8mm Forum: Collecting Cut-downs. (Digests)

»	8mm Forum » 8mm Forum » Collecting Cut-downs. (Digests) (Page 2)

UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Author

Topic: Collecting Cut-downs. (Digests)

Joe Caruso
Film God

Posts: 4105
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted December 21, 2016 07:11 AM

Think of digests as, a long-term trailer or teaser, if you will - For those who cannot afford the entire film at present, they suffice - What are Castle, Columbia or Ken Films for that matter but cut-down digest editions also, and with the accompanying artwork boxes, they have been mainstay collector items for years - I must give credit to those who tried and piece together a decent 400' digest of a film, overall, excellent work for the collector - Those U-8 horror ones are still in demand - Shorty

| IP: Logged

Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014

posted December 21, 2016 10:15 AM

Of course some (i assume where the film was too complex to edit down to 400ft coherently) were advertised just as "Selected scenes".

That would satisfy those who just wanted favourite portions of the film.

| IP: Logged

Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted December 21, 2016 11:26 AM

There are even those cases where a digest is a marked improvement over the original film. you get the best parts (as a general rule) without having to sit thru all the rest.

--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

| IP: Logged

David Hardy
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 955
From: Johnshaven Village , Montrose, Scotland
Registered: Jan 2015

posted December 21, 2016 03:37 PM

I agree with you there Joe regarding the Castle / Columbia /
Ken / box artworks.

For me its a big part of the attraction of collecting digests.

In fact I have turned down buying a print if it is not in its
original box . [Smile]

--------------------
" My equipment's more important than your rats. "

| IP: Logged

Mike Newell
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 826
From: United Kingdom
Registered: Jun 2003

posted December 21, 2016 04:00 PM

Osi

Hellfighters John Wayne as a 200 ft digest is a prime example of a cutdown being infinitely better than the feature. I think the editors realised they would be hard pushed to get anymore decent footage into a 400fter. 😂 Yet, I think it was Barry or Derek who said Universal planned it as a feature release. Please spare us. To obviously go with the other gems The Conqueor ☠☠☠ and Jet Pilot ✈️✈️✈️

| IP: Logged

Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted December 22, 2016 12:39 PM

OK, this will blow you're mind, but I THINK that there was actually a very short run of feature prints of Hellfighters on super 8, no kidding!

--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

| IP: Logged

Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

posted December 23, 2016 08:45 AM

Back when I was a young lad in the early 70's, I would've killed to be able to afford to buy all of the digests I read about in MM, etc. I did own a handful and still have them.
As I grew older and became more interested in film history and film as an artform, video was becoming available and I was readily able to watch full features at home. From that point on I never saw the point of the digest...not when the full feature was available in some format.

That said, I do see the nostalgia value in owning and projecting digests. As someone else alluded to above, the collection of these has become almost a sub-genre of film collecting in itself. This forum is testimony to that. It is peculiar to Super 8, of course. There aren't many 16mm collectors, at least that I've met, who are interested in collecting what limited 16mm digests there are.

| IP: Logged

Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted December 23, 2016 09:54 AM

Osi, I think you are right there.

I can see everyone's perspective, but owning a half hour version of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes back that you could show your mates on a "big" screen back in 1980 was just amazing!

Also, as said, I think some films really do work well as digests.

Raise the Titanic, The Fog, Genevieve and even the 2 x 600ft version of Gremlins all work as really nice short versions of the full feature and despite Blu-ray, etc. I still very much enjoy screening these today. [Wink]

| IP: Logged

Douglas Warren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 282
From: West Chester, OH, USA
Registered: Feb 2008

posted December 27, 2016 08:39 AM

For me, it's a cost effective (and nostalgia fueled) way to be part of the film collecting community. That's why (and I agree with all the positive points made previously) about why I still collect (and enjoy) digests. One may ask why collect them at all, but you could use the same logic why anyone would spend hundreds (pounds or dollars) on a Super-8 feature when other quality formats are available for a tiny fraction of the cost. Once again, each to their own I suppose and every segment of the hobby will always have its fans.

--------------------
Turn out the lights,the movie is starting!

| IP: Logged

Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted December 27, 2016 10:39 AM

My family and friends can't wrap their brains around the concept of watching 9-18 minutes of a movie so for them I normally run full-length features. For me , digests are a product of nostalgia. Yes, the color is often atrocious and the editing by Ken and Columbia is often questionable, but they bring me back to when I was 15 years old and still living at home without a care in the world save for getting good grades in school. Every dollar of my allowance and monies earned from part-time jobs was invested in film collecting and because of the high cost of features I primarily bought cut downs.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2