will billy wilder's "ace in the hole" ever be available?

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and if not why not??

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 4 July 2005 08:22 (twenty years ago)

It's not available?!?

― k/l (Ken L), Monday, 4 July 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

nope.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)

That's too bad, it's a great movie, seems to be one of his greatest, more consistently dark than his other films, which sometimes have a saggy middle ground, a soft white underbelly. It always seems to me that he went out of his way to disown his flops, instead of waiting for them to be rediscovered.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

btw, as Hoberman wrote a couple weeks ago -- it's NOT a great movie, just a rollicking acidic one. (I think Douglas growing a conscience in the last 15 minutes is the soft underbelly.)

This blogger argues that contrary to myth, Paramount tried like hell to market it. Look at these photos! I need that Kirk figure atop the marquee for my foyer:

http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/2007/02/paramount-has-tough-sell-tcm-showed.html

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 2 February 2007 16:08 (eighteen years ago)

Ah, but that blogger also calls it a "caustic masterpiece."

― The Redd And The Blecch (Ken L), Friday, 2 February 2007 17:58 (eighteen years ago)

I like my bitters all the way, til I drain the glass!

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 2 February 2007 18:27 (eighteen years ago)

Wait, does this movie feature the Cole Porter song?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 2 February 2007 22:33 (eighteen years ago)

"Mr Douglas Regrets"?

― The Redd And The Blecch (Ken L), Friday, 2 February 2007 23:07 (eighteen years ago)

“Much harsher... pure Wilder, but with a certain integrity and strength and one of the greatest movie lines ever.”
- Andrew Sarris

which is the one about not kneeling because "it bags my nylons," i bet

― The Redd And The Blecch (Ken L), Saturday, 3 February 2007 02:57 (eighteen years ago)

No, Kenneth, "Ace In The Hole". Which my band covered at some point, hence my interest in it.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 3 February 2007 08:31 (eighteen years ago)

the only pop ditty I remember is Kirk and the trapped miner sing "The Hut Sut Song"!

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Saturday, 3 February 2007 20:27 (eighteen years ago)

In regards to the thread question, supposedly Ace In The Hole (along w/several other unspecified vintage Paramount titles) is going to be done by Criterion sometime soon.

As for the actual film, I finally saw it on TCM. It's pretty good. The first chunk (up till Douglas finds Minosa) is amazing. Overall though, it's a second-tier Wilder, for reasons that have already been stated on the thread.

― The Homeliness of The Long Distance Punner (Charles McCain), Monday, 5 February 2007 17:21 (eighteen years ago)

oh shit, was it already on TCM??

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 08:26 (eighteen years ago)

yeeeeeeeeees

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 14:17 (eighteen years ago)

It was a pretty good-looking print too, which may bode well for a forthcoming DVD.

― The Homeliness of The Long Distance Punner (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 16:09 (eighteen years ago)

It's on again March 17 for those who need to WRITE IT DOWN.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 9 February 2007 18:33 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

Criterion confirms the DVD in this month's newsletter.

― C. Grisso/McCain, Monday, 19 March 2007 16:57 (eighteen years ago)

four weeks pass...

Spine 396

― C. Grisso/McCain, Tuesday, 17 April 2007 15:22 (eighteen years ago)

three years pass...

finally saw this (like three years after it became available!) and thought it was mostly excellent, tho the last 15 minutes got kind of ridiculous.

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Friday, 18 March 2011 08:18 (fourteen years ago)

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