8mm Forum: Narration on Digests

This is topic Narration on Digests in forum 8mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=009154

Posted by David Ollerearnshaw (Member # 3296) on May 05, 2014, 03:48 PM:

Been watching a few of my cut-downs/digests, from both UK & US distributors. The only ones I have that have narration on are the American releases. Columbia's have them. Cat Ballou for some reason had to have one when Stubby Kaye & Nat King Cole were telling the story, if fact the narrator talks over them telling you the same thing. Also Ken Films the Fox releases not sure about their other ones like AIP.

MGM, Universal and Paramount never had them to my knowledge.

It proberly would have been OK to fill in plot holes that were missing, but a lot of the narrations was pointless. In fact sometimes they were even describing what you could see on the screen.

Did any UK releases have any narration?

Posted by Brad Kimball (Member # 5) on May 05, 2014, 08:28 PM:

The only KEN digests that didn't have narration, that I own, are "Poseidon Adventure", "3 Musketeers", and the "Apes" digests. All the others I have all have narration. I wonder if COLUMBIA amd KEN did this for copyright reasons. This way, if their digests were used in any kind of non-home use environment - these two entities could immediately identify that their products were being used in violation of their copyright policies. Funny how UNIVERSAL, MGM nor WARNER BROS. never felt the need for added narration.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on May 06, 2014, 06:15 AM:

One of the worst ones, and it ruined the film, was The Guns of Navarone, there seemed to be as much narration as there was film track, I think the term "when suddenly" was used at least twice, the first time I saw it I laughed it was so bad.

Posted by Lee Bombard (Member # 3740) on May 06, 2014, 09:34 AM:

I've had several prints of "The Poseidon Adventure." One had narration and another one didn't...

Other than the narration they were identical.

Posted by Jim Schrader (Member # 9) on May 06, 2014, 10:18 AM:

My Columbia film I recently sold "creature with atom brain" which had edited out the narration whoever did it did a good job maybe cut out 8 minutes total and the story was still intact.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on May 06, 2014, 11:50 AM:

Never liked the nararation. It seems to me that if you are going to shell out the big cash to buy a 200ft or 400ft digest, your already associated enough with the film to know what's going to happen or not happen next.

Posted by David Ollerearnshaw (Member # 3296) on May 06, 2014, 02:41 PM:

It does seem that only titles from US companies had narration. Mountain Films here in the UK were only the agents for Ken & Columbia releases, although they did print them here.

I believe Capital Films were also involved in Columbia releases before Mountain took over.

Posted by Patrick Walsh (Member # 637) on May 07, 2014, 05:26 AM:

My Poseidon Adventure digests 400ft and 200ft have a voice-over.
I know Ken's Titanic digests do not have it.

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on May 07, 2014, 10:20 AM:

On many Ken releases, they would put narration on the 200 foot, but not the 400 foot counterpart. One example is "Coffy". On the 200 foot version, towards the end of the film, the bad guys drive Coffy (Pam Grier) to a parking lot at night to finish her off. The narrator states- "Omar's orders are to KILL Coffy....but he wants his THRILLS first!" It's obvious what he's talking about, and it always got big laughs from the audience. (Of course, Coffy took matters into her own hands, and Omar didn't stand a chance). [Wink]

James

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on May 07, 2014, 12:09 PM:

David gave me the explaination of this topic. I have no digest with narration (nor in French nor in English), so I was not sure I was not missing something. No,I know it is only on prints made for the American market.

Posted by David Ollerearnshaw (Member # 3296) on May 07, 2014, 03:26 PM:

Dominique. Looking at the replies it seems that only US release had narration.

The only ones I have with narration although printed in the UK are the Columbia titles from Mountain, and the Ken Films also Mountain in the UK.

Although some UK releases could have had narration none that I have any.

It does seem that only titles in English had narration. I have the German version of The Bridge On The River Kwai (400ft scope) this does not have any narration.

It seems that the European countries had their own deals with Columbia & Fox.

Your not missing anything if your films don't have any narration, most of the time it added nothing to them. Possibly spoiled them.

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on May 07, 2014, 03:57 PM:

I plently agree with you, David, about the fact that narration would have been regarded in Europe as an alteration of the film. Without this thread I would had never been aware that they added that in the US.

Posted by Marshall Crist (Member # 1312) on July 23, 2015, 06:35 PM:

Just got the 4x200' version of GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD. The narration is RELENTLESS. I hope Columbia got a lot of returned product on this title. (The scene selection is pretty crappy, too.)

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on July 24, 2015, 12:14 AM:

Marshall-There are 2 different versions of GOLDEN VOYAGE and different quality. I believe, from memory, the contrasty one starts in the middle of the film. The other, a little colorless one, started from the beginning.

Posted by Steve Carter (Member # 4821) on July 24, 2015, 04:49 AM:

Reel two of 'Confessions of a Driving Instructor' has endless narration, which is not needed, and if I remember a faux British accent is used, and it's very annoying...

