MGM Midnite Movies

Message

Lino · #51 Post by **Lino** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:11 pm

Good news for those who are sorry that the new titles were only available in Canada - the rest of the batch is coming out in September, 20th. Read on:

http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=4220

Lino · #52 Post by **Lino** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:56 am

Not a new Midnite Movie review but this title used to be one - quickly released to capitalize on the Kong fever that is soon to sweep the world by storm - its name is Konga!

http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/i-m/konga61.htm

Gordon · #53 Post by **Gordon** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 10:03 am

Michael Gough is the man! =D>

Cobalt60 · #54 Post by **Cobalt60** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:48 pm

based on what I've found it appears that these titles are OOP and not currently part of a double feature package. Anyone know if there are any plans to package these with other films as double features? cause that would totally rock

ANGRY RED PLANET
THE BEAST WITHIN
DONOVAN'S BRAIN
DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE
I BURY THE LIVING
MAN FROM PLANET X
MARS NEEDS WOMEN
PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES
REPTILICUS
X - THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES

Lino · #55 Post by **Lino** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 8:35 am

If you want that to happen, go sign the petition on the DVDdrive-in site to keep the line alive.

And if you go back a few pages on this thread you'll find a complete list of all the titles plus the ones that were on VHS and are still MIA on DVD.

katjakassin · #56 Post by **katjakassin** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 8:46 am

jesus the mexican boi wrote:Masque of the Red Death. I still want a pair of those sunglasses Price wears.

I really love this movie. I want to say it was on the AMC Monsterfest last year (Though I could be wrong). I must have watched it like five times or so.

Lino · #57 Post by **Lino** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 9:04 am

DVDTalk reviews Konga:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=19087

Parting Thoughts

Just as Konga was originally made to cash in on the original King Kong, Sony's DVD clearly hopes to snare consumers desperate for more giant ape action in the wake of the Peter Jackson's big-budget King Kong remake. Somehow, the timing of this DVD seems entirely appropriate.

HerrSchreck · #58 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:06 am

I saw early in this thread a list of Midnite Movies DVD MIA's. For those who may be looking for that fabulously cheeseball THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE... there is a decent 35mm transfer (and I mean that in relative terms) of this film available on DVD from, of all people, Alpha Video. For 6 bucks it is VERY worth it. It's a clear image with little damage beside light scratches here & there, and the usual light speckling. The sound is left in it's natural vintage early 60's state, which in many cases only adds to the lovely vintage charming gloom of the film.

Alas have seen no sign yet on DVD of BURN, WITCH, BURN... which I sorta always looked at as the weird, somewhat less scary little brother of CITY OF THE DEAD aka HORROR HOTEL. Both films were made in the UK with mixed Anglo-American casts, both were made within a year of each other, neither was known in the US by their real titles (which were strikingly similar): CITY OF THE DEAD became HORROR HOTEL, and NIGHT OF THE EAGLE became BURN WITCH BURN. Both shared the emphatic onscreen exclamation "Burn, witch, burn!".

Of course, anyone who doesn't own the beautiful VCI transfer of the (properly titled) CITY OF THE DEAD (which approaches, particularly in it's highest bitrate zones, CC standards of richness, true contrast & definition), has not seen that horror classic in it's proper form. It restores over 2 1/2 minutes of footage removed from the US version, has two commentary tracks (one with dir. Moxey, and the other with Christopher Lee), plus wonderful present day interviews with Betta St. John, Christopher Lee, and Moxey.

Has anyone seen Night of the Eagle (or Burn witch Burn) on DVD anywhere? I like that flick. Bit of an odd story, tough to categorize.

Gordon · #59 Post by **Gordon** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 3:03 pm

Burn, Witch... Burn! is available as Night of the Eagle in the UK as part of this Warner/Canal Plus 3-disc boxed set: Horror Classics. That set is normally a ridiculous Â£20-30, so Â£7.99 is a bargain.

The transfer is anamorphic with a ratio between 1.66 and 1.78. Overall it is a very good transfer: clean, fairly sharp and very little damage. I rented the disc seperately. It's a wonderful film, with many excellent stylistic touches.

