Let us, for once on the imdb, get real. I'm looking at a handful of "reviews" by people who have only seen this on some bootleg DVD with a different title, yet they talk about the sweeping and breathtaking photography - from a bootleg DVD. So, yeah, we can take those reviews real seriously.
Here's the thing. I'm one of the eight people who actually endured this thing prior to Paramount's poor attempts to recut it - that version is what's on the DVD and what was shown once on the CBS Late Movie. I saw it at a sneak preview in Westwood, at the Plaza Theater, one of Westwood's small houses with about 700 seats. Back then, I was one of several so-called "preview" nuts who went to as many Major Studio Previews as I could. I saw great movies long before they came out, and I saw horrible movies that underwent new footage being shot and the film re-edited. At this same theater, I saw previews of Bonnie and Clyde and John Frankenheimer's Seconds, both of which I loved - but I knew Seconds would flop and that Bonnie and Clyde would be a monster hit.
Well, to the point. Fade In was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Dreadfully paced and written, lethargic, nicely photographed, but not so well directed by Jud Taylor, who was credited then. I haven't seen it since so I have no idea what the recut is like, other than to say they probably made it even worse, but we all know there are wacky people who "adopt" movies like this. Anyway, there were about 300 people there when it began. Halfway through, it was me and about six others who stuck it out to the bitter end. Of course, Paramount did the recut then shelved it until the TV sale. I don't believe it's ever had a legit VHS or DVD release, but it is shockingly coming on Blu-ray from a 4K scan of the negative, which I'm sure was in pristine condition, since there was not a single print struck from it other than the answer print we saw at the sneak preview.
There, some fun reality for you.
