BURNT OFFERINGS to be released on DVD in August with commentary!

[Darren Gross]

Here's the news in case you missed it at the tail end of another post or don't receive the NODS website e-mail newsletter.

In February, I moderated a commentary with Dan Curtis, Karen Black and co-screenwriter William F. Nolan for the upcoming DVD release of BURNT OFFERINGS. This MGM disc will be released in August in a gorgeous 16x9/anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 widescreen transfer and will include the theatrical trailer and commentary. Unfortunately, the disc producer did not want an audible (nor credited) moderator, so my voice will not be heard on the disc, but I prompted plenty of questions and made sure all of the salient points were covered. The recording session yielded many uproarious stories and some great discussions of Dan Curtis' technical approach to direction, that all should be well worth hearing. There have been rumblings that a few juicier comments will be edited out...we'll have to wait until August to find out.

It's going to be a nice disc- the best video transfer of the film yet- the VHS and the PAL DVD are both unmatted, revealing too much head and foot room that was never meant to be seen. Definitely worth a blind purchase.

[ksgemini]

This is great news...Thanks for the info

[kuanyin]

I haven't ever seen this one, is it worth adding to my collection? I'm mainly asking because I'm more of a DS cast fan than I am a DC fan....

[ClaudeNorth]

Thanks for the info!

I cannot wait to get a copy of this disc.  I first saw this film when I was going through a major Karen Black period.  I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember it as being a lot of fun and fairly creepy, too.  Bette Davis is in it, and I always enjoy the way she recites the line, "My! God! You're! Hurting! Him!" in that classic clipped speech style of hers.

Speaking of Bette Davis, I've heard stories that she feuded with Karen Black, in the same way she reportedly feuded with Faye Dunaway during the filming of THE DISAPPEARANCE OF AIMEE (which I've been dying to see but haven't as yet).  Perhaps some juicy Bette anecdotes will be included on the commentary track...

"Mrs. Allardyce!...Mrs. Allardyce!"

Regards,

John

[Miss_Winthrop]

It's going to be a nice disc- the best video transfer of the film yet- the VHS and the PAL DVD are both unmatted, revealing too much head and foot room that was never meant to be seen. Definitely worth a blind purchase.

I have the VHS version of Burnt Offerings which plays very nicely on my VCR.  However, I'm curious about what you mean when you say "revealing too much head and foot room that was never meant to be seen".

[Darren Gross]

Each frame of film is a rectangle- each frame is 1/3 wider than it is tall...It's the same shape as your computer monitor or standard TV. (This is referred to as a 1.33:1 'aspect ratio'- since it's the ratio of the width to the height.)

Standard theatrical motin pictures have a wider image- it's nearly 2 times wider than it is tall.  (This is the 1.85:1 aspect ratio.)

In order to obtain the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the entire 1.33 film frame is exposed, but in projection a small area of the top and bottom of the frame is masked off by the projector.

Because the top and bottom are supposed to be masked off in projection, the camera's viewfinders have markings so that the cameraman can compose the image accurately. The very top and bottom of the frame are not supposed to be seen and if you were to see the entire film frame, you'd notice tape marks on the floor, camera tracks and occasional boom mike shadows. These aren't mistakes- the cameraman is well aware of them, but they wouldn't appear when projected...Unless your theater's projectionist has it misframed.

The VHS release of BURNT OFFERINGS was transferred showing the entire frame- the very bottom and top of the image was not meant to be shown to audiences. Right near the end of the film there's a wide shot of the family walking to and getting into the car. If you watch the bottom of the frame, you'll notice a shadow from a boom mike which moves to follow the actors. This isn't supposed to be seen.

You'll notice similar issues with many VHS tapes- the older release of  PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE had the worst examples of this. The HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS and NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS were filmed in the same format and the VHS releases have similar framing issues, but they're a crane can be seen.  Again, these are not not as bad. They don't show the entire frame, it's kind of a compromise. This is why a floor mike, a boom mike and the edge of a crane are visible in NODS. These are not goofs, just improperly framed video transfers.

There are many other aspect ratios, filming approaches and ways of projection, but I'll leave those out of here for the sake of  clarity.

D

[Gerard]

Thanks for the info!



Speaking of Bette Davis, I've heard stories that she feuded with Karen Black, in the same way she reportedly feuded with Faye Dunaway during the filming of THE DISAPPEARANCE OF AIMEE (which I've been dying to see but haven't as yet).  Perhaps some juicy Bette anecdotes will be included on the commentary track...

Bette Davis feuding with co-stars on a movie set?  Now, John, where would you ever get such an idea!

Regarding "The Disappearance of Aimee" (which I thought was so-so), how ironic if it is true that Miss Davis had a few rows with Miss Dunaway; if Miss Davis had only known that her co-star would, just a few years later, play her hated archrival in one of the greatest trashiest movies of all time, she probably would've given Miss Dunaway a gold wire hanger.

Gerard (But'chya ah, Blanche!  Ya ah!)

[Luciaphile]

What's it about? I've never seen Burnt Offerings before.

