*** DVD CORNER ***

[BruceH]

They DIDN'T locate the original spider footage? Than what did they do, CGI a sequence the way they think it MIGHT have looked? That ain't right.

The new King Kong coming to theaters is apparently set back in the time of the original (the early thirties.) That's one thing they did right, but really, what's the point? I don't see the need to remake this film.

[Guy Berger]

Good one!  I love Chaplin.  Bought Modern Times a couple months ago.

←

I've been slowly working chronologically through all his films. (Many of the Keystones were painful to watch!) The Circus is going to arrive from Netflix today, and then it's onto City Lights & Modern Times).

←

I found The Circus painful. Not one of his best moments for me.

←

I just watched it and thought it was enjoyable. Certainly not painful. Now, watching one of the early Keystone films with the heads cropped off & terrible acting/writing, that's painful.

Guy

[ghost of miles]

They DIDN'T locate the original spider footage?  Than what did they do, CGI a sequence the way they think it MIGHT have looked?  That ain't right.

The new King Kong coming to theaters is apparently set back in the time of the original (the early thirties.)  That's one thing they did right, but really, what's the point?  I don't see the need to remake this film.

←

I think that's indeed what they did, Bruce. I'll still be curious to see it...and it's not included in the film itself, but as an extra on the second disk.

I'm actually interested in seeing the remake... the trailer hooked me. Gotta be better than that blasted mid-70's affair (though it did jumpstart Jessica Lange's career, and for that I guess we can be grateful).

[BruceH]

Yes, nothing against Jessica Lange, but the mid-70's remake was truly terrible.

[BERIGAN]

They DIDN'T locate the original spider footage?  Than what did they do, CGI a sequence the way they think it MIGHT have looked?  That ain't right.

The new King Kong coming to theaters is apparently set back in the time of the original (the early thirties.)  That's one thing they did right, but really, what's the point?  I don't see the need to remake this film.

←

I think that's indeed what they did, Bruce. I'll still be curious to see it...and it's not included in the film itself, but as an extra on the second disk.

I'm actually interested in seeing the remake... the trailer hooked me. Gotta be better than that blasted mid-70's affair (though it did jumpstart Jessica Lange's career, and for that I guess we can be grateful).

I gotta agree with Bruce on this one. What is the point??? The ads on TV make me think the CGI is terrible, which I don't quite understand. Did you see trailer in a theatre??? Perhaps it will look better on the big screen.

[BruceH]

Well, the new remake is by Peter Jackson, and after what he did with the Lord of the Rings trilogy people are understandably curious. Me, I still have yet to see any of the LOTR films. What's next? Is he going to remake Frankenstein?

[Kalo]

I think I said this here before, but they should have had Jack Black playing Kong.

Then I'd go see it

Edited November 23, 2005 by Kalo

[Adam]

They DIDN'T locate the original spider footage? Than what did they do, CGI a sequence the way they think it MIGHT have looked? That ain't right.

The new King Kong coming to theaters is apparently set back in the time of the original (the early thirties.) That's one thing they did right, but really, what's the point? I don't see the need to remake this film.

Actually, i work at the company that produced that segment, Pellerin Multimedia. And now the DVD is out, so I guess that I can talk about it, although I didn't work on KK '33. I am working on the DVD of the new Kong, but I can't talk about that yet in any detail.

But the spider pit sequence recreation was done with models, not CGI. It's all shown how.

I think it would have been wrong to reinsert it into the film. Cooper pulled it back then for good reason.

Also, there was almost no original material from KK '33 - very little artwork, surviving models, etc. What little is on the DVD is what there is.

[BruceH]

I think I said this here before, but they should have had Jack Black playing Kong.

Then I'd go see it

How about: "Mighty Jack Black"?

[Kalo]

I think I said this here before, but they should have had Jack Black playing Kong.

Then I'd go see it

How about: "Mighty Jack Black"?

[ghost of miles]

They DIDN'T locate the original spider footage? Than what did they do, CGI a sequence the way they think it MIGHT have looked? That ain't right.

The new King Kong coming to theaters is apparently set back in the time of the original (the early thirties.) That's one thing they did right, but really, what's the point? I don't see the need to remake this film.

