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Posted: |
May 17, 2014 - 7:40 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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What of ISADORA with Vanessa Redgrave's bravura, Oscar-nominated performance? The last time I saw this was its network broadcast (over two nights with restored footage from the truncated US version, THE LOVES OF ISADORA) in the early 70s!
In order to qualify for the 1968 Academy awards, Universal opened ISADORA in Los Angeles on 18 December 1968. Although Vanessa Redgrave was nominated for Best Actress (eventually losing to a tie between Katherine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand), the picture did not receive any other nominations.
That initial Los Angeles run of ISADORA was as a 177-minute reserved seat attraction. But the picture received a sharply negative review from the Los Angeles Times, as well as near unanimous comments on its overlength, and failed to live up to boxoffice expectations. As a result, the film was cut twice—first by 20 minutes to 157 minutes, then by an additional 26 minutes to 131 minutes. It also underwent a title change in its advertising to THE LOVES OF ISADORA (although retaining the original title on the screen credits). Finally, it was shifted to a general release, non-roadshow policy, first in Los Angeles and then for all subsequent release dates around the country. The film opened in New York on 27 April 1969 (the New York Times review indicated that the film ran 128 minutes).
Various other running times have been reported for the film. Leonard Maltin’s book claims that the film’s original running time was 168 minutes. When it opened in London on 4 March 1969, it reportedly ran 138 minutes. The film was copyrighted at a length of 136 minutes. And reportedly, in 1987, director Karel Reisz prepared a special cut of the film for television showings, running at a length of 153 minutes. Supposedly this version was televised by the Bravo cable channel, with some minor editing of nudity. Although the IMDB claims that this also was the only version released on video, a check of the stated running times of various versions available on Amazon suggests otherwise:
British PAL VHS (MCA Universal) – 153 minutes
French Region 2 DVD – 144 minutes
British Region 2 DVD (Odeon Entertainment, 2011) - 134 minutes
U.S. VHS (Universal, 1992) - 131 minutes
Korean DVD – 131 minutes
By my count, that's ten different reported running times for the film.
http://www.moviemail.com/film/dvd/Isadora/?ver=1&utm_expid=298190-9.IWIJnsi-RxOq8CQswSJnVg.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv&field-keywords=Isadora
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Bob:
Funny. I went to see "Isadora" at a theatre in Beverly Hills the weekend it opened, and timed it so I could see 4 movies that day, going from theatre to theatre. One of the others I saw that day was, as I recall, "Closely Watched Trains." I really didn't care for either of them.
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When I was in middle and high school during the 1960s, John Knowles’ novel A SEPARATE PEACE was all the rage, nearly on a par with “The Catcher In the Rye.” Knowles' novel, which initially was rejected by every major American publishing house, was first published in England in 1959. After U.S. publication the following year, A SEPARATE PEACE became a bestseller and a staple for high school and college reading curricula.
The screen rights to Knowles’ novel changed hands several times before the 1972 film’s production. In 1964, actor Richard Burton and Joseph Sirola, who then owned the screen rights to the novel, intended to co-produce a film version. It was announced that Burton would direct an adaptation by Clyde Ware, with the setting shifted to a British school. However, in 1965 it was announced that actors Keir Dullea and Martin West had formed a company to produce the film, in which they planned to co-star. In 1967, it was announced that television producer Irving Gitlin had purchased the rights to Knowles's novel. Finally, an August 1968 Publishers Weekly news item noted that producer, and Paramount's then-president, Stanley Jaffe, had purchased the screen rights and anticipated beginning shooting the following year with director Larry Peerce.
Peerce shot the film on location at Knowles' alma mater and model for the fictionalized Devon School, Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. Shooting was broken up into two sequences, in winter for snow scenes at the middle and end of the film and in summer for the first half and final scene of the film. A SEPARATE PEACE marked the feature film debut of Parker Stevenson, a then recent graduate of the Brooks Prep School in Andover, MA. Stevenson's co-stars, including John Heyl, were all students at Exeter Academy. Paul Sadler, credited as "Naval officer," was an Exeter faculty member. Of the Exeter students appearing in the film, only Victor Bevine went on to pursue an acting career. Many reviews were critical of the film because of the limited abilities of the young cast.
But the film received its share of praise. Cue’s William Wolf called it a “beautifully crafted, mesmerizing film with haunting atmosphere, characterizations that ring true, and a lyrical, meticulously careful treatment of sensitive feelings.” And the San Francisco Chronicle’s Anita Earle declared that “This beautiful film deserves all the attention it can get.”
