New DVD releases - they're joking, right??!

[srj1967]

Okay, so I just went out and bought all of the new DVDs ... TTWII, This Is Elvis and the movies. Got them for $9.98 (Aust) each ... a good price. Elvis was playing in JB Hi-Fi where I bought them. Nice.

Some points:

TTWII: the unreleased performances. WHAT A JOKE!!! They look like fourth-generation copies and the picture quality is very poor indeed. They're the same quality as some of us have on the 12-hour unreleased DVD set. Unbelievable. Also, why is Little Sister edited (badly) to exclude Get Back? And listing an extra as being from "Show 4" or whatever instead of giving us an exact date is poor form. Surely, they could've digitally upgraded these unreleased performances properly prior to release? And there should've been more unreleased stuff, eg more rehearsals and a complete show. Am I being too harsh?

This Is Elvis: I was pleased to see they left the "She gave great head" part in the original release disc ... but why wasn't disc one presented in widescreen??

Movies: Good quality mostly. And did anyone else find that Harum Scarum was released with a clear DVD case, while all the others were released with a black case? Or was that just here in Australia?

Where's the Ina Balin nude scene in Charro? (It really is pivotal to the plot!! )

I enjoyed the Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas featurettes, and was surprised particularly in the Vegas one ... it implies that Elvis and Ann-Margret were in love and that things would've been very different had they married. I'm surprised Cilla allowed it.

I know we should be grateful for all of this stuff, but the TTWII release is a blatant rip-off as far as I'm concerned.

Also, I watched Love Me Tender last night, which I hadn't seen in many years. The story was strong enough to stand without songs, and the musical numbers were unnecessary. They didn't need to add music to this one, and it ruined the dramatic flow of the plot. Still, it was Elvis' first film, so ...

Which leads me to say that other films, eg Wild In The Country, Flaming Star, perhaps even King Creole didn't actually need the music at all, and could've stood as straight dramas.

And, to a lesser extent, the same could be applied to Trouble With Girls, Change of Habit and Live A Little, Love A Little, all three of which needed stronger scripts overall.

But I digress. What are other people's thoughts about the new DVD releases?

[Albert]

I decided not to buy any of them (for now).

If you set all movie releases from vhs and dvd next to eachother, you'll see that any title has been re-released many times by now. And during all these re-releases only the artwork has been changed. Very little to none work has gone into restoring the audio/video quality, adding surround sound, movie extra's like bloopers (yes, they do exist), or a small documentary about the particular movie with co-stars and other insiders, nothing...

ABout 'This Is Elvis': this documentary has been made in the early 80s when very little candid footage of Elvis existed. THe general knowledge of Elvis also was less than it is nowadays. We -the world- seem to understand the man behind the image better than in the early 80s. So why hasn't this 30-year-after year been used to re-edit This Is ELvis? New footage, different voice-overdubs, etc?

These last releases at least seem to have some improved audio/video quality. But I'm so fed up with the way the music and movie companies (and even EPE) treat the Elvisfans. If you think of it, it's still the same formula that Colonel Parker used.

I'll buy the HD-dvd's eventually.

[thehillbillycat]

Okay, so I just went out and bought all of the new DVDs ... TTWII, This Is Elvis and the movies. Got them for $9.98 (Aust) each ... a good price. Elvis was playing in JB Hi-Fi where I bought them. Nice.

Some points:

TTWII: the unreleased performances. WHAT A JOKE!!! They look like fourth-generation copies and the picture quality is very poor indeed. They're the same quality as some of us have on the 12-hour unreleased DVD set. Unbelievable. Also, why is Little Sister edited (badly) to exclude Get Back? And listing an extra as being from "Show 4" or whatever instead of giving us an exact date is poor form. Surely, they could've digitally upgraded these unreleased performances properly prior to release? And there should've been more unreleased stuff, eg more rehearsals and a complete show. Am I being too harsh?

This Is Elvis: I was pleased to see they left the "She gave great head" part in the original release disc ... but why wasn't disc one presented in widescreen??

Movies: Good quality mostly. And did anyone else find that Harum Scarum was released with a clear DVD case, while all the others were released with a black case? Or was that just here in Australia?

