The Aluminum Falcon

SilverWook said:

Not "lossless" but a damn sight better than the 192kps DD track most original mixes are relegated to.

Interesting. Okay. Even better than a DTS track, not Dolby?

I read over at the HTF a while back the UK Psycho Blu has a lossless mono track, and includes the AHP episode that was on the two disc DVD.

The single UK Psycho BD definitely has it, but I'm just not sure about the one in the UK box set.

rpvee said:

But at least the original six will maintain their status, since they'll always be seen as officially Lucas' vision/ideas.

Oh god, the prequels appreciated by comparison, egad!

A Star Wars feature, live-action film without John Williams?  Unthinkable.

Well, ROTS had limited Williams participation because of how it was edited. It was either ROTS or AOTC that Williams never got a good final cut to work with/score. Still, no participation whatsoever would be bad. Hopefully, they don't jettison his work altogether and use... DANNY ELFMAN!

1990osu said:

The trilogy will continue the story of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia beyond "Return of the Jedi".

Recast or originals? I don't know which would be worse. It's disconcerting they plan on making this an active franchise with new movies every two to three years. With the exception of Bond (currently), all franchises that have gone in that direction get mired in terrible movies and lose respectability: ie. Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc.

bkev said:

They're also very hit-and-miss. Disney is infamous for modifying their films' color palettes to appeal to more modern audiences/children. And there's no grain to be found anywhere.

Problem numero uno.

adywan said:

their lawyers will be ready to pounce

on ot.com. Oh god! Problem numero dos.

I'm glad to hear the mono Vertigo is available in DTS; this would be superior to any Hi-Fi VHS/Beta preservations, correct?

Speaking of Hitchcock remixed audio tracks, does anyone know if the UK Set has the UK version of Psycho BD with the lossless mono track? I'd like to import and kill two birds with one stone; I'll pick up the mono Vertigo when it eventually comes out as a single.

You_Too said:

Just wanted to announce that sometime in the future when some other projects are done, me and DJ are planning to make our own color corrected versions of Terminator 1 and 2.

Ooh. Sounds interesting, You_Too. I assume the eventual product will be BD-50s... I eagerly await that project, as well as all the other ones you and dark_jedi are doing.

Thanks for sharing the Golden Jubilee project. I downloaded the workprint and the OHMSS TV Cut Recon, both things I've been interested in. I've managed to spot a few alternate shots in the workprint (ie. end of opening sequence toast); has anyone come up with a list of differences?

Those sound like pretty definitive custom DVDs... best of luck making them! These movies deserve an end-all high-quality version.

Ooh. I'd love to see the full workprint. I didn't know it contained extra/alternate footage and a different score.

slade said:

can take screencaps of this ...

Cool! I'd love to see screencaps or even a YouTube vid of this. Amazing that it broadcast in 2008!

EyeShotFirst said:

Updated!

Excellent. Most excellent. The fan edit bkev mentions definitely is worth checking out for ideas. Blofeld's Cat made his edit like a tribute to the series, using music from each movie.

Personally, I'd love to see Connery act to this theme (yes, I know it's associated with another bond but its classic Barry).

Good luck on this!

DominicCobb said:

Unfortunately (or fortunately), it set the comic-book-y trend for the rest of the series...And while I love every Bond movie, and their cheesy tones, I can't help but wonder if the world would be a better place if the rest of the Bond films were more like FRWL.

We would have less of this:

and more of this:

Unfortunately, the FRWL VHS doesn't have any extra footage at the end. It isn't open matte either, instead being panned and scanned. Strangely enough, the Tatiana nude shot is present, though I was under the assumption that it was only added for later. I assume the LD is from the same master.

Although, the end/credits is slightly different than the BD/DVD; rather, it is the one that appeared on the early video releases, such as/including the Criterion Collection version. The End title appears later and there is a jump cut before going to the rest of the credits. No extra footage though! There is no announcement for Goldfinger here and it's just the end. On a side note, I wonder if any Goldfinger releases have the OHMSS announcement ending...

