TWO CLASSIC COMPANIES

As the summer draws to a close the time to begin thinking about watching movies at home approaches once again. The past few months have been filled with ball games, picnics, reunions and family get togethers that cut into DVD viewing time. You can always opt for whatever is hot at the local Redbox or you could start thinking about that collection you began, wondering just what to add. Let me help with some information about two companies that are specializing in the collector.

The first company is Twilight Time. Twilight Time specializes in forgotten movies that the major studios have ignored. For the majors these are movies that won’t make them a billion dollars in sales but that fans clamor for. Along comes Twilight Time and they offer a quality version of a classic movie on blu-ray that costs much less than those put out by Criterion (a high end company that focuses on extras as well as the film) and still offers the fans of their selections a chance to own a quality version of their favorite movie.

One thing to note is that Twilight Time doesn’t look to make billions off of these releases either. Knowing there is a limited audience they hold releases to 3,000 copies each and once those are gone they’re gone. On the rare occasion you may see one get a re-release but it doesn’t happen often. This past year I’ve only noticed a few treated this way including the original FRIGHT NIGHT, THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT and ROLLERBALL.

An example of the titles Twilight releases include the recent release of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS, CAT BALLOU, JULIA, THE LAST DETAIL with Jack Nicholson, EMPEROR OF THE NORTH, EXODUS and GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER. Younger viewers might not recognize these titles but those of my generation and a tad younger will recall them when they first played in theaters. Twilight Time gives them new life in pristine clarity on blu-ray.

I can tell you that when a box of discs arrives from Twilight Time (and from the next company) in the mail here it is one of those moments of pure joy for me because I know I’ll have a chance to watch and write about a movie that may have been forgotten but that has been given new life. My guess is that the true movie fan will feel the same. While some of their titles are available on amazon.com the best way to order is directly through Screen Archives as http://www4.screenarchives.com/ Just type in Twilight Time in the search bar and you’ll see their newest releases.

The next company that I want to whole heartedly endorse is based out of England but they have been entering the American market with some great packages. The company is Arrow Video and they too specialize in movies that the major studios seem to have forgotten. But unlike Twilight Time, Arrow tends to go more off the beaten path and seeks out films that make you recall something different. If you remember perusing the shelves at the local video store or a night at the drive-in when it was schlock central than Arrow will more than likely have something to offer you. At the same time they also have some truly artistic films, a number of Italian films and a selection of movies made in Japan for the Nikkatsu company.

Not only does Arrow provide you with the chance to own a fan favorite movies on blu-ray, they also tend to fill it out with a number of extras on each one. Once more this is like Criterion without the high end price tag. The thing is that they don’t treat these films as if they were a red headed stepchild (no offense to red headed step children) but they instead embrace them and make them special. Consider a recent release of BLOOD BATH. While more costly than most of their releases there is a reason for this. The set include 4 movies all composed of the same basic material but re-edited to change the stories. Some of you may recall the film under its last guise, TRACK OF THE VAMPIRE.

Arrow has also released full blown versions of several Blaxploitation films like SHEBA BABY and BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA, both starring Pam Grier. They’ve released several of the Italian giallo films (murder mysteries made popular in the 70s and 80s) including DEATH WALKS AT MIDNIGHT, DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS, BLOOD AND BLACK LACE and THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE. For drive-in fans they’ve had DILLINGER, RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES, THE MUTILATOR and THE SWINGING CHEERLEADERS. As I said many of these may not be major box office attractions but they are important to many fans out there who have been disappointed they couldn’t find them. Now they can. Arrow films can be ordered through amazon.com

Recently I was reading a book about fans who built their own private collections of movies on actual film. Most were saddened by the fact that there were so many movies lost to the world because studios felt no need to invest in restoring these films to their original condition nor were they concerned with releasing them on DVD or blu-ray. Both Twilight Time and Arrow Video are filling in that niche of the marketplace that caters to the more discerning movie fan, the ones who will bypass the latest Disney CGI animated film and head straight for a copy of EATEN ALIVE or MYSTERIOUS ISLAND instead. With companies like these around there has never been a better time for true fans of movies to build a collection worth owning.