New DVD release: The Greengage Summer (UK, 1961)

[julian_craster]

New R2 DVD release: The Greengage Summer (UK, 1961)



A previously 'hard to find' film, now available at MOVIEMAIL:



The Greengage Summer DVD | Classic Movies | Films by Movie Mail UK



Has Susannah York ever looked lovelier than in this film ?

Many of Rumer Godden’s novels have been adapted for the big screen, most famously Black Narcissus and The River. Now, the excellent, previously unavailable The Greengage Summer can join their estimable company on DVD. Like much of Godden’s work, it portrays the sexual awakening of a British girl in a foreign land (it was retitled Loss of Innocence in the US).



Susannah York plays Joss, a sixteen year-old who looks after her younger siblings in a French hotel while her mother recuperates in hospital. Here she meets a suave Englishman (Kenneth More), who takes her under his wing to the disapproval of the proprietress (a superb Danielle Darrieux).



Épernay, in France’s Champagne country, is lavishly photographed by Freddie Young, and the film launched the careers of both York and Jane Asher as her sister. York is particularly strong. More, who said this was his favourite of his films, suggests a dark side to the male protagonist which is gradually revealed as the picture develops to its tense conclusion.





Film Description



Susannah York plays a sixteen-year-old girl who takes charge of her two younger sisters and brother when they are forced to fend for themselves in France after their mother is taken suddenly ill and rushed to hospital. Kenneth More's enigmatic Englishman comes to her aid however - much to the chagrin of his increasingly jealous mistress (Danielle Darrieux).

[DaveK]

At last ! I will soon no longer have to make do with a very poor off air vhs I made when the Beeb Tx'd it sometime in the early 80's. Do you know if it will be in 1.85:1 Widescreen or will it be cropped to 4:3 as was the BBC transmission?

[darrenburnfan]

I received my first order off MovieMail this morning, Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons in the British made Footsteps in the Fog (Columbia British, 1955). This is a marvellous Technicolor film with excellent performances and a very haunting music score by Benjamin Frankell. These MovieMail exclusives don't seem to be reviewed anywhere, so here are the technical details for anyone thinking of buying this DVD. Excellent picture and sound quality, transferred in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Features include a scene selection and an original trailer, which appears to be the American trailer. Highly recommended.



Also ordered from MovieMail and hopefully to arrive before the Royal Mail go on a national strike in October, are Alan Ladd and Susan Stephen in The Red Beret (Columbia British, 1953), in Technicolor and Richard Greene and Peter Cushing in Sword of Sherwood Forest (Columbia - Hammer, 1960) in MegaScope and Technicolor. I hope this one will be in it's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

[theuofc]

name='darrenburnfan']I received my first order off MovieMail this morning, Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons in the British made Footsteps in the Fog (Columbia British, 1955). This is a marvellous Technicolor film with excellent performances and a very haunting music score by Benjamin Frankell. These MovieMail exclusives don't seem to be reviewed anywhere, so here are the technical details for anyone thinking of buying this DVD. Excellent picture and sound quality, transferred in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Features include a scene selection and an original trailer, which appears to be the American trailer. Highly recommended.



Also ordered from MovieMail and hopefully to arrive before the Royal Mail go on a national strike in October, are Alan Ladd and Susan Stephen in The Red Beret (Columbia British, 1953), in Technicolor and Richard Greene and Peter Cushing in Sword of Sherwood Forest (Columbia - Hammer, 1960) in MegaScope and Technicolor. I hope this one will be in it's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Hi, Darrenburnfan,



Thanks for the very helpful review of the MovieMail disc. It certainly beats buying blind if a website has minimal techical details, which I've done several times.



Also for the alert about the impending Royal Mail strike. EEK! My order's going

in tonight.



All the best,



Barbara

[penfold]

The Royal mail has been striking in patches for months now...... though with the general standard of service in Bristol, it's been hard to tell.

The Greengage Summer launched the career of Jane Asher??? She was a hardened pro with about ten years behind her by then.....

[darrenburnfan]

I think Jane Asher's first film role was in Adventure in the Hopfields (1953), when she was about 7 years old...although she could have appeared in films and television before then.



Regarding the Royal Mail, we should know the result of the ballot for a national strike early in October. Perhaps by the end of next week. If the ballot goes in favour of a strike, the CWU union will have to give Royal Mail seven days notice of the start of the strike. At the moment, it looks like there will be a strike, I only hope that there isn't going to be one.

[penfold]

She actually pops up as one of the other kids in Mandy, a year earlier....so more than ten years before Greengage Summer. She also makes at least two appearances in the Richard Greene Robin Hood TV shows, with brother Peter.

[darrenburnfan]

Yes, I have those two Peter Asher / Jane Asher episodes on DVD. One was called Children of the Greenwood, but I can't remember the other title.

[Stephen Pickard]

"The Quatermass Experiment" (1954).

[AdrianTurner]

Has anyone actually seen this DVD of The Greengage Summer? One of the posts above is a little vague and probably doesn't relate to it all. There is a review on Amazon that talks of poor picture quality, almost as if it's a bootleg copy. It's a movie I haven't seen for decades and fancy seeing again - as a child I remember knowing the young boy in it, Richard Williams. I wonder what became of him.

[julian_craster]

It cannot be a bootleg copy of THE GREENGAGE SUMMER as the Movemail DVD is issued by SONY (who now hold all the Columbia titles)......



Sometimes there are postings/reviews on Amazon from bootleggers that designed to mislead, in order to trick you into ordering a DVDR from them .....

[crunchie]

I have this UK release. The picture is fine but, curiously, the film is titled "Loss Of Innocence" (US title).

[darrenburnfan]

name='crunchie' date='04 July 2010 - 10:33 AM' timestamp='1278235981' post='447497']

I have this UK release. The picture is fine but, curiously, the film is titled "Loss Of Innocence" (US title).

As with many old British films, the original negatives and prints containing the British title were destroyed to save space in the film vaults as it was known that they would never be shown in cinemas again and were just taking up much needed space. Which is why we get so many British films released on DVD over here that have been transferred from the American dupe negatives or prints with the American titles. This doesn't apply to all old British films of course, but certainly to quite a few. The BFI may have a British copy of The Greengage Summer, but if they do, Sony may have chose to use an American print instead.

[Sgt Sunshine]

name='AdrianTurner' timestamp='1278170119' post='447167']

Has anyone actually seen this DVD of The Greengage Summer? One of the posts above is a little vague and probably doesn't relate to it all. There is a review on Amazon that talks of poor picture quality, almost as if it's a bootleg copy. It's a movie I haven't seen for decades and fancy seeing again - as a child I remember knowing the young boy in it, Richard Williams. I wonder what became of him.

According to IMDB nothing on Richard Williams since he played a small part in Father Frost (1996)...and that was his first appearance in 13 years....

Sgt S