Hard to find MGM Digests

[Brian Harrington]

I doubt more than 3 people went to see it in the theater when it first came out, let alone bought the digest.

[Mike Newell]

I doubt more than 3 people went to see it in the theater when it first came out, let alone bought the digest.

Its US box office was $8.9 million on a budget of $14 million. Shame they paid Brando $3 million for 2 small cameo appearances. Who knows with tv, video dvd rights it might have made a profit.


Nice to know the DVD at £26.99 is a stinker as well

Review

This DVD looks like a very old VHS tape: washed out colours, very bad focus. The movie itself is ok., with Scott and Brando (who only has two big scenes) hamming it up in a dated but somehow still fascinating way. But whatever merits the film may have stay away from the awful transfer. No extras, no subtitles.

[Mike Newell]

Very stylish boxes

[Brian Harrington]

That's all Brando was in it? Similar to SUPERMAN I guess. People were paying him big bucks to put his name on the posters and the marquees. In SUPERMAN, if you walked in late, you missed him!

For such an acclaimed actor, how many really great movies was he in? THE GODFATHER, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and ON THE WATERFRONT. I'm sure others will say other movies he was in were "great", but those are the big ones. His cameo in APOCALYPSE NOW was a waste of time. Just looking at his filmography, those are the only three that you can bet on that most people have seen and are somewhat iconic.

[Mike Newell]

That's all Brando was in it? Similar to SUPERMAN I guess. People were paying him big bucks to put his name on the posters and the marquees. In SUPERMAN, if you walked in late, you missed him!

For such an acclaimed actor, how many really great movies was he in? THE GODFATHER, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and ON THE WATERFRONT. I'm sure others will say other movies he was in were "great", but those are the big ones. His cameo in APOCALYPSE NOW was a waste of time. Just looking at his filmography, those are the only three that you can bet on that most people have seen and are somewhat iconic.

Grossly overated. He was washed up before The Godfather. Orson Welles was Paramounts preferred choice for the Don. Steve Mc Queen was to play his role in Apocalypse Now.

You forgot Last Tango in Paris with his1/2 lb of butter 🥺

[Mike Newell]

Wonder what the most popular MGM releases were?

Take a guess

Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare for 3x400.

Singin in the Rain 2x400

Wizard of Oz, Easter Parade Ben Hur 400 digests

[David Kilderry]

Wonder what the most popular MGM releases were?

Take a guess

Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare for 3x400.

Singin in the Rain 2x400

Wizard of Oz, Easter Parade Ben Hur 400 digests

I would agree that these were the most popular ones, you see Oz, Easter Parade, Ben Hur all the time.

Two obvious omissions from the MGM digests would have to be Gone With The Wind (highlights version) and Forbidden Planet. Both of these would have been big sellers as 400ft versions. MGM did not produce GWTW, they acquired it later and perhaps could not release it as a 400ft? You'd think Forbidden Planet would have been a sure bet however.

[Brian Harrington]

Impossible to make a coherent 17 minutes from GWTW.

[Brian Harrington]

Grossly overated. He was washed up before The Godfather. Orson Welles was Paramounts preferred choice for the Don. Steve Mc Queen was to play his role in Apocalypse Now.

You forgot Last Tango in Paris with his1/2 lb of butter 🥺

I did enjoy THE FRESHMAN, with Matthew Broderick, but to this day I can't believe Brando agreed to do a send-up of his most iconic role. And it wasn't a cameo -- he had loads of footage thoughout the picture. They must have made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

[David Kilderry]

Impossible to make a coherent 17 minutes from GWTW.

Agree, that's why I said a highlights version and not a digest.

The burning of Atlanta scene, I Don't Give a Damn scene, they only needed to include a few key scenes and it would have sold a bucketload.

[Brian Fretwell]

Agree, that's why I said a highlights version and not a digest.

The burning of Atlanta scene, I Don't Give a Damn scene, they only needed to include a few key scenes and it would have sold a bucketload.

Yes that's why some 400ft cut-downs were labelled as "Selected scenes".

[Osi Osgood]

One only wishes that they put as much care into the quality of these digests, as the original film-makers did. MGM stood for the highest quality possible. Even they're B movies were better than the best of other studios. From all the MGM digests that I have either had, sold or binned, the image quality was only passable 70's super 8 quality. Lots of grain, just OK focus, but not really sharp and, sadly, as a general rule, on quick fade film stock. 😠

[Mike Newell]

Yes that's why some 400ft cut-downs were labelled as "Selected scenes".

All you need is the narrator to say “Later”

I was tempted once to buy a feature copy of Gone with the Wind for £50 and try to edit it down to the 2 hour mark. Too much effort.

[Brian Harrington]

Highlights, selected scenes, digests -- I don't think they were actual definitions, just ways that the companies chose to market their ware. I don't think a given company made a distinction -- in other words, the same moniker for all. I think Ken was always "selected scenes."

And of course, Castle had "complete" versions that ran 7 or 8 minutes!

The impact of GWTW is the whole shebang -- I think the discerning collector back then would have realized 17 minutes of footage, regardless of what that footage was, would be a waste of time. The proof is in the pudding -- no one ever released an "extract" from GWTW.

[Brian Fretwell]

I think just the "burning of Georgia" would have made a good extract, if only for people wanting to see the King Kong set burnt down.