Info: James Bond - Laserdisc Preservations: 1962-1971 — Page 9

Supposedly the SE errors were corrected when the disc was re-released in the US box sets.

MGM stated this would be the case with OHMSS, TLD, LTK and others with errors. The cases are exactly the same. I'm not sure if everything was fixed because I only have the single release that has the errors.

Would that UK VHS set mentioned in the article be the same as the US Deluxe Letterbox VHS? I've got that somewhere in storage.

That mono on the UE sounds small next to the SE track. All of the UE mono tracks are just standard Dolby at 192 kbps to make room for the damned Dolby and DTS upmixes which were completely unnecessary. Then Spy has no original audio.

Speaking of Spy, where is the original audio located? Every DVD has 5.1, and the LDs have 5.1 or a Dolby Surround mix. For a 1977 movie the mix would have to be just stereo. The 1988 MGM LD appears to have the original on the analog channels and is not time compressed.

http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/19973/ML101421/Spy-Who-Loved-Me-The-%281977%29

Am I thinking correctly on this? I may be totally off.

Chewtobacca said:

FanFiltration said:

Here are some comparisons from the different laserdisc versions of "Goldfinger".

Out of the three, the Connery collection consistently looks the best.  The colors on the Criterion Collection look really odd to me.

Yes they do. I think I agree with you. The 1989 series / Connery Collection is my choice for preservation sources too. 

Here is something odd about the U.E. edition of "O.H.M.S.S." I just noticed as I was synchronizing the audio from the different versions together.

When Bond is captive in the cable car mechanism room at Blofeld's hideaway, we see him time the stoping and starting of the cable with his watch. On the U.E., there is an extra shot of the cable car pulling into a station. This is WRONG! An obvious continuity error from the approach shot of the cable car that had just been shown to us. Also, because this has been inserted, it completely messes up the timing of the cable that is still moving in the next shot with Bond. It does not belong there!

As you see the cable car approach the tower station, you can see that the completely exposed tower platform does not match the enclosed one we see in the added station clip. Also, there is one of Blofeld's guards standing at the station platform in the approach shot, but he is missing in the added station shot.

It is not on the laserdisc, or the S.E. DVD.  It sticks out horribly.  The shot is at 1:24:48 on the U.E.

I guess sometimes odd cuts have a reason then...

I seem to recall much gnashing of teeth elsewhere about that curious error when the UE DVD came out.

Given how the studios sometimes grab whatever reels seem to be handy without really checking the contents, I'm surprised nobody ever released the ABC tv cut by mistake. ;)

SilverWook said:

I seem to recall much gnashing of teeth elsewhere about that curious error when the UE DVD came out.

Given how the studios sometimes grab whatever reels seem to be handy without really checking the contents, I'm surprised nobody ever released the ABC tv cut by mistake. ;)

I want to see that O.H.M.S.S. ABC T.V. abomination so badly! It was out in the torrents a few years ago as a faithful fan reconstruction, but somehow I missed getting hold of it. Yet, I do have the soundtrack audio around someplace, so I have heard it at least.

I want to see it too. Just for the sheer oddity and that narration.

I remember that error, and it's another reason why I went to the SE for viewing.

So there is a need for a definitive O.H.M.S.S.!

Ok let's start the wish list for this edition....

I have the 1989 laserdisc dubbed to my PC hard drive now. I have the original mono from the digital channel in PCM. I can edit the 5.1 DTS to match the laserdisc video, and have an isolated music score from the CD soundtrack. 

Is there anything that you guys would like done or un-done to this film?  

I'm open to ideas to make this definitive.

"Thunderball" is going to be a bit more involved, so I will get to that next. I wanted to get my feet wet with a less involved compilation first anyway.

FanFiltration said:

SilverWook said:

I seem to recall much gnashing of teeth elsewhere about that curious error when the UE DVD came out.

Given how the studios sometimes grab whatever reels seem to be handy without really checking the contents, I'm surprised nobody ever released the ABC tv cut by mistake. ;)

I want to see that O.H.M.S.S. ABC T.V. abomination so badly! It was out in the torrents a few years ago as a faithful fan reconstruction, but somehow I missed getting hold of it. Yet, I do have the soundtrack audio around someplace, so I have heard it at least.

 

Even the website of the guy who made it seems to have gone missing.

I have vague memories of seeing it on ABC. (Honestly thought it was a made for tv thing at the time, as the other fellow wasn't in it!) All my early Bond experiences were with tv. I didn't realize until HBO ran all the Bond films in 1981(?) how much ABC snipped and sanitized them.

I seriously think an all 007 channel would be cool, actually. :)

SilverWook said:

FanFiltration said:

SilverWook said:

I seem to recall much gnashing of teeth elsewhere about that curious error when the UE DVD came out.

Given how the studios sometimes grab whatever reels seem to be handy without really checking the contents, I'm surprised nobody ever released the ABC tv cut by mistake. ;)

I want to see that O.H.M.S.S. ABC T.V. abomination so badly! It was out in the torrents a few years ago as a faithful fan reconstruction, but somehow I missed getting hold of it. Yet, I do have the soundtrack audio around someplace, so I have heard it at least.

 

Even the website of the guy who made it seems to have gone missing.

