StarThoughts

Hm. But then why would they need to letterbox the credits?

So the film is hard matted to 1.85:1?

I just came back from a screening of Ghostbusters.

The big reveal of Mr. Stay-Puft thundering through Columbus Circle is still one of the best — and funniest — shots in the film.

Also, on the big screen it's easier to see the room service lady try to extinguish a flaming toilet paper roll with her little spray bottle, a background gag that usually gets lost on television dimensions.

PDB said:

Silly question. Since I have been watching Alien so many times lately I began to wonder: does Dallas knows Ash is an android? Ash is the only person on the ship that Dallas listens to and sometimes takes orders from. When Ash says the facehugger has to go back Dallas accepts that decision in the face of everything that's happened. Dallas as the captain is the only one to have access directly to Mother so its not unreasonable to think he might know an android is aboard also. He seems to know that Ash equals the company. 

I don't think so; not that Dallas couldn't have accessed the information (if Ripley had clearance once she took command of the ship, he would have had it the whole time), but that he would have had no reason to think he should. He does mention that Ash was a late addition to the crew and that he had no explanation for the replacement, but goes no further, suggesting that he just sort of shrugged and went with it.

Ash gets to make certain decisions where the science section has authority (this is not the same thing as breaking quarantine regulations, which Ash clearly did with ulterior motives).

That's exactly why these versions need to be preserved, above and beyond their intrinsic cinematic and historical value. They're not just entertainment, they're personal experiences, they're something we share with family and friends… they mean something to us.

Nick66 said:

Harry (or anyone who can answer).. I noticed there are two audio tracks on SW 2.5 that aren't on ESB 2.0. ..the 1985 stereo LD mix and the 2004 Star Wars.com audio commentary. Were these tracks simply unavailable, and if so do we expect them to be in the future? Thanks!  

I don't know about the StarWars.com commentaries, but I do know that Empire and Jedi were not remixed in 1985, only Star Wars.

Regarding Aliens: The second regrade to LD is much closer to where it's at and the bee's knees and whatnot.

Regarding the audio: Did the AC-3 LD have a Dolby Surround version of the Sensurround test track, or was it the same mix from the CAV box set (which I think was the 35 millimeter Dolby Stereo)?

jerryshadoe said:

IF THIS SHOULDN'T BE POSTED, I apologize and will delete links...

On topic on that soundtrack, I collect soundtracks and have many rare ones in my collection. A lot of the soundtracks are for movies that I have never seen but I like the music. Anyway, I have a copy of this album, both in FLAC and mp3, and am happy to share it for anyone interested. I'm assuming that since this is a rare, OOP album, it's ok to post these links ;o)

FLAC edition: https://mega.co.nz/#!QEpyVQCB!7fjNMHikr9ElFzJF9ZhkHxyYOH26Lj4T5BxDw2VMN6Y

320kbps CBR MP3 edition: https://mega.co.nz/#!cRAElBSL!8Xw6toYJ2KN8ujk9te-wDoSAOWT0aeYeFKBt4E1kDAE

Enjoy ;o)

EDIT: I just realized that what I posted is NOT the same as the cover shown in the post above mine, as it has 13 (not 11) tracks. Some of them differ a little bit in name but the overall runtime appears to be the same. When I found this originally (on a site that is now dead) the description stated that it was the rare pressed CD edition. I remember this because I threw it in my "RARE collections" music folder on my backup drive and every one of those finds stands out in my mind because its always a "warm-fuzzy-feeling" when you find unique stuff. Anyway, now I'm rambling, so I'll let you wonderful people decide whether this is a valid copy that I posted;o)

They probably separated “Prologue” from “Pursuit” (unnecessary) and “Revenge” from “Resolution” (which is nice because “Resolution” makes a great stand-alone track to add to playlists).

This score is one of Bernstein's most epic. When you're talking about the composer of The Ten Commandments, that's really saying something.

An album of the score — the original master Elmer Bernstein had prepared before the failure of the film killed the prospect of a soundtrack album — was released by Perseverance Records in March of 2011, but was quickly withdrawn when it was revealed that not everything had been properly signed off on by all of the relevant parties.

Raptor7 said:

are there any plans to have a Bluray sized version 1080p like the first 2 films

with subtitles and commentary and DTS mix as well?

Yes, it is being worked on now. Scroll up for more details.

The Despecialized restorations are at 720p because that is what the Blu-ray transfers practically resolve to.

timdiggerm said:

As much as I usually hate overexplaining fiction...

With sublight engines pushing for long enough, the Falcon achieves near c flight. A week passes on board the Falcon, while Luke trains with Yoda for months. Boba follows long enough to figure out their course, and can easily predict when they'll arrive. The Empire, thus, arrives just before the Falcon.

That doesn't really work either. It would still take years from everyone else's perspective to get from one solar system to another, even traveling at near-light speeds. And Darth Vader is not depicted in this movie as being a particularly patient dude. If it took the Falcon that long to get to Cloud City, there is no reason why it could not have been intercepted by the Empire, who could easily get the drop on any ship traveling at sublight speeds.

Of course, as hairy_hen pointed out, the actual reason why this was able to happen was because it was written in the script.

