I watched the criterion eclipse dvd of this a few weeks ago and was suprised how rough the print looked. i think ive been spoiled by all the great releases done by the Warner Archive, Kino, etc. in recent years. Can’t wait to see this restoration.
Very true. I would expect the answer to be “no.” Of course, I would have expected the same thing of Dance, Fools, Dance if someone had asked me a couple months ago. I know the survival rate is low for MGM films of this period.
I can’t get over how good this film looks. I never expected and MGM film from 1931 to look this pristine. I hope A Free Soul….another 1931 MGM film with Gable in a gangster role…..gets similar treatment in the future.
We will have to beg Warner Bros. for that one. They own the rights. Maybe it will show up in the Warner Archive. Their recent releases have been very random.
It's a Gift is my favorite Fields films, actually its one my list of favorite films period. I never cared much for Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. I prefer Fields in in mid-30s Paramount phase...You're Telling Me, The Old Fashioned Way, Man of the Flying Trapeze, Poppy.
Hopefully the 1929 version will follow soon...at least on DVD if they dont think it can justify a Blu-ray. All three are worth owning for different reasons.
The late Ron Hutchinson of the Vitaphone Project owned the missing sound discs. Ive pasted a Facebook message he posted several years ago on the topic...
I was thinking that a double feature with the silent versions paired with their talkie remakes would be interesting. Manslaughter was remade in 1930 with Claudette Colbert and Fredric March. The Cheat was remade in 1931 with Tallulah Bankhead. Both talkie remakes would be owned by Universal now...
NEW 2020 1080p master from 4K scan of original nitrate camera negative!
I wonder if there are any other Wheeler and Woolsey films where the original nitrate camera negative has survived?