JayArgonaut

Both prints have been re-listed by the seller, if anyone is still considering this opportunity…

I’d love to see at least the theatrical version of AOTC preserved in a high quality form. At the present, the best is the Centropy release. Is there any interest in purchasing the print? My finances are hardly stellar but I’m up for making a donation towards the cause.

Thanks. Looking at the description, I noticed that the audio appears to be Russian (only?), which would mean sourcing an English language track from a theatrical version…

Density said:

I just can’t understand the mentality behind making that kind of change. George really thought it was worth changing a wipe to a cut for the DVD, and then changed it back for the Blu-ray. What the actual fuck? Did he honestly think that there is anyone, anywhere on the face of the entire planet who would care about this? Did he really think it added to or took away anything from the film at all? True insanity. I honestly believe he has a legitimate obsessive-compulsive disorder or something, there is no other explanation.

Don’t try to understand GL’s thinking, you’ll just go as insane as him. After witnessing some of the 1997 alterations and then the 2004 revisions: designed to make the OT fit the PT’s continuity, instead of writing the PT to work vice versa, I started having suspicions. However it was when he claimed during an interview that Han was always meant, all along to shoot second, instead of first, that I had to conclude madness has consumed him.

RooBee said:

The better versions of the prequels…

Can you elaborate please? I’d like to know more as to why the 35MM versions are superior to the other releases.

Great news!

Asaki said:

Right, I’m just saying that usually they crop.

I understood what you were referring to. Anything with an aspect ratio of 2:00.1 and wider is often at risk of being cropped to fill 16:9, just as they cropped films to fill 4:3 and some channels still do that. Last year I saw 300: Rise of an Empire, on HBO and was dismayed to see they’d cropped it rather than use the OAR.

litemakr said:

FrankT said:

Now that’s a thought, what edits were made to the TV version, if any?

I don’t have the tape any more but the only thing I recall being edited was when Indy says “holy shit” when he sees the nazi sub. None of the violence was edited that I remember and the melting/exploding heads were not censored.

IMDB (yes, I know - not always a reliable source of info) claims that 24 seconds were edited from the ABC broadcast.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082971/alternateversions?ref_=tt_ql_trv_5

Someone has uploaded the first three minutes of the ABC premiere:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hAuu0-5rDo

Here’s another clip from the ABC premiere, this time with Indy and Marion being trapped in the Well of Souls. Indy’s exclamation of “Jesus” when his whip is mistaken by Marion for a snake, has been truncated to “Jeez.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwrKdM-45nk

I imagine the goddamn’s uttered throughout the film would’ve been altered or removed. 😄

litemakr said:

I did see it and actually videotaped it at the time. ABC used the same master as the 1983 VHS and laserdisc version. That was the only version used for home video, cable or broadcast until the 1992 widescreen laserdisc, which was a new transfer. A pan and scan of that transfer was used for broadcast until the 2003 DVD.

Raiders video transfers:
1981 Making of special and Great Movie Stunts special (clips)
1983 VHS, Betamax and Laserdisc
1992 Laserdisc and VHS (widescreen and pan and scan)
2003 DVD and VHS (widescreen and pan and scan) HD version used for HD broadcasts
2011(?) 4K restoration (Japanese wowow broadcasts, 30th anniversary screenings)
2012 Blu-Ray

Thanks, I knew you’d have some interesting insights and information to share. 😃

Don’t forget the CED and VHD transfers:

The VHD back cover appears to contain an image from a deleted scene - the shot of Indy with Marion: perhaps taken from the discarded sequence where they kissed?

litemakr said:

DrDre said:

litemakr said:

DrDre said:

I’m really curious to know, which home video release first introduced the red cast in the bar? It really changes the atmosphere.

I recently bought the first laserdisc release from 1984. However, I don’t own a laserdisc player, so I should have it transfered to dvd. It’s pan and scan, but I guess it still has some historic significance.

That’s the first home video release. I have the VHS version, I’ll track it down and take a look. The next transfer was in 1991 for the widescreen LD and VHS, I’ll check that too.

The scenes in 1981 making of have the correct color.

Did you get a chance to take a look at those home video releases?

I did find my original Raiders VHS from 1983. Unfortunately the bar scene doesn’t play anymore, it is all static. Some parts do play, and wow it’s amazing how bad the quality is. But I remember getting it as a kid and watching it repeatedly and thinking it looked great.

