CHIMES on DVD?

[colwood]

I don't know if this would work for the chimes dvd, but it has worked at turning off the subs on my copy of the Studio Canal Trial dvd.

I have a sampo 612(n)
-Start the dvd and get to the main menu.
-Press Stop
-Press Menu
-Turn the subtitle option to OFF even if it is already set to off
-Press play to resume the dvd and play the movie.

Hopes this helps somebody.

[RayKelly]

Restoration of Chimes in the planning stages??!!! This is from the Aug. 9, 2007 Roger Ebert column: Ask the Movie Man:

Q: Are there any plans to restore Orson Welles' "Chimes at Midnight" (aka "Falstaff") and give the film a proper DVD release in America?
- Scott Brady, Chicago

A: Jonathan Rosenbaum, film critic of the Chicago Reader and expert on Welles, tells me:
"Michael Dawson, the guy who rejigged the lip-sync on Welles' 'Othello,' has been planning for years to do the same thing with 'Chimes at Midnight' -- only this time, I'm happy to say, without changing the music and sound effects and without turning the soundtrack into stereo. (My only beef with his ground plan is that he wants to add the sound of neighing horses to one shot! Go figure.)
"The problem is, until or unless the labyrinthine rights issues get cleared up with the widow of Harry Saltzman, one of the producers, you can't even buy DVDs now from Europe, either, judging from my latest Google search. (When the Locarno film festival had a huge Welles retrospective and conference two years ago, they had to get special permission from her just to show the film once.)"
Ebert again: For my Great Movies piece on the film, I was able to find a decent DVD from Brazil. Probably no longer available.

[purplepines]

Harry Saltzman is a her?

[tonyw]

Colwood, Thanks. Perhaps this method may work for my Spanish version of the film with Japanese subtitles!

[RayKelly]

Harry Saltzman is a her?

The "her" is a reference to Saltzman's widow

[Tony]

Harry Saltzman was a very interesting man: he was a Canadian producer who was the the first guy to buy the Bond books for filming. He formed a partnership with Cubby Broccoli to co-produce the Bond series and he continued to produce independently as well, working with director Guy Hamilton 6 times. In 1975 Saltzman's wife became ill and due to financial problems he sold his 50% stake in Bond to Broccoli (big mistake). His wife passed a way in 1976 and he entered a long period of depression, leaving the movies shortly therafter and retiring to Florida. A really brilliant guy who took chances, and one of them was Chimes.

Here are some of the terrifiic films he produced in just 19 years between 1958 and 1979:

Look Back in Anger (with Richard Burton and Claire Bloom)

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (with Albert Finney)

Dr. No

From Russia With Love

Goldfinger

The Ipcress File (with Michael Caine)

Thunderball

Chimes At Midnight

Funeral In Berlin (with Michael Caine)

You Only Live Twice

The Billion Dollar Brain (with Michael Caine)

The Battle of Britain (with everybody)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Diamonds Are Forever

Live and Let Die

The Man with the Golden Gun

Nijinsky (with Alan Bates)

[colwood]

"The problem is, until or unless the labyrinthine rights issues get cleared up with the widow of Harry Saltzman, one of the producers, you can't even buy DVDs now from Europe, either, judging from my latest Google search."


I guess this would explain why you used to be able to find a dozen copies of the spanish dvd at any time on ebay but now can only find a handful, at best. I don't know about the boxset that began this thread. The links work but I'm don't speak french and can't make out if you can still buy them. As for the spanish dvd, there may be hope. Most places seem to sell this for at least $20, or did when they had it. But if you look up "companiadas a medianoche" at a spanish retailer called el corte ingles, you can still find the spanish dvd for only 5 Euros (<$7). I know this place had it because that's where I bought five copies from three years ago. Yes shipping to the states costs as much as the dvd, but worth it if you want the film. Just be aware it is a spanish dvd so will be region 2 and PAL.

http://www.elcorteingles.es/cine/productos/producto/producto.asp?cod_referencia=25940900563

[DexyMan]

As I posted in the trading forum, I am selling my French Chimes box set for anyone who is interested. I have gotten a couple offers so if anyone else is interested let me know.

[Michael O'Hara]

Are there any versions of Chimes on DVD that will play on a Region 1 player? What about Don Quixote? Those are the 2 films I don't have. I have Chimes which I burned from a substandard VHS copy. I haven't seen Don Quixote at all.

[Joshua]

Are there any versions of Chimes on DVD that will play on a Region 1 player? What about Don Quixote? Those are the 2 films I don't have. I have Chimes which I burned from a substandard VHS copy. I haven't seen Don Quixote at all.

Yes, there are. If you see the thread "Does anybody have this version of Chimes" there is a link to the one that I bought at Amazon.com. However, the sound is pretty bad--and much of the time it is difficult to understand the dialogue. I recommend it only if you are desperate--which I was

[Michael O'Hara]

If you see the thread "Does anybody have this version of Chimes" there is a link to the one that I bought at Amazon.com. However, the sound is pretty bad--and much of the time it is difficult to understand the dialogue.

That sounds like the same print my VHS copy is derived from, so maybe it's not worth the effort....


I'll keep requesting it at the TCM website.

[Jeff Wilson]

If you want to get it, get a DVD player that converts PAL (available at any number of mainstream stores for less than $50 in most cases - check around the DVD forums for models and such) and then get the Spanish disc. The Spanish disc isn't mind-blowing, but it has clear sound and picture. At this point, if you want a good copy of the film, you need a region-free, PAL capable player.

The ridiculous, ongoing rights battle could drag on who knows how many more years, so if you want it, get it while you can. The Studio Canal version is anamorphic, so if you have a 16:9 monitor, you're set (assuming you can find the box set or get a DVD-R from someone). The Spanish disc is letterboxed but not anamorphic.

[IvyMike]

Does anyone have screenshot comparisons for the Studio Canal Chimes DVD? The link to the old Criterion Forum thread no longer has the screenshots active. Or maybe someone can comment further on the quality of the transfer, which I hear is much better than the Spanish one (but is the Canal one impressive in its own right).

I found a place to get it from, but it would cost me 90 bucks for the boxset (incl Trial and 3rd Man, already own 3rd Man tho), which is pretty hefty price to pay...Much appreciated.

[Jeff Wilson]

I really should add some screen caps of the Studio Canal disc to the CHIMES DVD page on the site, but my initial impression was that it wasn't a drastic improvement over the Spanish disc, but an improvement nonetheless. You get an anamorphic version of the film, albeit with forced French subtitles. You can rip the disc and burn it without the subs, if you have the capability and know-how (it's not really that hard).

[Christopher Good]

From the screenshots I've seen, the Canal version of Chimes is excellent, as is the Canal version of The Trial (in case you haven't seen that, it's most gorgeous print (and transfer) of the film I've ever seen.

I'm still trying to track down a copy of the Studio Canal Falstaff. Have you found an on-line shop that has copies?

Christopher