Twilight Time and Screenarchives.com Present 2 Limited Edition Blu-ray Releases
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines,
Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
&
Cover Girl (1944)
Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965)
&
Cover Girl (1944)
Greetings,
We just picked up Twilight Time releases for review. Twilight Time is a boutique brand that produces high quality, limited edition transfers of mainstream and lost Hollywood Classics.They only produce 3000 copies per title and are available exclusively through Screeenarchives.com. I was interested in the company and their releases when they put out 1985s Fright Night in a limited run of which I didn't get a copy (so if you are interested in a release, act quick!). I am happy to report that their transfers are superb and the utmost care has gone into their releases.
Lee
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes
Overview:
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965) is an epic comedy, set in the early days of aviation, about a cross-Channel, London-to-Paris air race sponsored by press magnate Lord Rawnsley (Robert Morley). Among the competitors for the £10,000 purse are an English aristo (James Fox), spurred on by his flight-mad fiancée (Sarah Miles); an American cowpoke (Stuart Whitman); a pair of absurdly militaristic Germans (Gert Fröbe, Karl Michael Vogler); a French lover extraordinaire (Jean-Pierre Cassel); an operatic Italian (Alberto Sordi); and a moustache-twirling British villain of comically evil proportions (Terry-Thomas). Lovingly directed by aviation buff Ken Annakin (The Longest Day), with a superbly catchy score from Ron Goodwin (available here as an isolated track).
Quick Specs:
Run Time: 138 mins, Audio Format: English 5.0 DTS-HD MA, Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1, Region FREE, Blu-ray Disc release Date: July 10th, 2012
Quick Thoughts:
I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this film. It had the requisite overdone colors of the 60s, as well as the slapstick nature found in Sellers/Niven films. However, it was much more than a comedy as it had a unique way of showing the perseverance of man as well as its strive for innovation. The audio and video were top notch, with fine details evident and black levels being top tier, with a sound-stage that was wide and free, matching the films on screen antics perfectly. I recommended giving this a fly.
Special Features:
· Commentary by Ken Annakin
· Isolated Score Track
· Extensive and magnificent Julie Kirgo liner notes and film art packaged with the Blu-ray disc.
· Trailers
· TV Spots
Cover Girl
Overview:
The lavish Technicolor extravaganza, Cover Girl (1944), is a landmark in Hollywood musical history: the first to integrate songs (by the superb team of Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin) with narrative; the incandescent Rita Hayworth’s first musical in color; and the first in which the iconic Gene Kelly was allowed full choreographic charge of his own dance numbers, devised with once and future collaborator, Stanley Donen. Directed by Charles Vidor and shot by Rudolph Maté, the film is a backstage romance between a nightclub owner (Kelly) and his favorite dancer (Hayworth), who catches lightning in a bottle when she wins a magazine cover girl contest and overnight becomes the toast of New York.
Quick Specs:
Run Time: 107 mins, Audio Format: English 1.0 DTS-HD MA, Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1, Region FREE, Blu-ray Disc release Date: July 10th, 2012
Quick Thoughts:
Growing up with a mother who was a dancer and a father who was a drummer, I was exposed to many of the classic musicals of the 40s and 50s. I thought this one would stir a memory, but this turned out to be my fist viewing. As in the above overview, " Cover Girl (1944), is a landmark in Hollywood musical history: the first to integrate songs (by the superb team of Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin) with narrative", Cover Girl was a turning point in Hollywood, with memorable songs and a truly dazzling cast. Too bad the source elements must have been pretty banged up as this transfer, though passable, was full of scratches, clicks and pops, wavering colors, and less than stellar resolution. The audio tracks is quite clear, though not as dynamic as one would like; this is expected for a mono mix from the 40s.
Special Features:
· Unfortunately there were none included. I would have welcomed any chance to glimpse at more footage of Rita Hayworth.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS45 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector
Screen Innovations Solar HD 1.3 120" 2.40:1 CinemaScope Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 Pre/Pro
Sunfire Theater Grand 7201 Amplifier
Sony PS3 Slim Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
M&K S-150MKII LCR
