Boutique Home Video Label Announces Closure and Sale
In sad but not unexpected news, Twilight Time has announced that they will be ceasing operations. The boutique Blu-ray and DVD label found a niche by catering to niche — licensing smaller films, often studio catalogue titles which were out of print and commanding high prices on DVD and VHS — and producing and selling them in limited edition runs, typically of 3000 units.
The label faced some criticism for the scarcity and higher-than-average prices of their offerings, but they put their all into each release — even when additional features were sparse, many discs added value by featuring in-house commentary and isolated score tracks — unusual but very cool inclusions which became something of a calling card for the label. But perhaps most famously among film lovers, most (if not all) releases came with a booklet featuring an essay by film historian and label personality Julie Kirgo. These exceptionally well-written pieces articulated key thoughts and history surrounding the films, and were treasured by movie nerds and collectors, sometimes being even more fascinating than the films they accompanied.
For the label, the writing seemed to be on the wall following the passing of partner and spokesman (and Kirgo’s husband) Nick Redman in January of 2019, after which their output slowed and eventually halted. In a blog post on their site yesterday, Twilight Time officially confirmed their cessation.
“After nine years of successful operations in which 380 motion pictures from the 1930s to the 2010s have been released on DVD and Blu-ray disc, the home video label Twilight Time founded by veteran Hollywood studio executives and filmmakers Brian Jamieson and the late, dearly celebrated Nick Redman, will not release any further titles and we will be winding down operations this summer. A changing market, the rising costs of title acquisitions and the passing of longtime partner and company spokesman Nick Redman, are key reasons for the closure.”
https://www.twilighttimemovies.com/news/its-twilight-time-for-us/
The announcement also came with news of a big sale as they markdown prices to liquidate their remaining stock of Blu-rays and DVDs at their website.
https://www.twilighttimemovies.com/news/its-twilight-time-for-us/
On a personal note, we at Cinapse are particularly saddened to see Twilight Time go. Not only because we treasure and support physical media, but in appreciation that the folks at Twilight Time were an early and ardent enabler of the Cinapse vision, taking a liking to our writing and allowing us to cover their limited edition offerings. They even readily helped us by generously providing prizes for us to share with our our readers as we celebrated our own anniversary milestones. So in closing, what we want to say is this.
Farewell, and thank you.
A/V Out.
Further reading:
We’ve reviewed many, many Twilight Time Blu-rays over the years, which can be found here:
https://www.twilighttimemovies.com/news/its-twilight-time-for-us/
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