Am only just getting round to downloading these - being the guy who supplied the video of the UK trailer and the Video promo to Koch for the German set, great work Space Kaijuu! :)
The upcoming Koch Media 6-disc set from Germany will include all four official versions of the film, including the Director's Cut, US and European theatrical versions in HD and the Sci-Fi cut in SD.
Six years ago, a poster on the Cult Movie Forums forum (then the forum for Anchor Bay UK) alleged that his UK "pre-cert" VHS was the '71 original version, and that the BBFC listing of 95 minutes seemed to be correct. He still posts on the board even now, so may be able to help.
http://www.cultmovieforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3525&highlight=thx+1138
It seems the same shorter version played on German TV at one point, judging by this comparison from Schnittberichte:
http://www.schnittberichte.com/schnittbericht.php?ID=709625
They also did a side-by-side comparison of the 84-minute cut and the Director's Cut:
Chris (cmbmls) is still working on the authoring of the AOD disc, but what he's designed and put together will be worth the wait.
I think we've sourced all the content we're likely to, short of something happening at the last minute, so here it is the listing for the AOD disc:
- The 90-minute "apeheads" TV cut kindly supplied by RidgeShark
- Excerpts from the Primitive Screwhead Edition (Ash Confronts Arthur, Windmill Scene/Tiny Ashes Uncut With Music, Ash Meets Henry The Red)
- EPK featurette and B-roll (sourced from low-res QT files - Chris is trying to make them look as good as possible)
- UK trailer (sourced from VHS), TV spot (sourced from YouTube), VHS commercial (sourced from Video Detective)
- Storyboards (the ones from the subtitle track on the AB DVD presented as a stills gallery)
If anyone can provide an upgrade for the EPK or trailers, or anything else worthy of inclusion, please PM me.
The audio would most likely have to be a composite of the LD and the VHS - and perhaps even the DVD as well - taking the best of each. The VHS audio is hardly going to be relatively optimal quality compared to the LD (in theory anyway), so it would be good to use the latter whenever possible.
Probably the easiest way to do it would be to put the DVD's video (either before or after you've converted it in Procoder) into an editing software timeline (e.g. Premiere, FCP if you have access to these), together with the audio for each of the three versions and then export the audio once you've picked all the different bits and put it together.
If you don't feel confident enough doing this, but were willing to post me the source files on data DVDs, I'd be more than happy to :)
olbertfrog said:djsmokingjam>
Thanks for the comparaison link, i just checked and the french PAL dvd is the same as the german cut (there is timing differences but it comes from the fact that my dvd start directly with the movie, the german vhs probably has some kind of logo intro or something) but its a perfect match cut wise.
This info also means that the idea to mix the french PAL dvd with the audio from my LD is not gonna work since they are different cut. (someone could probably do it using every sources available but i don't have the time neither the skills to do so, when my source will be available, be my guest...)
If i understood correctly the PAL VHSrip DVD you have is also the German cut but with english audio, right? If it's the case i can use the english audio track from your Pal dvd and mix it with my french dvd. I would just need the extracted audio from your PAL VHSrip DVD ^^
Could you post some captures from this Pal VHSrip DVD?
Thanks ^^
About my sources,
i don't know what is the source of the French dvd, could be a vhs master or the french LD (i tend toward the vhs master tape). Check the captures maybe you can work it out.
As for my US LD rip, for the test i made i used the "cinema" setting of the LD player. It gave nicer contrast and colors while i was watching it on my tv but on the rip it came out a bit too dark. So when i will do the real ld rip (when i get my capture card) i will leave off all of the LD setting to make sure to have a raw picture that can be worked after.
Here are the captures from both videos
Thanks a lot for posting those caps, the French DVD looks pretty good! Certainly a lot sharper and brighter than the LD. I'm away this week so won't be able to post screencaps from the UK VHS until either this weekend or Monday, depending on when I get home. I'll try and make them correspond with the caps you've posted though, and then do a side-by-side comparison to see any differences to the US version.