Fritz Leiber's novel Conjure Wife had been filmed before as Weird Woman at Universal in 1944 by Reginald Le Borg with Lon Chaney Jr and Anne Gwynne. The 1962 adaptation by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and George Baxt isn't as hokey and owes a lot to Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur. There is an obvious connection to Tourneur's brilliant, Night of the Demon and the two films make a fine double bill. The final twenty minutes are tense, mysterious and pretty scary if the film has worked its power on you. It is long overdue on DVD in the USA.

- - - - -

Addendum: To my surprise, I discovered today that Image's 1995 Special Edition Laserdisc of Burn, Witch... Burn! featured an audio commentary by Richard Matheson. I'd love to hear his thoughts on the film, but that's something we'll never seen on any future DVD edition - right?

VCI's, City of the Dead is only $5.80 at DVD Pacific. Sounds like a bargain.

Lino · #60 Post by **Lino** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:19 pm

Beaver reviews Konga:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... review.htm

Narshty · #61 Post by **Narshty** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 10:05 pm

Where in blazes is the restored Witchfinder General we were promised for last August? Oh, Sony...

HerrSchreck · #62 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 6:32 am

Gordon McMurphy wrote:VCI's, City of the Dead is only $5.80 at DVD Pacific. Sounds like a bargain.

Grab it if it's new. I probably paid mid to high teens (dollars) for it here in NYC when it first came out a few yrs ago. THE definitive release of this amazing film... at least so far.

Lino · #63 Post by **Lino** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 8:24 am

Narshty wrote:Where in blazes is the restored Witchfinder General we were promised for last August? Oh, Sony...

The guy that runs DVDdrive-in apparently has some connections in MGM and I remember him saying in the MM forum that a new batch of titles was to have appeared this past August but was ultimatetly delayed due to the whole Sony business take-over. Witchfinder General was to be one of those titles in its newly restored version.

I am crossing my fingers that we will hear an announcement for this coming March of those delayed titles. One hopes at least.

Lino · #64 Post by **Lino** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 4:41 pm

Here's a very funny review of the Konga disc:

http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies/konga.htm

Narshty · #65 Post by **Narshty** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 5:02 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:Grab it if it's new. I probably paid mid to high teens (dollars) for it here in NYC when it first came out a few yrs ago. THE definitive release of this amazing film... at least so far.

I had that marvellous VCI disc many moons ago, but honestly thought City of the Dead was one of the clunkiest, most unintentionally hilarious horror films I'd ever seen.

viciousliar · #66 Post by **viciousliar** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:03 pm

Gordon McMurphy wrote:Burn, Witch... Burn! is available as Night of the Eagle in the UK as part of this Warner/Canal Plus 3-disc boxed set: Horror Classics. That set is normally a ridiculous Â£20-30, so Â£7.99 is a bargain.

The transfer is anamorphic with a ratio between 1.66 and 1.78. Overall it is a very good transfer: clean, fairly sharp and very little damage. I rented the disc seperately. It's a wonderful film, with many excellent stylistic touches.

Thank you, Gordon, for the heads-up re this "undiscovered" little gem at such a bargain price. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Lino · #67 Post by **Lino** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:32 am

Great, great news from DVDdrive-in:

[quote]Midnite Movies Return in June!

Sony Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment will continue the â€œMidnite Moviesâ€

Gordon · #68 Post by **Gordon** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:53 pm

Great to see the Midnite Movie line back. However, I had never even heard of those pirate films. Sounds like shit to me. Hopefully, Witchfinder General will appear in October.

solaris72 · #69 Post by **solaris72** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:56 pm

I hope this is more than just a one-shot thing to capitalize off of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel. Personally, the MGM genre title I'm shooting for the most from this line is Kinji Fukasaku's MESSAGE FROM SPACE.

Lino · #70 Post by **Lino** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:59 pm

But the great thing, Gordon is that some of those new titles are owned by Columbia, thus Sony so a great number of double-features possibilities is now at hand in a way that was impossible before the merger.

Oh, and don't forget that these pirate movies are sure to cash-in with the new sequel for the Pirates of the Caribean that premieres right around the same time these new titles come out.

And don't tell me that more Bert I. Gordon on DVD isn't good news!

