MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS in TCM's ''not on DVD'' poll

[The Night Man]

TCM is soliciting votes in their "ongoing poll of the most requested classic movies not currently on DVD" at this web address: http://www.tcm.com/top/notondvd/

MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS is on the list and currently at #92 out of 200. I encourage all interested Wellesnet members (and readers) to vote. There are plenty of other deserving films to vote for as well.

[Michael O'Hara]

Chimes at Midnight is currently hovering at 239. Get busy, Welles fans.

[purplepines]

Tomorrow Is Forever (1946) (starring Orson) is at 117.

Some of the movies on this list look quite kooky, I'VE certainly never thought some of them were sought by the public

[Dan]

Amersons is due on DVD in 2008:

http://wellesnet.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=829

Warner has stated that "we have finally found good elements on AMBERSONS, and plan to release both AMBERSONS and JOURNEY in 2008".

Now, what exactly does "good elements" mean. We'd like to think it's the lost footage but that's a very long shot. Most likely it just means a better print of the film as we know it. But stranger things have turned up after 60 years.

[nextren]

Ah, dreaming...2008 sees the simultaneous release of the finished TOSOTW *and* a restored, director's cut TMA ("good elements").

Seriously, though, while such dreaming is nice it's a bit ungrateful. OW gave us so much.

[Michael O'Hara]

Will Chimes ever get good treatment? The only copy I have it a horrible looking and nearly inaudible VHS copy that I transferred to DVD. I have never seen a quality print of it. I'm sure my appreciation of the film would grow if I could actually hear the dialogue! I email Criterion once a month grovelling. A deluxe edition would look great on the shelf between Arkadin and F For Fake.

[Glenn Anders]

That Warner's chat also has this intriguing reply:

"[WARNER] We are very much aware of the alternate cuts on JOURNEY, and will be working from several pre-print elements, including nitrate from Europe. We hope to have both versions to work from in order to create the most comprehensive release. Merry Widow is still very much in our plans."

Glenn

[Joshua]

It's unbelievable when you walk through a store like Wal-Mart and see all the complete garbage that actually is on DVD, that some of the best movies ever made including chimes and ambersons cannot get a proper DVD release here in the US.

[Dan]

As I said, "good elements" realistically means good elements of the exisiting Ambersons film version. BUT if by some massive miracle Warner has located the missing footage, they may make that major announcement closer to the release date of the DVD in 2008. (Maybe Welles' daughter has a complete print hidden away in her basement.)

[LamontCranston]

Wasn't someone looking in Brazil for the print RKO sent Welles?

[Roger Ryan]

Wasn't someone looking in Brazil for the print RKO sent Welles?

The answer to the "what ever happened to the 'Ambersons' print sent to Brazil?" question seems to have been answered by a memo recently uncovered by Catherine Benamou.

Here's an excerpt from Jeff Wilson's Sept. 20th, 2007 blog entry regarding the University Of Michigan's Welles Exhibit:

"[Included in one of the exhibit's showcases was] the order to destroy the prints (one a 10 reel print, the other a 14 reel print) of Ambersons that had been sent to Welles in Rio, which was itself sent to RKO’s Brazilian office in 1944, more than two years after Welles had left them behind."

I'll add that this was a full two years after RKO destroyed the excised footage and negatives from their Culver City vaults. The memo to destroy the two prints was dated "Dec. 1944", but there was a handwritten note added at the top (written in 1946) stating that the prints had indeed been destroyed and that this was no longer an issue.

As Jeff noted in a subsequent post, there is a slim possibility that one or both of the prints were actually retained by someone and RKO's Brazilian office simply lied about following through with the head office's orders, but given the history of this film with RKO, I would seriously doubt it.

[Tony]

Magnificent Ambersons has now dropped on this august list from #92 to #138 of 200, being surpassed by such masterpieces as "the Incredible Shrinking Man", "Tammy and the Bachelor", "Bachelor in Paradise", "The Mating Game" and "Godzila" (1985).

Let's not hold our breaths!

[Dan]

Magnificent Ambersons has now dropped on this august list from #92 to #138 of 200.... Let's not hold our breaths!

Tony, Ambersons is to be released on DVD sometime in 2008. No date announced yet, and no DVD specifics either.

Check out these links for more info:

Warner "chat": http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/ ... fchat.html

Wellesnet thread: http://wellesnet.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1388

[Tony]

I'll believe it when it's in my hot little hand.