A SEPARATE PEACE finally had a cassette release in 1998, in the waning days of VHS, but has never appeared on DVD. I thought that Olive Films might release this Paramount film on DVD /Blu-ray, but there’s been no indication thus far that it’s on their radar.
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Director Andrew L. Stone was always a second tier director, helming such programmers as “Confidence Girl” (1952) and “Cry Terror!” (1958). But it was two gargantuan musical fiascos that sank his career in the early 1970s. The first was SONG OF NORWAY, the purported life of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Filmed entirely on location in Norway, the film had a large Scandinavian cast, headed by Toralv Maurstad as Grieg. For American audience appeal, Florence Henderson and Edward G. Robinson were also in the cast. For the British audiences, Robert Morley was there, and for the continental European audience, Oscar Homolka.
SONG OF NORWAY was based on the 1944 stage musical of the same name by Milton Lazarus, Robert Wright and George Forrest, and featured Roland Shaw and the London Symphony Orchestra playing the Grieg adaptations in the score. Stone filmed the picture in 70mm Super Panavision and 6-track magnetic stereo. And it was presented in Cinerama at some non-U.S. venues.
Although the film looked gorgeous, it had a clunky screenplay by Stone and was a commercial failure. The film earned rentals of $4.4 million in North America and $3.5 million in other countries, but still recorded an overall loss of $1,075,000.
Several poor-looking foreign DVD versions and two U.S. VHS editions have been issued, all panned-and-scanned at 1.33:1. Some are even in mono sound. Although Disney controls whatever elements exist for this ABC Pictures film, M-G-M holds the video distribution rights.
Undeterred by the poor reception to SONG OF NORWAY, Stone was immediately back at it with a musical biopic of composer Johann Strauss II. This was 1972’s THE GREAT WALTZ. Again Stone was the writer-producer-director. And Roland Shaw was back to conduct Strauss’ music. Stone tapped German actor Horst Bucholtz to play Strauss. He was supported by Nigel Patrick, Rossano Brazzi, and opera singer Mary Costa as Strauss’ wife. The film was shot entirely on location in and around Vienna, Austria.
The film used an interesting device wherein many scenes were presented completely without dialogue, during which, tenor Kenneth McKellar provided an intermittent voice-over narration, singing in operatic fashion, with lyrics written by Robert Wright and George Forrest, set to various Strauss melodies. Many of these narrated sequences describe what is being acted out onscreen, while others advance the plot by providing background about events that have transpired off-screen. For example, in a montage sequence marking the passage of time after Strauss’ youthful successes, he is shown dancing or otherwise romancing with a number of different young women as McKellar sings about the composer’s increasing fame and many love affairs.
THE GREAT WALTZ was shot in 35mm Panavision. At its world premiere screening at the ABC Century City complex in Los Angeles, the picture was shown in a 70mm blowup format, but it was exhibited elsewhere in the 35mm version.
Critical reaction to THE GREAT WALTZ was just as bad as for SONG OF NORWAY. While hardly any critics liked the film, a number conceded that it would appeal to a certain audience. The Washington Post allowed that “What with the tunes, dancing and scenery, ‘The Great Waltz’ has a ton of stuff going for it.” And Variety felt that the “lush locales” and “dazzling emphasis on music and dance” would please “older generations of filmgoers and those seeking lightweight melodic escapism and fantasy.” The film was not a financial success either, bringing in only $1.7 million in North American rentals.
THE GREAT WALTZ has had even worse video treatment than SONG OF NORWAY—mainly, none at all. This M-G-M film, however, has had an occasional rare showing on Turner Classic Movies, in a widescreen stereo print, which includes an intermission.
Both of these have been added to the board. Thanks again, Bob.
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How about the 1958 war movie, The Naked & The Dead, made by RKO, but released by Warner (after RKO's demise). I last saw it on TV in the sixties & after all these years can still remember the scene where a soldier gets bitten by a snake & dies within seconds with white stuff coming out of his mouth. I'd love to see it again in colour & 'scope. And of course there's that great Bernard Herrmann score.
This has been posted on the board. Thanks for suggesting it.
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Or how about those television films that aired on "A.B.C Movie Of The Week"? (e.g., "In Broad Daylight", "A Taste Of Evil", "Five Desperate Women", "The Last Child").
Although most of these can be viewed on You Tube, I don't believe any are on DVD so they have all been posted. Thanks.