Finally watched the Living Daylights. I got the single Blu-Ray from Target. My respect for Timothy Dalton continues to grow. He's definitely the most different Bond. Connery may be the most satisfying Bond for the cinema, but Dalton really is noteworthy, in the fact that he takes the role in a completely different direction to previous and succeeding portrayals. This is probably for the fact that he is the most accurate Bond to the novel: thoughtful, subtle, troubled, witty (TO AN EXTENT), and deadly. Living Daylights had a decent supporting cast: I liked the cello girl and definitely Necros, the most menacing Red Grant knock-off, IMO. To me, The Living Daylights simply is superb and the closest we'll see to a non Fleming, Fleming-esque movie.

I felt this one was superior to Licence to Kill, which suffered from lack of exotic locations and some other flaws, including Q's oddly large role... Licence to Kill does have some brilliant moments though...

FWIW: my top 10 Bond list in belated reaction to the 50th anniversary:

1) From Russia with Love

2) On Her Majesty's Secret Service

3) Casino Royale

4) The Living Daylights

5) Goldeneye

6) Goldfinger

7) Thunderball

8) Live and Let Die

9) Dr. No

10) Moonraker

EyeShotFirst said:

Goldeneye Never Say Never Again  re-scored  project

This. SO MUCH THIS. The SD edit was nice, but I'd love an HD one. NSNA's score is so much worse and un-Bond than GE's.

captainsolo said:

I've come to the conclusion that either it's all the result of different US and UK mixes (which is unlikely) or an abandoned 70mm 6 track mix (even more unlikely).

Interesting theories. It's too bad that the alternate mix is the only one on the BD/DVDs. I'm definitely glad that the first 5.1 alternate mix was used on the BD rather than the botched UE DVD one.

Has anyone made a preservation of the original track from the LD? I can't find the LD and would love to hear it. It should sync to the SE DVD easily.

Indeed. I've only seen a 720p version and it is the best looking version of the film despite the cropping (which isn't too far off from what could be cropped theatrically.)

The HDTV version's ridiculously better than the BD. I appreciate the intent to restore the original framing but using the master for the SE DVD then DVNR'ing it wasn't ideal. The HDTV master is better quality wise, being done far more recently.

Over on AVS they go into the application of fake grain layers to cover up the intense sharpening and removal of detail done by the processors.

The fake grain Lowry allegedly uses is unfortunate. It also takes away from the film look of the movies. All the Bonds look pristine but none have completely natural looking grain structure for their respective vintages... Ah well.

It may be possible to restore more of the original color, as has been shown on the half-hearted attempts on the recent BD issues, but I don't know if these will ever look the same.

They'd probably be able to do a relative approximation with shot-by-shot correction as Harmy did for his Despecialized, but, due to the random variables of the Technicolor process, one general setting probably won't work. OHMSS's color correction looks pretty spot on though, likely the best one that required CC; pity that they contrast boosted it to hell.

captainsolo said:

Did somebody here get it? I was just about to pounce on it.

Sorry, I got nervous and got it myself. That price I decided was worth it for missing footage, and I also wanted to check whether a few other things differed from the available DVD/BD (eg. Tatiana bedroom shot). Hopefully, it's open matte. Will get back to you all once I get it.

Stamper said:

Yes, but this thread is about the audio mono preservation. If one wants another color timing, shouldn't he create it's own thread?

Agreed Stamper. I said that at the end of my post.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

Might I suggest making a new thread here for your version, dvdmike?

I just wanted to say that de-tealing the new version does have a purpose, albeit as a separate preservation.

EyeShotFirst said:

Sad, Never Say Never Again seems to have the best Blu Ray release of the bond movies.

Hmmm....

I'd love to see a Never Say McClory-esque edit in HD of NSNA. That'd be a great experience; for all its shortcomings, I still find NSNA relatively enjoyable.

Stamper said:

Please stop confusing this thread with your self color corrections and tampering of Dark Jedi mono track. I trust Dark Jedi to fix a new mono sync to this new disc, don't steal his thunder and keep your color retiming for yourself. This isn't George Lucas destruction style, the color timing of the new Blu-ray isn't green and it is perfect.

I think dvdmike's project is definitely a valid preservation. The color correction is a good idea, to appease those who resent the teal. The initial encode does look a bit too red though. I'd suggest a middle ground. In any case, though, I agree that this shouldn't be in dark_jedi's thread. Might I suggest making a new thread here for your version, dvdmike?

