Tonight’s stream on the awe inspiring master, John Ford. https://youtu.be/qXK5SO6RQY0
This week’s stream tonight at 8:30 CST.
Discussing the Golden Year of 1939
https://youtu.be/WteXFkdtujo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2VKt8UactM
Tonight’s show at 8:30 central. If you want to see a diehard film scholar struggle through discussing Cannon films then here you go!
This weeks stream:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfNRk7F-jVQ
Thanks guys! The name is something I’ve wanted use for years.
The Scooby box is pretty cool. The first version was an actual plastic van but just had the discs shoved in foam in the top. This one is just a box but still cool.
The best news is that the series is coming to Blu-ray at the end of this year.
I finally started making videos of my Laserdisc collection because I got tired of the general lack of info on the format for most online videos and the fact that no one discusses transfers etc.
So if you’re interested or simply bored and have some spare time I’ve been doing uploads where I go through each title one at a time and discuss the transfer, sound, packaging and a little history. My channel has now expanded to simply be about all media formats.
Primarily I talk about transfers, but there is a bit of film history and theory.
https://www.youtube.com/user/duckyousuckr
Admittedly these videos are very low fi but I was tired of “LDs suck or were stupid” videos or mere pickup ones without detail.
I’ve been doing some livestreaming so stop by if you are interested.
This week’s livestream is at 8:30 tonight.
https://youtu.be/1dcospBFuWU
Like all the non-scope Bonds for the SE DVD, GF was cropped to 1.78:1. While this is still around the safe limits for framing flat matted widescreen the SE DVDs did crop a bit too much on all five done this way and the 1.66 is the best ratio for the initial three in terms of composition.
Thankfully the 1.66:1 OAR was restored for the GF UE.
Here’s a fun fact: 1.66:1 is not the original theatrical aspect ratio for the first three Bond films, the correct AR is 1.85:1. Since the mid-fifties, the most common AR in the UK was 1.75, but Kinematograph Weekly specifically lists 1.85 as the intended ratio for the first three Bond films. This documentation is from a British trade journal at the time of principal photography so it’s as good as gospel:
A big thank you to Bob Furmanek of the 3D film Archive (http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/) for pointing this out to me this weekend.
Now, like most of you, I like minimal cropping, so I’m glad there are 1.66:1 versions available, but it’s also nice to know how people saw it in theaters in 1962. Looking at an original IB Tech film frame from a 1962 print, we can see that there is slightly more picture information available, my math puts it at around 1.58:1 if you include all of it. I believe it was hard matted in camera to 1.66:1 so there is probably a little more picture information on the sides on the original negatives than made it onto this print.
That’s spot on. The initial MGM widescreen LDs for DN-FRWL-GF are indeed at about a 1.58 ratio and reveal more than any other matted widescreen release.
While these work fine in 1.78 and 1.85 it requires careful framing which is not often done. Criterion did a better job on LD at 1.75 than MGM did in 1.78 for the SE DVDs for example. I prefer having 1.66 as it gives them perfect breathing room and all compositions seem improved over the tighter framings.
Many films were actually released with tints originally but this didn’t always carry over to all prints, reissues and eventual video releases. Some early sound films supposedly had tints to them, and the sepia scenes in THE SEA HAWK were missing until the Laserdisc reissue finally put them back-same goes for the red tinted ending fire of MIGHTY JOE YOUNG.
The Criterion release is mastered from MGM’s Tech IB print, which then MGM did their own movie only version of twice over. Then for the Ultimate Oz set they remastered it in CAV and added their own extras. The initial DVD release is a port of this master and I believe it was the subsequent remastering for the DVD boxset reissue in 2005-2006 or so that introduced the error in the mono mix.
To be honest all of the versions look good for their respective times. I’m hoping the new 4K release will be as good as the supposedly better encoding of the new master locked onto the 3D disc.
Of course if the new disc even has the mono I’m sure it will be the defective track of the DVD mono that has been carried over already.
All Dolby 70mm shows were mono surround unless specifically mixed for split surrounds, which only became more and more common in the mid to late 80’s-and even then was rarely used. in70mm.com has an excellent list by year that indicates where it is known that titles came in split surround on 70mm prints.