[Gothick]

Hi Luciaphil,

I saw it on tape a year or two ago.  I thought it was OK but don't know that I would ever want to sit through it again.  It's a twisted variant on the old house-is-the-monster tale.  It's well mounted and far more polished than DC's DS features.  Bette is a lot of fun in it, and Reed and Black both do well, as does the child actor (in what I think of as "the David Henesy role"), plus Burgess Meredith has a lovely little cameo in it.  But the actor who really steals the show is this guy whose name completely eludes me, who plays a MEGA creepy chauffeur in certain sequences.  He has no lines and there are no special FX, yet he practically made me jumping out of my skin with fright.  And it takes a lot to scare an old buzzard like yours truly.

Maybe you'll have the chance to rent the DVD so you can enjoy the commentary Darren masterminded. That sounds like it would add a fun, fascinating element.  I personally still do not own a DVD player, though I have come to the regretful conclusion that I do need to get one eventually.  I shudder to think of the acrobatics actually setting it up will require.

A Matriarch in Waiting,

Gothick

[Darren Gross]

Karen Black discussed Bette Davis on the commentary track but had nothing but nice things to say about her, so I think the rumors of them feuding are entirely false. Black talked about how in awe she was of Davis and how shw found it hard to concentrate in one scene because she was so enthralled watching Davis perform. I believe Black was totally sincere.

Gothick, a DVD player is the easiest thing to set up. It's exactly like setting up a VCR- you just plug it into the same connection, only you don't have to set the time, the channels or any of that.

My only advice for those of you planning on buying a DVD player is don't go for the junky $79 players you'll find at your supermarket or Rite Aid. Mintek, Apex, Lasonic and Sampo players will do the job but not of very high quality and will have problematic playback on the occasional disc.

Of the 200 or so different makes and models of players we utilize at the company I work for, the top tier of reliable, high quality players are SONY, PANASONIC, and TOSHIBA. PHILIPS do have nice players but I've found very variable playback depending on the disc. You can get one of these better players in the $100-$300 range.
PANASONIC had a player out last summer for only $179 and it was supposed to be their best player yet. Of course, they decided to pull it from distribution a few months ago before I could snap one up...

[Gothick]

Hi Darren, that's very sweet of you to be so encouraging about DVD players.  I have a friend who is even less technically minded than I am, and he had to get some guy from his cable co. to connect his DVD player for him.  The problem was that he was then unable to use the VCR.  I am afraid that arrangement would be a real nuisance to me, since I tape things constantly.

I will bear in mind what you say about brands.  I am really keen on staying away from Sony products due to bad experiences over the years, so I'll keep an eye out for a decent Toshiba or Panasonic model.  I have actually pondered getting APEX for a few UK titles that have yet to be released in the US.

Best wishes,

Gothick

[Luciaphile]

Thanks for the summing up.

I don't have a DVD player yet, but I'm looking into them. My big concern is that I have a VCR, which I'm not getting rid of. Like Gothick, I tape far too much for that and I'm still unclear as to how you connect the VCR and the TV and the DVD player. I know it can be done. I just don't know how.

BTW, Consumer Reports looks at DVD players in their March 2003 issue.

[Philippe Cordier]

I am really keen on staying away from Sony products due to bad experiences over the years, so I'll keep an eye out for a decent Toshiba or Panasonic model.

You are the only other person I've found who has had the same bad experience with Sony products as I have. Everyone is always so worshipful of anything Sony it makes me sick   

I have had problems with every Sony product I've ever owned --boom box, answering machine, TV, and VCR.  Both my TV and VCR had to be brought in for more than $100 worth of "repairs" shortly after the one-year warranty expired.  I will never buy another Sony electronics product as long as I live.

............

Regarding "Burnt Offerings," I salute Darren for his work on this.  I was thinking that I saw this on TV back in the late 1970s, anxiously anticipating a sure-fire combination since I loved Bette Davis and loved anything scary (this was before the advent of the slasher/splatter pics that were about to "revolutionize" the horror movie market) ... and my memory is that I was disappointed.  But wait -- maybe I'm thinking of "Harvest Home", which I believe was Bette Davis in a Thomas Tryon work (which I had high hopes for after Tryon's "The Other" with Uta Hagen and Diana Mauldar).

Could anyone set me right about this by providing some information on Burnt Offerings (i.e., what was it about, was it made-for-TV, etc.)?  Was it anything like "Harvest Home"?

[Philippe Cordier]

I don't have a DVD player yet, but I'm looking into them. My big concern is that I have a VCR, which I'm not getting rid of. Like Gothick, I tape far too much for that and I'm still unclear as to how you connect the VCR and the TV and the DVD player. I know it can be done. I just don't know how.

BTW, Consumer Reports looks at DVD players in their March 2003 issue.

I have been advised to hold off on purchasing a DVD player until they put out the versions that you'll be able to use for recording (on disc).  Who knows how long that will be, though -- and I suppose the price will be a least double, and then take 3 to 4 more years before becoming affordable ... at which time some other technological advancement will be on the horizon, promising to make DVD players as antiquated as manual typewriters ...
 [tongue]

[Raineypark]

I've never actually seen the movie version of "Harvest Home"....despite the fact that I re-read my 30-year-old copy of the book once a year, ritually.

On the other hand, I thought the movie version of "The Other" was excellent....but I've never read the book.....