criterionforum.org

The Jayne Mansfield Collection in August

The Girl Can't Help It, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw on August 8th for $49.98 in total.

Ordinarily I would have waited it out for the two Tashlins to appear on their own, but the credentials behind Fractured Jaw sounds too bizarre to pass up. Kenneth More in the starring role of a spoof western the same year as he made A Night to Remember? With Sid James and Robert Morley in supporting roles? Directed by Raoul Walsh? Who could say no?

Although Fox continues to vex me with their pricing structure, this is a very welcome set.

And considering Criterion's recent "artwork", I doubt they could have crafted a better, more fitting cover. I wish Fox would go back to that classy, deco logo for good.

Any word on extras yet? I've read somewhere that the australian edition of GCHI includes an interview with John Waters. It would be great if they ported it over to this set.

According to OnVideo.org, both "The Girl Can't Help It" (which is now labeled as a "50th Anniversary Edition") and "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" will both have commentary tracks by film historians (Toby Miller and Dana Polan, respectively); and "Girl" will also feature a "Jayne Mansfield: Blonde Ambition" featurette.

"Sheriff of Fractured Jaw" just has a still gallery listed.

-BJ

Someone from the DVDForums had access to an early copy of this set and this is what he had to say (Post #9):

Have checked out the transfers of both - I wouldn't say they're reference quality, but the color is garish (as it should be) and they're pretty sharp and anamorphic and it's great to have them. Really looking forward to watching all of them. The opening to both films always make me laugh out loud.

Each film has its trailer, plus commentary track - one of them has the A&E Biography on Mansfield, and the other has some newsreel footage.

As you can see David, you haven't missed a thing by not buying the French edition of GCHI. More info from the same guy:

Just got it -- here is some more info since it's sketchy above. All titles are listed as widescreen (2.35:1), in English stereo.

"Girl Can't Help It" includes "Blonde Ambition," a documentary; commentary by "film historian" Toby Miller; and original trailer. Spanish mono and subtitles.

"Will Success Spoil Rock Junter?" with commentary by "film historian" Dana Polan. Brief newsreel clip on Mansfield in the U.S. capital. The English audio actually appears to be in four-channel. Spanish stereo.

"Sheriff of Fractured Jaw" lists only a still gallery and the original theatrical teaser and trailer. French 4.0 LCRS and Spanish subtitles.

Ashirg wrote:DVD Savant says

Well, that review is certainly inspiring! Fox seems to have released the goods with this Mansfield collection. I hope the Beaver doesn't take long with the screencaps -- I want to see those "delirious colors" that "NTSC almost can't handle"!

Amazon currently has this at 40% off

davidhare wrote:The current R4 AV Channel disc is crap - non-anamorphic and no extras I can recall, certainly not a Waters Commentary.

Half-crap Sir - there is a John Waters introduction/chat that runs around 25 minutes. A great pity the US release passed on this little radish.

The Beaver

You gotta love this woman: never afraid to make fun of herself and often relishing on that very marketing gimmick to an almost extreme limit (two words that obviously didn't belong in her vocabulary), never ashamed to show she was hiking on the blonde ambition bus (and emulating the most famous peroxided one of all), and never shy of her ultimate goal: to have it all! Which she ultimately did -- bittersweetly that is.

It's almost frightening the way her first two film hits (Girl and Rock Hunter) prefigured her later life and how some of the lines she spoke in them proved to be fatally true in many ways. Maybe she was asking for it, maybe she took them literally as gospel, maybe fate itself was envious of her zest for life, who knows -- one thing is for certain, she was "it" in many ways and who could resist her squealings?

Oh, and note for Gary: these transfers are far from unremarkable. They look absolutely stellar!

Alain Silver has recorded a commentary with James Ursini for The Wayward Bus. I really hope this means we're getting a second Mansfield set next year.

Lino wrote:Alain Silver has recorded a commentary with James Ursini for The Wayward Bus. I really hope this means we're getting a second Mansfield set next year.

I don't think they own anymore of her films.