NOTE: This is the first part of a two part post. I chose this format because I didn't want these posts to be too big to read, so I split them up into two for better reading. Stupid, I know, but this is experimental, so changes can happen between now and the possible future.
With all the latest focuses on Blu-rays, DVDs, and a new digital frontier, people seem to forget about all those boxes of old videocassettes hiding in their basement, attic, or their garage. But even when they do notice, they either just sell them off in a garage sale, give them up to a thrift store, or leave them there to rot in a dusty, eternal grave, while they reboot their collections with a new form of media, with new innovations and technology, and add upon that with latest releases, of more CG heavy films, and almost little other substance. My brother himself has an OBSESSION with Blu-rays, with at least over 50 titles, old and new, and wouldn’t even bother getting the DVD version if the Blu-ray copy wasn’t there.
I on the other hand, have started to recollect these old videotapes about almost a year ago (along with the occasional Blu-ray or DVD), and have since started up a collection, getting tapes from thrift stores or garage sales that would seem interesting to look at. Because of this, I’ve actually got introduced to plenty of marvelous films like The Godfather, and started following other actors like Clint Eastwood, only because I enjoyed a 1984 copy of For a Few Dollars More.
And so, I decided to start up a collection diary called “Tape Time”, showing off the latest VHS catches, and a first impression (sometimes a review.) on each of them. Of course, I do try to watch as much of the videotapes I get, so they don’t end up all abandoned and unwatched.
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L'insegnante (The Teacher):
If you have been following this blog since it began, you would know that this blog started from a Senior project requirement that I needed to pass for my last year at high school. And someone who has been following me on this path was my English teacher, who also was my advisor for this project, and a close friend of mine. She knew I was collecting tapes, and had noticed my posts on Facebook (where this actually all started) from recent catches.
So, a couple of days ago, (from the time this blog was released) I see my English teacher walk to her door with her husband (also a teacher/close friend at my school), and she starts to take something out of her bag when I get there to greet her. What she takes out are a couple of tapes (still in shrink wrap btw) that she had found in their house, and had decided to let me have them.
The first tape I received from her was a 1991 copy of a 1959 western called Rio Bravo, directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, and the king of westerns, John Wayne.
I’m not typically a western watcher, but I have been open about it since I saw the two of the Dollars Trilogy films with Eastwood, but I have never seen a John Wayne film, so I don’t have much to say about it. But there’s a first for everything, and from what I researched of this movie, and the director, it’s an interesting title. The tape itself ran great as new tapes should, (of course the shrink wrap HAD to come off.) with NO issues, although it does seem to have some color distortion from what I saw the first few minutes I watched, which could be excusable for a really old film like this.
The second is one of those what I like to call “Roadshow” tapes. This was originally something movies that lasted over 2 and a half hours would do back in the 50’s and 60’s, where people could stretch their legs, and get a refreshment or two before the movie would restart about 10-15 minutes later. With some movies on videotape that last to almost three hours long, sometimes, they will cut the movie up into two tapes. The first part, when comparing both parts of the film, would be considerably longer than the last half, considering the time you would take to grab a meal or whatever before putting on the rest of the tape as intermission.
One of the latest “roadshow” tapes I now have, is a 1991 copy of the classic 1965 adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews.
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| Only Julie's looking outwards. Everyone else is looking at the title. |
I’ve heard about this musical numerous times from either clips of the film, or by word of mouth, Even during my Sophomore year, my school actually did this musical. (sad confession incoming, grab pitchforks and torches) Sadly, I never bothered with it, as I’m not typically a fan of musicals. I’ll watch one here and there, but I’ve never been really interested in the genre overall. I’ve seen this movie in a thrift store a couple of times, but I never really was interested with it.
At some point in the beginning of the summer, I do intend to take a look at it. The tape runs great, just like Rio Bravo (again, new) but without the color distortion. Although I wish they would just stick to a screen size in the first few minutes of the film. It goes from full screen, to widescreen for the credits, and then full screen again. It’s kind of annoying, and I know it’s probably for the beginning of the film, but still, it’s like a kid who can’t decide on two different things he/she wants. Full screen. Widescreen. Full scre- you get the idea.
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| No, I'm serious. That's how big it is. |
L'acquirente (The Buyer):
Now we get to the tapes I bought regularly. The next two are from two different decades, from two different genres, but each have the same man starring- Clint Eastwood. As I mentioned earlier, ever since For a Few Dollars More, I’ve since started collecting movies related to Eastwood, whether starring, directing, or both.
Unfortunately, he did not direct any of these films, (which apparently is good if True Crime is something to fear about. God, that was awful) but he has received critical acclaim on both these next titles. And I found time to watch one of them before writing this, and I can highly agree.
But before we get to it, the first I want to talk about is a 1993 movie (copy is from 1998) called In the Line of Fire.
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| What the hell you looking at? |
From what I’ve read up, the plot is fascinating enough. It’s about a terrorist planning to assassinate the president, and a Secret Service agent (Eastwood) trying to stop it, as well as to redeem himself after failing to save a well-known president from being assassinated in the past. That doesn’t help when the terrorist is also trying to target him too, and even go as far as harass him about his failure. But even with all that, I’m still on the fence with this director after my disappointment over Air Force One. But I will give Petersen one more chance. Or I could just go watch Das Boot.
The tape still runs well, but I think the color is a little degraded, but probably because the people who made the tape didn’t seem to do a good job mastering the color. It just seems so grayish under the few minutes I saw it for, but otherwise, everything else is fine.
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Check out the second part of this post for the ugliest tape I've ever gotten, and even a review!!
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