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Topic: Question on White Zombie and collecting in general...
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Timothy Brown
Junior
Posts: 8
From: Milwaukee, WI. USA
Registered: Nov 2005
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posted May 10, 2017 10:32 AM
WHITE ZOMBIE is a decent print for Niles, though there are rough spots; I remember the cantina scene looking rather weak as well as the brightly lit scenes in Mr. Beaumont's house. There are also issues with missing footage several places throughout the film causing jump-cuts and garbled dialog.
As it stands the best and most complete version of White Zombie is the VCI Blu-ray, the Kino Blu-ray is unsatisfactory offering two prints that are either too filtered or too dark.
The Niles print is certainly watchable, but that's an exception for Niles. I bought most of my Niles prints before I knew what to look for in a good print, and was seduced by the their comparatively low prices at the time. Stay far away from their prints of THE LOST WORLD, WITCHCRAFT THROUGH THE AGES, CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, METROPOLIS, POPEYE CARTOONS, WC FIELDS shorts or NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
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Pulp Novelties
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Timothy Brown
Junior
Posts: 8
From: Milwaukee, WI. USA
Registered: Nov 2005
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posted May 11, 2017 10:12 AM
Usually the problem with Niles prints, and washed out prints in general was the integrity of the original. Every time you add a generation on to a film you lose detail, black and dark-grey fill in, light tones blow out.
It's my understanding that companies like Reel Images and Red Fox Films ordered their prints à la carte from common labs that housed negs and dupe-negs of certain public domain titles. So, though not usually the best you were going to see, they were OK. Niles, Thunderbird, Blackhawk, Griggs all did primarily their own work. Blackhawk and Griggs owned nice original materials, Niles and Thunderbird obviously routinely used shoddy multi-generational material for their public domain catalog titles, and their quality was all over the map. Things like trailer compilations could look quite nice taken from 35mm and 16mm, originals, but their PD titles like CALIGARI or Fleischer Superman cartoons were the worst available.
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Pulp Novelties
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Timothy Brown
Junior
Posts: 8
From: Milwaukee, WI. USA
Registered: Nov 2005
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posted May 11, 2017 01:47 PM
That's true, and especially hard on titles everybody offered.
At one time I was on a quest for the best CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, and everybody was selling their version. I'd have gone straight to Blackhawk, but in the waning days they only sold a regular 8, silent print. I started with Niles but it was a terrible washed-out Super 8 silent dupe with no facial features. Then I turned to Griggs Moviedrome for a sound print, the print looked better but the music score terribly distorted and muffled, so back it went. Finally, just to have something, I got a Thunderbird which was pretty-much back to Niles quality, but on magnetic stock, so at least I could choose a soundtrack.
I wouldn't buy a feature out of the Niles roster if the seller didn't know something about the print, if not where it came from, some screen caps.
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Pulp Novelties
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Panayotis A. Carayannis
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 969
From: Athens,Greece
Registered: Jul 2008
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posted May 13, 2017 05:40 AM
All Benedict Bogeaus prints were exellent,sharp and with good colors. Unfortunately, as the years passed,they turned reddish or, worse,faded. As for White Zombie,as it was PD everybody released it. I bought my copy from Collectors' Club who, in the beginning, were selling it complete,in 7 single reels with all their original leaders,and a good print.Later they discontinued it and sold a 4 reel condensation instead!
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