Why I'm saving 'Manos: The Hands of Fate'

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Why I'm saving 'Manos: The Hands of Fate'

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

This is the coolest thing I've seen on SA since Two Gentlemen of Lebowski. I've grown to appreciate Manos over the years in a way I never thought possible, and I absolutely would be down for buying a blu-ray of this restoration.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2011 07:00

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# ¿ May 22, 2024 09:14

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Quixotic Pickle posted:

Satellite News has an update about the other Manos project going on at torgolives.com. Apparently they start filming the sequel they've been talking about forever next week.

Anywho...I'm way more interested in this project than some sequel, and I'd love to contribute financially, but sadly that's not an option at this time. I would, however, love to buy a copy on blu-ray to watch when I eventually get one of them new fangled devices.

I did like the "whatever happened to" update on the actress who played Margaret at least. Sounds like she found quite a bit of success after Manos, which isn't too surprising...

# ¿ Dec 2, 2011 02:58

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

The guy doing the Manos sequel made this comment in the Satellite News article that was linked a bit earlier:

quote:

on �Manos in HD�. The gentlemen who owns the print and I have spoken at length. Barring any contract bog-downs, I am planning on funding his restoration. And tho he has a �working� print. I have legal possession of the �Originals� (all of them) and I also have 6 canisters of outtakes/edits/bonus mats! I had the idea to restore �Manos� in HD 2 years ago. Jackey Neyman-Jones (Debbie)sent me the link to the guy making �Manos HD�. So, I was like: WTF? (so was Hall Warren�s son, He is tired of everyone raping his dads creation, tho it was his own fault for not copyrighting the film). So, I approached the young man and since he is so passionate about the material, offered to fund the project. To that end, he is more focused on keeping the history alive, whereas I want to do something more. I plan on releasing a �special edition� of �Manos� w/ new footage, sound design, voice acting, edits, soundtrack�all from ideas from Hal Warren himself! (he had told his son of plans to do so). So, there will be an HD version of �Manos� and my �special edition� (for fun� I know this will piss off a lot of peeps, but� relax, lol). I will have cast commentary, interviews, and tons of fun features. Keep in mind, as I�ve said before� I am sharing all my profits w/ the original cast members and (in some cases) their families. I encouraged the young man to do the same� however, I don�t think he shares my vision/ethics in this. That could ultimately be a deal breaker. But, if he prefers to go it alone, I will still pursue this myself. I just prefer us to be working together. After all, I always try to work w/ people who are passionate for the material. Ok. Off to the desert. Peace~ Torgo

So it's possible a kickstarter might not even be necessary, although maybe it's just me, but this guy sounds kind of dickish in his posting.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2011 18:26

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Rupert sounds a bit less condescending in his latest comment on Satellite News (line breaks added by me to preserve sanity):

quote:

Well, time will tell if ManosHD guy and I find enough common ground to work together. I feel we recently had a good chat where both sides were understood. I will retract my statement about funding his restoration as he just informed me he will fund it himself via donations.

We also still disagree on the subject of helping the families of the �Manos� survivors� but then, I have been told by everyone I work with that I am crazy for doing so.

This should by no means demonize ManosHD guys if he chooses not to cut in the �Manos� survivors, etc. He plans on using any profits he makes to perpetuate the restoration process back to film and archiving. That is noble. But, at the end of the day, I just feel sharing the wealth is the way I prefer to go�karma and whatnot.

And I DID offer him percentages for his services on my special edition, and furthermore offered him opportunities moving forward with my sequel. Again, to set the record straight, I think we want the same things� I just prefer not to be competing� rather working together for similar goals.

I think ManosHD is a good kid w/ his heart in the right place� but I also hear the other side� the side of people profiting off of Hal Warren because of his EPIC mistake (public domain, etc). I am working hand in hand with Joe Warren (Hal�s Son) who is the living authority on Hal and explicitly knew his dads wishes and ambitions as to what became of his footage/film. I am here to make those wishes a reality, and to make sure his family is compensated.