I have vague memories of seeing it on ABC. (Honestly thought it was a made for tv thing at the time, as the other fellow wasn't in it!) All my early Bond experiences were with tv. I didn't realize until HBO ran all the Bond films in 1981(?) how much ABC snipped and sanitized them.

I seriously think an all 007 channel would be cool, actually. :)

I remember that HBO marathon. It was how I first saw the Connery Bond films, and I was hooked forever after. I also remember HBO showed "Moonraker" over and over, so much more then any other film in the series. I think that may have been before For Your Eyes Only, so 1981 sounds right.  Yes "Moonraker" was the latest film at the time, and that is why it played so much.  I also seem to remember that they did not play O.H.M.S.S. as part of that marathon at all. But they may have played it later in the mid 80's. I was forever searching for it on VHS at various video stores all over central New Jersey when I first got my license to drive.  I remember finding it one day, and I think it had a slip draw cardboard case and the weight of the VHS tape was like 3 pounds. VHS was heavy duty, and built to last back then. 

My old VHS tapes from the 80's are holding up better than the 90's stock. ;)

There's seems to have been a long period where OHMSS was the bastard stepchild of the franchise, in spite of DAF and FYEO referring to events from it. Even the old CBS/Fox cover art seems to be trying to hide the fact it's a Bond film.

And yet, George Lazenby played a 007 type of fellow at least twice on tv in the 80's! Even drove the Aston Martin.

I don't think it got any real love until the first letterboxed LD with Lazenby front and center on the cover. Think I still have one of the old Laserdisc new release catalogs from when when that came out.

No one ever wanted to acknowledge it as a Bond film. For years it was the bastard stepchild. It was one of the few films that would always be scheduled at 12:30am on a Wednesday during the old TBS marathons. (back when it was the Superstation) Thus it wasn't until I tracked it down on tape (which took quite some time in the early 90's!) that I finally got to see the entire film. I also lucked out to get the letterbox version which was when I discovered the infamous black bars for the first time.

FF other than doing a little image cleanup and having the full PCM mono track I can't think of anything much else to add. What could we do to make it really definitive?

WoW this is some list of goofs for OHMSS.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064757/goofs

"O.H.M.S.S." update:

I was having a bit of a problem figuring out how to edit the DTS file from the U.E. DVD. I had to remove that added shot of the tram station.

The solution was to...

Demux the DTS file to six mono WAV files with Besweet GUI, using the azidts plug in.

Work continues...

FanFiltration, have you tinkered with the adjustable video DNR settings on the 704 at all? Mine blew up before I really got started preserving my LD's (or had an HD set) and was curious if it's a help or hindrance now.

And did you get your hands on the early THX DVD's yet?

FanFiltration said:

"O.H.M.S.S." update:

 

I was having a bit of a problem figuring out how to edit the DTS file from the U.E. DVD. I had to remove that added shot of the tram station.

The solution was to...

Demux the DTS file to six mono WAV files with Besweet GUI, using the azidts plug in.

 

Work continues...

 

How exactly did you do that? I would love to rip and edit the DTS on TSWLM to make a complete score.

SilverWook said:

FanFiltration, have you tinkered with the adjustable video DNR settings on the 704 at all? Mine blew up before I really got started preserving my LD's (or had an HD set) and was curious if it's a help or hindrance now.

And did you get your hands on the early THX DVD's yet?

I have yet to understand what the DNR is doing exactly. So, no I have not used it on anything yet. I still need to d/l the manual for the unit.

And yes, I did buy the THX versions "Dr. No", "From Russia With Love", and "Goldfinger" on DVD used for about $5 each. I have not done anything with them yet, as I wanted to get O.H.M.S.S. done first.

captainsolo said:

FanFiltration said:

"O.H.M.S.S." update:

 

I was having a bit of a problem figuring out how to edit the DTS file from the U.E. DVD. I had to remove that added shot of the tram station.

The solution was to...

Demux the DTS file to six mono WAV files with Besweet GUI, using the azidts plug in.

 

Work continues...

 

How exactly did you do that? I would love to rip and edit the DTS on TSWLM to make a complete score.

I'm still in the proses of doing this, and will be better able to write out the complete step by step instructions for you this evening after work.  In fact, what I will do is post all the instructions in the "How-To's and Technical Discussions" section, so other fan editors can reference it as well.

FF

I was flipping channels, and O.H.M.S.S. was on USA HD tonight! Haven't seen any classic Bond on tv in a while.

Did anybody catch the whole thing, to see if anything is different? Pity it was cropped to 16:9 though!

I didn't know USA would show OHMSS. I've seen part of Thunderball and it was indeed at 1.78.

Here is my simple guide to edit a DTS file for a fan project.

Clicky

Hope this helps.

FF

captainsolo said:

Speaking of Spy, where is the original audio located? Every DVD has 5.1, and the LDs have 5.1 or a Dolby Surround mix. For a 1977 movie the mix would have to be just stereo. The 1988 MGM LD appears to have the original on the analog channels and is not time compressed.

http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/19973/ML101421/Spy-Who-Loved-Me-The-%281977%29

Am I thinking correctly on this? I may be totally off.

Six-track sound? Surround sound had been around long before Dolby Digital came out.

Not sure if Spy got 70mm blowups. Films afterwords did.