Anyway, I couldn’t see enough to determine the color. I do have another later VHS copy of the same transfer (they used that transfer from 1983 to 1992). I’ll try to find that. I also have the 1992 LD somewhere (the second home video transfer), I’ll try to find it.

litemakr, just wondered - did you ever watch/record the 1986 ABC premiere of ROTLA and if so, how does the colour (and the pan & scanning) compare to the home video releases of the time?

AntcuFaalb said:

JayArgonaut said:

Could this not be accomplished with stream grabbing methods?

It most likely can, but I’d still need to purchase each season from VUDU and they’re going for $40 per at the moment.

If we can find four other people (including yourself) interested in this, then we can perhaps have each one send me the $40 and I’ll do the capturing, but I’ll do the first season with my own money as a show of good faith.

Would that work?

That would definitely work. I was going to make a similar suggestion myself. 😃

I’ll happily send you the money for my share. Let’s see who else wants to pitch in for the remainder. Can we discuss some of the details via PM?

Could this not be accomplished with stream grabbing methods?

I take it they can’t be downloaded onto your computer and can only be viewed whilst on the VUDU site? The reason I ask because I haven’t sorted out a proxy yet, so I haven’t been able to check.

Does this mean that Vudu remains the best source if you want to enjoy B5 in the original 4:3?

The entire lot are on Vudu and with the exception of The Gathering, they all appear to be described as 480p/Fullscreen. I’m tempted to just snag the whole load, if there’s an option to download them but I’d need to sort out a proxy as I’m based in the UK.

Sorry Hutt, I clean forgot! I went straight to the next stage by sending RidgeShark copies of the recordings so that he could get working on them.

Here you go. 😃

RidgeShark said:

Wow, looks great! Definitely the best so far. Maybe the laserdisc can be used to help patch up the “True Entertainment - Richard Thomas Day” text.

Great minds think alike, it could also help with patching up the end credits too. I’ll make preparations to send you copies of the broadcasts and then you can work your magic on them. 😃

The LD’s digital audio should easily surpass the 128 kb/s MPEG-2 layer III but I think you’ll have to apply an NTSC speed down to the broadcasts so that they sync correctly with it?

Here’s part 1, if you like what you see, I’ll share the grabs for part 2.

Jetrell Fo said:

If I understand the OP correctly, he is not ready to share his stuff due to past issues … and I don’t believe he’s stated he’s ready just yet, at least until his health is better which is totaly understandable.

That was also my reading of the situation too.

Away from home at the moment so give me a few days and I’ll provide some grabs of the 576i UK PAL recording.

dvdmike said:

Also that first pic, I took that ages ago and it gets everywhere

Ah, so you’re the originator? It’s been referenced on here by other members, never knew who the creator was. Also used here: http://notonbluray.com/blog/orange-and-teal/ is that your blog btw?

tommodore64 said:

JayArgonaut it’s hard to get into mind of James Cameron. At different times and on different formats he seems to prefer a different color scale. BD looks amazing but there is too much blue/orange complementary color there for my taste (but again that was a popular choice in the 80s even though he chose it in 00s). I have Aliens on pretty much all formats and DVD color is pretty much close to what I get used to the most. The best option would be to have “original” (whichever it is) color version and optional new color regrade as an option on blu-ray.

Yeah, likewise with Lucas (who I’m convinced has gone insane), Spielberg and many many others who’ve pulled similar stunts. I’m driven to distraction by the endless home video revisions and perplexing choices. From the uncut 1:66.1 version of Robocop only being available on an OOP non-anamorphic 1999 DVD, to The Matrix receiving a re-colour so it matches the sequels.

Done! Check your PM’s. 😃

Now, onto tackling a capture of TVH’s UK W/S VHS release…

tommodore64 said:
From all I’ve read on the subject so far it seems to me that we should be pretty happy with Blu-ray version.

Oh really?

Ok, cool. I’ll get that to you very very soon.

Jetrell Fo said:

I would love to have a scan of the inlay sheets if you can do it AND a nice cap of the TVH with prologue … maybe even a converted to NTSC version … so that some of us may hear it the way we are used to. Only if you have time though.

😃

The scan shouldn’t be too hard, the rest, I can work on over time. 😃

What DPI would you like?