Tweet THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME coming to bluray

I was visiting the Flicker Alley website and ran across this announcement:

http://www.flickeralley.biz/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=43

This is well & good, & more power to Flicker Alley for doing it, & God bless all those longing to see this bizarre comedy in HD. Anything, it can always be argued, with Fay Wray in it deserves priority handling. But without furrowing my brow too deeply, I could name dozens of '29 & '30 pictures featuring A-list stars that haven't even had a decent DVD release. Defeats my poor understanding.

I see Flicker Alley is also going to release This is Cinerama and Windjammer (the first film in "CineMiracle") - the black bars above and below may take up more space on the TV screen than the films themselves!

EDIT: Oh wait, I see those two are being presented in something called "SMILEBOX Simulated Curved Screen."

[Mike Gebert]

Smilebox.

Aha! This format was news to me.

As that article says, it may be a matter of getting used to the image, and maybe certain scenes justify the format. After seeing these comparisons between the "flat" and "smilebox" versions of How the West Was Won, I'm dubious all the same - image distortion is image distortion.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews40/how_the_west_was_won_blu-ray.htm

What next - simulated Imax?

[Mike Gebert]

It has a vivid effect to me because I've seen HTWWW in Cinerama (thank you New Neon). But I'm not so sure how people who don't have that memory would react to this very odd shape. I think these releases are for true Cinerama buffs, though, so they might as well do them using this pint-sized, but clever and evocative, imitation of the experience.

[Danny Burk]

I'd never seen HTWWW theatrically, and I thought the Smilebox version was very effective. It looks odd seeing it in still form, but in motion, it's surprisingly good.

Well, you guys do put in a good defense! I've never seen How the West Was Won in any format, and since I'll probably give in and finally take the Blu-ray plunge soon anyway, and the disc gives a choice between both formats, it looks like a likely candidate... (Not to mention those yummy-looking Keaton releases from Kino, another major motivating force.)

Flicker Alley's Most Dangerous Game even seems to be Blu-ray only - the writing is on the wall.

[Christopher Jacobs]

Regarding HOW THE WEST WAS WON, the "Smilebox" presentation (especially projected onto a large screen or white wall so it's about eight feet or wider) after a minute or two to get used to, produces an amazing illusion of a deeply curved screen and the curved top and bottom very quickly disappear as you accept them as horizontal but curving back into your wall. I had an audience of 10 people when I ran it and everyone was truly amazed by it (as well as the clarity of both the image and stereo sound). Watching the regular flat-letterboxed version, the picture appears obviously distorted, due to the three panels no longer appearing in proper relation to each other.

Back to THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, there's still a great DVD available from Criterion, but this Flicker Alley release seems less calculated as a means for simply enticing people to upgrade their old copy of one more PD film to a better-looking Blu-ray, as it is to use the popular PD title (in a new improved scan) as a means to showcase the rare and obscure documentary GOW THE HEADHUNTER (1931), which doubtless would have sold very poorly if packaged by itself. I'd say this is an excellent marketing strategy to make unusual films available and bring them to people who might otherwise have never considered buying them! Here's part of their website description...

The Most Dangerous Game an exciting and more than satisfying entertainment after eighty years. Both picture and sound are scrupulously restored in high definition from the original 35mm studio fine grain master positive, and there is a full-length optional audio essay by Rick Jewell, Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and author of The RKO Story and The Golden Age of Cinema: Hollywood 1929-45.

GOW (1931, 63 min.) is not only a true curiosity but also in many ways a key influence of later Cooper and Schoedsack productions including King Kong. The footage in Gow was produced by Edward A. Salisbury, a wealthy British adventurer, who in 1920 set sail in an 80-ton yacht equipped with a motion picture laboratory to, in his words, catch and hold for history a photo record of the fast–disappearing races of the South Seas Islands”. Cooper and Schoedsack were among the cameramen on this two-year expedition that documented genuine head-hunters and cannibals along its route. The material was originally released as four separate films in the silent era and was consolidated as the film Gow, The Headhunter for an illustrated lecture by expedition member William Peck. Peck recorded his own cringe-inducing commentary in 1931. Gow was reissued as an exploitation film into the 1950s under the title Cannibal Island, but it was made with a serious purpose. True to Salisbury’s intent, it indeed documents vanished cultures and is brilliantly illuminated here with an exclusive audio essay by Matthew Spriggs, Professor of Archaeology at the Australian National University and author of The Island Melanesians. Gow is mastered for this edition in high definition from the original 35mm fine grain master positive.

a means to showcase the rare and obscure documentary GOW THE HEADHUNTER (1931), which doubtless would have sold very poorly if packaged by itself.

