Sergio Leone Web Board
Films of Sergio Leone => The Good, The Bad and The Ugly => Topic started by: pablo113 on March 13, 2009, 05:09:43 AM
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Supposedly the GBU is out on BLUE RAY on May 12th,2009!
Yipeeee! I guess I have to go buy a Blue Ray player now!
Pablo
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From my perspective, they keep repacking and trying to sell us the same product over and over, be it in the form of VHS, DVD, Special Edition, Super-duper ultimate edition, Bluray, etc.
I don't think I will be the one purcharsing the bluray disc unless it is to watch it on a 500" monitor (once they make such a thing). :D
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Supposedly the GBU is out on BLUE RAY on May 12th,2009!
Yipeeee! I guess I have to go buy a Blue Ray player now!
Pablo
Not really. But you do have to buy this release.
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I'll be picking it up, easily. 8) 8) 8)
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Not me.
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I will. No hesitation.
I think this post convinced everyone.
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I don't have a Blu-ray player or plans to buy one anytime soon, but I will certainly buy this disc.
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I don't have a Blu-ray player or plans to buy one anytime soon, but I will certainly buy this disc.
WTF?
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WTF?
A true admirer.
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WTF?
If you don't understand this then there is no way I can explain it to you. You can't be on my fire team, either.
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If you don't understand this then there is no way I can explain it to you. You can't be on my fire team, either.
Either you're insane or I'm just plain dumb. This makes no sense to me. What the hell are you gonna do with the disc if you don't have any player to watch it with? Watch how it shines? Or is it a matter of being afraid that if you don't buy it now it might be too late later? Or am I missing a joke here?
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It's a matter of Honnor, Moviesceleton.
Yes, of course it's gonna be dangerous: it's a matter of honnor!
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It's a matter of Honnor, Moviesceleton.
Yes, of course it's gonna be dangerous: it's a matter of honnor!
Ah, yeah, that makes everything seem crystal clear. . .
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I knew my contribution would help you a lot.
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As always.
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Hopefully you're here to improve our discussion level.
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What the hell are you gonna do with the disc if you don't have any player to watch it with?
To wank to it, dummy!(http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/adult/jackoff.gif)
Der... der... DUH.
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To wank to it, dummy!(http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/adult/jackoff.gif)
Der... der... DUH.
Oh... I see O0
PS. I'm digging your signature (as always).
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Good, but not up there with "Hope-nosis."
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Oh gawd... why do we need a wank smiley? :o
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Oh gawd... why do we need a wank smiley? :o
Yeah. I need Hope-Nosis to come back. It made me want to watch Slumdog again.
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Yeah. I need Hope-Nosis to come back. It made me want to watch Slumdog again.
That's why I took it down.
The box office grosses were getting too high.
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I need Hope-Nosis to come back.
I'm hoping one will get down anytime soon. You wanna guess which one?
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And now you're converting everyone to Bolshevism! You bastard!
Anyway, who's this Blue Ray guy anyway? Man Ray's cousin?
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Good, but not up there with "Hope-nosis."
But better than the "yes, we can" (IMO)
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I'm hoping one will get down anytime soon. You wanna guess which one?
No. Please tell me.
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My favorites have been Jesus and the Jailbait girl.
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My favorites have been Jesus and the Jailbait girl.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RHZ80ROtQ6k/SRydqZpv_JI/AAAAAAAACXg/v8bfS3BSaYo/s400/Bong%2BSmoking%2BJesus.jpg)
Jesus knew how to party, man.
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No. Please tell me.
This prima donna: (http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh70/whalestoephotos/bowiemug1.jpg)
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This prima donna: (http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh70/whalestoephotos/bowiemug1.jpg)
Don't expect it to. Especially after you said something. What do you have against David Bowie, man?
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(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RHZ80ROtQ6k/SRydqZpv_JI/AAAAAAAACXg/v8bfS3BSaYo/s400/Bong%2BSmoking%2BJesus.jpg)
Jesus knew how to party, man.
You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZWHALkM1xc&feature=related
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Don't expect it to. Especially after you said something. What do you have against David Bowie, man?
