Yes, this is one of those, "so bad it's good B-scifi's." But that's the fun of it. What I'm trying to find out is this: There are at least four different single DVD editions, all w/ different cover art (plus a few more that are part of double-feature [or more] sets). For more information, check out half.com for this one. There's 2000, '03 '04 & '05 releases. Has anyone actually viewed each? If so, which would be the best version to buy (say, in terms of transfer quality)?
shareI believe that all copies of Teenagers actually originated from the same print, since the film is in the public domain, people can simply copy the data over and over again. Unlike many of the films from that era, it is extremely well-preserved and aside from some film blips is a fantastic quality transfer.
I know of three versions, the Alpha Video, the Image Entertainment, and the new St. Clair Vision. I have the first two. I don't believe there's a huge quality difference between the three versions, though I'm annoyed that some label pushing a "collector's edition" wouldn't include any special features, which is why I haven't bought the St. Clair yet.
Personally, I would recommend the Image DVD, as its sleeve has a nice essay by Richard Valley abridged from his 1993 Scarlet Street interview with Bryan Pearson and Ursula Pearson.
I would assume the quality of the film in many of its two-pack versions is also good, however I would avoid the 50+ collections as I've heard of some which cut off the film after 45 minutes.
I'm hoping that with all the renewed interest in the film that it will soon receive a proper DVD.
"Hey, Blond! You know what you are?"
www.tomgraeff.org
Thank you for the reply. I currently have an old video copy from Sinister Cinema, but wanted it on DVD. Just was a bit surprised to see a number of different versions.
Think I found out which one is which. The Image one has a color cover art featuring a green-skinned guy w/ purple hair. The Alpha one says, "blasting the flesh off humans" across the top. So I assume the St. Clair version is the one that says, "Collectors Edition" across the top? I might just grab a couple of different one since they're all pretty cheap on Half.
Edit: There's also a fourth one by Good Times Home Video which has a rather bland cover compared to the others. It says "Killer Cult Classics" across the top.
As far as I know there is no difference in quality between any of the copies, and the only bonus feature on all four is the theatrical trailer.
"Hey, Blond! You know what you are?"
www.tomgraeff.org
I would agree that the Image DVD is probably the best of the bunch, primarily because of the trailer and the Richard Valley essay, plus it's a really good print, though the Alpha is fine too, just without the trailer or essay. That Collector's Edition from St. Clair is pretty lame. The quality s fine, but calling it a collector's edition with no extras (not even the trailer) is a cheap shot. In fact, after I bought it on EBay (where it was advertised as having an essay and the trailer), I returned it to the seller, explaining that they made a mistake. They're still selling it on eBay and advertising it as having the essay and trailer though. Don't be fooled.
I have access to Tom Graeff's 16mm print of the film and will be working with the owner to have it cleaned and possibly digitized, primarily because we think it has a previous title in the credits: "The Boy From Out of This World." It's been projected a lot over the years, so is a bit fragile and I've been nervous about unspooling it enough to see for sure what the title card says. The leader, though, has BOY FROM OUT OF THIS WORLD written on it, so who knows? It might even have a cut scene or two. Although that might be too much to ask for.
Jim Tushinski
The Tom Graeff Biography Project
www.tomgraeff.com
Speaking of cut scenes, have you come across any outtakes?
www.tomgraeff.org
I have a copy of the movie that was included in the St. Clair Sci-Fi Flicks box set. The quality is actually pretty good (both sound and video) though I have none of the other copies to compare it with. My question -- The IMDb listing indicates this is a widescreen movie, but I have not been able to find anything but 1:1.33 versions on ebay and Amazon. Is the IMDb description accurate?