Big wrap of Kino Lorber's October releases in this week's Aisle Seat:
https://andyfilm.com/2020/10/14/10-20-2 ... -releases/
This Week's Column: Kino Lorber October Harvest
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AndyDursin
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Eric Paddon
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Re: This Week's Column: Kino Lorber October Harvest
Went through SOS Titanic for the commentary track only on the theatrical cut followed by at long last the home video release of the TV cut.
Even with a commentary track over it, it's so easy to tell that the pacing of the theatrical cut is simply terrible in how scenes that were shot as introductory/prologue material for the "flashback framing" of the film are then rearranged chronologically and don't come off well. Many authentic moments of real history like Renee Harris breaking her arm or Michel Navratil putting his two children in the lifeboat were lost. The pacing of the TV cut by contrast is perfect despite its flaws (a miscast David Janssen and some poor continuity edits at a couple points, most notably when Helen Mirren is shown getting in a lifeboat but is then back on the Titanic for the final scene with builder Thomas Andrews).
The commentary track was a winner with my only regret that the TV cut wasn't found in time for him to do it on that one and impart more knowledge (he revealed this on a Titanic board a couple months ago). I found the information on the various England locations chosen fascinating and his only goof was referring to the original cut as a "miniseries" (it aired in one night in a three hour timeslot. I remember at age ten how I had to plead with my parents to let me stay up to midnight I think to finish it since I recall ABC putting it in a 9 to 12 slot!) and also getting the first name of the Carpathia's wireless operator wrong.
We have now basically completed the picture of all major Titanic films on Blu-Ray except for the 1929 movie "Atlantic" (which had a bargain basement DVD release). Some notable Titanic TV productions/episodes are out on DVD ("One Step Beyond", "Time Tunnel", "Night Gallery", "Voyagers") but still missing in action in a good home video release would be the original live TV production of "A Night To Remember" from 1956 hosted by Claude Rains and including in its cast a young Patrick Macnee as Thomas Andrews.
Even with a commentary track over it, it's so easy to tell that the pacing of the theatrical cut is simply terrible in how scenes that were shot as introductory/prologue material for the "flashback framing" of the film are then rearranged chronologically and don't come off well. Many authentic moments of real history like Renee Harris breaking her arm or Michel Navratil putting his two children in the lifeboat were lost. The pacing of the TV cut by contrast is perfect despite its flaws (a miscast David Janssen and some poor continuity edits at a couple points, most notably when Helen Mirren is shown getting in a lifeboat but is then back on the Titanic for the final scene with builder Thomas Andrews).
The commentary track was a winner with my only regret that the TV cut wasn't found in time for him to do it on that one and impart more knowledge (he revealed this on a Titanic board a couple months ago). I found the information on the various England locations chosen fascinating and his only goof was referring to the original cut as a "miniseries" (it aired in one night in a three hour timeslot. I remember at age ten how I had to plead with my parents to let me stay up to midnight I think to finish it since I recall ABC putting it in a 9 to 12 slot!) and also getting the first name of the Carpathia's wireless operator wrong.
We have now basically completed the picture of all major Titanic films on Blu-Ray except for the 1929 movie "Atlantic" (which had a bargain basement DVD release). Some notable Titanic TV productions/episodes are out on DVD ("One Step Beyond", "Time Tunnel", "Night Gallery", "Voyagers") but still missing in action in a good home video release would be the original live TV production of "A Night To Remember" from 1956 hosted by Claude Rains and including in its cast a young Patrick Macnee as Thomas Andrews.