hi guys, was looking at the different versions of this dvd available, and the criterion edition states that it includes the "rarely-seen color sequences". Just wondering if the australian and/or british releases also have these sequences? cheers
shareHello "Exiled 72".... I picked up SHOCK CORRIDOR at our local library yesterday. The DVDs are free and we can keep them for 2 weeks. I had never heard of this film and did not know it was in black and white. It came as a bit of a shock when the coloured sequences appeared. From memory I think there were three in colour lasting on screen for 5 seconds or so. The film is 40 years old and has that look about it. The dialogue was not easy to follow because of poor sound. I thought there were some good individual performances.
Hope to hear from you some time.
Raymond-15, Australia
Hi Raymond,
sorry for the late reply - had forgotten i had posted this question! As it turns out i had a chance to see Shock Corridor on the big screen, at the cinematheque in Sydney. Im 99% sure there were no colour sequences in it, which is weird since it was original film stock. Very confusing. The other movie showing that night was "pickup on south street", another Sam Fuller. Personally i thought it was a better film, so if you thought shock corridor was ok, then check it out.
Hi Exiled,
I was there with you and i certainly dont remember any colour sequences...!!
I've finished seeing the movie 5 minutes ago and THERE ARE three color sequences, for sure.
shareSaw it last night with color sequences. Have to say though, they just look like bad stock footage and jar one out of the film rather than enhance the experience, in my opinion.
sharehere's a little info that may answer some questions.
Yes there are color sequences.
I don't think it is a matter of them not being in the British or Australian versions however. At the time the film was made a lot of studios made black and white prints of color films for the second run theaters and for low income theaters(theaters in poor areas of the country) as black and white film and projectors were less expensive. A lot of films that were mainly black and white with a few color sequences were even more so victims of this as it was easier,cheaper,and quicker to send out the prints in all black and white. I am sure the original print you saw at the presentation was original just one of the all black and white prints.
the reason the Criterion says "rarely seen color sequences" is because there are only a very few prints with the color segments intact still in circulating existence.
As far as the color sequences appearing like bad stock footage....how right you are....half of the color footage is just that,old stock footage from the studio library.the other half of the color footage was taken from a never completed color feature that Fuller had started but never finished.
As for "Pickup on South Street" being the better film...its a tough choice.
Pickup is a fantastic example of film noir's shift to the crime dramas of today(it contains elements of both styles) while Shock is a brilliant psychological study as well as a metaphor for America in the early '60's. a tough choice either way. to each their own i guess.
ENJOY!!
Another great film to check out that uses a few color sequences to great dramatic effect is "The Portrait of Dorian Grey" from the 40's.Worth checking out!!
Thank you elm0catt and other contributors, will seek out other Fuller movies, so refreshing to see this forum being used to actually discuss the film in question.
shareTo go a little further into this specific case, the color sequences are actually shot by Fuller himself and on 16 mm. while the rest are the work of cinematographer Stanley Cortez (who also worked on Night of the Hunter and the Magnificent Ambersons). The color scenes were very rarely seen for a long time until they were restored in 1998, give or take a year.
shareI have the Australian Umbrella Entertainment DVD and It definetly has colour sequences in it. I know it for a fact. It's a good quality DVD with good picture and sound, and only a trailer as an extra.
But you will find it for a good price. I found it in a $2 Shop for only $3. So, you can find this one for really cheap. And it's worth buying. It's one of the most facinating films I've ever seen.