It's going to be a while before I have some scenes suitable for sharing.
The scanner will perform the color correction to match the projected imaged of the print.
I've learned the shots above are NOT how the print actually looks because they are captures of the scan in raw format and have not been corrected for display on a computer screen. Without proper color space settings, the images above look desaturated.
Here are two explanations from the experts for what your seeing:
He posts his contact info in all FS threads he posts. If it wasn't provided in his thread I'd be more discrete, but I don't see why since anyone browsing the 35mmforum has access to it.
A longtime seller by the name of Steve Newton over at 35mmforum. He's also on eBay. His username is "770newton".
Here's his contact info:
sanewton@bellsouth.net
(770) 455-8988 M-F 9-5PM EST
FYI this is currently for sale:
"SONG OF THE SOUTH" IB DYE TRANSFER TECHNICOLOR PRINT, Good Used Condition, Recently screened, no smell, Mounted on 5 Reels With Titles & end Titles
$2250.00 + Shipping
That would be great. As you know, these projects take a LONG time so we will still be here plugging away and raising funds.
IB TECH of FAFDM.
I tried negotiating with him but failed miserably. He wants $1800. Probably the lowest he will go is $1600.
Any interest in this?
thxita said:
More rare than the print you just acquired, it's seeing a fellow Italian selling a thing like that! The guy must be really broke, usually this stuff never resurfaces from Italian collectors' basements
I guess we got lucky. Apparently he's an elderly gentleman so maybe he's selling off his collection?
I don't think it's unexpected given the Italian elements used for the 2003 restoration gave us a clue that at some point it may have been included in the Italian cut since the original Italian mono track included this portion of the scene. The voices are of the original voice actors used for the original Italian mono track.
Instead, this IB tech explains some of the inconsistencies between the Italian and international cuts. Also, it strongly suggests that all Italian home releases (VHS, DVD, BD) are NOT representative of the original theatrical release in that country.
"Sorry, Tuco" is also included in this print. This is the most complete version of this film.
A quick and dirty dry scan of 5 of the 9 reels has been performed. The print is VERY dirty, missing some frames, has a lot of wear but the colours are excellent. It will undergo extensive cleaning and then wet scanned, which will significantly improve image quality.
Reel 1 has 11 seconds of extra footage of Stevens exchanging glances with AE and his son while AE is standing in the entrance way.
As shown in the screenshot below there is a Titanus logo prior to the opening credits. It is on Eastman stock, not IB, so it's been spliced in. So far the evidence shows this is an uncut 1st release print rather than a censored, re-release (by companies such as Titanus).
Below are some screenshots at Stevens' ranch. The extra footage comes immediately after the 2nd screenshot:
This print also includes 11 seconds of the "skeleton shot" AND the FULL Tuco torture scene! The same version that was lost due to negative damage and was only included as a MGM DVD/BD extra.
Quoting Poita who has been closely involved in the scanning process:
"These images are from a quickly compressed wmv file, so the colour is not particularly indicative of the scan. It will look different with the DNG files and corrected to the light source.
It will also look a lot different after a clean.
Speaking of which, the cleaning will take quite a while, there is severe sprocket damage in places, and if not repaired, then the film would easily tear itself apart.
This means that the cleaning has to be done initially very slowly and carefully by hand, and inspected closely so that any damaged areas, or areas of potential failure are repaired before it is run.
Like so many of our cinematic treasures, it has hasn't been looked after as well as it should have been, but thankfully it is in good hands now, (better hands than mine when it comes to film repair for sure) and will get the TLC it so rightly deserves."
laxotter said:
Does anybody know whether the Italian version with the new cover is the same desirable mondo video?
Yes it is but it's region locked.
I had a very informative discussion with Torsten Kaiser. He's a really nice guy with a great depth of knowledge and insight.
Some reels are in rough shape so it will take more time to repair and clean the print. Slow n steady...
Thanks for the info.
Does that make the early releases with the downmix mono a "collector's item"?
LOL
For the International Cut the music continues after "the end" and fades to black.
This is for the theatrical presentation.
Wow, amazing project! Great job!
Just out of curiosity, why is DVD Savant refusing to review the 4K BD?
It is political? He knows the colors are terrible but doesn't want to piss off his colleagues?
All good, spread the word.
Only wish it was lossless. There's simply no excuse for lossy tracks nowadays. Sacrifice something if you have to!
Fan-made tracks like TheHutt's, which mainly use the LD PCM mono track, are still superior IMO.
Here's a screenshot comparing both 4K BD mono tracks in Audacity.
"mixdown" is from the 2014 US MWNN Trilogy BD.
"original" is from the 2014 US "standalone" GBU BD.
It's clear from the waveforms they're not identical. I listened to them simultaneously ("mixdown" in left channel and "original" in right channel) and they go in and out of sync with each other throughout the film. It's clear that Chace Audio tweaked the track on the standalone BD. Now the audio credit is justified, unlike on the UK 4K BD and US MWNN Trilogy BD where it was utterly mystifying.
I posted 2 examples (there are more) on SLWB that confirm it's different:
1) During the outpost scene (post-desert) the voice that says, "Sergeant, listen to this Corporal for a moment." has changed
2) During the grotto scene, Tuco's words have been rearranged during his monologue and dialogue with the 3 bandidos. His voice has been altered to sound deeper too.
I have a Seiki BD player that you must manually select the region you wish to play. In the region 2 setting this disc still plays so it seems to be region free. Best to have someone else confirm this.
Although the description isn't entirely accurate this should be it based on the cover design and release date:
The audio for some extended scenes has been edited. Most significantly, the monologue/dialogue of the grotto scene, which had terrible synchronization in the previous releases, has been revised.
FYI:
http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=11776.60
I just picked up a copy and I can confirm the new GBU 4K BD has the original mono mix during the International cut scenes. Unfortunately, it's lossy Dolby Digital 1.0 192kbps.
FYI:
http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=11776.60
I can confirm the new GBU 4K BD has the original mono mix during the International cut scenes. Unfortunately, it's lossy Dolby Digital 1.0 192kbps.
I just sent him a PM from cinefacts. I hope I hear back.