Twilight Time is a boutique

home media Home media refers to media used for recording, copying, delivery, and playback of various types of entertainment and information in the home. Forms of home media include: * Home video * Magnetic tape * Phonograph record A phonograph record ( ...

label specializing in releasing limited edition

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

discs of classic films, founded in 2011. All titles were sold online exclusively through Screen Archives Entertainment until July 1, 2015, when the company launched their own online store. On May 9, 2020, Twilight Time announced they would be ceasing operations on June 30, 2020. However, on May 14, 2020, Screen Archives Entertainment announced they had reached an agreement to acquire the rights to Twilight Time's back catalogue and inventory, consisting of 380 films in total. Per the announcement, Screen Archives stated that the agreement "ensures that the Twilight Time label will continue indefinitely, according to the principals."

History

Twilight Time began in 2011 as the brainchild of Brian Jamieson and Nick Redman, both veterans of the motion picture and music industry. Both founded the company as a way to release vintage films for the classic DVD collector. Initially, Twilight Time licensed 20 films from

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

's catalog to release on

and, when possible, in high definition on

. The goal was to release films of varying genres that had never been released on home video in the United States. Twilight Time's initial focus was on films of the 1950s and 1960s in what Redman called "the Cinemascope period, those gorgeous widescreen entertainments that had it all—beauty, glamour, drama." But, he added, "We will also be selectively tackling the earlier years—the 1930s and 40s—and sampling every genre, presenting, hopefully, something for everyone." Ultimately, according to Jamieson, "Twilight Time will be serving both the collectible drive of film enthusiasts, and, in a larger sense, the cause of cinema literacy." Their first title, ''

The Kremlin Letter ''The Kremlin Letter'' is a 1970 American neo-noir DeLuxe Color espionage thriller in PanavisionSeymour, Gene. "100 Greatest Spy Movies: A Special Collector's Edition from the Editors of American History. 2009. Weider History Group. directed b ...

'', was scheduled to be released on January 25, 2011, but for unknown reasons, the release was pushed back by two months. On September 1, 2011, Twilight Time announced a deal with their second film studio, Sony Pictures, to license and release titles from the

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

library beginning in November 2011. The first titles to be released under this partnership included

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Mi ...

's 1961 science fiction-fantasy classic, '' Mysterious Island'', followed by the original ''

Fright Night ''Fright Night'' is a 1985 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland (in his directorial debut) and produced by Herb Jaffe. It stars Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Roddy McDowall, Amanda Bearse, Jonathan Star ...

'', the horror-comedy cult favorite written and directed by Tom Holland. Twilight Time will only be releasing

if a previous Sony

version is already available. While initially limiting their releases to one title per month, Twilight Time later announced that beginning in November 2011, they would begin releasing two titles per month. Towards the end of 2013, releases began to see an output of three titles per month. In an interview with NixPix, Nick Redman confirmed that Twilight Time's monthly output would continue to increase, stating, "2014 is already shaping into a significant commitment of 50 to 60 titles," which means an average of four to five titles per month. Twilight Time announced two new studio deals in 2013. Nick Redman confirmed a deal with

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

in September 2013. The deal includes all the

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

catalog, MGM titles from 1986 to the present, and all of the titles released through

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, Polygram, and Orion. As well, Twilight Time announced its first international deal in October 2013 with Protagonist Pictures. The deal gave Twilight Time the US distribution rights to movies from the

Film4 Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms, i ...

library, including films from directors

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, ''Night in Tunisia (short story collection), Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian ...

, and

Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras. His early film ' ...

. On July 1, 2015, Twilight Time began direct-to-consumer sales when they announced they would begin offering their titles through their own website as an alternative to their existing sales through Screen Archives Entertainment.

Closure announcement and reacquisition

On May 10, 2020, Twilight Time announced the closure of the company. The company stated they will cease selling and producing discs on June 30, 2020. Their catalogue consists of 380 films in total. However, on May 14, 2020, Screen Archives Entertainment announced per their official

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page that they had reached an agreement to purchase distribution rights to Twilight Time's back catalogue and inventory. In the announcement, Screen Archives wrote:

Screen Archives Entertainment has reached an agreement with Twilight Time Movies to purchase the company’s extensive Twilight Time Movies inventory or back catalog effective July 1, 2020. The agreement ensures that the Twilight Time label will continue indefinitely, according to the principals. Screen Archives has served as the primary distribution partner to Twilight Time since its beginning, working with the late Nick Redman and co-founder Brian Jamieson. Jamieson, a veteran studio executive and filmmaker will continue to provide marketing expertise and support to Screen Archives during the transition. Screen Archives president Craig Spaulding said, “Having worked with Brian and Nick over the years, we took this step because we have always enjoyed a good relationship with Brian (and Nick). We wanted to keep our relationship going and continue to capitalize on Brian’s years of expertise in the industry.

Release approach

Due to the declining home video market for older and little-known films, most major film studios have opted to stop releasing those titles via conventional retail methods. Instead, studios like

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, Sony Pictures, and

have adopted a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) policy. Such titles are sometimes released on DVD-R recordable media, otherwise known as burn-on-demand (BOD); the two terms are not synonymous. MOD releases are designed to minimise costs, so often use existing transfers without any restoration or remastering, or extra features. All Twilight Time titles are factory pressed

s and/or

s from a restored transfer. All titles are limited editions with only 3,000 units of each format created and are not repressed once sold out. As they are geared toward music aficionados, all feature an isolated music score. Additionally, all releases include an 8-page booklet on the film, with original essays, film stills and poster art. Other extras will be made available whenever possible.

Controversy

In September 2012, Twilight Time released a collectors' edition Blu-ray of ''

Night of the Living Dead ''Night of the Living Dead'' is a 1968 American independent horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero, with a screenplay by John Russo and Romero, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. The story follows seven pe ...

'' (1990). It was supervised by original cinematographer

Frank Prinzi Frank Prinzi is an American cinematographer and director. He earned his degree from New York University. Selected cinematography credits *''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984) *'' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984) *''Day of the Dead'' (19 ...

, who tinted many of the scenes darker blue. Though director

Tom Savini Thomas Vincent Savini (born November 3, 1946) is an American prosthetic makeup artist, actor, stunt performer and film director. He is known for his makeup and special effects work on many films directed by George A. Romero, including ''Martin' ...

praised the reissue, fans complained. Others also noticed that some of the sound effects had been removed, such as the camera shutter sound that played over the end credits between photograph transitions. Twilight Time promised to alert customers if future editions of their discs differed from the original.

Reissues

In June 2014, Twilight Time announced they were re-licensing some of their sold-out titles for re-release, a departure from their initial stance that all titles would be strictly limited to 3,000 units. Twilight Time do not re-release all their sold-out titles, only the ones they feel they can improve upon. The reissues are completely new editions, standing out from the original releases; for instance, with new bonus features or new high-definition restorations. The first four reissues are to be released in 2015. Three of the first four reissues were ''

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...

'', ''

'' and ''

Journey to the Center of the Earth ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (french: Voyage au centre de la Terre), also translated with the variant titles ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' and ''A Journey into the Interior of the Earth'', is a classic science fiction novel ...

''.

References

External links

*
Twilight Time label at Screen Archives Entertainment
{{Region 1 home video DVD companies of the United States Home video companies of the United States 2011 establishments in the United States Companies established in 2011 2020 disestablishments in the United States Home video companies disestablished in 2020