Flicker Alley

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Peacock
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:47 pm
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Re: Flicker Alley

#426 Post by Peacock » Thu Apr 05, 2012 7:14 am

Going by the email above, it seems your wait will be as long as it takes for the original pressing to sell out... which will probably be a few years. I wonder if they send replacement disks overseas?

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manicsounds
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
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Re: Flicker Alley

#427 Post by manicsounds » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:25 am

Peacock wrote:Going by the email above, it seems your wait will be as long as it takes for the original pressing to sell out... which will probably be a few years. I wonder if they send replacement disks overseas?
It seems like they will, according to their replacement form.

michaelgsmith
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Re: Flicker Alley

#428 Post by michaelgsmith » Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:28 am

My review of A TRIP TO THE MOON on blu: http://whitecitycinema.com/2012/04/13/blu-moon/

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perkizitore
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Re: Flicker Alley

#429 Post by perkizitore » Fri Apr 13, 2012 8:48 am

The send the replacement free of charge and you just have to verify your purchase, so no extra cost! Just bought this from Amazon, $28 is not too bad.

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cdnchris
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Re: Flicker Alley

#430 Post by cdnchris » Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:27 am

I'm all open to experimental scores for silent films, and have even enjoyed quite a few even if it took me a couple of times to warm up to them (like the one on the Phantom Carriage Blu-ray) but am I the only one that found the AIR score on here terrible? It's obnoxious and completely distracting and I'm pissed it's the only score for the colour version.

But it was worth it if just for the laugh I got when my daughter turned to me and said (with the straightest face possible for a 3-year old) "Daddy, I don't like this music."

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HerrSchreck
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Re: Flicker Alley

#431 Post by HerrSchreck » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:51 pm

The shit that is accepted and passed along as Formally Appropriate in the realm of silent film music can be breathtaking; alas the Timothy Brocks of the world are few and far between. The sin so many commit is to use the scoring of a commercial dvd/BD as an opportunity to reach an audience more vast than is common for them... and to use the score as a means of seizing the moment and capturing their attention. Thus you get scores that are fitst overbearing, and second, stylistically completely inappropriate--resulting in a total disaster bearing little to no connection to the thing that happens to be unfolding on your TV screen.

Haven't seen this one, though. Good on you for bringing the world of silents to your tot. .

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Drucker
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Re: Flicker Alley

#432 Post by Drucker » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:07 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:The shit that is accepted and passed along as Formally Appropriate in the realm of silent film music can be breathtaking; alas the Timothy Brocks of the world are few and far between. The sin so many commit is to use the scoring of a commercial dvd/BD as an opportunity to reach an audience more vast than is common for them... and to use the score as a means of seizing the moment and capturing their attention. Thus you get scores that are fitst overbearing, and second, stylistically completely inappropriate--resulting in a total disaster bearing little to no connection to the thing that happens to be unfolding on your TV screen.

Haven't seen this one, though. Good on you for bringing the world of silents to your tot. .
I know this isn't the thread for silent film scores, but what say you about stylistically, perhaps, scores trying too HARD to fit the mood? City Girl, for example (I DO like the score), but there's parts of it that strike me as a bit (for lack of a better word...jeez so many qualifiers), "obvious." It's a movie centered around a farm, and there's hillbilly-ish instrumentation. Some Kino discs like Cabinet of Caligari...I think really start to lose me when the franticness of the picture is too literally recreated with music.

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HerrSchreck
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Re: Flicker Alley

#433 Post by HerrSchreck » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:43 pm

Answered in the Silent Film Music thread.

michaelgsmith
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Re: Flicker Alley

#434 Post by michaelgsmith » Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:35 pm

I think the Air score is pretty great but then again I like Air. I also love the creepy, electronic Phantom Carriage score and the dissonant John Zorn-ish Caligari score. I don't see a problem with a composer coming up with a contemporary-sounding score for a silent movie as long as said movie didn't have an official score to begin with. I would argue that it's just as "false" to have a contemporary composer try and compose something that sounds deliberately retro. The only thing that bugs me is when a silent film with an official, director-approved score (e.g., Nosferatu, Potemkin, Metropolis) is screened with a different score. And don't even get me started on why anyone would want to watch Sunrise with anything other than its glorious, original Movietone soundtrack . . .