Gordon · #71 Post by **Gordon** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:49 pm

Yes, with Sony now backing the Midnite Movies, we have a better chance of seeing the following on DVD:

The Damned (1963, Joseph Losey, 97-minute version)
Five (1951, Arch Oboler)
Hibernatus (1969, Edouard Molinaro)
Something Is Out There (1988, TV movie)
Taste of Fear (1961, Seth Holt)

Which other films may appear on the Midnite Movies banner?

Lino · #72 Post by **Lino** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:04 am

Gordon McMurphy wrote:Which other films may appear on the Midnite Movies banner?

Who knows, Gordie? And the future does not bright look - take a look at this from the MM message board:

Greetings from vacationland in sunny Florida!

I have been in contact with Philip Waddilove, producer of WITCHFINDER
GENERAL (aka CONQUEROR WORM). After MGM spent years and lots of dough
on a pristine, restored new DVD transfer of the film, Waddilove was
lead to believe that it was on Sony's October '06 schedule.
Apparently, this is not the case and Sony has little interest. This
is how Waddilove replied to me:

"I'm at a loss for words. Why MGM would go to the trouble of a total
restoration without releasing the DVD of "Witchfinder General" is
beyond comprehension. However, exactly the same fate has befallen "The
Buttercup Chain", my other movie (with Columbia) now also hidden away
in the vaults at Sony. On several occasions I was informed by James
Owsley (Director of Restorations at MGM) that Witchfinder was
definitely on their October 2006 release schedule. But, apparently,
the principal at Sony doesn't greenlight DVDs of anything older than
ten years!!"

Yes my friends, it's obvious that Sony's ownership of the MGM catalog
is the worst thing that could have ever happened, and as editor of
DVD Drive-In who spearheaded a petition to continue the Midnite
Movies, I am totally fed up. The decision to put titles in the
Midnite Movies series that don't fit the bill, and not continuing the
fine work that the old regime had started confirms this.

If you would like to voice your opionion, outrage or make
suggestions, I urge everyone who reads this who wants the Midnite
Movies series to continue as it should, write to Chris Franchino, who
manages MGM catalog marketing, at Chris_Franchino@... .

I knew it was too good to be true...

filmfan · #73 Post by **filmfan** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:11 am

There is a R2 version of "Witchfinder General"...though I haven't had the time to find a comparison of this release.

Ste · #74 Post by **Ste** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 5:07 pm

filmfan wrote:There is a R2 version of "Witchfinder General"...though I haven't had the time to find a comparison of this release.

A comparison with what, exactly? There is a German R2 (titled Der Hexenjäger), but it is cut, like the old UK VHS.

The UK Metrodome/Prism disc is actually R0. The same transfer has also been released in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment, again R0. There are screen-caps on the 'Net, but they are so small as to be virtually useless.

I have the UK Prism disc and it is chock-full of artifacts. Moreover, the disc is very badly authored. (Navigating the menu screens and text-based pages is a nightmare.) Buy it if you absolutely, positively must have this film on DVD, but don't expect much. I paid GBP 4.00 for it and still felt slightly gypped.

This film really deserves the two-disc SE treatment from a renowned DVD production company. Not to put down the Midnite Movies series, or anything (I love what they do), but Witchfinder General is truly a cut above. John Coquillon's photography is stunning. The British countryside never looked so beautiful and desolate, except, perhaps, for Straw Dogs (Coquillon again).

Gordon · #75 Post by **Gordon** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 9:52 pm

Yes, I read about Sony's meatheaded decision over at HTF, where I posted this, for all you Johnny foreigners:

HERE is the Amazon UK listing for the UK edition.

HERE is the Benson's World listing.

Both provide international shipping.

Also available HERE from Xploited Cinema for $15.95.

HERE are some screen captures from the UK DVD (click to enlarge).

DVD Savant's excellent review.

Great film, I feel. As noted, John Coquillon's cinematograpy is exquisite, as always. The UK disc is decent for Â£6-10 ($10-17). The documentary on Reeves is very good.

Just like Burn!, this gem was restored by MGM and then the restoration was not used for the DVD. Genius.

Internal Resources

External Sites

Specialty Labels

Site Menu

MGM Midnite Movies