SilverWook said:

This looks like the cheapest copy of an early Fox pressing of FRWL at the moment. Doesn't come with the jacket though.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laserdisc-No-Jacket-James-Bond-007-From-Russia-With-Love-EP-Connery-/230840128906?pt=US_Laserdisc&hash=item35bf24d58a

On that note, here is the VHS captainsolo initially mentioned. It's dirt cheap. Any takers?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/From-Russia-With-Love-VHS-1963-Sean-Connery-Daniela-Bianchi-LIKE-NEW-/271005361632?pt=VHS&hash=item3f192da5e0

EyeShotFirst said:

What is really sad is the fact that I could've been editing all this time I've been waiting for the goldeneye blu ray. Now I've got to scrap using it as a source.

You may consider wanting to use an HDTV rip as the source for your edit. It has grain still and the best detail of the available versions of Goldeneye. The only downside is that its the cropped UE version.

skyjedi2005 said:

Maybe its a matter of choice but i really like the colors on the criterion Bond's but especially DR No.  There is no way to say if the colors are correct. 

I definitely agree with you. I like the colors for all the Criterions. I agree with the theory that they were taken from 35mm prints. The high level of grain, still visible on LDs and the relatively high contrast support this.

Though, because they are one higher generation than the IP (?) masters for the MGM releases, the color timing is even more theatrically accurate; prints go through another generation that probably affects the way color shows up. Therefore, I presume the colors are most accurate on the Criterions barring some red fading. Again, this is just my theory; I have no way of confirming this.

The restored CAV boxset of Thunderball i really like the color on too.  But if i had to wager a guess they timed it with a IB tech print for reference as it kind of has that sort of look.  Not sure about the DVD as i don't have the older one.

The DVD looks like the CAV set. As captainsolo says, same master. I have both for comparison, and I do like the increased resolution of DVD better. The master is most likely an IP, which I presume is the case for most of the SE DVD transfers. That's why you get the basic Technicolor color timing from the generation away from the negative.

They seem to be avoided for having legendarily bad transfers or something.  

Most of the early LD transfers were terrible, but, if they have lost footage, they're totally worth getting. Hope someone confirms/denies that rumor about FRWL soon. I'm looking out for a copy myself since I read this.

AntcuFaalb said:

So is the Dark/Sega JSC Preservation of higher (visual) quality?

Nope. Absolutely not. Not to offend but it's an old disc. The best JSC preservation for SW is the V8, with the new news of the chroma smearing. The Dark/Sega was non-anamorphic; it was a pretty straight transfer, no enhancements, lots of flaws. The color wasn't that good, and it was pretty dirty.

STENDEC said:

Based on this, I have to say that I think the G'Kar offers the best picture.

Hmm. Guess I'm wrong then. Sorry about that guys. Will the slight compression macroblocking in this release be a problem at all though?

This sounds like a good project! Best of luck on it. As I grew up with this version, I'd be happy to have it preserved in good quality. Perhaps you could use the 5.1 Theater Disc preservations for the audio once they are done...

You_Too said:

Flunk has crushed shadow detail and is oversharpened.

Reivax has some weird frame-blending which adds more smearing, and makes each shot fade into each other by one frame.

The best is Gkar, and TB is second, being a bit more blurry than Gkar.

Hmm? Sorry, but I disagree. While the Flunk is over processed and has digital errors, the G'Kar is far from the best. The G'Kar, in my opinion, is the absolute worst of the '97 PAL Discs. It's over compressed and undeniably soft.

The Reivax actually looks the best overall to me despite the added smearing. The TB is second best for good compression but an overall lower quality sharpness than the Reivax; since the blending of the Reivax may be an issue, I'd actually recommend you use this one for preservation purposes.

Jetrell Fo said:

I have not received any word yet on how far along ANH & ROTJ are in the audio processing chain or when they'll be available.  I've sent out pm's but haven't gotten any word as of yet.

Haven't had time to comment on this thread in awhile, but I'm glad that the audio discs are in good hands. Hopefully, once preserved they could be synced to something like msycamore's NTSC DVDs, which he mentioned in this thread. That would be a fantastic '97 preservation.