everett Horton, Debra Paget, Terry Moore, June Allyson, Jack Haley, Agnes Moorehead, Yvonne De Carlo, Hoagy Carmichael, Broderick Crawford and Carl Reiner.
Burke's Law - Season 1, Vol. 2
He’s BACK!!! VCI is proud to announce the second volume of Burke’s Law which will complete the award-winning inaugural season. Burke’s Law was a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965. Gene Barry starred as Amos Burke the suave millionaire Chief of Detectives for Los Angeles, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Silver Cloud II Rolls-Royce. The series featured stylish settings, strange twists on homicides, and legendary guest stars. During the opening credits, as the opening title burst on screen, and a woman’s voice was heard seductively saying “It’s Burke’s Law!” The title also reflected Burke’s practice of providing wisdom …”A smart policeman never mixes business with vermouth - Burke’s Law.”
BONUS FEATURES:
He’s BACK!!! VCI is proud to announce the second volume of Burke’s Law which will complete the award-winning inaugural season. Burke’s Law was a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965. Gene Barry starred as Amos Burke the suave millionaire Chief of Detectives for Los Angeles, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Silver Cloud II Rolls-Royce. The series featured stylish settings, strange twists on homicides, and legendary guest stars. During the opening credits, as the opening title burst on screen, and a woman’s voice was heard seductively saying “It’s Burke’s Law!” The title also reflected Burke’s practice of providing wisdom …”A smart policeman never mixes business with vermouth - Burke’s Law.”
BONUS FEATURES:
- Vintage Commercials
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