thxita

I love it! Thanks Poita. I understand your pain with slow uploads. It will be curious to see if there’s a narration (once we get the audio). I checked the DVD that was made some years ago from my TV broadcast and I can even see now what was cut.
In the TV broadcast, it starts with the car chase and narration, then you can clearly see a cut to the main titles (audio jumps), after the narrated titles it jumps again to 2’52" where THX is at work (skipping completely LUH opening the medicine box, the nevermind waves and THX bleeding after interrogation).
My bet on the audio from this 35mm is that there isn’t going to be any narration but it will be the same as the US cut. Probably the created the alternate cut seen on TV to make the story more appealing and understandable right off the bat. In fact, by skipping the “nevermind” waves and THX bleeding, the narration is quite straightforward, from THX being happy at work, then we meet LUH, then the drug evasion.
In short, Italy had both the US version and the still mysterious alternate cut where the film starts with the car chase and the whole story is a flashback. I don’t have the VHS so I’m not sure which Italian version ended up on it.

poita said:

SilverWook said:

I haven’t had a close look, but it appears to be the same cut as the US sequence in the opening minutes, and not the weird ‘end at the start’ version, but I don’t currently have audio, so don’t know if the narrative is there.

Well, the film has been released twice in Italy, maybe the Italian cut we know only happened once, like a sort of test by WB to see if the film would have been more successful that way.
I’ll be sad if it’s not there but it will be easier for an American cut. What’s the very first shot of the film? Surely there is no Buck Rogers, right?

Feel free to post anything you want Poita! ;D

I can only speak for Italy, subtitles were always re-translated (with new fonts) for every single release of the films! Furthermore, the only VHS transfer done from 35mm for the very first Italian release does not have subtitles at all, because they only took the intro and end credits from Italian 35mm prints but for the rest they used an international master without subtitles (and forgot to add them later) because Fox Italy always do things on the cheap. All following release had different translations and fonts.

I would say that without 35mm reference you can only hope that earlier French and Spanish VHS tapes were done from a complete 35mm transfer, otherwise there’s no guarantee that you’re using the original adaptation and font.

I’ll put it on wetransfer

Poita, at this point don’t you prefer to accept any further donation directly into your paypal and I’ll pass you the extra that I received so far?

althor1138 said:

I guess I missed this. I’ve not been around much lately and even less on fanres. I donated to the 16mm scan and would be interested in helping here too. I have an upcoming surgery that takes precedence but sometime in May I could probably donate a little bit towards this.

In southern Italy we say “mind your health!” 😉
Thanks for your thought but health comes first. Take care!

I have video footage of them I think. I don’t know if Leo still has a copy. I won’t be able to access them until Tuesday.

Oh well! You were quick Leo.

Is it best to just leave “radiofaro” for shortness or suggest the full translation of “radiofaro traente”?

I’ll let Leo reply extensively because I’m currently not home and have no access to it. However I can say that we don’t know about the tractor beam scene because the second part of A New Hope that was shown came from the 97 SE, a last minute solution that they came up with because of some accident they had with the second part of the film from 1977.
Return of the Jedi only had subtitles under Jabba

Darth Mallwalker said:

Darth Mallwalker said:

When the secret plans are divulged, I’ll have more than $5 …

thxita said:

That was the secret plan yes. It’s a possibility that Harmy is also excited about. But it’s all up to him.

Now I’ll put my money where my mouth was…

Lol, thanks a lot, sir

Spaced Ranger said:

Don’t stop donations this early. It always helps to allow an extra 5% or 10% for contingencies. Don’t to play it too tight. Things always come up – crashed or early-defective drives and other hardware problems & wear for replacement, new hardware/software for special problems, and more. Did anyone factor in poita's (and team?) utilities (electricity, air-conditioning, supplies for his machines, coffee) also needed to accomplish this feat? 😃 It all costs to get it done.

We had discussed this with Poita early on, but I’m addressing this again with him privately because I also would want Poita to have some of his expenses covered. His generosity is out of this world but he should definitely NOT be left only with expenses.

I am indeed planning this funding very tightly and I could do with some extra for playing it safe. It’s the first time I deal with something similar and I didn’t want people to think I’m taking in more than I need to but yes, a little extra for unseen expenses could be useful, especially since shipping costs are only vaguely estimated and so far they have ended up being always more expensive than I thought
Anyone who still wants to donate feel free to send your contribution to my paypal address (PM me for that )

HanDuet said:

Do you have plans for using surplus donations to fund other efforts related to the THX restoration? I’m sure those who are interested in donating but haven’t given yet (e.g. me) would be more encouraged to still contribute if we knew how the resources will be put to good use!

Those who pledged or asked for my PayPal and I replied to them, please do still go on with your donations though 😄 I’m counting on it.
Thanks again guys!

SilverWook said:

So Harmy is going to be working on this, or just a DE of the 2004 version?

That was the secret plan yes. It’s a possibility that Harmy is also excited about. But it’s all up to him.

I’m moved by all the help that came our way. I’m at the end of the tunnel so whoever contacted me for sending a donation, feel free to go ahead, but anyone new who just found out about this project, rejoice because I think we are fully funded. I don’t need to accept any more help.

The news is, we managed to speed up the process a bit and next week I’m sending the last part of THX to be scanned while Poita should be receiving the HDD with the first part soon enough.

I’ll keep you posted.

We barely have enough time. Deadline AS SOON AS POSSIBLE then! I’m not kidding. Shipping to Australia from Europe takes its time and you’re gonna need time to work on it too. We are just above 100 euro short, anybody wanting to contribute, this is your time! :p

poita said:

I am on a hard deadline of my software license expiry, I’ve renewed one, but I don’t have the couple of thousand to renew all of the licenses once my current ones expire, so it will be done quickly 😃

Again, anyone with even a vague interest in preserving this film, even a single dollar donation helps.

When do they all expire, my friend? I thought you only had one software to renew (and that you did)

Not really, once the HDD is delivered to destination and we get the OK to send the second part to be scanned I’ll post it here and then it will be a matter of “how quickly do you want it done?” 😛 but I’m sure the funding will be completed by then.
Speaking of which, I have to update the donation list…

SilverWook said:

Maybe we can trick Robert Duvall into reading the lines over the phone? 😉

Dek Rollins said:

He really would be from the future. 😉

Oh I LOVE that! Ahah

Americans dubbing… Mmmh!
😄😄

Well, I’m just kidding guys, you can do whatever version you like while waiting on the real deal.

SilverWook said:

An English version of the Italian cut is a neat idea! Why didn’t we think of this before?

Because you would miss the voice-over intro that introduces the story, which is the whole point of that cut ahah

Just monitor close-ups when THX is looking for LUH on the computer and finds out that her name has been reassigned to a foetus, or in other little moments at the beginning of the film. I don’t think these were changed at all for the bluray.

For the quick English release, the titles and infographics from Bluray will have to do I guess. They’ll just be cleaner 😛