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Post #1040883

Author
these_aren't_the_droids
Parent topic
THX-1138 (1st Director’s Cut) - 35mm Grindhouse Edition (Released)
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1040883/action/topic#1040883
Date created
29-Jan-2017, 2:47 AM

Mavimao sent me the file, and I think it’s amazing.

There are two reasons I can never watch the blu-ray:

  1. The CGI elements (and added original footage) annoy the piss out of me. They distract from the focus.
  2. The audio mix sucks. The original two-channel is by far a better, immersive experience.

The blu-ray boasts superior picture quality, as I’m sure you’ve noticed if you’re reading this. That’s the only benefit to the blu-ray I can surmise, but for the above reasons I find it unwatchable.

Til now I’ve only had a badly made transfer of the laserdisc, non-anamorphic, almost unwatchable. Mavimao’s transfer makes it watchable again. The grit and noise are not unpleasant, and certainly add to the 70’s grittiness and visceral reality which this film exudes. Coupled with the laserdisc soundtrack, kudos and a slow clap (“well done, sir”) for the capture, transfer, and synchronization of this vintage celluloid and sharing it with the world. As of this writing, and in my opinion, this is the only watchable and listenable version.

I should qualify that I’m a sound nerd, I’ve done sound for a living and that end matters as much if not more than the video to me. I currently have two CD edits of the soundtrack, should anyone be interested. One by myself, edited from laserdisc elements, which I consider obsolete as of this video edit, unless you want one for audio-only listening. It’s 33 tracks and 1:01 hours long. The other is a collection made by Dolor Del Estamago records, a noise avant garde label from san francisco, presented more as a sound effects album. It sounds pretty different from mine in tonal quality… maybe a bit better. Perhaps taken from a VHS rental? I don’t know. It’s 29 tracks and 1:15 hours long. Discogs has info on that, and I can share either if interested, PM me.

Back to the video, I am grateful to have been given a chance to see and hear this. As I said, it’s my current definitive version.

If I had any suggestions for a future definitive, it might be these, and they are only suggestions:

  1. Use the blu-ray as a video source and cut in 35mm as needed. Eschew all footage, live action or CGI, not in the original edit.
  2. Keep the laserdisc audio track, or examine the dolor del estamago and see if that is useful. It’s pretty punchy and impactful. I think a combination of the two might yield the perfect stereo soundtrack.

That’s it… thanks again Mavimao, keep up the good work. Thanks for allowing me to enjoy this movie again.