Nobody fucks with the David.
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Nobody fucks with the David.
Nobody fucks with Jeff Bridges either!
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Don't expect it to. Especially after you said something.
Argh, I knew it.
What do you have against David Bowie, man?
Nothing, actually, but that pic is horrendous.
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My parents bought a blu-ray player today. O0
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My parents bought a blu-ray player today. O0
So now you can borrow DJ's disc and we'll have somebody who's actually seen it. O0
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So now you can borrow DJ's disc and we'll have somebody who's actually seen it. O0
I think I'll just watch the shine meself. Shiny, shiny! :D
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We're still 2 months away from the disc . . .
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We're still 2 months away from the disc . . .
(http://i.fosfor.se/w/w060529_2.jpg)
...Or are we?!?!?!
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We're still 2 months away from the disc . . .
Oops. Apparently those Frenchies have gotten the jump on us:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare3/goodbadugly.htm
ADDITION - Region FREE Blu-ray - April 09': Firstly, this is the French Blu-ray edition and IS Region FREE (as verified by my Momitsu player) but many things lead me to believe it will be EXACTLY the same as the US MGM Blu-ray disc coming out on May 15th, 2009 - except for the French language packaging. It's region-free and main menus are in English. This is probably the only edition that will be available and it is 'international' with plenty of subtitle and some DUB options. Finally, the disc takes up almost 48 Gig of the available, dual-layered, 50 and I can't see a US version extending beyond that. No, I'm fairly certain this will be the same transfer as on the US Blu-ray. We will compare but I'm not expecting any surprises. So, let's take a look at this...
How does it look? Well the 'Extended' DVD was quite strong, but, of course, this high-definition transfer exceeds it in most visual categories. Detail is only marginally better but where I noticed the greatest improvement is the absence of prominent artifacts that exist in the SD-DVDs (ex. the sky in the desert capture below.) The color scheme seems to support both the 'Extended' and the PAL 'SD' but is somewhat warmer without green/yellow infiltration. Black levels are deeper with contrast better defined and there is a marginally more information in the frame. The comparative captures may not indicate the advancement that many fans were hoping, but in motion this looks quite good and we've added some further stills at the bottom to help support the Blu-ray appearance. I should state that any improvement that exists here will be solely dependant on the system that you view it - the larger - the more advanced the superiority over the DVD. In the end it's a 43 year-old film and even with the strong cleaning and restoration - the image is at the mercy of original production. Mostly this looks as expected - no gloss, a dusty, grittier, and sometimes an even duller, look but the frequent absence of grain makes one think momentarily of DNR (Digital Noise Reduction). While I suspect it in some scenes it is absent throughout most and if it was applied - wasn't blanketed. It represents a 'flatter' look than A Fistful of Dollars on Blu-ray - a film made only 2 years earlier.
The DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 2887 kbps seems to show more depth than its DVD counterpart but the mix won't blow the windows out. Ennio Morricone's iconic score is as haunting as ever an the available Italian track is 2.0 channel - not mono as on the DVD.
One new commentary, but no Blu-ray bells and whistles - they repeat the MGM extended with Schickel's commentary as well as the new one by Christopher Frayling. Included from the previous package are deleted scenes and the interesting documentaries. The trailers are unrestored and in HD!
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Then Ripley will arrive with a product with the features of their FOD release and then what?
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Then we will buy AGAIN.
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What I gather from the review is that this Blu-Ray release and the one which will follow in USA are not significant departures from the dvd quality, which is what one should pretend before wasting his money. Therefore people who are not compulsive, fetichist consumers should stay therefore away from this and stick to their dvd SE before something really better and different is released.
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What I gather from the review is that this Blu-Ray release and the one which will follow in USA are not significant departures from the dvd quality, which is what one should pretend before wasting his money. Therefore people who are not compulsive, fetichist consumers should stay therefore away from this and stick to their dvd SE before something really better and different is released.
A personal 35mm film copy? Am I the only one who wonders why you can't purchase 35mm copies of movies?
