Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

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Joral's avatar
Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

-Reason for Flash Gordon - There hasn't been a single word about a DVD release of this rare animated movie by Filmation. Only this VHS TV recording is available to general public:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGDOmOj-5Ow

 

A DVD release could be created by taking the english audio track from a Japanese Laserdic release and video (because the Laserdisc has unremovable subtitles) could be taken from a Bulgarian VHS release.

 

-Reason for G.I. Joe: A real American hero animated series - the DVD releases were sourced from test prints that featured animation errors that weren't present in the broadcast version:

http://www.cartoonreviewsite.com/changes/joe/s1.htm

http://www.cartoonreviewsite.com/changes/joe/s2.htm

 

A proper DVD release could be created with the use of Family Home Entertainment VHS/BETA releases. This being a series would be very tough to do. So perhaps only the proper DVDs of 5 part episodes could be made?

 

Anyway, just throwing these ideas out on the table. If it's possible, sweet. If not, oh well...  :)

Asaki's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

Joral said:

-Reason for G.I. Joe: A real American hero animated series - the DVD releases were sourced from test prints that featured animation errors that weren't present in the broadcast version:

http://www.cartoonreviewsite.com/changes/joe/s1.htm

http://www.cartoonreviewsite.com/changes/joe/s2.htm

I don't get it. Is there a page where he explains what's going on? He seems to imply that these are all "fixes" that Rhino themselves made.

If, as you say, the Rhino releases are from test prints with errors, then why do most of the example screenshots look way better than the bootlegs?

Also, if, as he says, Rhino made all of these fixes, then surely the older Sony DVDs are unaffected? And possibly the Netflix streams as well?

To help the analysis further, take a look at these close ups of Obi-Wan's beard -- STENDEC

TServo2049's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

Here's what happened.

The Rhino versions were remastered from the original 35mm negatives. The negatives were the versions originally sent to the U.S. from Japan, and sometimes there would be scenes with animation errors, coloring errors, or things which the American directors judged to need improvement. They would then order "retakes" of those scenes to fix the errors. However, these retakes were on separate pieces of film, and some of them were never edited into the master negatives. The retakes were instead cut into the episode after the film was transferred to videotape.

Rhino went back to the negatives for better image quality than the 1980s video masters, and consequently reintroduced errors and rejected takes. Sometimes, they tried to fix coloring errors by digitally repainting them, or did other digital tricks. Unfortunately, being done at SD resolution, they looked like crud and didn't really improve anything. Sometimes, they changed things that were on the final aired versions.

Eventually, Rhino's license expired, and a few years later, Hasbro re-licensed the Sunbow cartoons to Shout! Factory. For Transformers, they dug up the original broadcast masters to reinstate most of the retakes, but according to that site, it seems they just for G.I. Joe they just reused the Rhino remasters and synched them up with the original mono soundtracks.

Here's that site's review of Shout's Transformers season 1 DVD set, maybe it'll be more concise than my version: http://www.cartoonreviewsite.com/eds/ed7.html

I hope I explained it well enough; anybody else, feel free to add anything.

Last edited on December 31, 2012 at 5:23 PM by TServo2049
kaarma33's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

I have yet to find the Flash Gordon Greatest Adventure LD on Yahoo Japan auction or anywhere. This cool movie needs to be preserved.

A possible video improvement could be done by using the more recent Flash Gordon TV Series DVD video with the 1st 10 minutes of the LD spliced on.

kaarma33's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

Wikipedia has a little information on the Flash Gordon Cartoon movie.

LD released by "VAP Video in Japan (catalog #67019-128), c. 1983"

Joral's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

SilverWook said:

There's a Japanese LD of the animated Flash Gordon movie?

 

Yep.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Gordon#Flash_Gordon:_The_Greatest_Adventure_of_All_.281982.29

 

 The only known commercial releases were by VAP Video in Japan (catalog #67019-128), c. 1983, in both laser disc and NTSC VHS videotape formats and in Bulgaria, where it was released on VHS "Van Chris" and "Drakar".

Last edited on January 1, 2013 at 5:57 PM by Joral
Asaki's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

TServo2049 said:

I hope I explained it well enough; anybody else, feel free to add anything.

Still kind of weird that a lot of shots look worse in the retakes, but I skimmed down a little further, and Lady Jaye does look better.

I like how he says that the only ten episodes that are botched are available sourced from master tapes on the DVD Battles sets, but fails to mention that they are hardly an economical way to obtain the discs @_@

To help the analysis further, take a look at these close ups of Obi-Wan's beard -- STENDEC

Joral's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

 

Asaki said:

TServo2049 said:

I hope I explained it well enough; anybody else, feel free to add anything.

Still kind of weird that a lot of shots look worse in the retakes, but I skimmed down a little further, and Lady Jaye does look better.

 

Eh? Which retakes look worse? 

kaarma33's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

I looked around the internet for Flash Gordon the greatest adventure vhs.

Yahoo japan auction does not list any animated Flash Gordon LDs for sale.

Then I found that the only Flash Gordon animated movie videos on sale are the bootleg VHS to DVD copies on ioffer.  I would rather buy an official DVD, LD or VHS.

Someone put together a very nice custom DVD cover for their Flash Gordon animated movie bootleg. 

http://www.cdcovers.cc/view/296852/front/flash-gordon---the-greatest-adventure-of-all---animated-custom

And I found a blog that posts a magazine article about the Flash Gordon animated movie.

http://starlogged.blogspot.ca/2012/07/1978-filmations-flash-gordon-in-future.html

 

TServo2049's avatar
RE: Two requests: Flash Gordon - Greatest adventure of all & G.I. Joe: A real American hero

Joral said:

 

 

Asaki said:

TServo2049 said:

I hope I explained it well enough; anybody else, feel free to add anything.

Still kind of weird that a lot of shots look worse in the retakes, but I skimmed down a little further, and Lady Jaye does look better.

 

 

Eh? Which retakes look worse? 

I second that question. What do you mean, look worse? The retakes are on the top, the DVD versions are on the bottom.

Last edited on January 2, 2013 at 10:32 PM by TServo2049
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