So you either have 4.1 or 5.1 technically speaking in modern channel designations, and a second sub track would really only mirror the already existing sub track. ESB and ROTJ were Dolby 70mm with mono surround.
I too think the asking was more of a formality as I don’t see how there would be any legality binding it to George’s say so since he pretty much signed over everything.
Dolby 70mm incorporated the old Todd AO system for 70mm playback of Left, screen left, center, screen right, right, mono surround.
Instead of using the screen left and right channels as mixes were done from a LCRS four track master-Dolby took the low end and specifically mixed it to come out of the unused two screen channels and eventually some theaters moved placements to become in effect the first subwoofer in a modern theater context. It’s sort of confusing as to how these tracks should be presented in modern codec to be accurate: 4.0, 4.1 or 4.2.
This was done partially to compete against Sensurround which was attempting a comeback and other systems as mentioned above like Fox’s own Sound360 and Warner’s Megasound which was supposed to have some pretty impressive low end.
Apocalypse Now in 1979 was the first release to have split stereo surrounds but only in its 70mm version. This is why it is said to be the first 5.1 track in theory. Superman tested this a year prior but that mix was not released.
Mono was still dominant and it was not thought that Dolby would be widely accepted especially since there had been many format to come and go quickly. Stereo was still not very well utilized and most theaters would do it badly. That’s why Kubrick stuck with mono. On ESB Ben Burtt and others specifically mixed the Dolby stereo to have all the relevant information in the main two channels so that if anything went out you could still enjoy the film and not lose anything. Dolby Stereo was an unknown factor and not expected to take off like it did. Thus the mono mix was done last for the general main release and intended as the final definitive mix.
I would think that if there had been that clause there would have also have been the use his ideas for the sequel trilogy clause.
That’s kinda too bad. I always dug that dismemberment cheat code for Jedi Outcast. Once I found out about it I wouldn’t play the game without that turned on. It just felt so much more “right”. And it was always hilarious the random times you’d casually walk by a Stormtrooper without attacking and he’d literally fall to pieces at your feet.
I played with mods and cheats in Outcast on PC so much that I goofed around more than playing the game.
Dismemberment on, load pit stage, spawn 1000 stormtroopers and dark jedi, invincibility on, spawn a few Landos and hero characters…
LET THE GAME COMMENCE!
As always I hope we can have at least a good SW game but usually I get severely disappointed. If it controls well and isn’t full of micro transactions then I guess I’m okay with getting it on sale.
The entirety of Last Jedi for me. I have been no fan of Disney’s productions so far but that was just…not at all SW.
The only possibility I think would be to have found a film back up or transfer copy to perhaps 16mm or something. They may have made ones for smaller or foreign markets in the case of reruns.
But I severely doubt even that.
Interesting that they still felt the need to have George sign off on it. And even more interesting that he finally did as even major events and industry have been ordered to now show original prints or sent SE prints only or dcps of the Blu-ray masters.
Maybe we should all write in but instead of doing our usual release the OOT petition simply say thank you for finally letting it out there.
Thanks for the in-depth report. This explains quite a bit and why there would suddenly be a preserved 70mm blowup print available without fading. I do believe at least one 80’s reissue featured some 70 prints so that would likely be be last time any were shown to the public. If this has been indeed been properly vaulted since 1981 then I’ll bet immaculate doesn’t even begin to describe its quality.
Heck if it was WB then they would just roadshow that one print nationwide and make a fortune. That’s how they originally wanted to do Blade Runner and just make some prints off the 70mm workprint that showed at the Nuart in 1991.
Let me just say it here, if the OOT ever does happen we have got to finally have an OT con
But of course set up exactly like the Yavin throne room where we all then go nuts.
Just saying…a little wishful thinking goes as long way…
Holy bejeezus. I just stumbled across this news elsewhere and it’s very ironic since I was researching the academy museum opening anyways this very week.
