8mm Forum: Take the Money and Run

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Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on November 16, 2005, 06:47 AM:

Take the Money and Run (1969)
(Digest Review)

And speaking of Woody Allen......

This release was from Ken Film's ABC line of movies released in the late 70's. It was released as a full length feature, as well as a 400 foot digest. This review is for the digest.

This is the moc-u-mentary story of lovable born-looser Virgil Starkwell, who decides to become a career criminal. Everything robbery he attempts backfires with hilarious results!

As a 17 minute digest, this crime documentary spoof works perfectly. This was edited so well, with the interview cut-ins and run-on gags, like everyone breaking poor Virgil's glasses, all through his life. I usually run this as just a comedy short, rather than a digest, since it really feels complete. Opens and closes swiftly and perfectly, without that "abrupt" feeling that many digests have.

As far as quality goes, the picture has sort of a grainy-gritty sort of look (kind of like the Taxi Driver digest). This look works perfectly for the movie, and the picture is still sharp with good color. The box for this digest is one of those "converted" clam shell cases that had a nice color picture for the movie on the front (Woody's mug shot), and the generic backs, with pictures from other movies (Star Wars, etc.).

I highly recommend this to any Woody fan, or any fan of off-beat comedies. One of my favorites, and very repeatable.

Also-
There is a trailer to this available in super 8, available on a 400 foot trailer reel of all Woody Allen movies. I think it was released by the old company in Connecticut "Reel Images".

Also -
If any one has the Take the Money full length feature, could you please add to this thread? [Wink]

Nick.

Posted by Gary Crawford (Member # 67) on November 16, 2005, 02:31 PM:

I have the feature version of Take the Money and Run....and can agree about the gritty quality of the print...but it was filmed to look like a documentary....and it looked just that way in its initial theatrical release...that's when I first saw it. Almost 20 years later Woody returned to the fake documentary form for Zelig.....far less successfully.

This super 8 print has held its color pretty well and I've had it since it was bought new. Funny movie,even today. It's good to go back and see Woody when he was actually funny. Music by then almost unknown, Marvin Hamlisch .

Posted by Jan Bister (Member # 332) on November 16, 2005, 11:31 PM:

Is this the one where Woody makes a handgun out of a bar of soap and escapes from jail just to have the gun dissolve in the rain? [Smile]

Posted by James N. Savage 3 (Member # 83) on November 17, 2005, 06:29 AM:

Jan-I know he does carve a gun in the movie, but I'm not sure about it dissolving. That scene is'nt in the digest.

Gary-I agree about the gritty look working well for this (and Taxi Driver). And you can tell when it is intentional, and when its just a bad transfer. I have had a couple of digests from the 70's Ken library that were unintentionally gritty, like one of my old Star Wars digests.

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