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The Frayling commentary would be the only thing I would be interested in at the moment.
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What I gather from the review is that this Blu-Ray release and the one which will follow in USA are not significant departures from the dvd quality . . .
That's not what *I* gathered, but it depends I guess on what you mean by "significant."
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A personal 35mm film copy? Am I the only one who wonders why you can't purchase 35mm copies of movies?
Why not? Who told you you can't?
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Why not? Who told you you can't?
Personal experience. Can you show me a shop or site where I could get a copy of the Scorsese restoration of OUATITW? I tried emailing the Film Foundation but they never answered. I haven't contacted Paramount but my guess is that such a huge company with all that bureaucracy won't take the trouble for only some thousand dollars at the max. And I think Mike Siegel has had troubles with studios when he's sold 35mm copies on eBay. I think 35mm business is rather underground and "from a collector to another" kinda thing.
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Personal experience. Can you show me a shop or site where I could get a copy of the Scorsese restoration of OUATITW? I tried emailing the Film Foundation but they never answered. I haven't contacted Paramount but my guess is that such a huge company with all that bureaucracy won't take the trouble for only some thousand dollars at the max. And I think Mike Siegel has had troubles with studios when he's sold 35mm copies on eBay. I think 35mm business is rather underground and "from a collector to another" kinda thing.
Yes. Should one care?
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Yes. Should one care?
?
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What I gather from the review is that this Blu-Ray release and the one which will follow in USA are not significant departures from the dvd quality, which is what one should pretend before wasting his money. Therefore people who are not compulsive, fetichist consumers should stay therefore away from this and stick to their dvd SE before something really better and different is released.
You can't tell Jenkins anything, Titoli. He's too distracted by the shine.
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(http://i.fosfor.se/w/w060529_2.jpg)
...Or are we?!?!?!
My brother is absolutely convinced that he's seen The Soloist even though it isn't even in theaters yet. Perhaps he's discovered the secret of time travel.
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?
I meant you're right.
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Now Beaver reviews the U.S. Blu-ray and compares it with the French: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews45/good_bad_and_the_ugly_blu-ray.htm
Not much difference visually, we're told, but some of the differences in the dubbing options are interesting. The french disc has a Japanese dub, and the U.S. one offers German. Crazy!
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Personal experience. Can you show me a shop or site where I could get a copy of the Scorsese restoration of OUATITW? I tried emailing the Film Foundation but they never answered. I haven't contacted Paramount but my guess is that such a huge company with all that bureaucracy won't take the trouble for only some thousand dollars at the max. And I think Mike Siegel has had troubles with studios when he's sold 35mm copies on eBay. I think 35mm business is rather underground and "from a collector to another" kinda thing.
I've seen some on ebay every now and again... and going for cheap too!
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Yeah, but I haven't seen any interesting titles on eBay. Most of the film rolls sold there seem to be trailers anyway, but here's an interesting forum I found recently: http://www.efilmforum.com/archive/index.php?f-16-p-77.html
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Well I'll be picking this up.
I have a BluRay player but can only find 4 movies i like enough to buy on Blu.
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Yeah, but I haven't seen any interesting titles on eBay. Most of the film rolls sold there seem to be trailers anyway, but here's an interesting forum I found recently: http://www.efilmforum.com/archive/index.php?f-16-p-77.html
Some years back, there was a print of an old Lee Van Cleef hockey movie on there.
The film is a complete rarity.
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Hey guys, bought and watched the GBU blu-ray. On the plus side, the picture is quite good, yes there is some excessive dnr in spots, and some print damage here and there, but for the most part I was happily surprised at the picture quality - definitely a large step up from the dvd. I noticed a lot of little details I hadn't before (other than seeing the film on the big screen) Also the new commentary by Frayling is fantastic - full of detail and basically he never stops talking for the entire film!
On the negative side - the audio mix is still the one with all of the crappy new gunshots etc - they even include a "mono mix" - but guess what - it's just a mixdown of the 5.1 - terrible decision! So, I doubt we'll ever hear those old school effects again, arrrghhh...
