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Daredevils of the Red Circle; Coming to Blu Ray
Topic Started: Aug 31 2016, 02:35 PM (4,211 Views)
Don Diego
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Feb 27 2017, 11:32 AM
And I pre-ordered mine, today!
so did I along with a prayer that Amazon North will actually deliver
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Laughing Gravy
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"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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The Batman
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Don Diego
Feb 27 2017, 07:06 PM
The Batman
Feb 27 2017, 11:32 AM
And I pre-ordered mine, today!
so did I along with a prayer that Amazon North will actually deliver

Yep. They screwed me on COMMANDO CODY, which I pre-ordered, then finally had to buy from Amazon US.

Now, it looks like I am going to get screwed on PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO.

Won't be surprised if the same happens with DDotRC.

Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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rodney
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One of our inactive members, Thad_K, did the restoration work on this title.
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turan38
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We watched this last year and it didn't hold up to my memory of it. After saying I wouldn't buy the Blu-ray I broke down and ordered it - and I'm glad I did. It arrived today and I thoroughly enjoyed chapter one, and it looks terrific.
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JazzGuyy
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The new Blu-Ray is certainly better than any of the gray market releases that have previously been available but I have a couple of caveats. The image is a hair soft and it looks like digital noise reduction has been applied since films grain seems to be reduced. It's probably the best we'll ever see this but it isn't perfect IMO. This shouldn't stop anyone from buying this though and, if you like serials, you should still consider this a mandatory purchase. It's just not quite as wonderful as I hoped it would be. It's still a solid 9.5 out of 10.
TANSTAAFL!
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Frank Hale
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The last time I saw the serial was 1972 on television, so I've really been looking forward to this new BD.

As far as I'm concerned, it could be projected in Super-8 on a sheet on the wall, and I would still be there.
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Pa Stark
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Feb 27 2017, 08:51 PM

Yep. They screwed me on COMMANDO CODY, which I pre-ordered, then finally had to buy from Amazon US.

Now, it looks like I am going to get screwed on PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO.

Won't be surprised if the same happens with DDotRC.

At least they are consistent. :P .
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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Pa Stark
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JazzGuyy
Apr 25 2017, 02:30 PM
The new Blu-Ray is certainly better than any of the gray market releases that have previously been available but I have a couple of caveats. The image is a hair soft and it looks like digital noise reduction has been applied since films grain seems to be reduced. It's probably the best we'll ever see this but it isn't perfect IMO. This shouldn't stop anyone from buying this though and, if you like serials, you should still consider this a mandatory purchase. It's just not quite as wonderful as I hoped it would be. It's still a solid 9.5 out of 10.
Is there still the crease in the film at the ending to chapter one with Quigley on the motorcycle?
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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JazzGuyy
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I didn't see any, There are some vertical scratches visible here and there and a few frames seem to be distorted for an instance or two but I suspect correcting these minor issues would have resulted in a restoration budget way beyond what this release would bear. I doubt you will ever see any pre-WWII Republic serial looking better than this.
TANSTAAFL!
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The Batman
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Good news, Pa, and anyone else breathlessly awaiting the outcome, Amazon says they are preparing my copy of DDotRC for shipping, to arrive next week. Better late than never.

Glad to hear the new Blu looks good, minor issues aside. If Jazzy gives the picture/sound a 9.5/10, we can be assured of a stellar release.

(And that's a compliment, Jazzy. I consider you our resident technocrat. You are to technology what RR is to serials. OK, enough butt kissing.)


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Don Diego
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Apr 25 2017, 05:00 PM
Good news, Pa, and anyone else breathlessly awaiting the outcome, Amazon says they are preparing my copy of DDotRC for shipping, to arrive next week. Better late than never.

Glad to hear the new Blu looks good, minor issues aside. If Jazzy gives the picture/sound a 9.5/10, we can be assured of a stellar release.

(And that's a compliment, Jazzy. I consider you our resident technocrat. You are to technology what RR is to serials. OK, enough butt kissing.)


received same message from Amazon Bats - I just hope the deliver.
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Pa Stark
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I ordered mine yesterday, and was informed it will ship on the 30th.
Honest and Lovable Pa Stark
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AndyFish
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I didn't order this one because I really have to stop. 3/4 of the way through Panther Girl I started to think-- "Did I really need this on Blu Ray"?
As I've said elsewhere, I've never given this one more than 2 mins worth of effort because it just didn't appeal to me, but I decided to pop in my 6.5 copy from some rascally pirate I got a few years ago and give this a watch through, at least Chapter 1.

