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Neil S. Bulk

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Join date
10-Mar-2003
Last activity
7-Nov-2023
Posts
316

Post History

Post
#206206
Topic
The Official 2006 Discs Will Be No Better Than What We Have!
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/206206/action/topic#206206
Time

I hate to say this, as today we should be celebrating and retiring this site, but it seems the battle for a quality release of the original Star Wars on DVD has just begun.

Why?

Because these brand new DVDs will be using ancient video masters. Here’s Jim Ward, of Lucasfilms, comment: “The original films’ video quality will not match up to that of the restored versions. ‘It is state of the art, as of 1993, and that’s not as good as state of the art 2006,’ Ward says.” That quote can be found in this article from USA Today.

This confirms that they are using the old video masters used for the Laser Discs and VHS tapes, last released more than 10 years ago. Basically, every disc that every fan at this site has ever made is as good as the product Lucasfilm will be releasing. These will be the official Lucasfilm “bootleg” editions, or maybe the “Infernal Creative Decision” edition.

I could curse. I could scream. But I’m going to take the high road. I’m going to inform everyone I know not to be suckered into buying these discs. I’m going to urge you all to do that too. I don’t even think anyone should own them. Lucasfilm should not be rewarded for this amateur and sloppy decision. Lucasfilm doesn’t respect our wishes, so lets not support them. I’m not advocating piracy and I don’t think anyone should offer an alternate disc to prospective buyers. Education is the key here. Demonstrate what is going on with this release. Show that instead of investing and preserving a classic, Lucasfilm are instead resorting to the lowest common denominator in order to make a fast buck. Explain that these are being dumped off in a quick firesale, just before high definition home video becomes commonplace.

Neil

Post
#205174
Topic
Idea & Info: "Darkman" - unaired tv pilot & info on a bonus disc project...
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/205174/action/topic#205174
Time
Originally posted by: ocpmovie
Speaking of fan edits ... it would be easy, if sort of pointless, to do a serious cut of Darkman, removing the big, silly helicopter scene at the end. The film could be taken as serious, apart from that bit of admittedly Raimi-ish dumbness.

I'll take that anyday of the week and twice on Sunday over any of Raimi's Spider-Man films.

Neil
Post
#200973
Topic
***//BUILDING EMPIRE\\: PAL & NTSC DVD - NEW EDITION NOW ONLINE! ***
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/200973/action/topic#200973
Time
Watched this today. The alternate audio from the Super 8mm print of the movie is fascinating. A pity the audio from the SE was used for this. At one point in Cloud City you can hear a CG elevator going by, but no elevator can be seen. Also, there are several points in the SE mix where the original music that John Williams wrote was restored (usually shots of the Imperial fleet). In the earlier mix, these sequences were tracked with "The Imperial March". It would have been nice to have these easily located bits put on here, as well as some of the dialogue changes made to the SE, such as Han's, "Come on" being added after "Transport, this is Solo. Better take off-I can't get to you. I'll get her out on the Falcon." Threepio also has an added line after the Asteroid field chase in the SE and 2004 mix.

Also, is there any explanation for moving the first appearance of the Imperial fleet? It's awkward and feels really out of place. I'm not as familiar with Empire as I am with Star Wars, but it seems like this was the only scene that was moved in "Building Empire". At least with the Star Wars doc, the re-ordering was done to reflect an early draft and the whole thing was changed around. This one bit in Empire really bugged me though and felt more like a mistake than a recreation. During this scene, when Vader walks over to the Imperials, he walks past the control pit. I think that's a flipped shot from the end of the movie, but no mention of this is made.

Nicely done overall.

Neil
Post
#199365
Topic
Info: The "OFFICIAL" audio mixes of the Original Trilogy - Help needed.
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/199365/action/topic#199365
Time
Originally posted by: russs15

Star Wars

(1) 1977 35mm two-track Dolby Stereo (as available up to 1985 CAV LaserDisc - captured)
(2) 1977 70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo (never available but re-created by the EditDroid team)
(3) 1977 35mm mono. (available from UK ITV VHS tape or 1977 bootleg tape)
(4) 1985 two-track Dolby Stereo (as available on 1992 Pan/Scan LaserDisc)
(5) 1993 two-track Dolby Stereo (as available on Definitive Collection onwards)
(6) 1997 Special Edition (as available on SE LaserDisc)
(7) 2004 Special Special Edition (as available on 2004 DVD)

Some corrections....