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HerrSchreck
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Re: Flicker Alley

#435 Post by HerrSchreck » Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:03 pm

Well, the film--SUNRISE, that is-- was shown without the Movietone score quite a bit ( perhaps even the majority of time, I don't have statistics to hand, unfortunately). . . for the most part in the movie theaters that were not wired for sound, which in 1927, was an awful large quantity.

I am a big fan of the Reisenfeld, however, so I understand your sentiment.

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manicsounds
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Re: Flicker Alley

#436 Post by manicsounds » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:07 am

I haven't heard the Air version yet, but as an alternate soundtrack, maybe some will try and watch it with Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight Tonight" instead...
Last edited by manicsounds on Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

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lubitsch
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Re: Flicker Alley

#437 Post by lubitsch » Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:21 pm

For those who still haven't the Landmarks of the Soviet Films set, a few remarks:

SHAGAY SOVIET has no other release elsewhere. There's a copy on the net, but it's obviously of inferior quality.

THE HOUSE ON TRUBNAYA SQUARE has also no other release with English subtitles (there's a French DVD). Like the Vertov film above this is also a very strong transfer. Hopefully in near future we'll see a transfer by Edition Filmmuseum though they'll hardly can improve on this one.

THE ADVENTURES OF MR. WEST is also a very fine transfer, noticeably brighter than an arte TV recording I have.

THE OLD AND THE NEW is also a brighter transfer than my arte TV recording. There are multiple DVDs around, but I don't see them as being better than this one.

FALL OF THE ROMANOV DYNASTY is less thrilling, but more or less exactly the same quality as the British DVD which had an additional audio commentary though.

SALT FOR SVANETIA is also rather a modest looking transfer, but there's still no competition around. A new transfer would have been fine.

BY THE LAW is clearly inferior to the Edition Filmmuseum DVD and not worth watching in this condition.

TURKSIB is also massively inferior to the BFI disc as well as 18 minutes shorter which may or may be not attributable to the running time, I have a German TV recording which runs 15 minutes longer than the BFI DVD. Anyway this is the second disc from the set that should be avoided watching.

So essentially this is a fine set, worth the money for every silent film lover who however should also invest the additional money for the BFI and Edition Filmmuseum discs who outclass the Flicker Alley discs in transfers and extras.

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TMDaines
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Re: Flicker Alley

#438 Post by TMDaines » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:00 am

What's the technical reason between the colour version only having the one score while the B&W has three? It seems a pretty silly move as the colour version is surely the main draw but there surely must be a technical reason for it?

Jonathan S
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Re: Flicker Alley

#439 Post by Jonathan S » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:27 am

My understanding is the reason is not technical, but commercial (see below). Whatever the reason, they lost a sale from me (and others I know) because of it. I may have posted this before from Nitrateville:
David Shepard wrote:The AIR score as exclusive accompaniment is a contractual requirement imposed by agreement between AIR and the Foundations that paid a huge amount of money for this project that, not withstanding the short running time of the film, is probably the most complex film restoration ever undertaken. Some people may not like the music but others do, and it came about because the Foundations polled several leading current French film directors who recommended AIR.

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Minkin
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Re: Flicker Alley

#440 Post by Minkin » Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:33 am

For those unsure of whether to indulge in Trip to the Moon due to the score, you can experience it here (audio only).

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TMDaines
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Re: Flicker Alley

#441 Post by TMDaines » Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:54 am

Jonathan S wrote:My understanding is the reason is not technical, but commercial (see below). Whatever the reason, they lost a sale from me (and others I know) because of it.
Oh well, I'm out too for now.

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manicsounds
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Re: Flicker Alley

#442 Post by manicsounds » Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:36 pm

Seriously, if you don't like the score, turn off the sound and play some other music! Simple as that.

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cdnchris
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Re: Flicker Alley

#443 Post by cdnchris » Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:51 pm

The restoration is really amazing, and even more-so after watching the documentary. It looks great and I'm glad to have bought it. I hate the score (and wish maybe the scores from the B&W version could have been an option) but as manic says I can mute it at least. It was expensive but I'm glad I got it (andAmazon actually refunded me $7 on it because the price dropped just after they sent it, so I'm even happier with it.)
HerrSchreck wrote:Haven't seen this one, though. Good on you for bringing the world of silents to your tot. .
As I've learned she'll watch anything, which is both bad and good. When I noticed she'd actually sit and watch stuff with me I thought I try showing her different things that would appeal to her. I've tried a few silent short comedies (more for slapstick) which she giggles to. I can't show her a silent that's too long yet. Thought I'd try this one as well since it's more a fantasy and even though she didn't care much for the beginning she got into it when they actually launch to the moon, and it was amusing she was freaked out by the moon creatures.