There be Spoilers here.

First and foremost, I love serials, I have no idea why, because most of them are bad. Unlike most diehard serial fans I don't worship at the throne of Republic and I honestly think Universal and Columbia both had better offerings than the flat cardboard characters who seem to find an excuse to have a conversation only as filler for room destroying fight scenes. But Republic DID do several of my absolute favorite serials of all time-- CAPTAIN MARVEL, SPY SMASHER, CRIMSON GHOST, SOS COASTGUARD and CAPTAIN AMERICA.

All right so DAREDEVILS
On the wins--
It's got Carol Landis who is a favorite of mine with a tragic life story. She coulda been a contender.
It's got Charles Middleton-- who in my opinion is the Bela Lugosi of B-Films and Serials, oh wait, Bela did B Films and Serials too-- ok, he's the guy like Bela who if you put him in the picture I'm in.
It's fast paced, at least in this first chapter-- I was wrong to call this boring in another post.

On the losses--
Dave Sharpe is a great stuntman, and as an actor he's a great stuntman. He's very wooden, he's 1939's Kevin Costner. The only other actors I can think of who are this stiff are Herman Brix and Charles Quigley. Uh oh-- they're the other two leads.
Seriously, Republic could have saved a mint by having three cardboard cutouts of these guys in every shot and just paid Mel Blanc to do the voices. So wood and cardboard which explains how a small hand held torch turns into a raging inferno that brings down the entire carnival the DDs were performing in in a matter of seconds.

So in this first chapter-- we get introduced to 39013 who went to prison for life for having the stupidest name in the history of film, and he's broken out and now he disguises himself as the milquetoast guy who married a much younger woman in a Sherlock Holmes film or maybe that was OUT OF THE PAST, I mix those up often. 39013 is played by Middleton, and the way they show him slip into and out of his "mask" is actually pretty neat, I'd buy it if I were a kid in 1939, but then that would mean I'm likely sitting on a porch in a nursing home now thinking the internet is something you get to off of Route 66.

But back to our story-- Quigley is one of the DDs of the Red Circle who have the honor of wearing the silliest looking costumes for their act which is only less noticeable because we're all too busy laughing at Charlie Middleton's name, and his kid brother is sort of a mascot for the act. Well, Charlie arranges to have the carnival burnt down and Little Quigley is hurt and rushed to a hospital where he dies (!) after saying he wants to be just like Quigs and Davey and Herman. I admit I was surprised the kid died, I thought we were going to have him go into a WIZARD OF OZ type of dream when he checked out and then the doctor feebly wanders over to check his pulse and he's dead.

Now I didn't go to medical school, although seriously I thought about it, and I think I could have diagnosed this better than this guy-- the kid was hit in the back by a lamp post. He was pinned under it. But in the hospital they bandaged his head for some reason. Malpractice anyone? Maybe they should have checked his ribs or spleen instead of his noggin', but it's a Republic so we're only supposed to half pay attention. It's Chapter One so this is a half an hour long and about two hours worth of plot and action happen over the course of the next 16 mins until finally we end with Quigley racing away from an oncoming flood of water that has been released inside a tunnel on a motorcycle. End of Chapter One!

Overall-- pretty exciting. If I'd written this I'd constantly have characters getting the numbers of Middleton's name wrong as I'm sure the actors did trying to keep them straight. Just call him Ol' 39 for short.
Does it deserve it's incredible reputation among serial fans, at least judging by Chapter 1?

It probably does. It's at least as good as the Dick Tracy's I've seen, and although I'm not a huge fan of those because they took so many liberties with Tracy and left out the great Chester Gould Villains, something I can forgive with Captain America and Batman but for some reason can't with Tracy, I understand why they are so popular.

Who knows, I may just have to order the Blu Ray.
Edited by AndyFish, Apr 26 2017, 10:22 AM.
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JazzGuyy
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Apr 25 2017, 05:00 PM
(And that's a compliment, Jazzy. I consider you our resident technocrat. You are to technology what RR is to serials. OK, enough butt kissing.)


Thanks for the compliment, Bats. The techy thing comes from a lifetime of being a nerd. But 'technocrat' implies I'm wealthy, which unfortunately I am not. :(
TANSTAAFL!
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