I just found out that someone I know has a super 8 copy of RotLA. It’s colour with magnetic sound, 330ft (on one reel, so I’m guessing it’s fairly abridged!)
Haven’t looked at it very closely, but it seems to be clean and complete - I was wondering if there’s anything particularly interesting about this version, or interest in preservation from a purely nostalgic point of view?
These Super8 'abridged' edits are extremely interesting - they're rare, collectable, and represent a unique section of movie history. Definitely worthy of preservation.
And yes, sometimes they do yield hidden surprises - the ESB Super8 gave valuable information regarding the famed 70mm print differences.
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I had a nose around to see if anyone had already done a transfer - doesn't look that way.
What I might do to begin with is try a quick'n'dirty transfer using a projector and camcorder (the best tools I have access to locally!) so folks can have a look at what lies within.
If it's particularly fun or unusual, we can talk about doing it a bit more seriously. I'd think this would be a job for Puggo, if only his hands weren't very full of Grande at the moment... let's see what comes up!
By the way, this is it:
Other than a while back noticing some youtube user put up a preservation of steven Spielberg duel in the condensed super8mm version, or puggo's transfers. There are not many preservations of these things. They should be preserved because they are film history. The only others i have seen are from movies that apparently public domain.
So no Raiders has never had a transfer done because this reel is incredibly rare, not as rare as the digest for star trek II the wrath of khan. But these 2 appear to be some of the rarer marketing films. No one has preserved the marketing films for star wars and empire strikes back that were in german i believe.
Return of the Jedi unfortunetely came out at a time when super8mm was apparenly dead and vhs had come to take over in the home, although jedi would not make it to video for many years 1986 i believe.
Hard to imagine really in a time when three to sixth months seperates the theater version of a movie and its dvd release.
There is a much romored unauthorized cut down of return of the jedi. I read about it i think once on a forum. cut down to an hour and basically the scope version of the film. No differences in audio and the takes used in the film. Does not appear to have been the 70mm version which had the different threepio dialogue. Basically the same line about lando and chewy but a different take.
Movies i have seen rather regularly on ebay which i think would be interesting to sci fi fans are Close Encounters of the third kind, and planet of the apes digests.
The thing is you never really know if they are sound and color and not black and white and silent when it comes to the earlier releases of films like the errol flynn swashbucklers or Ray Harryhausen stop motion features. Jason and the Argonauts and the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad pop up rather regularly but there is no information on sound or silent usually they are silent with subtitles.
The cut downs are not always that interesting or much better. I have in my collection the super 8 of flash gordon mars attacks the world, the worst version possible. Much worse than the serial or hearst tv version. Thrown together in a heartbeat to capitilize on the mercury radio release of war of the worlds.
A lot of the so called digest reels out there in 16mm or 8mm are just airline prints and condensed tv version of films or movie serials.
I have read that there are some interesting James Bond releases, most of which appear to be produced quite illegaly. Then you have authorized versions released by derann films co in the uk.
They used to have Thunderball complete, and a cutdown of the horrible never say never again.
Probably there best release was Return of the Jedi in terms of the print used. Printed onto mylar stock in cinemascope and in super8mm. Only the sound was a mono presentation of the stereo mix. They claimed you could redub it into stereo but that would defeat the whole point of preserving the print. They do that a lot when they have an english film in a foreign dub or a mono preserntation they dub it from a dvd.
In the case of star wars that audio would be inaccurate to say the least even if it was the gout.
As for the raiders digest the stock usually is eastman and faded to red. And for years it has been easier to find the german language version and not the american one. I bet its "foolscreen though"
A lot of so called widscreen releases on super8 are not even anamorphic. There was a star wars issue by Cineavision that was basically cropped widescreen or letterbox. Usually they call such releases adapted scope,lol.
You know it would be great if Lucas would pay for the 70mm presentations of the star wars trilogy on dvd with the original six track audio, though he never will. I wish star wars was in other hands. Then we could get a restored release with the vistavision opticals scanned at a high resolution for blu ray alongside the 35mm footage.
“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.
Jonno said:By the way, this is it:
WOW! They have Karen Allen sporting a very Donna Summer Disco look in that artwork. Far from the earthy type she truly is.
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