Jonathan S
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Re: Flicker Alley

#444 Post by Jonathan S » Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:05 am

manicsounds wrote:Seriously, if you don't like the score, turn off the sound and play some other music! Simple as that.
Although I'm old enough to have collected silents in formats where they rarely came with music tracks, I like to think things have progressed in 40 years - and for the GBP25-30 it costs to import this one-reeler to the UK, I expect at least the option of a specially composed score reasonably in keeping with musical forms at the time the film was made.

If they'd done that, I'd have no problem with the AIR score even as the default - and they could include as many other crass, anachronistic scores as they like. David Shepard even mentioned there is an original published score from 1903. If they can afford $500,000+ to restore the film, I don't see why they couldn't record that or something similar as an alternative.

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Cash Flagg
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Re: Flicker Alley

#445 Post by Cash Flagg » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:34 am

perkizitore wrote:The send the replacement free of charge and you just have to verify your purchase, so no extra cost! Just bought this from Amazon, $28 is not too bad.
Posters on Blu-ray.com are reporting a $3.50 shipping charge for the replacement discs when ordered from Flicker Alley's website.

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perkizitore
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Re: Flicker Alley

#446 Post by perkizitore » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:07 pm

Really? That's a shame...

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HerrSchreck
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Re: Flicker Alley

#447 Post by HerrSchreck » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:10 pm

Minkin wrote:For those unsure of whether to indulge in Trip to the Moon due to the score, you can experience it here (audio only).
Wow... I just listened to some of that. That was pretty fucking awful.

Not a big deal as i'm not the biggest fan of the film beyond it's value as history.

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LouieD
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Re: Flicker Alley

#448 Post by LouieD » Mon Apr 16, 2012 1:03 pm

Jonathan S wrote: If they can afford $500,000+ to restore the film, I don't see why they couldn't record that or something similar as an alternative.
Although I know this films importance in history, they fact that over $500,000 was spent to restore this short while so may other great films languish in vaults with nothing being done to them is disgusting.

Jonathan S
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Re: Flicker Alley

#449 Post by Jonathan S » Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:13 pm

Flicker Alley's response (on Nitrateville) to their loyal customers who object to the exclusivity of the AIR score on A Trip to the Moon:
David Shepard wrote:OK boys, we'll just have to weigh your $29.95 and your righteous indignation against the $500,000.00 grants and the immense amount of work that made this project possible, not to mention the enthusiasm of many people who actually like the AIR score, and be guided accordingly.

Of course we're happy when anyone wants our projects, and delighted when someone actually appreciates them; but I'm also grateful that our survival does not depend upon the stakeholders of Bitch & Moan, Inc.

David Shepard

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HerrSchreck
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Re: Flicker Alley

#450 Post by HerrSchreck » Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:15 pm

A pretty shortsighted response on his end, I think. Telling the hard core of your customer base to essentially go fuck themselves simply for providing feedback on an open forum is certainly an option, maybe.even one that feels satisfying. . . but in this economy, probably not the best choice. And those guys over on that site are absolutely positively his core audience. A site like this, not so much, owing to the huge variegation of taste in film. It's one of the reasons I read here and there but dont post on that site. . the obsession and sense of posession lead to heightened emotions and raised hackles.

He would have been much better off chuckling for the drama of it all,.thanking all those who bought his disc, perhaps acknowledge how some could perceive a misalignment between film and score, and otherwise stayed out of the messy fray. Snarkily sniping about the superior wisdom of the project's corporate donors (or eh ' some french film directors we polled') is just a bit silly.

Shepard has always been one of those guys who you are glad he's out there is doing what he does, warts and all. And there have been a lot of warts, believe you me. This is far from the first time that he has pushed horrible silent film scores out there to the public. But his devotion to the medium is undeniable, and all in all I'm very glad he's out there.

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