This does sound interesting, provided it hasn't be sanitized. Regarding the main attraction, why even anything so up-scale as Criterion, when Alpha's blue-collar release is excellent.

I recently got a 16mm print of the British release - THE HOUNDS OF ZAROFF. Main title is in the same style as the American version. And, yes, the shark is printed in negative (not a reissue censor issue, but done originally so that the water would appear dark).

a means to showcase the rare and obscure documentary GOW THE HEADHUNTER (1931), which doubtless would have sold very poorly if packaged by itself.

This does sound interesting, provided it hasn't be sanitized. Regarding the main attraction, why even anything so up-scale as Criterion, when Alpha's blue-collar release is excellent.

Alpha's blue-collar release is stolen from Criterion's white-collar release.

a means to showcase the rare and obscure documentary GOW THE HEADHUNTER (1931), which doubtless would have sold very poorly if packaged by itself.

This does sound interesting, provided it hasn't be sanitized. Regarding the main attraction, why even anything so up-scale as Criterion, when Alpha's blue-collar release is excellent.

Alpha's blue-collar release is stolen from Criterion's white-collar release.

I dunno. They certainly come from the same source, since they share a lot of the same defects. But there are differences between the two releases.

IMO, the contrast in the Alpha DVD is noticeably better than the Criterion, and the opening RKO radio-tower aegis is missing (why?). But the biggest difference between the two releases is the rather pedestrian audio commentary by Bruce Eder on the Criterion DVD. If you're interested only in the movie itself, I think the Alpha DVD is a much better buy.

Nevertheless, I'm going to look for the Flicker Alley DVD when it's released. GOW THE HEADHUNTER could be a good reason to pick it up.

Alpha's blue-collar release is stolen from Criterion's white-collar release.

I dunno. They certainly come from the same source, since they share a lot of the same defects. But there are differences between the two releases.

IMO, the contrast in the Alpha DVD is noticeably better than the Criterion, and the opening RKO radio-tower aegis is missing (why?). But the biggest difference between the two releases is the rather pedestrian audio commentary by Bruce Eder on the Criterion DVD. If you're interested only in the movie itself, I think the Alpha DVD is a much better buy.

If it wasn't stolen from Criterion, it was stolen from Roan. Some of Alpha's DVDs are mastered from Sinister Cinema VHS tapes.

I'd never seen HTWWW theatrically, and I thought the Smilebox version was very effective. It looks odd seeing it in still form, but in motion, it's surprisingly good.

I have to agree I thought the Smilebox presentation of How the West was Won was highly effective. I just hope these new releases have a regular presentation along with the smilebox presentation. Like HTWWW.

[silentfilm]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Masino (323) 851-1905, jeff@flickeralley.com

Flicker Alley presents The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and Gow, The Headhunter (Cannibal Island) (1931)
Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s The Dangerous Game and Gow, The Headhunter published on Blu-ray for the first time –

Release Date: June 26, 2012

(Los Angeles, CA – April 30, 2012) – Flicker Alley and Blackhawk Films are pleased to bring The Most Dangerous Game and Gow, The Headhunter (Cannibal Island) to Blu-ray for the first time in new digital editions produced by film historian, David Shepard. The two features on this Blu-ray publication honor the extraordinary lives of filmmaking team Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack as their "distant, difficult and dangerous productions" evolved from pure documentary (Grass), through semi-documentary (Chang) and semi-fiction (The Four Feathers), to their fictional apogee in King Kong (1933).


The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

The Most Dangerous Game (1932, 63 min.) is a superb pre-Code action-adventure film. Based upon a famous short story by Richard Connell, it follows big game hunter, Bob Rainsford, (Joel McCrea), as he becomes quarry for another, the opulently deranged Count Zaroff (floridly played by Leslie Banks). Utilizing some of the amazing sets made for King Kong, the film is sometimes thought of as a place-holder to keep key cast and crew available during Kong’s lengthy animation schedule. This included actors Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Noble Johnson and Steve Clemento, as well as editor Archie Marshek, composer Max Steiner, sound effects expert Murray Spivak, illustrators Mario Larrinaga and Byron Crabbe, and optical effects wizards Vernon Walker and Linwood Dunn. The strong story and theme, excellent production values, vigorous action and fast pacing make The Most Dangerous Game an exciting and more than satisfying entertainment after eighty years. Both picture and sound are scrupulously restored in high definition by Lobster Films from the original 35mm studio fine grain master positive, and there is a full-length optional audio essay by Rick Jewell, Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and author of "RKO Radio Pictures: A Titan Is Born" University of California Press, 2012.

