76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

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tenia
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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#51 Post by tenia » Tue Jun 19, 2018 12:17 pm

Apperson wrote:
Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:09 pm
I do feel b/w looks better than colour photography when not restored in 2k or 4k.
This is my general feeling too. I'd believe it has to do with how unforgiving fading or older ways of color timing can be for color movies while the human eye isn't as good as picking up the same kind of approximations for B&W movies. However, I do believe the BD format is best for beautifully contrasted and lavishly restored B&W movies, like some shot in the 60s. I remember being stunned by Godard's Vivre sa vie and thinking "that's what the format looks made for".

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#52 Post by M Sanderson » Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:12 am

Weirdly I had got House of Bamboo confused with Crimson Kimono. Was expecting a Robert Ryan film in colour, in this set. Must buy this TT release for Fuller-completism sake!

With the two main titles in this set, and sterling work by TT and especially MoC, Fuller is well represented on Blu ray.

Not many seem too impressed by Underworld USA, one of the key Fuller texts for film scholars.

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rapta
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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#53 Post by rapta » Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:28 am

I imagine one of the great UK labels will grab House of Bamboo as soon as it's available again. Simply Media released it on DVD in May 2014 so hopefully they only had a 5 year license, meaning we may get a Blu-ray next year for that one - most likely MoC or Indicator, but Arrow, Signal One or BFI may even have it in their sights.

In the meantime, I reckon we'll see a disc for Hell and High Water within the next 12 months, and most likely from one of the above labels. But of course the two biggest Fuller omissions from the UK Blu-ray market are still Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss. Anyone know who might have them? Metrodome did, once upon a time, but it seems they likely lost them long before 101 Films acquired the leftovers of their catalogue.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#54 Post by senseabove » Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:15 pm

M Sanderson wrote:
Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:12 am
Weirdly I had got House of Bamboo confused with Crimson Kimono. Was expecting a Robert Ryan film in colour, in this set. Must buy this TT release for Fuller-completism sake!

With the two main titles in this set, and sterling work by TT and especially MoC, Fuller is well represented on Blu ray.

Not many seem too impressed by Underworld USA, one of the key Fuller texts for film scholars.
HoB is getting low at TT—less than 125, according to their latest email—and it's already sold out from Screen Archives, so if you wanted to pick it up, you might wanna grab it while it's $15 on sale right now... I watched it night before last, and while I found it a little weak storywise, it is an absolutely stunning image, and Robert Ryan's great. I watched it in anticipation of the Indicator set, which I'm still eagerly waiting for to ship...

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tenia
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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#55 Post by tenia » Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:24 pm

I bought House of Bamboo some time ago and only watched it a few months ago and was too quite disappointed by the story, which felt like it was dragging. It is stunning, and the last half hour or so felt much more thrilling, but overall, it felt weaker than expected.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#56 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:08 pm

Weirdly enough, I inadvertently saw it and the film it was a remake of, the Street With No Name, back to back when I was working my way through those Fox noir DVDs. I had no idea the Fuller was a remake and was like, "Hey, wait a minute..." Honestly, the Fuller version is far weaker than the more traditional Noir

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#57 Post by Rayon Vert » Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:49 pm

M Sanderson wrote:With the two main titles in this set, and sterling work by TT and especially MoC, Fuller is well represented on Blu ray.
I’d really like to also get Merrill’s Marauders too, though.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#58 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:51 pm

Given the weird choices Warner Archives makes for Blu-ray releases, it wouldn't surprise me if it did happen

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#59 Post by M Sanderson » Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:21 am

senseabove wrote:
Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:15 pm
M Sanderson wrote:
Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:12 am
Weirdly I had got House of Bamboo confused with Crimson Kimono. Was expecting a Robert Ryan film in colour, in this set. Must buy this TT release for Fuller-completism sake!

With the two main titles in this set, and sterling work by TT and especially MoC, Fuller is well represented on Blu ray.