There were a select few 70mm SE prints I thought with the standard dts discs. Pretty sure there were a few at least for Europe. 70mm prints ran right up to Titanic and one Tomorrow Never Dies blowup print with a handful of random ones done before the big IMAX revival and new 15 perf prints being made leading to down eventually making 70mm prints such as he aforementioned superhero titles and things like The Master etc
If I had known sooner I would have just driven to the airport and flown out. There’s no telling what the shape of the print is-or if the show will be very good as there are so few locations for 70mm now. The last time I even heard of a showing of 70mm SW was the collector who showed mastering engineer Steve Hoffman and some friends his own 77 print which had completely red shifted. So it would have to be a later print to be showable and even 80’s blowups can go pink so there’s no telling what they have.
The academy has an archive they loan from for arthouses and museums but it is very tight lipped and you rarely hear about it outside of promo brochures etc listing them. Since the LoC doesn’t even have an original print on file this is big news and to me the first and most hopeful sign that Disney will or can release the OOT.
It doesn’t get more official than this AND almost all announcements, restorations or reissues start with a few arthouse/festival/industry shows like this.
Showing a worn 70 print means:
They have a blowup of rogue one and wanted one to match that
It is the only version they have in their archive
the 4k is not done and thus there is no version they have to show otherwise of the original version other than the best print they could obtain
To clarify a bit on the above talk for GF and TB:
All pre 1995 releases had the original 1965 mono mix which had the manta ray line with the other differences and the ending cue was Thunderball. The 1995 remix somehow unearthed the alternative mix and stereoized it by simply laying in the score in stereo which can be overpowering. All later 5.1 releases use this 2.0 matrix mix from the LD boxset, and finally the UE and BD added the original mono back as a lossy alternative.
The 1989 LD has the mono and is a bit color boosted but is my favorite. The Connery Collection v2 is the same master. The CAV LD box is the same element used and is of course improved in PQ, and was recycled for the late release THx CLV movie only disc that adds an ac3 bump. This was ported for the SE DVD.
While I grew up with the remix differences and it took me a while to get used to the mono-I now only watch with the mono. It’s far more accurate and a better mix. I have no idea (and neither does anyone I know of-even in the Bond community) as to the origin of the alternate audio but my guess would be a test 70mm mix or perhaps differences between UK and US audio mixes on the original release.
GF has an interesting video history. The Criterion release is a different look and feel and seems like it was done right from an old Technicolor print. It has the snipped frames intact from Oddjob turning off the highway. It has the original mono. The first MGM widescreen attempt was more open than the Criterion and used a different source that was more stable so I’d assume it was some sort of interpositive. The MGM was 1.6 or so whereas the Criterions were all 1.75. However the first go round looks a bit contrasty and not vivid like the Criterion. This is found in the Connery box 1 and the standalone reissue with original art. Then for the CAV LD boxset they made a new master with much improved color grading and PQ-but it is the same source element. I think in many ways these were done like the 2001 boxset as a way to fix the flaws of the prior CLV movie only disc and make a nice big collectors CAV boxset. The CAV set is my personal favorite edition of the film even though I acknowledge the Criterion is likely closest to the original release look. The boxset is 1.66 and has mono but on the MGM discs the title song is replaced with the stereo version from the soundtrack master. Also on the MGM versions those few damaged frames are snipped out when Oddjob turns off the highway.
As evidenced by another OT thread the rumored 003 bomb countdown was actually in original December 1964 British release prints both 35mm and some 16mm prints. Apparently the 007 clock was spliced in to some prints and put in all remaining UK prints before being in all the Us prints for the film’s 1965 US premiere dates.
Like all the non-scope Bonds for the SE DVD, GF was cropped to 1.78:1. While this is still around the safe limits for framing flat matted widescreen the SE DVDs did crop a bit too much on all five done this way and the 1.66 is the best ratio for the initial three in terms of composition.
At this point I just want to be the EON archivist because apparently they have all kinds of stuff floating around like mag stereo for OHMSS, DAF, LALD, TMWTGG-the 70mm YOLT that only played in Japan along with the other 70mm blowups rumored to exist, the mono for TSWLM and the list goes on…
You’re right Silver, but they could have used him well and built up his strength with audiences over the course of the film in the way Jabba was in the OT.