(1) 1977 35mm two-track Dolby Stereo (CAV analog pan and scan LD is the only way to get this without time compression. All early video releases used this track)
(2) 1977 70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo (the 1993 is believed to have been sourced primarily from this. The EditDroid disc used Ben Burtt's 1985 re-mix, believing it to be the original mix)
(4) 1985 two-track Dolby Stereo (Released first on VHS and later on LD. In the US this was on the 1989 widescreen LD and the digital pan and scan time compressed LD from 1992)
(7) 2004 Special Special Edition (There is nothing special or even "Special Special" about this waste of time)

Neil
Post
#195129
Topic
Info: More ANH soundmix discussion (remasters & French dub)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/195129/action/topic#195129
Time
The EditDroid DVD did not use the 1993 mix. Just listen to it. Note that it has the tractor beam line! Therefore, it's safe to say that the EditDroid disc uses the 1985 mix, since that is the only home video release (prior to the SE) to have that line. I recall a thread here where I pointed this out to the creator of that disc and he admitted he didn't realize that the audio he used wasn't the original track, though it is the track closest to the original.

If anyone wants the original 1977 Dolby Stereo mix, I have an Apple Lossless file of it, taken from the 1983 CAV pan-and-scan LD.

Neil
Post
#192734
Topic
Isolated Score Tracks - Your Wishlists
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/192734/action/topic#192734
Time
Originally posted by: FanFiltration
Originally posted by: Neil S. Bulk
You can make complete isolated scores for You Only Live Twice, Dirty Harry, Magnum Force and Logan's Run as all of those have been released on CD and are complete.

Neil


"You Only Live Twice" is missing the trumpet and string music played under Bond's fake funeral aboard ship at the start of the film.


Nope, it's on there. I just listened to it to make sure. I have the complete album cut apart, but I have a 1:58 cue titled, "Burial at Sea". According to my notes, it can be heard in the middle of "James Bond in Japan".

Neil
Post
#188757
Topic
'The Monster Squad' widescreen preservation? (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/188757/action/topic#188757
Time
Originally posted by: digitalfreaknyc
Originally posted by: Neil S. Bulk
Wasn't this shown in the last year on one of the HD channels, just like Blade Runner? <hint, hint>

Neil


Nope.


You're right, it wasn't the last year. It was shown on Voom in HD in October 2004. This site says it was 1.85:1 but I can't confirm that. I think a buddy of mine watched it, so I'll have to see if he remembers.

Neil
Post
#187999
Topic
Idea &amp; Info: star trek the motion picture - preservation
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/187999/action/topic#187999
Time
Originally posted by: Jaiman Tuckuh
Originally posted by: Neil S. Bulk
Keep in mind the HD transfer actually contains some color fixes that were done for "The Director's Edition" relating to the deflector dish.

Neil


Any details on that?

I don't remember the exact shots, but I think at least one is when the Enterprise is inside V'ger while Kirk is recording the Captain's Log.

Neil
Post
#185921
Topic
The Indiana Jones Project (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/185921/action/topic#185921
Time
Originally posted by: skyjedi2005
I know i'm probalbly absolutely in the minority here, but I have always prefered films in stereophonic sound to dolby 5.1, especially if that is how they were filmed or recorded, rather than artificially created after the fact 30 years later. Although 5.1 and 6.1 and 7.1 are viable now, and create better spacialization stereo tracks should be included on releases, (also known as dolby 2.0) or better yet Pcm Stereo uncompressed!

I'm going to spell this out very easily for you. The 5.1 track on the Raiders DVD was derived from the original 6 track mix. Nothing was added or taken away. The mix was done at Paramount and not Lucasfilm. Had Lucasfilm been involved, I'm sure new elements would have creeped in, but as it is, the DVD IS the original mix. And the original Dolby Stereo track was derived as well from the 6 track master. This isn't a case like Star Wars where multiple mixes were made.

The digital PCM track on the widescreen laser disc is wrong! It has at least one sound effect that is different from the original film and the analog sound on the original LD is pretty fuzzy sounding. Neither are worth preserving.

Neil
Post
#184377
Topic
The Indiana Jones Project (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/184377/action/topic#184377
Time
Originally posted by: digitalfreaknyc

Agreed. Though Jaws was fixed with the 30th anniversary though.

Superman could be easily fixed with some editing.

Star Wars is another story.

I have a lossless file of the digital audio from the Superman LD already to go! Any takers? Or should just wait for the November official release?

And yes, Jaws was fixed. So was Vertigo for that matter.

Star Wars is best forgotten.

Neil
Post
#184306
Topic
The Indiana Jones Project (Released)
Link
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/184306/action/topic#184306
Time
Originally posted by: Moth3r
I would think that the laserdisc 2-channel audio would be exactly the same as the Dolby mix on the theatrical 35mm prints. The 5.1 mix on the DVDs, although remixed from the 70mm 6-track mix, will still be slightly different (i.e. only one sub channel instead of 2, and stereo surrounds instead of mono).

The 70mm prints of Temple of Doom had mono surrounds and Raiders probably did, too (though I can't confirm either way). Last Crusade had split surrounds though.

Way to much attention is being focused on Indiana Jones. Those are DVDs that the studio got right. Somehow these films (and the 1982 version of ET) slipped through the cracks and didn't get mangled on DVD the way Jaws, Star Wars and Superman were.

Neil