|
|
Post by Ptarmigan on Nov 7, 2007 8:21:55 GMT
This is probably 'Old Hat' by now, to everyone here, but I've still not managed to see the Movie called 'Songcather' which, I'm told, has some good Old Time music & song in it!
 Songcatcher
What do you folks here think of this film & the soundtrack?
Is the music Old Time or is it more Bluegrass or Country?
....... & lastly, has anyone here managed to track down a copy of the DVD?
When I have managed to find available copies, they turn out to be for the American DVD system only! 
Help! 
Cheers
Dick |
|
|
|
Post by dulcimike on Nov 7, 2007 12:33:30 GMT
Well, we liked the movie. (Of course, we would have had the American version. Sorry.) The music is definitely more Old-Time than bluegrass. There's more singing in this movie than instrumental, though there is instrumental in it. A couple of instrumental scenes are one of the lead characters and a banjo player (Taj Mahal) playing a tune, and then the barn dance. There are some good Old-Time players in this band, not the least of which is Sheila Kay Adams, singing coach for the film on banjo. Sheila, BTW, is married to dulcimist Jim Taylor - check out the page about Jim's CDs for some short musical bio of him) who plays a lot of American Civil War ear music on dulcimer, which would have been Old-Time, mainly. And if you want a wonderful Old-Time CD, All The Other Fine Things, the "sound track" for Sheila's book My Old True Love, is worth the money! It has Sheila on banjo (and this woman can play some banjo!), Jim Taylor on dulcimer, James Leva, Josh Goforth, and Bruce Greene all on fiddle; Carl Jones on guitar; John Doyle (yes, that John Doyle) on guitar & bouzouki; and the Christian Harmony Singers of western North Carolina. Great stuff! (No, Sheila didn't pay me to say all that.)  I just remember still the night we went to bed listening to this CD, and my feeling rested and like I'd found "home" with this music. OK, I've gone on long enough. Wonder where you can get a European version of the movie? I can't believe there isn't a version out there. Cheers! |
|
|
|
Post by tobias on Nov 13, 2007 18:02:48 GMT
Its an OK movie...with great music. :-)
As far as I know, its only availiable on US version DVD...so get yourselves a multiregional DVDplayer.. :-)
It has mostly Oldtime ballad singing, but also some instrumental scenes (as mentioned above). Besides Sheila Kay Adams and Taj Mahal on banjos, it also has Josh Goforth on fiddle(bluegrass & OT fiddler (plays with David Holt)...here OT) and Don Pedi on mountain dulcimer (he gets drunk of moonshine and passes out :-)
/Tobias
|
|
|
|
Post by Ptarmigan on Nov 13, 2007 19:33:33 GMT
Yes Tobias, so far I've only been able to find it in the USA format, but perhaps I'll just have to invest in one of these "multiregional DVD players", after all!
I'm off to check prices.
Cheers
Dick |
|
|
|
Post by Ptarmigan on Nov 13, 2007 20:10:38 GMT
GOT ONE! ;D
"Philips DVP3120 - Multi-region capable DVD Player" - £27.99
Yes. Now I can order Songcatcher etc etc.
Cheers
Dick
|
|
|
|
Post by tobias on Nov 14, 2007 10:21:12 GMT
Congrats Dick. Thats a real good price, and I have alot of Phillips products, which seems the most reliable brand in the cheaper brand category. www.augustaheritage.com/store.htmlThis place has some DVDs that I have been wanting to buy...ecspecially that Melvin Wine DVD/CDrom /Tobias |
|
|
|
Post by nickp on Nov 14, 2007 15:37:21 GMT
It was never released outside the US so will always be in Region 1 dvd. However, it did come out on vhs too. This is a different situation - the UK and many other places have PAL tv - America has NTSC (ignore the technicalities) but most PAL videoplayers as long as they aren't too old will play (not record) NTSC while American vcrs won't play PAL.
As for the movie, the comments above cover it. The plot is somewhat far fetched but the music and dance make it worth it - that and the wonderful western North Carolina scenery.
Nick
|
|
|
|
Post by tobias on Nov 14, 2007 15:50:56 GMT
The bassplayer in our band works with television signals...i think...atleast he KNOWS alot about it, and has studied it as an engineer.
He says that the american televison signal NTSC stands for Never Twice Same Color :-)
/Tobias
|
|
|
|
Post by nickp on Nov 15, 2007 9:22:36 GMT
Hi Tobias - that sounds a good description and is often true! It is actually short for the defining body - National Television System Committee but that isn't as amusing - or true!!
Nick
|
|
|
|
Post by Susi on Nov 28, 2007 17:23:26 GMT
You mean there is a special American DVD system too? I knew about NTSC (they used to say it stands for Never The Same Colors ;D) but not about any special system for DVD. And they do have some own system for cell phones too... oh SIGH! Those Americans... I never needed to find any special DVD player though, our player has played everything and we've bought lots of DVDs from the US, instructional DVDs from Elderly mostly.... maybe they are international or was I just lucky? About the movie, I just LOVE it. I downloaded it from somewhere online. It was impossible to find elsewhere. Interesting story, lovely singing (don't you just love Emmy's voice!!!) and playing, no there's no bluegrass and no country, only pure good oldtimey music. I got really inspired to sing ballads when I'd seen it. |
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Nov 28, 2007 18:51:15 GMT
Hey otfiddler. Welcome on board.
Actually there are 8 different regions/codings. USA is 1. UK, Europe, Japan, South Africa and Middle East are 2. Southeast and East Asia are 3. Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America are 4. Former Soviet Union, Indian sub-continent, Africa, North Korea and Mongolia are 5 and China is 6.
7 is reserved for future use and 8 are International Territories (ships, planes etc).
Either you are lucky to have a player that are able to play all regions, or you have simply just been lucky.
As I have said before, Homespun's educational DVD's are all code free, that is, All Regions. And maybe Elderly do the same.
I said earlier in this thread that I had found Songcatcher in a region 2 version on amazon.co.uk. and it could be bought from a seller outside of amazon. I got it, and it showed up to be region 1.
I complained, and I got my money back, as it was an error made by amazon, and I could keep the DVD, so now I have got the movie for free, and are just waiting to get a code free player or meet someone with one, who will let me watch it ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by tobias on Nov 28, 2007 19:50:06 GMT
or meet someone with one, who will let me watch it ;D Is this a date suggestion  I have a region-free machine, and the movie....You bring the popcorn and beer  /Tobias |
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Nov 28, 2007 20:01:12 GMT
Yeah, you've got a deal. I'll bring the popcorn and the beer and the DVD. Then we can watch it two times. First yours and then mine ;D
|
|
I just remember still the night we went to bed listening to this CD, and my feeling rested and like I'd found "home" with this music.
