John Ford on DVD

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Gigi M. · #51 Post by **Gigi M.** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 11:26 am

That's the same edition, different covers. The video is ok, nothing spectacular -- although is anamorphic.

BusterK. · #52 Post by **BusterK.** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:40 pm

Gigi M. wrote:That's the same edition, different covers. The video is ok, nothing spectacular -- although is anamorphic.

Isn't weird how most dvd review sites say how stunning the transfer of the Paramount edition is? Is it because most of those reviews were written back in 2001?

I guess the quality standards have changed in the last 5 years...

Anonymous · #53 Post by **Anonymous** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:55 pm

Is THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY available anywhere on DVD? I heard that there are some WWII DVD compilations with the film on it, but I can't find them.

Scharphedin2 · #54 Post by **Scharphedin2** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:40 pm

BusterK. wrote:
Scharphedin2 wrote:Does anyone own any version of this film on DVD that is acceptable?
The R2 Editions Montparnasse is by far the best quality release of Rio Grande. I used to own the R1 Republic Pictures edition, and although its transfer is way better than most Republic titles, the R2 DVD is simply stunning.

Thanks Buster. I did not even realize that this was out from Editions Montparnasse. But, I will go with this edition then.
As for Quiet Man... is there really not anywhere in this world a disc of this that has any redeeming qualities?

Belmondo · #55 Post by **Belmondo** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 1:58 pm

Over on "Rotten Tomatoes", I did find one DVD issue for "Battle of Midway". I saw it many years ago and much as we love John Ford, don't I recollect that it had some of the most excrutiatingly emotional narration ever heard?

Cineman · #56 Post by **Cineman** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:49 pm

The following unreleased Ford titles can be found on DVD-R at Rare DVDs For Sale.

Four Men and a Prayer
The Whole Town's Talking
Tobacco Road
Wee Willie Winkie
When Willie Comes Marching Home

broadwayrock · #57 Post by **broadwayrock** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:25 pm

Because Battle Of Midway is in the public domain, you can download the mpeg2/dvd version for free here.

If you do a search there you can also get propaganda films by Frank Capra John Huston and William Wyler.

Anonymous · #58 Post by **Anonymous** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:39 am

broadwayrock wrote:Because Battle Of Midway is in the public domain, you can download the mpeg2/dvd version for free here.

Thanks a lot! I've been trying to get this film since quite some time.

Battle of Midway is particularly interesting in relation to Eastwood's latest war films Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.

planetjake · #59 Post by **planetjake** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 5:34 pm

So, apparently...

#60 Post by **Jeff** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:21 am

planetjake wrote:So, apparently...

Let's keep discussion of this set over here.

BenCheshire · #61 Post by **BenCheshire** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 11:13 am

I was thinking of getting the John Wayne-John Ford set... Which of these would I be doubling up on if I waited for the Ford at Fox set? It doesn't look like Stagecoach was made at Fox... What other clashes are there?

#62 Post by **Matt** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 12:23 pm

BenCheshire wrote:I was thinking of getting the John Wayne-John Ford set... Which of these would I be doubling up on if I waited for the Ford at Fox set? It doesn't look like Stagecoach was made at Fox... What other clashes are there?

There is no overlap. The sets are from different companies.

BenCheshire · #63 Post by **BenCheshire** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 12:25 pm

Thanks, I just realised that after I posted. Are Fox and Warner the two main studios Ford worked for, I noticed he did Wagon Master for Argosy, which is maybe why it fails to get recognition, it doesn't have a Warners speaking up for it.

tryavna · #64 Post by **tryavna** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 1:14 pm

BenCheshire wrote:Thanks, I just realised that after I posted. Are Fox and Warner the two main studios Ford worked for, I noticed he did Wagon Master for Argosy, which is maybe why it fails to get recognition, it doesn't have a Warners speaking up for it.

Actually, if you count all the silents Ford did, his longest/most productive tenures were with Universal (in the 10s and 20s) and Fox/20th Century Fox (from the late 1920s up until his break with Zanuck over My Darling Clementine). Ford's connection with Warner Home Video is, of course, a bit skewed because they own the rights to his work for MGM, RKO, and Warner Bros.

BTW, Warners do own the rights to Wagon Master, as well as three or four other unreleased Ford titles (including 7 Women).

BenCheshire · #65 Post by **BenCheshire** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:15 pm

Thanks for informative post, thats all really useful to know.

