Saturday 14 February 2015

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

Directed by Delmer Daves and starring Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie, Debra Paget, William Marshall, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Egan and Jay Robinson as Caligula.



3-disc 3-film DVD Collection bought in 2004
101mins






Theatrical Trailer.

The Robe (1953)

Directed by Henry Koster and starring Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Michael Rennie and Jay Robinson as Caligula.


Special Edition DVD bought in 2009

Blu-ray bought in 2014
133m 31s





Blu-ray





Introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese 
Audio Commentary with David Newman, Jon Burlingame, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman
“The Music of The Robe: Alfred Newman’s Score” isolated music track
“The Making of The Robe” documentary (32mins)
"The CinemaScope Story" featurette (19mins)
"From Scripture to Script: The Bible and Hollywood" featurette (25mins)
1969 Audio Interview With Screenwriter Philip Dunne
"BonusView" picture-in-picture mode:
-"The Robe Times Two: A Comparison of Widescreen and Standard Versions"
-"A Seamless Faith: The Real-Life Search for The Robe"
Advertising The Robe:
"Movietone News"
Theatrical Trailers
Interactive Pressbook
Still Galleries

Knights of the Round Table (1953)

Directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer, Anne Crawford and Stanley Baker.


DVD bought in 2003
115mins






All-new introduction by Mel Ferrer
Premiere newsreel
Vintage concert hall musical short "Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor"
"King Arthur at the Movies" essay

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine.


DVD bought in 2007
113m 14s







Audio commentary with Tim Zinnemann (son of the director), and actor Alvin Sargent
"The Making Of From Here To Eternity"
Excerpt from "Fred Zinnemann: As I See It"
Theatrical trailer 

Shane (1953)

Directed by George Stevens and starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde and Jack Palance.


DVD bought in 2005
118mins






Audio commentary with George Stevens Jr. and associate producer Ivan Moffat
Theatrical trailer

Stalag 17 (1953)

Directed by Billy Wilder and starring William Holden, Don Taylor, Otto Preminger, Neville Brand and Peter Graves.



Special Collector's Edition DVD bought in 2006
Special Edition Blu-ray bought in 2015
120mins





Blu-ray







Blu-ray extras -

Audio commentary with actors Richard Erdman and Gil Stratton, and co-playwright Donald Bevan
New video interview with film scholar Neil Sinyard (24mins)
Stalag 17: From Reality to Screen (22mins)
The Real Heroes of Stalag XVII B (25mins)
28 page collector's booklet

The War of the Worlds (1953)

Directed by Byron Haskin and starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson and Les Tremayne, narrated by Sir Cedric Hardwicke.


Special Collector's Edition DVD bought in 2005
85mins








Audio commentary by actor Gene Barry and actress Ann Robinson
Audio commentary by Joe Dante, Bob Burns, and Bill Warren
Extras:
"The Sky is Falling: Making The War of the Worlds"
"H.G. Wells: The Father of Science Fiction"
"The Mercury Theater on the Air Presents: The War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast" (59min)
Theatrical trailer
12-page Booklet

Invaders from Mars (1953)

Directed by William Cameron Menzies and starring Jimmy Hunt, Helena Carter and Arthur Franz.


Special Edition DVD bought in 2004
79mins






US and alternate British versions of the film
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer

It Came From Outer Space (1953)

Directed by Jack Arnold and starring Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush and Charles Drake.


DVD bought in 2006
81mins






Audio commentary by film historian Tom Weaver
"The Universe According to Universal" - an original documentary on 'It Came from Outer Space'
Photograph and poster gallery
Theatrical trailer

House of Wax (1953)

Directed by Andre de Toth and starring Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones and Charles Bronson.


DVD bought in 2005
88mins






Bonus movie - Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray. 77mins

"Round-the-Clock Premiere: Coast Hails House of Wax" newsreel footage

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

Directed by Eugene Lourie and starring Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway and Kenneth Tobey. Special effects by Ray Harryhausen.


DVD bought in 2004
76m 30s






"The Rhedosaurus and the Rollercoaster: Making the Beast"
"Harryhausen & Bradbury: An Unfathomable Friendship"
Giant Monsters trailer gallery

Peter Pan (1953)

Produced by Walt Disney and directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske.


2-disc Special Edition DVD bought in 2007

Blu-ray bought in  2012
76m 46s






 Blu-ray





Blu-ray extras - 

Audio Commentary Hosted By Roy Disney
You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan
In Walt's Words: "Why I Made Peter Pan"
Tinker Bell: A Fairy's Tale
The Peter Pan That Almost Was
The Peter Pan Story,
Deleted Song: "The Pirate Song"
"Never Land": The Lost Song
Music Video: "Never Land" Performed by Paige O'Hara
Music Video: "The Second Star To The Right" Performed By T-Squad