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Author Topic: It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 11-06-2004 07:30 PM                     Today I watched our favorite classic on Turner Classic Movies, so I was able to compare it to the MGM/UA video I have...and purchased new through a major video store. Anyhow, there is a lot of footage edited out of the video throughout the film. Some footage more extensive than others, but occuring in just about every scene. A lot of what has been cut from the video (what was on TCM today) helps explain the story line in some areas, while also adding some more excellent comedy. It also seems that what I saw on TCM today (print and sound quality) was vastly superior to the video.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-06-2004 10:28 PM                     Whats in it depends on what verion you have. The last laserdisk version has alot of footage put back in it, some of the footage is squeezed at the sides and came from a corrected Cinerama 70mm print. Far as I know that is the most complete version available but there may be even more complete versions that are not available on DVD yet. I thought Bob Harris was trying to put the film back together.... probably an almost impossible task of gigantic proportions, literally a bigger task than the making of the film ever was. Mark  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 11-07-2004 03:21 AM                        Let's be honest here, guys. The movie may be interesting for film technology history reasons, but the movie as such sucks enormously When I watched it (yes, in 70mm) at the Eqyptian Theatre in Hollywood a few months ago, I really couldn't wait for the ending. It's just a fifth rate stupid comedy which happens to have been shot in an interesting format.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-07-2004 05:56 AM                     Michael, Since you didn't grow up over here with all those comedians I would doubt that you would appreciate it.... forced humor... yes... Overly long... yes, Sappy... Yes, but a great and beloved cast of characters all in one film together. The gas station destruction sequence and the plane landing IMHO are two of the funnyist things that exists on film! Turn the tables and had a similar film been made in Germany I proably wouldn't apreciate it not having grown up with the German cast of characters.... Really, the film is more of a National Treasure than not.... Mark  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 11-07-2004 11:33 AM                        Jonathan Winters at that gas station... That sequence had me in tears the first time I saw it as a kid in the late '60s, and has remained a best memory of the film for me ever since. That and Spencer Tracy laughing his ass off at the end--what a wonderful image to remember someone by.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-07-2004 10:10 PM                     Boy, I'm with ya on that Paul. I've sometimes burst out laughing just when I think of some of the scenes of that film.... Then there's Jonathan Winters tip toeing to and then peeking around the bend only to find everyone waiting for him just out of sight.... And no one but Jimmy Durante could have kicked the bucket.... Mark  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 11-07-2004 10:33 PM                  My favorite scenes are when Sid Caesar is in the hardware store trying to dynamite his way out of being locked in... great sequence! And! I agree with Paul, the final scene when Spencer Tracy was laughing his ass off in the hospital bed was THE best! TOO COOL! Those scenes are burned in my mind! I still cannot believe some of the stunts... I'm surprised no one got killed! ALL of the actors were well cast for their parts! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 11-08-2004 12:20 AM                     If you thought that it was boring, you might enjoy the much faster paced remake, "Rat Race".  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-09-2004 01:01 AM                        The longer version on laserdisc was also released on VHS at the time. I'll watch the VHS version because getting up to swap those discs every few minutes wrecks the flow of the movie. Robert Harris mentioned somewhere that the long version put together on video was never one seen in theaters, not even the roadshow version. The extra material was assembled from bits still extant from a roadshow cut, some trims, outtakes, whatever they could find to fit the score, continuity, etc. I think it works great. It's a better movie with the additional character development & exposition, much of it brilliantly made just in the way the characters drive. You're not just impressed but you learn a lot at that left turn at Valley Center! "Mad World" is one of my favorite movies. I love every inch of it. I think it's brilliant, hilarious, as well as excellent spectacle & a really insightful examination of commonplace selfish, self-destructive behavior, & how even "rational" people will deteriorate. If it had dirty jokes, it would be a classical greek comedy with a gasoline dependency. People used to really drive like that. They weren't all in Mopars like in the movie, or else more of them would have lived. A lot of people think the movie's not funny, but just mean. They can't get far enough back from it. "ALL WE WANT IS A PICK AND A SHOVEL! "  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 11-11-2004 06:30 AM                        What a small mad ,mad world it is. I had a crappy copy of the movie on an old Betamax tape , and just recently bought a new copy on DVD , my 9 year old watched it , I expected a terrible review , however he loved it !! , it was a great show from the past , not without forgetting "Blazing saddles" and "The Great Race". Some of the oldies may have aged but still they have a laugh or two left in them. A recent purchase of "the early Bird" from Amazon proved that. One of Norman Wisdom best.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 11-11-2004 02:32 PM                        The late Linwood G. Dunn, who did the photographic effects for MMMMW, had a wonderful presentation on effects work that he presented at SMPTE meetings. The quality of VFX was amazing, well before the "age of digital". Here is a list of Mr. Dunn's credits: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0242670/  |  IP: Logged Will Kutler Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1506 From: Tucson, AZ, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 11-11-2004 03:47 PM                     I don't have a particular favorite scene, as they are all great! I love it when Jonathan Winters rear-ends Ethel Merman! Rooney, Backus and Hackett in the Beach 18! Dick Shawn goin to save MOMMA! Jonathan Winters, Arnold Stang (Topcat and Jughead from Archie Andrews) and Marvin Kaplan at the gas station! Sid Ceasar blowing up the hardware store! I always loved the "recap" scene right after the intermission! Phil Silvers going for a "swim"! I just wish they'd have found a bigger part for Jack Benny....Too bad Phil Harris was not in the film.  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 12-08-2004 08:05 AM                     The problem with the "long" version, is that it is not really the lost road show version. While adding a few scenes, mostly it consists of alternate takes and trims that were rightly edited out. While it would be interesting to see the real "road show" version, the short theatrical version is the best of what now exists.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Jonsson Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Bromolla, Sweden Registered: Sep 2003 posted 12-08-2004 02:53 PM                       Mad mad world is my all-time favorite movie. I´ve seen it at least 40 times in different theaters. The LaserDisc version is far better than the DVD. For some strange reason the overture for Act 1 is missing. Why did they do that? Two other favorites of mine were mentioned - The great race and Blazing saddles. I would like to add Those magnificent men in their flying machines, recently released on DVD. The cast is almost as impressive as in Mad world. And both films had one great comedian in common - Terry-Thomas. Boy,was he funny!!! Thomas  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 12-09-2004 07:07 AM                     I never saw MAD growing up. Never saw it in the theater, or on TV, until I got the recent DVD release. What a cast! Loved the film! Sure, its long, but how often to you get to see these people working together? I think the only German film I have seen that I liked was "Das Boot," and maybe a German cartoon.  |  IP: Logged

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