Soon, you will here this from Joe himself as he will be the voice of �The Special Edition� project. Joe is an awesome guy (and a former Professional MLB baseball player!). I think ManosHD guy can be of great service to our cause� so, for the record, I hope he joins our team� either way, looks like all of you are in a win-win scenario regardless of how the factions choose to move forward.

Ok, gtg�To El Paso and beyond!!! ~ R

Sometimes words on the Internet can be misconstrued, so I don't want to gang up on this guy over a single snarky message board comment. He sounds much more reasonable in this post, although he does seem pretty hung up on compensating the actors and families from the original movie. But then, he has befriended and is in direct contact with several of them, so from his perspective, I can understand wanting to see them actually get something out of this whole thing aside from cinematic infamy.

I think logically it'd probably be better if he does his sequel/George Lucas special edition thing while Ben Solo goes on his own with his cinematically restored Criterion-quality release. The two are pretty different from one another and can rather easily co-exist side by side.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2011 07:09

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Supercar Gautier posted:

"ManosHD guy" is a very professional and not at all condescending way to repeatedly refer to a person.

Ok, that still bugs me a little too, but maybe he doesn't know Ben Solo's online handle or want to use his real name since it hasn't really been revealed anywhere (assuming "Ben Solo" is not his real name... although if it is, that's a pretty awesome name to have). On its own I wouldn't look too deeply into it.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2011 07:24

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Sporadic posted:

Seriously, that latest post is even crazier than the first. You are giving him way too much credit Ballz. They have talked on the phone.

Fair enough, I'd just rather not see unnecessary conflict over this. Sounds like Ben's got things handled, regardless.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2011 08:59

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Fatkraken posted:

Having the kickstarter is great, but I think you'll get more interest if the incentive level to get the DVD/Blu-ray is closer to the normal retail price of a DVD or blu-ray. Sure a lot of people donate out of the kindness of their hearts, but a LOT more will donate as a method of buying the film. Having the t-shirt level below the DVD level seems really odd, and setting the threshold for getting the film so high at $50 is gonna put a lot of people off.

Well, there are other incentives to have along with getting your own copy.

I went with the $50, because I figure buying a copy when it's done will probably be something like $30 (I'm going for the Blu Ray), and I was planning on dropping $10 or $20 anyways just for the restoration funding. So I figured I might as well go ahead and pay for everything now and be done with it.

Edit: Hey Ben, might I suggest updating the OP with a link to the kickstarter? And someone with more Photoshop talent than me should consider making a banner ad or two we can link to this thread, especially now that the fundraising ball is rolling.

Ballz fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Dec 25, 2011

# ¿ Dec 25, 2011 04:57

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Wow... someone actually pledged $1,000. :stare:

# ¿ Dec 26, 2011 05:19

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Dissapointed Owl posted:

I don't think there's a 'too late' since Kickstarters will just keep going once the goal has been reached.

And it'd be good to get some extra money put in once the goal is reached. From the kickstarter's description:

quote:

Exceeding our fundraising goal will help create the following:

* A 2K to 35mm film-out preservation negative, which will also enable us to strike new 35mm prints.
* The production of an audio commentary with surviving members of the original cast.
* A documentary covering the restoration process, to be used as a Blu-ray extra feature.

All great things to have. I'd definitely love to see a documentary on the film's restoration.

quote:

Who's Tony Trombo?

That's one expensive rear end brick

Whoa... for that price, you could probably just travel to the location and dig up another brick yourself. I wonder if that's a different item than what Ben's offering for his $5,000 or more donation incentive (which he says is also donated by Tony Trombo).

