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There has to be more to the Fuller release than those three if the retail is going to match the much more substantial Willam Castle set...

Why? The Fuller is a niche release, it's not surprising to see it priced accordingly

domino harvey wrote:Looks good and let's be clear what's happening: Even freaking SONY is outpacing Warners this year!

If you don't count the Archive, EVERYBODY is starting to outpace Warners this year.

Glad that we're getting some fresh meat in the Hayworth box; it could've easily been a repackage of all the films they'd already released. And Miss Sadie Thompson will be in 3D, right ... right?

The Archive is the worst thing to happen to home video since the advent of DIVX discs, so if it counts, it counts against

domino harvey wrote:Why? The Fuller is a niche release, it's not surprising to see it priced accordingly

No more niche than the Sony's Boetticher set, which managed a retail price $20 less than the Fuller set with two more films. Even Criterion doesn't often push a three-title box for $80.

Cosmic Bus wrote:No more niche than the Sony's Boetticher set, which managed a retail price $20 less than the Fuller set with two more films. Even Criterion doesn't often push a three-title box for $80.

That's actually precisely Criterion's pricing point for three-title releases. Bergman Trilogy, Dreyer box, BRD Trilogy, Imamura...even the single spine Human Condition all have an $80 retail.

Maybe this is indicative of a Benjamin Button style Criterion-through-Sony thing that we just don't have any more details on yet. But I'm inclined to think that the price is either wrong, or Sony is nuts and the price is right.

Why are we so sure it's only three films? Aren't Verboten and Shockproof, both Columbia releases, still controlled by Sony?

Fuller's most sustained work for television, the western series Iron Horse, is also Sony, although I doubt they'd put any of his episodes on there as extras (but they should).

The current line-up for Fuller is better described as two and a half movies; Phil Karlson is listed as the director of Scandal Sheet, while Fuller is credited for the source novel. We definitely need more films to be part of this package.

TIVOLI wrote:The current line-up for Fuller is better described as two and a half movies; Phil Karlson is listed as the director of Scandal Sheet, while Fuller is credited for the source novel. We definitely need more films to be part of this package.

Am I wrong to assume Sony will include Fuller's book with the packaging?

I just pre-ordered both of the Screwball sets. Any idea of where I could see some art?

That's because it's seven movies, not three. Don't believe everything you read on the Internet!

Best,
Mike


Hi Michael!

I am a big Fuller fan and am pretty excited for this set...but I have to ask, why is the MSRP of this set so high? 3 films for 80 dollars is pretty expensive. It's priced much higher than the rest of the boxsets your releasing. Is there something special about the set or was it priced so high because Sony is looking at the Fuller set as being a niche title that won't sell very many copies. I am very curious and can't say that I'm overly happy about the price tag.

I'm sure the other films will likely be various Columbia titles in which sam wrote the treatment/screenplay.

Interesting. That could yield some real programmers: It Happened in Hollywood (1937), Adventure in Sahara (1938), or Power of the Press (1943).

Well, that's certainly good to hear.

Glad to be wrong on this one!

For those who've seen them, what thoughts do people have on the films in the Rita Hayworth set -- other than Gilda, which I already have? I'm probably going to pass on it because (a) there are so many other good sets coming out and (b) I mostly know Hayworth from Gilda and Lady From Shanghai (and Only Angels Have Wings is great but of course she only has a supporting part). I like these but still would not call myself a fan of hers. Things like Tonight and Every Night and Salome have never stood out to me as anything I need to see, but nevertheless I'm a little curious.

Cover Girl is an occasionally fun, minor musical (though I thought her Astaire musicals were also Sony, weird that only this one made it) with one really good number in "Make Way For Tomorrow". The film has some pretty questionable sexual politics and Phil Silvers steals the movie (which says a lot really), but I ultimately still have some affection for the picture and won't mind having it on the shelf.