Yes, the UK video should be the same as the French DVD, minus some edits made by Parkfield, the UK distributor, to get the film a PG certificate. Off the top of my head, the nudity in the strip club and the gratuitous sex scene later in the film have been cut, as well as a few short cuts to the violence. Other than that, I think you could put the audio from the UK VHS and match it to the DVD. Out of interest, are you planning on speed/pitch correcting the PAL sources to 24fps NTSC or leaving them as they are?
Here's the Rapidshare link for downloading the one-shot comic book adaptation - the gratuitous sex scene is even more hilarious and abrupt than it is in the film!
Been doing a bit more investigating (when I should be job-and-flat-hunting - curse you, OT!) and uncovered the following:
- Schnitt Berichte has a comparison between the international and US versions - it's in German, but lists some of the extra dialogue sequences not in the R-rated cut.
- There was a comic book adaptation of Moontrap that I've just downloaded from Rapidshare, and includes an interview with Koenig and plenty of photos; would make a great DVD-ROM extra.
olbertfrog, if you'd like me to send you a DVD-R from my PAL VHS, please do let me know via PM. I can tell you straight away that it has some of the differences you mentioned, e.g. the voiceover of Koenig's phonecall over the end credits. Even with the edits and PAL speed-up, it seems to be a minute or two longer than a torrented version of the US cut I've got. I'll do a side-by-side comparison if it helps?
I'd definitely be interested in a Moontrap project. The film's never gotten a decent uncut release, as far as I know - the R-rated US release is missing some dialogue scenes, the PG-rated UK version has had some violence and nudity cut out, and all international versions (e.g. the Japanese version that might be uncut) have hardcoded subs. If a composite can be put together for this, I'd be all over it. Am willing to help if need be.
What's the quality of the French DVD like? Fullframe? Letterboxed? Any chance of screencaps?
Glad to see everyone is enjoying the discs :)
As well as the Army Of Darkness disc, work will soon begin on one more disc (or possibly two) focusing on Evil Dead 1, which is set to feature more rare interviews, the uncut version of The Incredibly Strange Film Show special on Raimi presented by Jonathan Ross, and much more.
Join Us said:I would like to know what is the difference between 3 choices of the DVD menu.
THANK YOU.
The only differences between the three versions are at the beginning and end:
OVERDOSE - Regular opening and Apocalyptic ending
DOCTOR ORDERED - Regular opening and S-Mart ending
OVERDOSE (ORIGINAL) - Alternate opening (from deleted scenes) and Apocalyptic ending
Everything else in between seems to be the same.
Incidentally, is this being listed on fanedit.org, or are any reviews being published around the Net yet? Aside from private correspondence and a few bits about the first disc in this thread, I haven't heard anyone's opinion of the discs yet. Come on people, if you want us to carry on we'll need our egos pampered a teeny bit more ;-)
Uh huh. You'll get banned with that kind of talk mister - not least since a widescreen TV rip is already on several torrent trackers and easily found without having to shill $20.
Great job on the artwork AvP! Very pleased you used the Graham Humphries UK art, as his posters for the first Evil Dead films are pretty definitive in my opinion. It also fits in with SeeNoEvil's design for the first Treasures Collection disc, where he used Humphries' cover for the original Evil Dead UK video.
Army Of Darkness may take two or three months yet - I'm posting the content to Chris (cmbmls), who's authoring and designing the disc, later this week, and am still trying to source one or two other cool additions. It may take a little while, but believe me, what we're working on will be well worth the wait!
dark_jedi, if you have sent me a PM recently, I haven't got it. The only one I've ever gotten from you was last year, which I didn't have time to reply to due to work - many apologies.
The sleeve art for the Treasures Collection was designed by See No Evil, and can be found in the DVD-ROM folder on the DVD. There is no disc art, however. There is also no sleeve or disc art thus far for the Evil Dead 2 Companion discs, so if anyone wants to go ahead and have a go at that, please feel free.