# ¿ Dec 26, 2011 17:52

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Unbelievable how quick it got to 10th grand. Now the fun begins and we see how much extra goes in over the next 39 days. :toot:

Ballz fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Dec 27, 2011

# ¿ Dec 27, 2011 05:41

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

HKR posted:

Actually, he won't have the money for 39 days. Kickstarter holds all funds until fundraising is over, regardless if you pass the goal or not.

It's worth noting that donors won't actually get charged until the end of the donation drive (which is around February 3rd or so). So for anyone saying "I'll donate as soon as I get paid next week," it won't really matter... and you might get boned if you don't realize the day you're actually getting charged.

# ¿ Dec 27, 2011 17:19

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Grave $avings posted:

That's the appeal of it--sure it'll be grainy as hell, but it gives it this almost otherworld quality, like a snuff film or, as famously put on MST3K, like someone's last known photo.

Heh, MST also questioned if it was a snuff film in the episode.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2011 23:53

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Personally, I love this review of the film, where it portrays Torgo as the movie's protagonist:

# ¿ Jan 7, 2012 03:07

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Fangoria recently had an article spotlighting the Manos sequel. I've been slightly interested in that project too, just for the novelty of it, which is why I was hesitant to harp on the guy working on it earlier in this thread, despite some of his douchey overtones.

There's some interesting production pictures in the article, info about the cast (kind of neat seeing original cast members and family, although the wrestling/action aspect still sounds extremely terrible), but then they ended the article with this:

quote:

�We, the people who represent the original cast and all things MANOS, have been working on the HD restoration for over 14 months,� he says. �Recently, some kid who found a print of MANOS at an auction is trying to cash in with the same idea. Myself and Joe Warren do not acknowledge, recognize, or approve of what this kid is doing. In the end, we just ask that the fans hold onto their money and wait for our version. It will include tons of never-before-seen footage, plenty of extras, cast and crew commentary, interviews�plus surprises. And the proceeds will go back to Joe Warren and the MANOS faithful.�

Seriously, gently caress that guy right in the ear.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2012 19:03

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

It should be abundantly clear by now that your plans and Rupert's plans with Manos are quite different and both can quite easily co-exist. It sounds like Rupert wants to go all Star Wars Special Edition with his project, and that's totally fine. It's just... if someone wants to see the original 1966 movie and not have it look like it was just pulled out of a toilet, then that's exactly why we have Ben's version.

Dunno if it's a simple misunderstanding, an ego issue, or a bad case of sand in the vagina, but hopefully Rupert will lay off the petty sniping, or at least Joe Warren will see through it and recognize the merit of both projects.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2012 01:29

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

From the Shout DVD :barf:

Whatever print the MST guys had was even better than that.

Ballz fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Jan 15, 2012

# ¿ Jan 15, 2012 17:59

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

I love how it seems she's wearing a completely different shirt or that you can't even tell she's wearing a necklace.

# ¿ Jan 15, 2012 18:10

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Came here to post the same thing. Absolutely incredible.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2012 22:00

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

TrixRabbi posted:

If you want to add to the creepiness he also killed himself shortly after the movie finished filming.

Drug overdose, wasn't it? Pretty sure he didn't live to see the premiere.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2012 21:57

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Dissapointed Owl posted:

It's a different kinda creepy, is what I'm saying.

I agree, Torgo seen with more clarity is that much more unsettling. And the out of focus hair fondling shot remains awesome (and out of focus).

# ¿ Jan 21, 2012 01:43

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

MC Fruit Stripe posted:

Since you're touching it up, a re-edit with all the god awful lingering removed might be nice. Could get it under half an hour. Manos: Sitcom Edition.

Man, the lingering is one of the best parts of the movie. I just love how EVERY shot seems to go on too long, to the point where it the whole thing feels so damned uncomfortable.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2012 04:49

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

x!te bike posted:

Just saw this rifftrax announcement.

Congratulations!

Details! We need details!

Edit: Could this be related?