Posted by Marshall Crist (Member # 1312) on July 24, 2015, 07:17 AM:

Larry, would you happen to know which version of GOLDEN VOYAGE was issued first?

Posted by Douglas Warren (Member # 1047) on July 24, 2015, 07:49 AM:

The dreaded Columbia narrator!Not sure why they felt the need for such endless (and unneeded) narration on their prints.It's a shame really since they offered many interesting titles at the time.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on July 24, 2015, 01:39 PM:

One of the worst was The guns of Navarone, it was embarrassing to show any audience other than myself.
Now i have acquired the 400 footer of Butch Cassidy and the sundance kid & found this one to have annoying narration, so i will probably be selling it on. I think it completely ruins it, especially right at the end when they come out shooting, why did those tossers ruin the end of of such a classic ending. [Mad]

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on July 24, 2015, 01:47 PM:

I have never heard of any digest in French with narration (and I was Lucky I never encounter one in English neither). I would be surprised there had been narration on German, Spanish or Italian prints.

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on July 24, 2015, 04:36 PM:

The only one I have that I remember having narration is "Lawrence of Arabia" annoying but I suppose it does have to cram more than most into 17 minutes as the film ran from 216 - 228 minutes depending on the cut.

Posted by Timothy Ramzyk (Member # 718) on July 25, 2015, 01:32 AM:

I hate the narration thing, I didn't know it was so prevalent.

The only film I had it on was the 200ft. Ken Films digest of THE RAVEN, and it adds nothing.
In fact it falsely reinterprets the final shot on the reel. I think I actually owned this digest, prior to having ever seen the feature, SPOILER so I was surprised when Karloff and Hazel Court emerge from the rubble and aren't dead as the cut-down's narrator suggests.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on July 25, 2015, 02:35 AM:

I recently bought the 400 footer of the detective with Frank Sinatra. This one also has it and is also quite annoying. If it's needed you wouldn't mind but sometimes it's so pointless and often states the obvious. On this particular title I can put up with it but sundance kid is completely spoilt right at the end which as I said before is probably one of the most well known movie endings. Just as they run out and the film freezes to the sound of the gunfire the narrator comments “they ran into the history books“ geeeess. It really is annoying.

Posted by Douglas Warren (Member # 1047) on July 25, 2015, 08:11 AM:

I've been tempted on a few to just erase the soundtrack and add music from the feature itself.That may sound radical,but I think with some of the extreme examples with narration it would probably make the digests more enjoyable.

Posted by Marshall Crist (Member # 1312) on July 25, 2015, 10:16 AM:

The SINBAD abridgement I have would be improved 1000% by re-recording the original audio over the narration.

Posted by Larry Arpin (Member # 744) on July 25, 2015, 02:11 PM:

I believe the contrasty one came first that started in the middle. However, it's been many years. I believe it started with 'Idol with many arms'.

Posted by David Ollerearnshaw (Member # 3296) on July 25, 2015, 04:15 PM:

Mention of Golden Voyage Sinbad. Bought 1 had to send it back very poor sound replacement arrived same print now had a green scratch on it. Off again another one this time new same problems as original gave it up that one. The colour was crap too.

Had copy of Jason bought from Famous Films Miami 4 x 200ft great colour & sound

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on July 26, 2015, 04:50 AM:

Best Columbia narration ever in "Son of Dr. Jekyll".

Dialogue, "I'll meet you later, at David's flat..."

Voice over..."Later...at David's flat..."

A laugh out loud ever time!

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on July 26, 2015, 10:03 AM:

That's a bit like the guns of Navarone, the narrator rabbits on and then says "then suddenly", more than once as well, in some cases where a film is too long to cut down perhaps they may have been better off not bothering to release it. I guess in the 70s early 80s when super 8 was a main source of home entertainment it was a case of release what you could get out. Marketing had the best idea,
200ft
400ft
3 x400 foot or
Full feature,
Whatever you could afford & not a drop of narration on any digest.

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on July 27, 2015, 07:45 PM:

The later Ken's did not have narration, such as "Empire Strikes Back, the Omen films, Incredible Melting Man, Alien, etc.

I guess they finally realized that it made the digests sort of "campy" with the narration.

James.

Posted by Joe Taffis (Member # 4) on July 27, 2015, 08:54 PM:

Maybe Columbia didn't have much confidence in their editors to condense the stories well...
My two favorites are THE WILD ONE and STRAIGHT JACKET [Smile]

Posted by Paul Suchy (Member # 80) on July 27, 2015, 10:08 PM:

I feel sorry for the poor man we all despise; he was only doing his job and the team that put out the Columbia digests have made him the most hated person on this forum. I guess the Ken narrator doesn't bug me as much because he's not stuck with those long explanations that talk over half the digest.

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on July 29, 2015, 04:49 PM:

we only dislike his narration, im sure he's a very decent chap [Big Grin]

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2