As much as IMDB's "alternate versions" pages are usually filled with misinformation, the page for Last Man On Earth seems to answer quite a few questions asked here:
- MGM's 2005 DVD release does not contain the copyright obstruction found in most prints' opening titles. It reads: "COPYRIGHT 1963 BY ASSOCIATED PRODUCERS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED." It also contains the complete ending sequence, including the dialog with the baby, that is missing from most prints. This release is also digitally cleaned up, presented in wide screen format, features an interview with Richard Matheson, one of the writers, and is paired with the film Panic In Year Zero. It is missing one element common from other prints. The American International Television title card and theme music that starts off most prints is replaced with an inserted sequence of MGM's famous lion roar trademark and the MGM website address. This DVD was initially problematic on its release because of Sony's then recent purchase of MGM. Sony had canceled the entire Midnite Movies line, and, though the DVD was already set to be released, Sony had initial reservations on releasing it at all. Copies managed to accidentally get shipped to some stores, such as Best Buy, in the US and Canada, where they were immediately flagged as "recalled." Most were, either immediately returned by the stores or pulled by cashiers who should have refused the purchases. Some were still sold, regardless, in early May 2005, before they should have been. By September 2005, Sony released the DVD properly into the wide market.
- Also available in a colorized version.
- The 2008 DVD release by Ripley's Home Video in Italy restores not only the mother-with-crying-baby shots from the end scene of the film (as in the US MGM release), but also two lengthy sequences earlier in the film. The first is a flashback scene where Virginia consoles a tearful Morgan after the funeral of their daughter Kathy, while the second is a conversation between Morgan and Ruth after her she has changed into some of Virginia's clothes. Both scenes reinforce Morgan's utter devotion to his deceased wife and help to clarify his descent from a lively and vibrant family man to the grim loner, himself only one step away from the living dead.
- In the DVD and video versions near the end we hear a baby wailing butdon't see it. The Sci-Fi channel version it shows the baby and its mother.
- There are at least two versions of this movie in common release. The Diamond DVD release version and second one, that has been shown at least once on TBS late morning in 1993/4. The aforementioned baby scene has some minor closing dialog to be a bit more faithful to Richard Matheson's intentions with his novel's ending. Depending on if the ending is trimmed or not, another edit may exist in the opening credits. A bizarre inclusion of a grey box that obscures some of the copyright credits.
Anyway, just to add on a related note about the potential for another ED re-release - it most certainly will happen, but not for another few years. Bruce said in a recent interview that Anchor Bay's license for the film has expired (which makes sense assuming AB signed a 10-year deal), and that Renaissance didn't intend on renewing AB the DVD rights. So another company will most certainly have a stab at releasing the film given what a cash cow it is (I'd love to see it be a big seller for a company like Synapse Films), but it won't be for a few years until AB's Ultimate Edition (which seems to be their last hurrah ED-wise) has run out of puff and possibly gone out of print.
Moth3r said:djsmokingjam said:... the film was usually cropped to 1:85:1 in cinemas...
Is this true? In See No Evil's DVD release notes, he says that ED was shown cropped to 1.66:1 for its premiere; and after that cinemas usually showed it full frame at 1.37:1.
As much as some might balk at the idea of another ED re-release, I'd wholly welcome a DVD or at least a Blu Ray with a new HD transfer that had the best of all worlds: as sharp and clear as the Elite, with a colour scheme closer to the Japanese LD (but not quite as dark and blue-tinted), none of Raimi's mid-90s changes to the film, and an anamorphic 1:66:1 aspect ratio (which was what Raimi composed the film for during shooting anyway).
Although there's a BD release of ED2, there hasn't been an official release of ED yet as far as I know. (There is a pirate 720p version from an HDTV source around, but it's been cropped to 1.78:1 as you would expect).