Ballz fucked around with this message at 00:14 on Feb 28, 2012

# ¿ Feb 27, 2012 23:54

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Gherkin Jerkin posted:

I'm hoping that as this project nears it's completion, word will spread to a broader audience. I just heard about this today, but with no timeline announced it's going to be tough to keep my new-found enthusiasm.

I'll try, though. drat it, I'll try.

Bookmark the thread follow his site for progress reports. The general timeline earlier was for it to be done and out by summer. In the meantime, chill back and enjoy the wait.

# ¿ Mar 22, 2012 21:57

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Speaking of updates, Ben just posted this on the Facebook page:

# ¿ Mar 23, 2012 06:23

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

RagingBoner posted:

Aww dang.

Is it strange that that my interest in Rifftrax doing Manos suddenly waned?

# ¿ Mar 28, 2012 05:31

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

RagingBoner posted:

The last Rifftrax live I went to I was all but in the floor laughing. They have pretty much perfected the formula, so if you haven't watched any recently, I'd say you are doing yourself a disservice.

I've been to every Rifftrax Live event so far so I don't anticipate missing one starting now. But man, was I ever stoked at the idea of Ben's hard work shown on the big screen... and having Mike and crew riff over the thing.

I'll be slightly bitter if the "very nice theatrical print" is the one that came from the Manos 2 dude. Because I still wanna say gently caress that guy.

# ¿ Mar 28, 2012 12:47

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

It's been too long since a post was made here. Guess I'm just looking for any kind of status report, being the impatient little weenie that I am. Things going easier than expected so far, Ben? Harder? About the same?

And to provide this post with some actual (semi-related) content, there's another film restoration kickstarter going on, this one featuring some lost sexploitation flicks. Can't say I have as much an interest in those films as I do with Manos, but I'll probably throw :10bux:

their way for their efforts of preserving a lost, obscure -- albeit seedy -- piece of film history.

# ¿ May 25, 2012 00:55

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Glass Joe posted:

Nice article on the premiere, Ben gets quoted too!

I laughed more than I should have at "Kevin Murphy, who voiced Serbo the robot."

Also referring to public domain prints as "bootlegs" got my neckbeard in a ruffle. But overall, that is a very nice article and I'm a bit jealous to those of you who'll be able to make it to the screening.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2012 22:53

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

inignot posted:

How did the "Manos II" people manage to get Rifftrax promotion but no mention of the restoration project? Not that it matters too much given that the kickstarter drive is over.

The

side of me speculates the Manos print used in the riff came from Rupert himself, and some of the conditions he put in place to allow the Rifftrax guys to use it were that no mention of the Manos restoration could be made and that they must plug his sequel.

It might also explain why the Rifftrax guys have said a couple of times that they have zero plans to release the live show on DVD at any point.

Like I said, that's all speculation on my part, based solely on how Rupert behaved when this project first got rolling. I'm probably reading too much into it. Outside of the actual event, Mike Nelson's talked up this project a bit, including in his interview with boingboing from the other day.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2012 13:12

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Cartoon Man posted:

Why all the goon hate for Manos 2? Did he try to sue Ben or something? Kill some kittens?

Well, a guy with absolutely no background in filmmaking creating an "official" sequel to Manos with professional wrestlers just sounds all kinds of wrong, but in regards to this project, some of his statements and actions shortly after Ben went public are quite -- to put it nicely -- condescending.

This isn't a very big thread, you can go back and re-read some of the play by play, beginning on page 6

# ¿ Aug 17, 2012 19:13

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Ben Solo posted:

Can't go into too much detail, but I know exactly where last night's print came from and it wasn't the sequel guys.

Although Rifftrax was nice enough to save my group a great set of seats at the Belcourt, I never requested to promote the project at the Rifftrax screening. I thought that shilling for the Restoration would have been a confusing fit for the evening's entertainment if it wasn't being shown. I don't much mind- if anyone Googles 'Manos', they'll find me quickly enough.