At this point a halfhearted animated Shadows of the Empire adaptation would wipe the floor with anything they’ve yet done.
I want to say there was a Star Wars novel with that title as well, but that could be my memory playing tricks on me.
There was one. I also have a novel that was released as promotion for Revenge of the Sith’s release about Obi-Wan beginning his exile on Tatooine called, “The Last of the Jedi”.
Last of the Jedi was actually another 10 book YA series written by Jude Watson and as usual despite the ending kinda being obvious was a better written and told tale than anything Disney has yet done. It directly picks up from the Jedi Quest series which went between TPM and AOTC and this series is between ROTS and pre-ANH.
VHS and LD copies particularly when viewed on a CRT screen do hide some deficiencies in the master but not all. Those formats are also very player dependent as all are not equal in their output quality.
However as someone who owns the major releases on VHS and LD I can say:
The older master done for the JSC and released on VHS in the widescreen collector’s box and on LD as the Fox Special Widescreen Editions are far better than the later versions based on the Definitive Collection master as they have none of the issues with drained color, DVNR and motion smearing. I have done many comparisons between formats over the years as I picked up new variants. The VHS copies are quite good for that format but the letterboxed ones while properly formatted lose a lot of detail since the resolution is eaten up by letterboxing bars.
But the Laserdiscs are the only way to go if wanting to watch older copies pre-GOUT. The audio is full PCM and while VHS hifi Dolby surround can be great it still won’t compare to full 16 bit 44.1 khz PCM. If you’re sticking to this era then I would advise the Fox original widescreen discs as you save a lot over not getting the original Japanese discs. The Definitive set is nice and full CAV but has all the DC master problems and most boxes have rot issues. The Faces sets are better due to not having rot but are CLV and some are Super NTSC encoded.
That said even though the older master is a tad soft, the DC and Faces are noticeably softer even on a CRT screen and I personally hate the motion smearing and washed out look.
I grew up with seeing these over and over and always wondered why different rental copies appeared so different to one another.
Lastly Laserdiscs usually originated masters in the pre-DVD era and then that master would be ported to the VHS release.
Unfortunately the plot twist of ESB casts Ben’s motives and statements in ANH into an entirely different light than what was originally said, shot and intended.
But if you look at the original film without any connection to the sequels it is merely that there is some sort of story there that Ben harbors some guilt or emotional weight over and this must have either been a direction given, or something Guinness picked up on and either did on his own or very likely asked George. I’d say that originally it would be like any child asking how a parent died who had done so unjustly-and your response would have to be carefully crafted and spoken whilst bringing up painful memories.
It is unfortunate that the sequels have undone parts of Obi-wan’s characterization and thus became the standard lore.
I do think that Alec’s performance is so full of delicate intricacies and is agonizingly underappreciated. He later regretted the sheer amount of attention he got over this one role but it’s really a masterful performance-even in a career peppered with ones that define the craft itself. As a huge Guinness fan, I always find myself remarking at just how developed his role is past what is on the script page. It really is one of his truly great roles and is the one thing that really carries the film in terms of being the central strength for everything to work from. The inspired part in casting was not simply finding a name star but to approaching a master well known for finding character intricacies and then making each part feel as if it were lived in.
My only regret is that Tarkin is not given more screentime and that we didn’t get a confrontation with Alec and Peter Cushing getting to work together.
That said, I do think Alec would have likely done a few things a bit differently had Obi-Wan’s fate been decided earlier on.
Wow that’s really nice. I’m really excited for this one as Jedi Apprentice is some of my favorite SW storytelling period.
Dang, most arthouses post the screening formats. I’d assume it would only be 35mm prints of the 1997 SEs and then DCP for the rest. That said 35mm for TPM would be essential due to the bad HD master.
I would love to see a TPM print on the big screen with the Dolby EX track and the SEs again.
The question should be what happened to the Anthony Daniels Wonder Column? 😉
This can either be really good or really not so good. But with it being made for TV during this explosion of the medium I think it could do very well if not overridden by the company and allowed room to breathe.