Where's the Ina Balin nude scene in Charro? (It really is pivotal to the plot!! )

First, on the TTWII outtakes. They just release those to see what is the public response. If people doesn't like them then they won't release any more outtakes for a while. Yes, they may be poor quality but it is the fact that they release some to see what will happen to the general public. For releasing more, they will not do this because of the fact that there isn't a general public not Elvis Fan cries for the release of the outtakes. This is Elvis on Disc One which is the theaterical version is in widescreen. It is the Disc two which has the 1983 expanded version that isn't in widescreen. About that dirty comments that is featured in the theaterical. It is kinda difficult to release a movie that says "The Original Theaterical Version" that has overdubs that wasn't in the original release. As for the nude scene that has been long since deleted. First off that should be in their really. YEs, she may be good looking (my opinion) but it does kinda make the movie not a G rated movie maybe more of a PG-13.


Out of the new DVDs that is out, the top sellers is Charro, TTWII and This Is Elvis. Harum Scarum may look good but I am not going to get it since I like the pervious release better. I like the cover of the pervious release better. The ones that has been on DVD and releasing them again, those DVDs will not sell good at all. The only ones that has a chance is Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas since they have special features about the movie.

[poormansgold76]

I got done Watching 2nd Disc Of TTWII, The original version, It's same it is in 1970, the outtakes on own, not edit in with the original.
It's nice have original version of TTWII on DVD, I give it 9 out of 10.
There are people never see original version of it..
It's first Time I see the original version in 10 years so .

I Don't have All Outtakes who thoses Have them, I see parts them, few have names cross them, those outtakes on New TTWII are better nothing for some us that don't have those outtakes are on import's DVD's
Tom

[Lonniebealestreet]

Here's what stupefies me about TTWII.

The "unseen" outtakes...There were some songs that were in the original but did not make the Special Edition from 2001 and fans were upset about that. To name a couple: I Just Can't Help Believin' and Sweet Caroline.

So they, among others (along with a few things that were truly rarities) are included as bonus features at the end of Disc 2, and one might think that given the background there they were sort of apologizing for the previous omission and gave these missing tracks the audio and video restoration a la TTWII SE. But no, they were just tacked on there at the end, looking and sounding not so hot, and following the original TTWII in which they had already appeared, looking and sounding the same way.

Of course it would have been too much to ask for the original movie to have gotten that treatment, so I won't even bring that up.

But the inclusion of those tracks in that manner has still got me scratching my head.

[KPM]

I have all his movies on VHS(some I have 2 copies of) I really did not plan to buy any of these-with the exception of the "Thats the Way it Is"- if I heard the outtakes were of better picture quality than the ones circulating the globe I was going to get a copy. But from what I see here I guess I won't. I have TTWII special edition on DVD and I have the original version on VHS. I have 2 copies of "This is Elvis" one the expanded version the other the original theatrical release. As far as "Charro" I went to see it at the movies in 1969 and there was no nude scene then-it was a quick shot of her rising from the tub. I have seen an outtake which shows a little more than that but it was never used in the original I saw.
Releasing outtakes which are not restored is not the way to increase sales! IMO The smarter move would be to restore half an hour of unseen footage and let the Elvis buying public know-"If this sells well, we will go to the expense to restore other footage" The way they have done it is just to make copies and rush them out. You will not get new sales that way. Especially since the footage was leaked out a couple years back. the only reason to buy now is to get better, clearer footage. I'm sorry they seem to have "the cheapest way to go mentality" Whats really upsetting to me is that I have seen 8mm footage which is crisper and clearer than a lot of the MGM outtakes. Sad they can not see quality and marketing go hand in hand when trying to sell anything.

[poormansgold76]

And those Outtakes Was On TCM TV on 1/8/2001.
Tom

[srj1967]

movie extra's like bloopers (yes, they do exist),

I don't think so. If they existed, we'd have seen at least a snippet or two by now (just like the "professional" concert footage that some people said was coming over the US summer a couple of months ago ... Summer's over, so where are you now, guys??! )

It's been over 50 years since Elvis' first movie, and almost 40 since his last.