That makes sense, and the RT guys have definitely talked you up quite a bit. Mike give you a nice shoutout in the boingboing interview he did earlier in the week, for example.

# ¿ Aug 18, 2012 01:10

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Well that settles it. On payday I'm buying myself a Master shirt.

# ¿ Sep 19, 2012 05:12

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Mister Kingdom posted:

What's the status of the Blu-Ray and the Master t-shirts?

I'm not Ben, but I saw on the main website he posted a comment saying the shirts got delayed a bit and he only began sending them out a week ago and that the last of them should have been out on Monday (Oct. 29).

Dunno about the Blu-Ray, but the restoration itself seems to be on target for a December completion.

# ¿ Nov 2, 2012 03:31

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

So am I the only one who hasn't gotten his Master shirt then? :sigh:

I figure Ben's kinda busy, but he hasn't replied to my email or post on his website about the status.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2012 22:48

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Ben Solo posted:

If you are who I think you are, I've sent you a reply. If not, try to e-mail me again! Website comments are not a reliable way to get in touch with me as I get a massive amount of spam.

Got it! Err... the email, I mean. Not the shirt. I figured you were probably pre-occupied a bit with the premiere and all, so thanks for touching base.

# ¿ Dec 7, 2012 00:50

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Slightly OT, but the lads who made the retro Manos video game for iPad released a port of it for PC, so you can play it with a USB controller. They're working on an Android port for next year.

It's pretty fun, if a bit short. It's also 8-bit platformer hard in the later stages, as it should be.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2012 01:29

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Ben Solo posted:

I can't believe I missed this question! I've submitted the subtitles, now their inclusion is up to the distributor. The release is still on track for fall.

Any word on when that distributor is gonna make an official announcement? How much say do you have with the final product at this point?

# ¿ Jun 22, 2013 06:33

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Great news all around. And if anyone was wondering, the latest Facebook update notes Kickstarter backers will be getting the Synapse release.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2013 21:21

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

Gally posted:

Big update on the kickstarter, revealing the other major reasons it took so long. Which include the legal harassment a few people suspected in the thread.

But the time is soon!! I can't wait to have a screening of Manos in high def on a giant screen.

That guy. Glad you managed to work through what must have been a massive headache Ben, and am super excited you are almost at the finish line! It's been quite an experience just following this thread from the beginning, I can only imagine what a roller coaster it must have been for you.

In related news, Debbie's actress has been updating her blog with a lot of interviews about her experiences working on Manos. Pretty interesting stuff.

Edit:

IUG posted:

That's annoying that this is the reason why it was delayed. I was hoping that part of it was working our a deal with the Rifftrax guys to include their live show as a bonus feature. (It's the only live show that Rifftrax hasn't released for some odd reason, but I guess maybe they were being harassed legally too).

Pure straight-from-my-rear end speculation, but given the amount of publicity the live Rifftrax Manos show gave to the (still unreleased) sequel, my guess is there were some legal hurdles they would have to deal with if they decided to do a home release. Wouldn't surprise me if they quickly saw it as being more trouble than its worth and moved on to their next project.

Ballz fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Aug 3, 2013

# ¿ Aug 3, 2013 17:13

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# ¿ May 22, 2024 09:14

Ballz: Dec 16, 2003; it's mario time

IUG posted:

Well the show that aired live after Manos (Birdemic) has been available for download for months now. Manos was like 2 months before. My hope was that it would be a secret special feature on this release (and still hope for it), since there were talks that this release would be used for the show. But obviously the restoration too longer than they were going to wait, so they used another version of the film.

At least, I believe the Rifftrax guys were in talk to use Ben's restoration.

I believe they used the Manos 2 guy's print that he was using for his own restoration/special edition. That, along with the Manos 2 preview in the show, are what lead me to believe held up a DVD/download release of it.

Maybe they're just waiting for Manos 2 to come out. Which I'm not even sure will happen now. There hasn't been a peep about that project in over a year.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2013 17:59

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