Not many seem too impressed by Underworld USA, one of the key Fuller texts for film scholars.
HoB is getting low at TT—less than 125, according to their latest email—and it's already sold out from Screen Archives, so if you wanted to pick it up, you might wanna grab it while it's $15 on sale right now... I watched it night before last, and while I found it a little weak storywise, it is an absolutely stunning image, and Robert Ryan's great. I watched it in anticipation of the Indicator set, which I'm still eagerly waiting for to ship...
Those TT sales are excellent. I managed to grab No Down Payment and Where the Sidewalk Ends. But when I looked for HoB it had gone from SAE. It’s expensive to import to the UK anyway and I found one on Amazon UK marketplace at a reasonable £36.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#60 Post by M Sanderson » Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:25 am

How do people feel about the presentations? I’m liking the detail & contrast in Crimson Kimono. Quality of density and grain resolution however appears variable, due in some part, almost certainly, to shooting methods. Does this presentation draw on different source materials?

Underworld USA’s presentation is impreccable. This is one of the outstanding bw transfers. And, as I see it, one of Fuller’s great films. The long takes at the end of Robertson staggering back to the garbage alleys that he was first introduced to us, as a kid. The film really showed him as a product of his environment, showing us all his flaws - in particular the sentimental attachment to his no good father - trapped in a vicious cycle.

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76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#61 Post by MichaelB » Fri Jun 29, 2018 2:27 am

Beaver.

And M Sanderson’s attention is drawn to the following regular features in The Crimson Kimono:

1) Fuller shooting extremely long takes (several minutes apiece) and linking them with a dissolve - so the shots in question have to drop a generation to facilitate that.
2) Fuller’s technique of creating artificial pans and zooms in an optical printer to beef up their impact - but, again, this means dropping a generation (and upping the grain).

Basically, the transfer pretty much accurately replicates what the film has always unavoidably looked like. Fuller was presumably happy enough.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#62 Post by M Sanderson » Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:23 am

rapta wrote:
Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:28 am
I imagine one of the great UK labels will grab House of Bamboo as soon as it's available again. Simply Media released it on DVD in May 2014 so hopefully they only had a 5 year license, meaning we may get a Blu-ray next year for that one - most likely MoC or Indicator, but Arrow, Signal One or BFI may even have it in their sights.

In the meantime, I reckon we'll see a disc for Hell and High Water within the next 12 months, and most likely from one of the above labels. But of course the two biggest Fuller omissions from the UK Blu-ray market are still Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss. Anyone know who might have them? Metrodome did, once upon a time, but it seems they likely lost them long before 101 Films acquired the leftovers of their catalogue.
Yes Shock Corridor and Naked Kiss would be very welcome. Two of his perhaps boldest stylistic statements. Two of his bravest and strangest and most radical. Is it time now for fresh scans in the higher 2-or-4 k resolution? These were two very good Criterion discs but also two very early Criterion B-Rs and obviously technology has moved forward.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#63 Post by MichaelB » Sun Jul 08, 2018 3:29 pm

CineOutsider quite likes it:
If you're already a fan of the cinema of Samuel Fuller then consider this an essential purchase if you don't already have it, and if you're somehow new to his work, then know that this is the far and away best and most comprehensive box set devoted to this singular filmmaker that I've yet encountered. [...] Which to my mind makes this a strong candidate for Blu-ray release of the year so far. Unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#64 Post by Florinaldo » Mon Aug 27, 2018 9:56 am

I remember how excited we were when the original DVD set came out nearly a decade ago because it made available little seen movies from Fuller, even though the extras were rather meager as compared to the Boetticher set issued at about the same time. Indicator has now amped up the excitement by several orders of magnitude, not only because of the HD format but thanks to a whole slew of great features, many featuring Fuller in his own words.