So my 'ideal' version would be a Custom DVD as follows:
- Video from Elite DVD (plus Anchor Bay DVD to restore the lightning/Cheryl shots) - for the best image quality and no burned-in Japanese subtitles - colour-matched to the HV laserdisc, then cropped and scaled to anamorphic 1.66:1 (a reasonable compromise for watching on a 16:9 TV without over-cropping to 1.78:1)
- Audio options to include the original theatrical mono mix (has this ever appeared on a DVD release? If not, use the audio from the laserdisc) and remixed multi-channel Dolby Digital and/or DTS tracks.
With regards to the aspect ratio, both may well be true. I've read posts on message boards from people who say they saw it projected at 1:85:1 way back when (can't say for certain as I was in my mummy's tummy at the time!), but if it was a flat 35mm print, a projectionist may have gone one way or another depending on preference and the size of the cinema screen.
As far as I know, the only DVD release to contain a mono English track is the Italian 2-disc DVD (titled La Casa) - the second disc contains the fullframe version of the film (no idea if it's a different transfer unique to that release), and that's the one that uses it. I believe it's also the only DVD release of ED1 with English subs, iirc. Never seen it though.
The 720p version floating about on the Net is from the Monsters HD broadcast, and it's the same widescreen transfer as the Ultimate Edition DVD.
See No Evil said:so is the Elite DVD the same as the Limited Book of The Dead DVD,as far as the print is concerned?
But I do think the Limited Book of The Dead 2 looks totally friggin amazing! great Picture.
Picture wise, the Elite 1999 DVD has the sharpest & best quality picture of all the releases (including the treasures DVD). The later Anchor Bay DVD's have a different transfer. It's matted into 16:9 (top & bottom chopped off), its far more grainy than the elite version and the contrast is much too high resulting in some bright colours like red, looking blurred. You can really see this on the title text if you compare them.
The other thing to bear in mind regarding the Elite release (as well as the 1998 Anchor Bay DVD that immediately followed and used basically the same transfer) is that it features a couple of annoying modifications made to the film that Raimi insisted upon. When Cheryl turns toward the camera during the "Jack of diamonds, jack of clubs" scene, there's an artificial zoom-in added, and the earlier effects shot of lightning hitting a tree has been cut out completely (although you still hear a sound effect).
So although the Elite is often touted as being closest to the original theatrical version due to it being fullframe (which is erroneous anyway since the film was usually cropped to 1:85:1 in cinemas), this is not true. The fullframe version on the recent Anchor Bay Ultimate Edition undoes all the changes, but has a comparitively lacking transfer heavy on DNR and bad contrast. I'm not keen on the Elite's bright, warm colour scheme, but the sharpness and clarity of the image has yet to be beaten.
As much as some might balk at the idea of another ED re-release, I'd wholly welcome a DVD or at least a Blu Ray with a new HD transfer that had the best of all worlds: as sharp and clear as the Elite, with a colour scheme closer to the Japanese LD (but not quite as dark and blue-tinted), none of Raimi's mid-90s changes to the film, and an anamorphic 1:66:1 aspect ratio (which was what Raimi composed the film for during shooting anyway).
I think I speak on behalf of both See No Evil and myself when I say that we're delighted the discs are getting out there and being enjoyed by the fans. Anyone who wants to put them out there on torrent sites, Rapidshare etc, please do - we only ask that you give us credit in the descriptions accompanying the upload and that you all help us in being extra-vigilant against anyone who tries to sell this release and make profit out of it. I've already seen the AOD Primitive Screwhead Edition for sale in a couple of places and don't want to see the same happen here; sadly, given the ED series' popularity it seems inevitable it will.
So far three discs have been completed - one disc for ED1, and two for ED2. The second ED1 disc and the AOD one will be finished in the coming months, so watch this space!
Just to reiterate - the whole point of the Treasures Collection is to collect material that has not been released onto commercial DVD, and likely never will be. You won't see any material from retail DVDs, regardless of what country it's from and how rare it is.
Yep, that's transparently a bootleg. http://dvd-fsk-18.filmundo.de/fsk18_dvd-2746090.html
