Flicker Alley

[Roscoe]

I have seen no video sample of the Foolish Wives release. Anyone else seen anything?

I have the Blu-Ray, and have watched it straight through. It's marvelous. Don't hesitate.

[swo17]

But how does it compare to the Kino?

[Roscoe]

But how does it compare to the Kino?

It's better. The Kino might be worth holding on to for the extras. If you've already got the Kino (as I do) you may well decide to keep it (as I did) for the extras and that MAN YOU LOVE TO HATE documentary. But the presentation of the film on the Flicker Alley release is superior. Double dipping is entirely justified.

Here's a review with more:
http://silentera.com/video/foolishWivesHV.html

[liam fennell]

I'd also say it's well worth it. This is my favorite movie these days and I received the blu ray in the mail yesterday. I've seen the Kino blu recently. The image is a vast improvement in many shots. Some shots are the same. The rougher footage, such as when the ambassador arrives in Monte Carlo, has been improved so it's not so choppy and fragmentary. The improved, more detailed image is particularly apparent in crowd scenes, and the motion is much more natural throughout. Also the storm scene was more exciting! The liner notes say it's edited to match the AFI/Kino exactly, and it doesn't have any or very little new footage. The liner notes mention a nitrate print found in Italy, which I guess they substituted wherever they could (the liner notes aren't super clear and I haven't watched the extras yet). The Kino blu doesn't have any tinting at all but this new version has the tinting, and it looks good. It adds authentic illustrated intertitles, but the text seemed the same. The main downside is the new orchestral score is not to my taste and doesn't seem to fit the movie at all, as opposed to the Kino's Schumann-esque piano reduction based on (I believe) the original theatrical score, which I've always found to be perfect, enhancing every scene — alas!

Second the notion of keeping/obtaining the Kino for the very fun Man You Love to Hate documentary!

[A Tempted Christ]

Mauvaise Graine, Wilder's debut and Fanfare d'amour, the film that supposedly inspired his Some Like It Hot, coming from Flicker Fusion

[JSC]

Briefly bumping up this thread. Does anyone know off hand when or whether Flicker Alley has sales on their site?

[TechnicolorAcid]

I know for a fact they have a Black Friday sale and a Cyber Monday Sale on their MOD titles but I’m not sure if there’s any other sales.

[swo17]

Generally not for a huge discount though

[JSC]

Thanks. Was looking to pick up a few titles, but they're a bit pricey on amazon.

[Finch]

Yeah, their titles are rarely discounted on Amazon while, say, Warner Archive titles regularly see price drops 3-6 months after release and heavily so after a full year (though what gets discounted often seems fairly random). I've had El Vampiro Negro on my shopping list for over a year and it never got a lower price in all that time. Foolish Wives might have dropped by 10% to 20% at one point, and I actually can't remember a time where I've seen FA titles significantly discounted anywhere. Their own Black Friday sale is probably your best bet.

[Maltic]

Some labels are boutique, and some are really boutique.

[TechnicolorAcid]

eBay generally is a good place for deals for Flicker Alley and I’ve been able to find good prices for them (just now found Fragment of an Empire for around $22. Also Finch, Amazon has Foolish Wives for 36% off right now for a Limited Time Deal.

[swo17]

Amazon has Foolish Wives for 36% off right now for a Limited Time Deal.

Thanks for the tip. Also, their Laurel & Hardy releases are each eligible for a 20% off coupon right now (though you can only use the coupon once per order)

[domino harvey]

Add any Flicker Alley titles you want to your cart and monitor it from time to time. I’ve eventually gotten 15-20% off codes pop up for every title I wanted over the last few weeks

[JSC]

Good idea. I've had a few dedicated wishlists for certain labels that I don't buy directly from. I had Repeat Performance in
my general list for ages, but as the price didn't budget one cent, I finally bit the bullet and bought it.

That being said, a quick shoutout for the Laurel and Hardy Year 1 set since I haven't seen many reviews. Definitely worthwhile for
L&H fans. I also like having the 1930s French soundtrack as an audio option since it isn't too far removed from the general music for
their early sound films.

[domino harvey]

Good idea. I've had a few dedicated wishlists for certain labels that I don't buy directly from. I had Repeat Performance in
my general list for ages, but as the price didn't budget one cent, I finally bit the bullet and bought it.

I got a simultaneous 20% coupon plus a price drop just a few days ago on that one— $24 before tax for a Flicker Alley release is about as good as it’s ever going to get

[tenia]

They have interesting but I wish they weren't so expensive, so good to read there might be a trick !

[What A Disgrace]

Carlos Hugo Christensen's Never Open That Door is the next Argentine noir being released by Flicker Alley.

https://flickeralley.com/products/never ... hP7QxZLF9g

[Finch]

I loved The Bitter Stems and the Muller and Schrader's quotes on their site for Never Open That Door are such a tease. Thank you to FA for pretty much single-handedly exposing us to Argentine noirs!

[What A Disgrace]

Laurel and Hardy: Year Two will be coming later this year, presumably including their first two truly great classics, Two Tars and The Finishing Touch. So, I say, bring on that and Year Three...

[hearthesilence]

I got the Year One set like a week ago and it's great. After the degrained debacle of the "definitive restorations" from Kit Parker, I gave up and bought the old DVD set for cheap, so seeing these sets from Flicker Alley is a welcome surprise. Hopefully they'll be able to do more.

[therewillbeblus]

I got the Year One set like a week ago and it's great. After the degrained debacle of the "definitive restorations" from Kit Parker, I gave up and bought the old DVD set for cheap, so seeing these sets from Flicker Alley is a welcome surprise.

I did the same, but also grabbed the Kit Parker set with it. Is that set so poorly received where I should return it?

[hearthesilence]

I did the same, but also grabbed the Kit Parker set with it. Is that set so poorly received where I should return it?

Unless you got a great deal on it (like half off), I wouldn't keep it. Sons of the Desert is supposed to look good though, but that's only one film, albeit the best feature they made.

I was going to link to some threads at the hometheaterforum, but unfortunately one has been "cleaned up" and another had a revealing screencap that expired (displaying an "x" instead). You can read through this, but the short version is, Robert A. Harris didn't like the Blu-ray release and in his opinion tried to be kind about it. It didn't matter, some people didn't like the opinion and threw insults which led to their posts being taken down. All of this is alluded to in that link, where you can see people coming out and again arguing about the merits of the new release, but from what I remember, it was heavily scrubbed and the people involved didn't deny it and defended their choice.

[therewillbeblus]

I did get it for close to that, but I'll return it. Flicker Alley releasing more volumes is promising - though presumably the rights would be with Kit Parker for those films?

[hearthesilence]

I did get it for close to that, but I'll return it. Flicker Alley releasing more volumes is promising - though presumably the rights would be with Kit Parker for those films?

Ugh, I think I spoke too soon. Found this: "I listened to Patrick Vasey's interview with Mr. Bromberg on the L&H podcast, and if I understand correctly, Mr. Bromberg is only going to restore the silent films. A real shame, because he would probably do a much better job on the talkies than those responsible for the digital restoration on the Definitive Collection."

Unless things change, you might as well hold on to it. I went with the DVD set but it's pick your poison - take a big hit in resolution or choose sandblasted hi-def visuals.