I recently took a tour of the Sony studio in Hollywood (the old MGM studio). They mentioned that, because storage was so limited in the early days, they have no outtakes from movies etc left in the vaults (other than what they saved from the 70s on) because they destroyed them all. So, I'd say the same applies to Elvis, and to the other studios for which he worked.

So, unless some outtakes happen to exist in the attics and garages of people who actually worked in the various studios at the time (let's hope this is true!) ... then movie bloopers ain't gonna materialise!

[thehillbillycat]

movie extra's like bloopers (yes, they do exist)
But I'm so fed up with the way the music and movie companies (and even EPE) treat the Elvisfans. If you think of it, it's still the same formula that Colonel Parker used.
I'll buy the HD-dvd's eventually.

Ok, to start with. As for blooper's from Elvis movies, I would say only about 5% of the outtakes from his movies Love Me Tender to Change of Habit exist. You will need to read Elvis' contract. It states that any unused footage would be destory. Only 5% of them have pop up over the years. Mostly from Jailhouse Rock. Some 8mm footage from Clambake, Charro and recently It Happened At The World's Fair has pop up. It was very common for unused footage to be destory to save space. They wasn't looking into the future for a possible release as it is today. So, you are fed up how music and movie companies treat Elvis fans. First, they don't look at just Elvis fans, they look at the general public. Elvis fans is not the general public. It cost money to find footage, digitally remastered them, and put them out. I guess you don't realize that at all. They have to be 100% sure that they will get their money back and then a profit. That doesn't go just for Elvis fans, as I have said it goes for the general public. The average person doesn't want to see Elvis mess up the same scene over and over again. They will get tired of that real quick. But as I have said, only 5% of the outtakes from his movies exist as of right now. Unused footage was destroy. From about 1974 or 1975 they started keeping unused footage. So that means, Elvis movies doesn't fall there at all.

[srj1967]

Mostly from Jailhouse Rock. Some 8mm footage from Clambake, Charro and recently It Happened At The World's Fair has pop up.

This is all 8mm or fan footage you refer to, not outtakes. As I said, if bloopers existed, we'd have seen them by now ... in This Is Elvis, for instance.

[Tommy]

I didn't like the new TTWII at all, a disappointment all around.

[thehillbillycat]

This is all 8mm or fan footage you refer to, not outtakes. As I said, if bloopers existed, we'd have seen them by now ... in This Is Elvis, for instance.

Ummmm, What Part of "Some 8mm footage from Clambake, Charro and recently It Happened At The World's Fair has pop up" you didn't understand? Are they outtakes? Yes and No, No because they are from 8mm fan footage. But Yes, because the cameras were rolling and so it are outtakes from another view.

And I didn't included Jailhouse Rock because some only about 3 minutes worth has pop up over the years. First, with the scene from the trailer of Jailhouse Rock which has an alternate guitar scene. Next, on You Tube right now is more outtakes which comes from a VHS tape titled The Hollywood Years. Those are not 8mm but film shot by MGM so they are outtakes. So please read before trying to correct me when I have correctly said it already.

[KPM]

The only true studio outtakes I would be interested in would be from EOT or TTWII. Its obvious they have no intention, at this time, to try and digitally restore them. They put them on the TTWII disc as extras-as is. I have seen most of them elsewhere and if they are not in better quality than I have seen -it is not worth it to me to buy. I know they have the technology to iimprove them. (maybe not make them perfect but give them a much more vibrant clear look) If they had cleaned them up and made an effort to restore them and said "buy it and more will come" (to paraphrase the quote from the film "Field of Dreams") I would have bought it. They did not, so I see no reason to purchase it. Thats just my view.

[srj1967]

Ummmm, What Part of "Some 8mm footage from Clambake, Charro and recently It Happened At The World's Fair has pop up" you didn't understand? Are they outtakes? Yes and No, No because they are from 8mm fan footage. But Yes, because the cameras were rolling and so it are outtakes from another view. Please read before trying to correct me when I have correctly said it already.

Smug attitude aside, these are not outtakes, not by any stretch of the imagination.

True outtakes would be taken from the same cameras that were used for filming (and not home movies from another angle or whatever), such as are included in almost every DVD released these days.

[poormansgold76]

we needed remember that thoses movies are over 35 years old. and few flim can go bad.

[thehillbillycat]

Smug attitude aside, these are not outtakes, not by any stretch of the imagination.