Makes me sure that Warners will get around to doing a nice release of Wagon Train. I think their Wayne-Ford collection is a really nice item though.

#66 Post by **Matt** » Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:07 pm

Argosy Pictures was Ford's independent production company with Merian C. Cooper. The films produced by Argosy were distributed by others, mostly RKO in the earlier years and Republic in the later.

Scharphedin2 · #67 Post by **Scharphedin2** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:19 pm

Gideon's Day is listed at Benson's World as coming on 13th of August from DD Home Entertainment.

I have never seen this film, but I have seen it referred to on different occsions as one of the overseen gems of Ford's later films; I am also not familiar with DD Entertainment.

Can anyone comment on either the film and/or the label?

tryavna · #68 Post by **tryavna** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:55 am

If it's the original 118-minute cut of Gideon's Day (and not the 91-minute US release known as Gideon of Scotland Yard), then it is something of an overlooked gem in the Ford canon. As the title suggests, it follows a "typical" day in the life of a Scotland Yard inspector played (well) by Jack Hawkins. The screenplay was written by T.E.B. Clarke and echoes his earlier work in The Blue Lamp. Thus it's basically a police procedural, but there are heavy doses of warm Fordian humor and family life. It's also extremely low-key. What makes it particularly interesting is if, like me, you're a big fan of both Ford and 1950s British cinema. So you get to see Ford working with some of his regulars (most notably Anna Lee and John Loder) and lots of faces familiar from British cinema (Miles Malleson, Derek Bond, Anna Massey, etc.). And it all melds together surprisingly well. It's a real shame that it was a failure when released. But I suspect that it's length, episodic structure, and mixing of moods/genres (family drama vs. crime drama) was a bit ahead of its time.

(Note: I know nothing about the series of novels by John Creasey upon which the film is based.)

As for DD Entertainment, I own a couple of DVDs by them, and my impression is that they're respectable but not outstanding. They strike me as a sort of UK version of Éditions Montparnasse or VCI (in VCI's better moments) -- a good stop-gap until the US studio releases a superior version. In the case of Gideon's Day, Sony now owns the rights, so who knows when we'll see a US release? They still haven't released Two Rode Together. At any rate, at the price Benson's is listing, it looks like a worthwhile investment.

peerpee · #69 Post by **peerpee** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:47 pm

This Ford release is part of Sony's recent licencing deal with DDHE. Dunno which version they'll be releasing, but there are reports that DDHE went into receivership last week -- so it might not even happen.

denti alligator · #70 Post by **denti alligator** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 2:07 am

Who owns the rights to The Sun Shines Bright?

Also: any word on Warner finally releasing Wagon Master and 7 Women?

ellipsis7 · #71 Post by **ellipsis7** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 6:13 am

Universal have WAGONMASTER out in R2 UK/IRL as part of 4 disc box set 'Directed by John Ford', along with THE INFORMER, MARY OF SCOTLAND and THE FUGITIVE...

Props55 · #72 Post by **Props55** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:44 pm

THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT was an Argosy (Ford-Cooper) Production for Republic so it's apparently part of that Paramount/Lionsgate taffy pull with QUIET MAN and RIO GRANDE. As far as I can determine it's never been available on home video. Perhaps laser disc? I first saw it in pre-homevid days on Superstation 17 around 1972. For years I had a VHS copy taped from the CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) back when they aired a lot of old western features and serials to give viewers a break from Pat Robertson's blather. It must have been transmitted via slide/film chain as it reversed the order of reels about mid-point. Reshuffled reels or no, I watched this copy until the signal started to fade. It's a small film but a major late work IMHO, filled to the brim with Fordian elegies, and deserves to be available. Unfortuneatly it would very likely suffer the same fate as SONG OF THE SOUTH due to it's un-PC representation of southern race relations.

On the tech side elements should be in good shape if stored properly as they doubtless were never revisited except to strike non-theatrical and TV prints. It looked very good on cable by the standards of the time and I've heard of film collectors with pristine 16mm prints.

whaleallright · #73 Post by **whaleallright** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:19 pm

denti alligator · #74 Post by **denti alligator** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:38 pm

I just ordered a bootleg version of Sun Shines Bright on DVD that was supposedly made from an "original negative." Doubtful. Probably a transfer from that VHS. I'll report back.

otis · #75 Post by **otis** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:38 pm

Screen caps from the UK Wagon Master here.