Fox Classic Spy Collection

[Gordon]

From Fox on November 7:

Our Man Flint and In Like Flint 3-Disc set:

Disc 1: Our Man Flint

- Audio commentary by film historians, Eddie Friedfeld and Lee Pfeiffer
- Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2: In Like Flint

- Audio commentary by film historians, Eddie Friedfeld and Lee Pfeiffer
- Theatrical Trailer

Disc 3: Our Man Flint - Dead on Target (1976 TV movie starring Ray Danton as Flint)

- Additional Footage - Puerto Rico Premiere
- Behind the Scenes - Screen Tests
- Featurettes:
- 1966 Interviews:


The Chairman (1969)
- Audio commentary by film historians, Eddie Friedfeld and Lee Pfeiffer
- Theatrical Trailer

The Quiller Memorandum
- Audio commentary by film historians, Eddie Friedfeld and Lee Pfeiffer
- Theatrical Trailer

The Kremlin Letter
- Audio commentary by film historians, Eddie Friedfeld and Lee Pfeiffer
- Theatrical Trailer


Great to see Huston's fascinating Cold War oddity, which delighted Jean-Pierre Melville, finally on DVD - and with a commentary, too, which will hopefully be worth a listen.

________________

[Lino]

Cold War collection? So that's how they're integrating the new Flint release. I was really wondering about that one. I mean, there is no new Austin Powers movie in sight nor a remake of Our Man Flint. My mind is calmer now. Thanks, Gordie!

[dx23]

From dvdtimes.co.uk:

The Chairman & The Quiller Memorandum (R1) in November

Fox Home Entertainment have announced the Region 1 DVD release of The Chairman and The Quiller Memorandum for 7th November 2006. Priced at $19.98 SRP each the films form part of the Fox Classic Spy Collection and are timed around the theatrical release of Casino Royale…

The Chairman - When Nobel-winning scientist Hathaway (Gregory Peck) receives a strange letter, the last place he expects it to lead him is into Communist China – as a spy! Sent to decode a formula that could save millions, Hathaway has no idea whom he can trust, and no assistance. Worst of all, his handlers haven't told him that the transmitting device implanted in his head is also a bomb. And if things get too hot, they're prepared to detonate!

Features include:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English Mono & Stereo
French & Spanish Mono
French & Spanish subtitles

The Quiller Memorandum - With little else to help him beyond sharp wits, a strong will and a very dedicated schoolteacher, American spy Quiller (George Segal) combs West Berlin for the headquarters of a shadowy neo-Nazi movement. Closing in on one disturbing truth, he quickly learns another: he is not the pursuer, but the prey – in a rapidly closing trap!

Features include:
English Mono
Commentary By Film Historians Eddie Friedfeld & Lee Pfeiffer
Trailers

Cover art

[Ashirg]

I guess The Kremlin Letter is not coming out that day...

[dx23]

Amazon.com has a listing for the Kremlin Letter coming on November 7th. Does anybody know if this will hold?

[Lino]

Amazon.com has a listing for the Kremlin Letter coming on November 7th. Does anybody know if this will hold?

It didn't. Here's why, courtesy of DVDSavant:

My news from a good but unofficial source is that John Huston's The Kremlin Letter missed its street date of Nov. 7 not for legal reasons but because the transfer quality didn't pass muster with Fox Home Video. That's a very good sign and typical of that company's overall commitment to quality. We certainly hope that Kremlin catches up with us sooner than later -- it's a Savant favorite along with (please, please) the international version of Fox's The Sicilian Clan.

[Gordon]

Wow, that's only the second time that I have heard of a studio cancelling a release due to a poor quality transfer (the other is The Long Goodbye, which cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond refused to approve). The Kremlin Letter has been shown in 2.35:1 on U.S. television this year, but I guess that quality on TV isn't as big of deal for Fox! It's a fascinating film and in seeing Jean-Pierre Melville's, L'Armee des Ombres again today, one is reminded of Melville's appreciation of The Kremlin Letter, so I am very keen to see it again, this time, in 2.35:1, as opposed to a late-night pan and scan TV broadcast in the early 90s.

[Lino]

DVDSavant reviews The Quiller Memorandum.

[Matango]

Just watched The Chairman and sat through the commentary. Pfeiffer and Friedfeld chatter was ok, but a couple of erroneous comments worth a mention for anyone who might be interested. Pfeiffer mistook Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental Hotel for The Peninsula Hotel (an easy mistake if you don't know the city, I guess), but more surprisingly Friedfeld mistook Eric Young for for the excellent Burt Kwouk, who plays another character, and should be a familiar face to these guys and anyone with a working knowledge of 1970s cinema. #-o

[tryavna]

Just watched The Chairman and sat through the commentary. Pfeiffer and Friedfeld chatter was ok, but a couple of erroneous comments worth a mention for anyone who might be interested. Pfeiffer mistook Hong Kong's Mandarin Oriental Hotel for The Peninsula Hotel (an easy mistake if you don't know the city, I guess), but more surprisingly Friedfeld mistook Eric Young for for the excellent Burt Kwouk, who plays another character, and should be a familiar face to these guys and anyone with a working knowledge of 1970s cinema. #-o

After listening to their commentary for Quiller, I was left with the impression that they were simply doing too many commentaries in one go. (They actually mention it jokingly in that commentary. In fact, they seemed to be trying a little too hard to crack jokes.) Perhaps they just got tired and a little slap-happy? At any rate, I felt that their commentary for Quiller, as a whole, had some good points but could have been a lot better.

[Matango]

Yeah, some pretty dire humour was on display on their Chairman chat too, along with some very shaky Chinese political analysis. One other thing that they missed was that the whole Chinese/Russian border shown on the map when Peck is in that area is actually the Chinese/Mongolian border. Still, can't fault them for that really. I like Quiller a lot, and was thinking of adding the Fox to my Network DVD just for the commentary. But on the strength of their efforts on The Chairman and what you've mentioned, I don't think I'll bother.

[Matango]

While I think of it...Pfeiffer was discussing Chairman Mao, and reeling off facts about him, and then questioned why Mao Zedong (or Mao Tse-tung in the old spelling) still gets called Mao by the world, but no-one would ever refer to Hitler as Adolf. Friedfield had to pull him up by saying something like "Buuuuut in Chinese culture the surname comes first". Pfeiffer takes it in his stride. Quite funny. Sorta. #-o

[tryavna]

While I think of it...Pfeiffer was discussing Chairman Mao, and reeling off facts about him, and then questioned why Mao Zedong (or Mao Tse-tung in the old spelling) still gets called Mao by the world, but no-one would ever refer to Hitler as Adolf. Friedfield had to pull him up by saying something like "Buuuuut in Chinese culture the surname comes first". Pfeiffer takes it in his stride. Quite funny. Sorta. #-o

Might be worth listening to the commentary just for that gem!

Personally, I felt that the QUILLER commentary could have been done solo. I can't remember which voice was which, but certainly one of them (Friedfield?) was more interesting/informative to listen to than the other.

I never got the Network disc, but if it's similar A/V quality to the Fox, there's definitely no need to double-dip.