Just curious, have you ever bought a much sought-after print and regretted it? Even if there's nothing inherently wrong with it, a good print, good condition, good colour, and purchased at a fair price, but you just feel a little flat after buying it?

I think you've answered your own question there Stuart, given all the factors you've mentioned then why would you regret buying it?

I've felt flat after some crap has turned up that's not as described and thought "I've paid how much for this?" I'd be over the moon if it was as you mentioned,Mark.

I guess I'm like a dog chasing a car, Mark - once I get it I have no idea what to do with it!

Now regretting to buy a print for obvious reasons then that should get many replies Stuart,we've all been there.

Once you've chased and caught it, watch and enjoy,Mark.

Yes you buy print you saw years ago,even owned but sold,see it again and you buy it watch it and it’s just not the same in your mind as it was years ago.It could be the best print in the world condition wise,but for some reason it ain’t “wot it was”.
Why?
I have no real idea maybe because you know you have seen it on dvd,tv,and thought yes I would like the film again,you get it and it somehow is not quite the same as before.
Silly isn’t it but then as has been said before this can be a bit of a strange hobby🤪🤪

Assuming i have the right end of the stick here, i did keep a look out for a 400ft version of Straight Jacket for a very long time,
I heard a lot of "good" reports about this digest. I managed to get hold of a copy a couple of years ago and when i viewed it i have to say it was not only a poor cut, it was absolutely S**t. The whole digest, (im own opinion), was a joke. The narrator from columbia at his worst ever, even telling us the name of an actor playing a character in the film during a scene. What the hell is that all about.

If you wanted to put super cine collecting down to a young group and they watched this as a first super 8 film it would do the job. I bet they'd laugh and never watch another package movie again. Suffice to say i put it straight up for sale they day after i bought it. I really dont know how anyone could say this is an enjoyable digest. It ruins what could have been a good film.

I have bought a few that were not as described and, as some of you know, was thinking about leaving the hobby altogether after receiving one crap copy of a film after another for a three month period.
While i still look to pick up films i am now happy to have more or less switched to 16mm and am much more picky in what i buy now.

I currently have another film to return after finding that A/ It isn't scope as advertised, and B/ It's bollocks, scratched and red, and only a part of a film.

Much sought after to me would be something along the lines of Terminator 2, Disney features etc top titles from Derann that command high prices, it could be much sought after in the way Tom has described it too so yes in that way I would think many collectors would be disappointed in such a purchase, I wouldn't say it was one of my favourite films but Close Encounters 400ft was one I was looking forward to getting and didn't think much to it at all,soon sold that one afterwards, Mark

Gwyn, that's pretty much what I mean, it's almost a melancholic feeling, weird to explain.

Great point, Tom — the Columbia narrator ruined many a potentially good digest, with either his description of obvious on-screen action, or “breaking the wall” and announcing which actor/actress was playing the role. While I know these particular digests were produced during a time when the format of in-home digests were a new thing, it’s still doesn’t rise above the level of juvenile when viewed today. (I NEVER screened these with an audience, and I’ve since rid my collection of any Columbia-narrated digests.)

“Suddenly, the giant chicken attacks!” 🙄

The Ken narrator on Tora! Tora! Tora! seems to have verbal diarrhoea. One scene tells the story, but the narrator states the obvious.

In some ways Where Eagles Dare and Superman both changed the ending.

Yes, I could never take narration-infused digests seriously, even in the early years of my film collecting, and, as a result, considered them on par with toys. I figured, if I wouldn’t show’em to an audience, why keep them?

“Without warning, the storm hits!” 😂😂😂😂

Last year it happened. I had purchased a 16mm print of Disney's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Upon playing it during a camp out, we discovered it was a cut print. About half of the running time with some fun segments cut out! Apparently a digest version for schools, but not even mentioned in the listing. My wife and I were bummed. However, I sold it and now how a full copy of it.

Mark, Good Shout on Close Encounters. I saw this so many times in the cinema. It was one of my big time favourites. When columbia announced the 400ft digest i could not wait. It was a Christmas present to me me from several people as at 29.95 in its day , it was a lot of money. When i first viewed it i was utterly dissapointed. One of the very worst cut downs. Clearly they didn't want us to have too much of a good thing. All those memorable scenes were simply either missing or badly cut. I didn't hang onto it for very long at all. Deranns sought after feature is one i would love in scope either on 8 or 16 but while it is a classic movie im well past the days of paying twat size sums of money for a movie.

Tom, it’s similar to my reaction when I bought the “2x400’” digest of the BLUES BROTHERS, which cost a pretty penny new in 1981. Editing was slipshod at best (with jump cuts all over the place, including the music bed [!]), and the best musical numbers were cut, leaving only car chases/crashes ad nauseam for most of the digest’s 32 minutes, which quickly became tedious at best. The digest felt like a rush job in the waning days of Super 8’s heyday.

It’s my understanding this was one of Universal 8’s last releases. Shortly after I received it (which took forever, as I recall), Universal 8 closed up shop, with accompanying fire sales. I recently gave my print away.

Like others have stated, the notorious Columbia narrator ruined many a digest (Ken Films had their share too.) Speaking of the Tora! Tora! Tora! digest, I watched that recently before selling. It was unintentionally hilarious at points because of the narration. Back to Columbia, so many done wrong with the worst culprits being "The Caine Mutiny" and "The Bridge on the River Kwai."

I have indeed experienced this too. But I think it only has happened to cheap digests. Probably because I didn't put enough thought into it as it was cheap. I have been happy with most expensive ones (but I mainly have films on the cheaper side). I can only concur to what's already said about the Columbia digests.

I´ve never been a digest collector, but have had a couple. The idiotic narration made me get rid of them ASAP.

In Columbia’s SON OF JEKYLL digest, the narration was literally the entire soundtrack. So much story exposition from the narrator for a 20-minute digest was beyond ridiculous.

The Guns of Navarone was another joke as well. Completely destroyed by the narrator. "when suddenly"

Yes, Tom. Guns of Navarone would have been a ton better without the narration. That was one of my first digests and that narration still frustrates me :-)

As it happens, we started with the b/s silent 200ft version of this and it was a better edit.

I remember buying the Blazing Saddles 400ft and that had some narration on it too which I found annoying but instead of selling it on etc as the colour was so good I rerecorded it and it's much better,I still have it,Mark

I've had just the opposite experience. There were two films that I regarded as rubbish, one I saw at the cinema when I was 10 years old, then in the last few years, both came up for sale, I decided to do a bit of research, plus able to find clips on Youtube, and decided to buy. Once I had seen them my opinion changed completely, and now they are among my favourite films.