Gow, The Headhunter (Cannibal Island) (1931)

GOW (1931, 61 min.) is not only a true curiosity but also in many ways a key influence on later Cooper and Schoedsack productions including King Kong. The footage in Gow was produced by Edward A. Salisbury, a wealthy British adventurer, who in 1920 set sail in an 80-ton yacht equipped with a motion picture laboratory to, in his words, "catch and hold for history a photo record of the fast–disappearing races of the South Seas Islands." Cooper and Schoedsack were among the cameramen on this two-year expedition that documented genuine head-hunters and cannibals along its route. The material was originally released as four separate films in the silent era and was consolidated as the film Gow, The Headhunter for an illustrated lecture by expedition member William Peck. Peck recorded his own cringe-inducing commentary in 1931. Gow was reissued as an exploitation film into the 1950s under the title Cannibal Island, but it was made with a serious purpose. True to Salisbury’s intent, it indeed documents vanished cultures and is brilliantly illuminated here with an exclusive audio essay by Matthew Spriggs, Professor of Archaeology at the Australian National University and author of The Island Melanesians. Gow is mastered for this edition in high definition from the original 35mm fine grain master positive.

Bonus Features

In addition to the two full-length audio essays, additional bonus features in this set include a booklet containing notes on each film by Merian C. Cooper as quoted in David O. Selznick's Hollywood by Ronald Haver and by Emerson College professor, Eric Schaefer, as well an audio excerpt from an original interview with Merian C. Cooper conducted by film historian Kevin Brownlow.

About Blackhawk Films

Blackhawk Films was founded in 1927 as a producer of film advertising for merchants and as a distributor of regional newsreels. The company made its mark as a non-theatrical distributor with the advent of 16mm sound film in 1933, establishing several regional offices before WWII. In 1947, Blackhawk expanded into sales of used film and, soon thereafter, began distributing new 8mm and 16mm prints of Laurel and Hardy comedies from Hal Roach Studios as well as titles from such other suppliers such as Fox Movietone, Killiam Shows and National Telefilm Associates. Film historian and preservationist David Shepard joined Blackhawk as Vice President (1973-1976) and, after founding Film Preservation Associates in 1986, acquired the Blackhawk Films library, now comprising some 5,000 titles.

About Flicker Alley

Flicker Alley, LLC was founded in 2002 by Jeff Masino. Each Flicker Alley project is the culmination of hundreds of hours of research, digital restoration, and music production. Flicker Alley has partnered with Turner Classic Movies on several historic cable broadcasts including three previously unavailable silent films produced by Howard Hughes, three rarely seen Rudolph Valentino films and new digital editions of J’Accuse and La Roue, by Abel Gance. The Flicker Alley brand has grown to enjoy national and international critical acclaim and is regularly featured in annual "Best Of" lists. The National Society of Film Critics has honored the company as a “Heritage Award” recipient in 2009, 2011, and 2012.

www.flickeralley.com
http://www.facebook.com/FlickerAlley
http://twitter.com/flickeralley

Was the print they showed on TCM tonight the Flicker Alley one? If so, wow.

Was the print they showed on TCM tonight the Flicker Alley one? If so, wow.

Probably not. The TCM print was preceded by a Janus Films logo.
Flicker Alley's info, as noted above, says their print is "restored in high definition by Lobster Films from the original 35mm studio fine grain master positive."

So, as good as the TCM copy looked, Flicker Alley's should be even better.

Was the print they showed on TCM tonight the Flicker Alley one? If so, wow.

Probably not. The TCM print was preceded by a Janus Films logo.
Flicker Alley's info, as noted above, says their print is "restored in high definition by Lobster Films from the original 35mm studio fine grain master positive."

So, as good as the TCM copy looked, Flicker Alley's should be even better.

It was most definitely from Criterion, much brighter than the Roan/Alpha transfer, and that's where Criterion made a mistake, in brightness boosting. I've never liked this Criterion transfer, not only was the brightness artificially boosted, it was a single layered transfer. That's why I'm excited about the bluray transfer from Flicker Alley, describe on their website as "scrupulously restored in high definition from the original 35mm studio fine grain master positive," for both sound and picture.