I note that contrary to their Harryhausen and Boetticher sets, Indicator has decided not to put together a single book covering all titles but to put out indidual booklets inserted in each disc's case. Does anyone know it that was done for technical reasons, for example a single book making it too big of a package or perfect-bound being more expensive than stapling, or is it a direction the publisher is now taking with the packaging for its newer box sets? One might think it was done in expectation of possible single disc releases in future years, but the publisher had stated that any reissue will not feature the booklets, so it would make no difference it it's one big book or single inserts.

Not that all of these Fuller films would hold much commercial interest individually, except for the two later ones, especially with the fascinating bonus of 6 hours of unedited conversation between him and Robbins.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#65 Post by peerpee » Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:08 am

Indicator have a 3 cases + perfect-bound book slipcase template (HARRYHAUSEN, BOETTICHER), and a 4 cases slipcase template (HAMMER, FULLER). Going larger than the latter, ie. 4 cases + perfect-bound book, is getting too large. They now have a 1 case + poster + perfect-bound book template (NIGHT OF THE DEMON) too.

It's pretty time consuming getting new CAD templates from the manufacturers (can take weeks) so pre-existing templates are preferred, where possible.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#66 Post by Florinaldo » Wed Aug 29, 2018 9:33 am

Thanks for that info, which confirms it is done for practical and technical reasons.

Indeed, when one wants to vary from a printer's templates, they have to recalibrate their machines for cutting, folding, binding, etc. and they can be forced to farm out that job; also, the use of raw materials (like carboard and paper sheets) may be less optimal and generate more waste, adding further to production costs for the customer. So it makes sense to stick to two formats and one should not read into it, a possibility I raised, an indication of possible individual releases for these titles more than for others.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#67 Post by T!me » Fri Apr 24, 2020 9:57 am

Got the set a few weeks ago and finished the first disk today. This was also my first contact with the work of Samuel Fuller and I’m eager to watch his more acclaimed work.

I din‘t care much for It Happened In Hollywood, albeit I found it rather interesting how it perceived the shift to Talkies no more than 10 years after the change. The ending scene is great tho, despite my struggle to identify every star seen.

I had my fair share of problems with Adventure in Sahara, the greatest one being the oversentimental and patriotic nature of the lead whom I can’t sympathize with at all. 10 more minutes wouldn’t have hurt its pacing either.

Lastly, Power of the Press seems to have so much wasted potential with the core story of an honest journalist facing the corrupt and greedy obstacles of the populistic nature. Sadly, all this is watered-down to a movie with to little time to tell it all compellingly. Now, 75 years later, the frequent use of Nazi-allusions and -vocabulary is quite uncomfortable too, knowing, what we know today.

All in all the first three movies, while not being great, provided an interesting look at a time in cinema I didn’t know and still have much to learn about. The set was already worth the money spent.
Last edited by T!me on Fri Apr 24, 2020 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#68 Post by DarkImbecile » Fri Apr 24, 2020 10:13 am

The quality of the features in that set, if you're going chronologically, really takes a leap with Shockproof, so if you were intrigued by the first batch of films, you'll be quite happy with the rest. The extras are also amazing, to the point that I'd have bought them on disc even with no features attached.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#69 Post by therewillbeblus » Fri Apr 24, 2020 10:40 am

I second DI’s comment, Shockproof and especially Underworld U.S.A. (which is like heaping coats of bleak oil onto an already fragile crumbling of trust in our protective systems) are phenomenal. I’ve said it somewhere on this forum but the 7ish hour interview with Fuller may be my favorite supplement ever, and if that alone was released on a disc (or across a few!) it would be the best release of its year.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#70 Post by T!me » Fri Apr 24, 2020 11:42 am

That’s certainly nice to hear! Crimson Kimono is the one movie I’m most eager to watch at the moment.

While watching all three of the movies I always felt like I’ld need a specific kind of mentality to really appreciate them, which I don’t have and I’m interested in your opinions about this.