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Gemini Affair- An almost unwatchable version is on YoutTube.
Again this seems to be just some soft core porn you're suggesting. Recommendations strongly suggest to fast forward about 50 minutes in to get to the lesbian sex scene.
If you feel otherwise please make your case for a DVD that YOU will buy.
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THE 25TH HOUR (1967) Anthony Quinn
An unacceptable pan and scan DVD exsists so it's been posted thanks.
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What of ISADORA with Vanessa Redgrave's bravura, Oscar-nominated performance? The last time I saw this was its network broadcast (over two nights with restored footage from the truncated US version, THE LOVES OF ISADORA) in the early 70s!
This film has been posted for either the 153 director's cut or the 168 original release version.
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The 1931 version of "The Brothers Karamazov" that was produced by U.F.A., which had a score by Dr. Karol Rathaus that Bernard Herrmann called one of "the great scores in film". This looks like the film that Kino Video would tackle,
This film has been posted thanks.
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When I was in middle and high school during the 1960s, John Knowles’ novel A SEPARATE PEACE was all the rage, nearly on a par with “The Catcher In the Rye.” Knowles' novel, which initially was rejected by every major American publishing house, was first published in England in 1959. After U.S. publication the following year, A SEPARATE PEACE became a bestseller and a staple for high school and college reading curricula.
The screen rights to Knowles’ novel changed hands several times before the 1972 film’s production. In 1964, actor Richard Burton and Joseph Sirola, who then owned the screen rights to the novel, intended to co-produce a film version. It was announced that Burton would direct an adaptation by Clyde Ware, with the setting shifted to a British school. However, in 1965 it was announced that actors Keir Dullea and Martin West had formed a company to produce the film, in which they planned to co-star. In 1967, it was announced that television producer Irving Gitlin had purchased the rights to Knowles's novel. Finally, an August 1968 Publishers Weekly news item noted that producer, and Paramount's then-president, Stanley Jaffe, had purchased the screen rights and anticipated beginning shooting the following year with director Larry Peerce.
Peerce shot the film on location at Knowles' alma mater and model for the fictionalized Devon School, Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. Shooting was broken up into two sequences, in winter for snow scenes at the middle and end of the film and in summer for the first half and final scene of the film. A SEPARATE PEACE marked the feature film debut of Parker Stevenson, a then recent graduate of the Brooks Prep School in Andover, MA. Stevenson's co-stars, including John Heyl, were all students at Exeter Academy. Paul Sadler, credited as "Naval officer," was an Exeter faculty member. Of the Exeter students appearing in the film, only Victor Bevine went on to pursue an acting career. Many reviews were critical of the film because of the limited abilities of the young cast.
But the film received its share of praise. Cue’s William Wolf called it a “beautifully crafted, mesmerizing film with haunting atmosphere, characterizations that ring true, and a lyrical, meticulously careful treatment of sensitive feelings.” And the San Francisco Chronicle’s Anita Earle declared that “This beautiful film deserves all the attention it can get.”
A SEPARATE PEACE finally had a cassette release in 1998, in the waning days of VHS, but has never appeared on DVD. I thought that Olive Films might release this Paramount film on DVD /Blu-ray, but there’s been no indication thus far that it’s on their radar.
Thanks for the info and poster Bob. It's been posted thanks. Here's what the board looks like currently:
http://www.pinterest.com/arthurgrant9883/the-community-chest-most-wanted-by-fans-on-dvd-or-/
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LE CHAT-72?
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Posted: |
Jun 12, 2014 - 12:34 AM
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By: |
riotengine
(Member)
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Here are a few for you Arthur.
Antenna TV ran a number of hard to see war films for Memorial Day, including;
The 1961 Korean war film, All The Young Men, with Alan Ladd, Sidney Poitier, and James Darren. It was only ever out on VHS domestically.
The really obscure 1958 Korean war film, Tank Battalion, with Frank Gorshin and Edward G. Robinson...Jr.
Two others aired were Cockleshell Heroes, and The Victors. No domestic DVDs or blu-rays, only R2 releases.
Greg Espinoza
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Re; THE GREAT WALTZ
there was an excellent UK series that aired in 1978 or so , THE STRAUSS FAMILY.
Is that available?
brm
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Here are a few for you Arthur.
Antenna TV ran a number of hard to see war films for Memorial Day, including;
Greg Espinoza
aNTENNA tv?
You need to get out more, greg!
ahahahhahahahahaha!
bruce
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