What could the other four Fullers be? I have no idea who owns what, but is there a chance that, say, Park Row will be included?

foggy eyes wrote:What could the other four Fullers be? I have no idea who owns what, but is there a chance that, say, Park Row will be included?

Unlikely. I think the distribution still lies with United Artists. The other films are probably Shockproof and Verboten!, and possibly (as mentioned above) Adventure in Sahara and Power of the Press. Fuller was just one of three credited screenwriters on It Happened in Hollywood; that seems almost too obscure to rate inclusion in a Fuller box set.

Gregory wrote:For those who've seen them, what thoughts do people have on the films in the Rita Hayworth set -- other than Gilda, which I already have? I'm probably going to pass on it because (a) there are so many other good sets coming out and (b) I mostly know Hayworth from Gilda and Lady From Shanghai (and Only Angels Have Wings is great but of course she only has a supporting part). I like these but still would not call myself a fan of hers. Things like Tonight and Every Night and Salome have never stood out to me as anything I need to see, but nevertheless I'm a little curious.

hi all--
i myself am a HUGE fan of rita hayworth and am looking forward to this set. thanx to this forum i've been able to discover exactly what titles are being included.
IMHO, first thing.... rita hayworth is simply GLORIOUS in three-strip technicolor. stunningly photogenic. so (hopefully) sony will have remastered these 4 color films (including 'cover girl'!) and the images will really pop.
if the recent sony/film foundation box set releases are any indication, then these images will be killer...crisp and glowing!!
and 'salome' and 'tonight and every night' in particular contain some of the most jaw-dropping hayworth closeups ever filmed.
'miss sadie thompson', 'salome', and 'tonight and every night' will be new to dvd (in the US), so every rabid hayworth fan (like myself) will be closer to owning a complete collection of rita's films from her heyday.
also for classic movie musical fans, 'cover girl' and 'tonight and every night' are great musicals of that era... hayworth the dancer was well showcased in almost all of her films, and some of her best performances are in this set.
'miss sadie thompson' is one of hayworth's best performances, a robust characterization from a woman known to be shy and retiring in real life..
and finally, another dvd of hayworth's signature film 'gilda' is just icing on the cake.

Verboten's not a particularly great film, but I'd love to see it included. Shockproof, on the other hand, is a fantastic film, Sirk's best venture into noir territory.

I think Shockproof is very likely for inclusion. It turns up a lot on TV here in the UK, now with a Sony restoration logo at the end. I like it a lot until the ending, which rivals even that of Gilda for lameness. I can't believe Fuller wrote or approved that part!

Personally, I prefer Sirk's Sleep, My Love and even Lured (which I also prefer, surprisingly, to Siodmak's French original Pieges).

Jonathan S wrote:I can't believe Fuller wrote or approved that part!

He didn't. Fuller's script ends in a violent shoot-out. I believe the way the script was ruined by the producers is one of things that prompted Sirk to leave Columbia.

Well, there's one thing burning under my nails and that's the reason for my registration in this forum - I was a constant reader before.

What's behind the Film Noir Classics of Columbia Pictures: The Collector's Choice as it is titled and listed at Amazon.com for a July 14th release?

Will there be three Noir sets from Sony this year or is there a mistake at Amazon? May be one of the Sony insider can tell us just a little bit about it.

Cheers

i see that there are some great extras included in the upcoming jack lemmon box set, so i'm very hopeful that ALL these upcoming sets will have extras.

one extra i would love to see in the hayworth box set: there is an alternate scene of rita's first appearance in 'gilda'. i've seen this version only once, many years ago on broadcast television. rita does the same hair flip (at a slightly different camera angle), and the dialog is the same.... however instead of the bare-shouldered dressing gown she's in a striped blouse and dark skirt.

there is a film still of this scene in 'the films of rita hayworth' book by gene ringgold. this scene clip would be a great extra for the new 'gilda' dvd in this set.

last year when i read that sony exec mike schlesinger was taking email requests from fans i brought this up to him....sure hope that email got thru!