Speaking about It Happened in Hollywood for example, it felt somehow dependent on wether the viewer has a connection to the idea of the Cowboy and the Americana-myth related to it so the fall of Tim Bart can be not only emblematic for the fall of many Silent Era Stars but also for the downfall of a great American idea: the individual who has to cope with a surrounding that demands the individual to change to uniformity in accordance to the rules other people set up. Reading the movie this way, the ending feels, or at least should feel, way more rewarding. But to me, It doesn’t because I don’t care much for the heroic idea of the Cowboy.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#71 Post by therewillbeblus » Fri Apr 24, 2020 1:04 pm

I don't recall those initial three in detail, but I think Fuller's aims are often simpler, or more broad, than that. He thrives on the idea from his newspaperman days and time in the war that truth is perspective and that morality is inherently compromised. Ideology is a lie, the world is a cruel place, and people have innate selfish agendas. This doesn't mean he's a cynic, because there is a sense of camaraderie, subjective moral drives, and he does believe in virtues; he just also understands that the ideas we are fed are only half-truths, and sometimes he goes to lengths to explore the romantic and raw brutality coexisting as layered masks. So if he's deconstructing American myths, as he certainly does, it's usually for the purpose of finding a topic interesting and - as a man with a reporter background - defaulting to find the alternative way of approaching the idea, out of habit and obligation to make truth whole rather than necessarily promote his own perspective, unless that perspective is that all perspectives form the authentic whole. Part of why I love Full so much is his audacity to go to these lengths, but deep-down it's because his worldview subscribes the most to my own of any filmmaker I can think of in terms of finding equity in the validity of all viewpoints on an issue.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#72 Post by Drucker » Fri Apr 24, 2020 2:09 pm

Cannot recommend Park Row enough, which has an OOP MOC edition. Fuller is decently well represented on blu-ray at this time, but that one is sorely excluded but it's my #1 Fuller right behind Pickup On South Street.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#73 Post by T!me » Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:23 am

therewillbeblus wrote:
Fri Apr 24, 2020 1:04 pm
I don't recall those initial three in detail, but I think Fuller's aims are often simpler, or more broad, than that. He thrives on the idea from his newspaperman days and time in the war that truth is perspective and that morality is inherently compromised. Ideology is a lie, the world is a cruel place, and people have innate selfish agendas. This doesn't mean he's a cynic, because there is a sense of camaraderie, subjective moral drives, and he does believe in virtues; he just also understands that the ideas we are fed are only half-truths, and sometimes he goes to lengths to explore the romantic and raw brutality coexisting as layered masks. So if he's deconstructing American myths, as he certainly does, it's usually for the purpose of finding a topic interesting and - as a man with a reporter background - defaulting to find the alternative way of approaching the idea, out of habit and obligation to make truth whole rather than necessarily promote his own perspective, unless that perspective is that all perspectives form the authentic whole. Part of why I love Full so much is his audacity to go to these lengths, but deep-down it's because his worldview subscribes the most to my own of any filmmaker I can think of in terms of finding equity in the validity of all viewpoints on an issue.
I've just watched Shockproof with what you've said in mind and I think I agree with your thoughts. Shockproof didn't strike me as dependent on a country-specific mentality at all and more like an argument about whether some people are inherently morally corrupt or if all people are merely product of their surroundings. While I sympathize with the latter and appreciate every film taking and discussing this stance, I've had a hard time believing John Baragrey's Harry Weason to just giving up and okaying the love of the two protagonists which, for the most part of their romance, I had problems buying into as well. Maybe this all stems from Sirk's or Deutsch's influence but I'm not the right person to pass judgement. In the end, Shockproof was the best and most fun to watch of the four movies so far.

Viewing these four movies from the perspective you offered definitely helped me to acknowledge their common trades and I think I do appreciate Adventure in Sahara a little bit more now.

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Re: 76-79 Samuel Fuller at Columbia 1937-1961

#74 Post by MichaelB » Wed Jun 16, 2021 1:22 pm

The box set is now officially OOP, but Indicator have just confirmed that there'll be individual releases of all four discs later in 2021.

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