Actually, i work at the company that produced that segment, Pellerin Multimedia. And now the DVD is out, so I guess that I can talk about it, although I didn't work on KK '33. I am working on the DVD of the new Kong, but I can't talk about that yet in any detail.

But the spider pit sequence recreation was done with models, not CGI. It's all shown how.

I think it would have been wrong to reinsert it into the film. Cooper pulled it back then for good reason.

Also, there was almost no original material from KK '33 - very little artwork, surviving models, etc. What little is on the DVD is what there is.

Adam,

Just two stills and some sketches--isn't that all that survives of the original spider-pit sequence? And it was pulled originally because it upset the pacing... I agree that it would've been a real big mistake to reinsert a recreated sequence into the '33 original.

Here's one of the models from the original sequence:

and a still:

[Adam]

Adam,

Just two stills and some sketches--isn't that all that survives of the original spider-pit sequence? And it was pulled originally because it upset the pacing... I agree that it would've been a real big mistake to reinsert a recreated sequence into the '33 original.

Yep. It clearly (IMHO) was too long a segment to drop into the film at that point. I think Cooper dropped it for good reason. Unfortunately, of course, studios didn't worry too much about saving outtakes and scenes that hit the cutting room floor.

Nice spider, though.

[BruceH]

I heard that the main reason they dropped it was that people came out of the screening talking only about the scary spider sequence. It upstaged the entire rest of the movie.

[ghost of miles]

Some interesting stuff on the new spider-pit sequence here, including some stills:

New spider-pit sequence

[ghost of miles]

Several months ago I heard a rumor that there might be a Criterion edition of Kubrick's PATHS OF GLORY in the works... any fire behind this smoke?

[Stefan Wood]

Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well Criterion in January.

[Kalo]

Lots of great Criterions lately. Three all-time favorites of mine: Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table, Mike Leigh's Naked, Jean Pierre Melville's Le Samourai. Not sure how I'll afford them, or any of the other 50 or so Criterions I covet.

Edited December 6, 2005 by Kalo

[sal]

Just heard that Criterion will be re-issuing "Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro" in 2006. I would like to upgrade my copy of Seven Samurai, as I hear the new transfer is incredible and will be released as a two-disc edition.

[Stefan Wood]

Wow, even better than the previous edition? I can understand the Sanjuro and Yojimbo redos, the quality of the source prints on the previous ones weren't that good.

[brownie]

Don't know if it's available on DVD in the States but there is an early Melville film that is definetely worth seeing: 'Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan' set in New York and filmed partly in NYK and mostly in Paris, at Melville's own film studio. Good jazzy soundtrack by Christian Chevalier and Martial Solal.

Melville is one of the two main actors in that film!

[sal]

Wow, even better than the previous edition? I can understand the Sanjuro and Yojimbo redos, the quality of the source prints on the previous ones weren't that good.

Rumors have been circulating for some time now about a new print they found of Seven Samurai that is supposed to be in pristine conditon. This apparently will be the source material used for the new Criterion release. This combined with the advances made since 1998 should make for a fine release.

[BruceH]

Lots of great Criterions lately. Three all-time favorites of mine: Jane Campion's An Angel at My Table, Mike Leigh's Naked, Jean Pierre Melville's Le Samourai. Not sure how I'll afford them, or any of the other 50 or so Criterions I covet.

Same here. I'd particularly like to get Le Samourai but don't know how I'll pay for it.

[Brad]

Dumb question but I haven't looked at this thread until recently but is there one site better than others that keeps you up to date on new releases and where can you buy these, especially ones not that popular, like the Criterion releases. Would love to get a new Seven Samurai as well as Paths to Glory, one of the best films ever made or that I ever saw.

[Adam]

This is the best site tracking releases of noteworthy DVDs:

http://www.mastersofcinema.org/

[BERIGAN]

Dumb question but I haven't looked at this thread until recently but is there one site better than others that keeps you up to date on new releases and where can you buy these, especially ones not that popular, like the Criterion releases. Would love to get a new Seven Samurai as well as Paths to Glory, one of the best films ever made or that I ever saw.

They always seem to have a sale on them....

http://www.dvdplanet.com/catspotlights/criterion.asp