True outtakes would be taken from the same cameras that were used for filming (and not home movies from another angle or whatever), such as are included in almost every DVD released these days.

I understand what you are saying but you need to know. Yes, they are homemovies but they are also outtakes at the same time. MGM has several fan footage that comes from other movies over the years and they considered them as outtakes because of the fact that the movie camera was filming at the time. Yes, they are home movies but they call these outtakes because there camera was filming. I been in the business of films for years since my dad was a collector and talked to other collectors over the years so I should know what I am talking about.

poormansgold76 - Yes, films goes bad but that isn't the real reason why they are not releasing the outtakes. If you heard from the documentary on the TTWII SE that some TTWII outtakes had vinegar syndrome. They was in regular storage too with this and I guess the company didn't even know it the film had it but now all outtakes from TTWII and EOT have been taken to a special place.

[KPM]

Actually alot of the 8mm footage seen in, This is Elvis, or in documentarys on Elvis -I believe a lot of it was Elvis's own home movies made by the guys. I have read for a while they recorded a lot of them wherever they were. There is fan footage from It Happened at the Worlds Fair that has been posted for sale and some is at You Tube by the guy who took quite a bit of it when he was at the fair in 62.
I myself tend to think of- studio outtakes-as outtakes taken from the studio cameras. If it it suppose to be used in the film, and is cut from the film for whatever reason- flubbed lines, not hitting marks, or maybe for reasons of the story itself-then in my mind those are true studio outtakes. Thats why they are called outtakes, they were intended to be in the film and then taken out. Elvis's home movies or fan footage was never intended for the films so IMO it would not be a true outtake. Thats my 2 cents worth anyway.

[thehillbillycat]

Actually alot of the 8mm footage seen in, This is Elvis, or in documentarys on Elvis -I believe a lot of it was Elvis's own home movies made by the guys. I have read for a while they recorded a lot of them wherever they were. There is fan footage from It Happened at the Worlds Fair that has been posted for sale and some is at You Tube by the guy who took quite a bit of it when he was at the fair in 62.
I myself tend to think of- studio outtakes-as outtakes taken from the studio cameras. If it it suppose to be used in the film, and is cut from the film for whatever reason- flubbed lines, not hitting marks, or maybe for reasons of the story itself-then in my mind those are true studio outtakes. Thats why they are called outtakes, they were intended to be in the film and then taken out. Elvis's home movies or fan footage was never intended for the films so IMO it would not be a true outtake. Thats my 2 cents worth anyway.

Yes, that is true. But some film companies now sees it different. When you see the 8mm film footage and see the actors trying to get the scene right more in likely the movie cameras are rolling to film it. So the companies calls them outtakes from a alternate view. But they are also considered still as fan footage. Outtakes are when the actors misses up their lines or something else happens. Alternate Camera angles could be the footage that was used for the movie but it is taken from a different angle. Alternate scene is when the scene may have a original idea but has been cut down and change some or alot. Example: is the Jailhouse Rock alternate smashing guitar scene which is only seen in the trailer.

[srj1967]

I myself tend to think of- studio outtakes-as outtakes taken from the studio cameras. If it it suppose to be used in the film, and is cut from the film for whatever reason- flubbed lines, not hitting marks, or maybe for reasons of the story itself-then in my mind those are true studio outtakes. Thats why they are called outtakes, they were intended to be in the film and then taken out. Elvis's home movies or fan footage was never intended for the films so IMO it would not be a true outtake. Thats my 2 cents worth anyway.

Precisely! If footage from another angle emerged (also using an official studio camera) then this indeed would be an outtake.

But just because someone was on a movie set with a home-movie camera and may have captured the same scene - that most certainly does not constitute any form of outtake! No way, no how.

But, as some of us here have suggested, I believe Elvis' movie outtakes have been lost forever, although I'd love to be proven wrong!

[srj1967]

Example: is the Jailhouse Rock alternate smashing guitar scene which is only seen in the trailer.

That would be an outtake. If someone had captured the exact same scene on set with a home-movie camera, then it is not.

I will have to check the Jailhouse Rock trailer for this alternate guitar scene ... I can't remember if I've even seen the trailer.