However, my own “explanation” for this plot hole is that the Avenger made a quick hyperspace jump to rendezvous with the Executor and rest of the fleet, which has clearly gathered again after having been scattered at Hoth and the Falcon pursuit, before Vader orders it deployed.

This is consistent not only with Threepio's attitude when we cut back to the Millenium Falcon's cockpit — it would have been quite shocking to have a sudden hyperspace jump into the middle of the Imperial Fleet — but also because the sequence in which the fleet is depicted breaking up does not feature the asteroid belt “horizon line.” This was a constant visual reference throughout the film up until this point, but the shots of the Imperial Fleet, the Falcon detaching, and the pursuit of Slave One feature a pretty wide field of view, during which the asteroid belt is nowhere to be found, implying that they're somewhere else.

Also, why would Han have to bother to check his position if they never left the Hoth system?

PDB said:

Nothing wrong with a film looking of its time. 

Films should look (and sound) of their time.

I for one think that, while still running a little red, your grading makes the film look a whole lot more 1979 than the Blu-ray does. The airlock interior and the Nostromo exterior in the clip are prime examples of scenes that look a lot more natural in your version. And while the fleshtones are still a bit warm, they look more alive than the relatively sterile appearance of the Blu-ray.

I didn't think of the Blu-ray timing as disastrous, but I noticed right away when I got it that it was very different from how I'm used to seeing the film (CAV box set, then 1999 DVD — I have the Quadrillogy as well, but didn't watch it as often), and I prefer where you're going with this.

Which soundtrack do you intend to use as the default?

Okay, now I'm super-psyched for the 5.1 track. It is perhaps the only Alien mix I haven't yet heard.

I am pretty sure that the AC-3 track on Alien is a straight transfer of the 70mm mix and not a new mix. It was a selling point on the LD when it came out — granted, there wouldn't be split-surrounds, but the front separation (which was quite significant in this movie), discrete surround and dedicated bass channel would have made it worthwhile.

Regarding your grading for Aliens: I like where you're going, but I think there is just a tad too much red right now. That said, it's amazing how much more vibrant the image can be without the cold pall on the Blu-ray… the two-shot of Hicks and Apone is a perfect example.

I don't think there is more demand for the OUT than the SE. I just think the people who want the original are more vocal than the people who are either content with the SE or don't know the difference.

As for new versions, constantly revising the films was George's own thing. While Disney is certainly not above making alterations to their own classics for home video, I don't necessarily see a new version of the SEs, at least any time soon.

Whichever network it was broadcast on, the cut definitely worth preserving in HD.

I agree that the laserdisc colors are the best overall for Alien, although I think you can give yourself a little latitude here and there. And I really like the idea of having the original 70mm audio track as an option, as I missed that particular laserdisc.

Regarding Aliens, I think that you should definitely start with the theatrical because I think that it would be worthwhile preservation (was the AC-3 track on that last laserdisc edition also the 70mm track?). That said, I think it would be a great idea to re-create the ABC cut.

Matt_Stevens said:

For the record, I for one would like Star Wars 2.5 as a 50GB Blu-Ray. Or even a 25GB Blu-Ray. Either would be a huge improvement of heavily compressed 720p (which still looks fantastic, so don't get me wrong). 

As has been covered before, there would be little to no advantage to encoding these higher than 720p, which is what the Blu-rays practically resolve at.

Harmy has said that there will eventually be Blu-ray builds for these, they will be sourced from the MKVs.

Jedi is still in 1.0 AVCHD version, so it has more heavy compression applied to it than either Star Wars 2.5 or Empire 2.0 MKVs (although the AVCHDs for both of those are also distinct improvements over the AVCHDs for 1.0).

AntcuFaalb said:

You're right. I'm sure Fox isn't interested in making a boatload of money. It's more advantageous for them to snub Disney and continue trying to sell the 2011 set.

I'm not sure it's just money in the bank. Yes, there are a lot of people who would be interested in such a thing, but there is a certain echo chamber effect going on that overestimates the demand for this set. An entire generation has grown up with some form of SE as being “their” Star Wars.

It is also very possible that the terms of the sales and agreements would make it very difficult for a particular party to recoup their own outlay. Such difficulties can and have prevented many a worthy project from progressing.

I hope to be proven wrong. I would love to see a genuine restoration of the historically and culturally significant originals.

It would be nice to have a full professional restoration… but at the moment it is just a rumor from unconfirmed and mysterious sources that is being amplified because it is what people want to hear.

anathema said:

In a nutshell, he recalls one of the subtitles containing a four-letter word. 

 No.

Yes, that was a '93 change. Bringing that mix up will only cause confusion as that sound mix is included in the MKV.

There are no issues that I noticed on the new 5.1 mix. Yes, the music does flange from time to time, but that was a trait of the original sources (you can hear it happening even on the mono track), and could be the result of speeding up and slowing down cues.

If anything, I was a bit shocked as to how powerful this sounded… the bass is killer (in a good way).

moviefreakedmind said:

It was so great to see the original Jabba's palace dance scene again, even though sadly the only way to make the scene look better at this point is to get some kind of film source since every SE release has not included any of the original musical scene.

Considering how good the film-sourced footage in Star Wars 2.5 and ESB 2.0 looks, and how well Harmy made it integrate with everything else, I'm not worried.