Also, I was hoping they'd do a seamless branching of the Leone US cut, without the added scenes, but no luck. Kinda sucks cause seamless branching would have been easy to do and cost them virtually nothing to include (just a little bit of programming).
One other small thing on the plus side is the new opening menu sequence for the blu -ray - about 30-40 seconds - it kicks ass...but you know, it's just a menu...would have rather they spent the money on the mono mix!
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Well, we're all going to have to get a copy of the Italian release when it comes out. I'm sure there will be fewer DNR issues and the audio will be the original Italian dub. They probably won't be including English audio, but we'll still be able to hear the correct gunshot sounds when we want to. That's something. The U.S. release will still be worth having, though, for the Frayling commentary. I'd pay the 19.99 for that alone.
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Hey guys, bought and watched the GBU blu-ray. On the plus side, the picture is quite good, yes there is some excessive dnr in spots, and some print damage here and there, but for the most part I was happily surprised at the picture quality - definitely a large step up from the dvd. I noticed a lot of little details I hadn't before (other than seeing the film on the big screen) Also the new commentary by Frayling is fantastic - full of detail and basically he never stops talking for the entire film!
On the negative side - the audio mix is still the one with all of the crappy new gunshots etc - they even include a "mono mix" - but guess what - it's just a mixdown of the 5.1 - terrible decision! So, I doubt we'll ever hear those old school effects again, arrrghhh...
Also, I was hoping they'd do a seamless branching of the Leone US cut, without the added scenes, but no luck. Kinda sucks cause seamless branching would have been easy to do and cost them virtually nothing to include (just a little bit of programming).
So what we have here is a slightly updated version of the bastardised version we already own?
More reason to pass on this blu-ray thing.
P.S. Frayling commentary track will be uploaded to youtube soon anyway.
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anybody wanna record the new Frayling commentary for me?
will trade some of my goodies in exchange!
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I've seen some on ebay every now and again... and going for cheap too!
Studios do not sell prints of their films - EVER.
If you buy one it is illegal
'nuff said
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On the negative side - the audio mix is still the one with all of the crappy new gunshots etc - they even include a "mono mix" - but guess what - it's just a mixdown of the 5.1 - terrible decision! So, I doubt we'll ever hear those old school effects again, arrrghhh...
d'oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >:(
actually it is better than nothing, at least i hope so. the WORST aspect of the remix was bouncing the DIALOG from speaker to speaker.
even modern day STEREO films do not do that
I would love to have a version of the film that consists of the following:
the original soundtrack in mono
the scene where Angel Eyes visits the fort added to the US cut
the extended dialog with the Captain at the river encampment
ECSTASY OF GOLD & THE TRIO in stereo - what a finish that would be!
anyone want to cut this together for me?
thanks!
th
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DVD Savant's take: http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2907gbu.html
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tanks for the link!
cant believe the blu-ray did not include my article on the Kirk restoration - another golden opportunity missed ;D
http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/forums/index.php?topic=7974.0
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Studios do not sell prints of their films - EVER.
If you buy one it is illegal
'nuff said
what's your point?
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what's your point?
Haha, seriously.
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Maybe it's just me, but I find it amusing that Savant has reviewed GBU three or four times now and has yet to come up with much of interest to say about it. This coming from a fan and admirer.
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I don't care how good it looks I still can't get past that re-dub with those horrible gun shots. I'll stick with my original dvd. At least it's anamorphic and not a bad transfer.
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I haven't seen the "Extended Cut" other than a few scenes but I can't think of a reason to bother. The 2000-ish DVD has the extra scenes as special features (and the only one that really should be in the film is Angel Eyes visiting the fort) and the original audio track, and it's in widescreen - that's enough for me.
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I'm thinking along the same lines.
The only problem that I have now is getting hold of that 2000 DVD. Twice I have bought it from sellers on Amazon but they have sent the wrong edition!
They have listed the wrong DVD.
Both seperate sellers sent a DVD from a collection that clearly states NOT TO BE SOLD SEPERATELY. Needless to say it doesn't contain the additional scenes that I am after being stuck on the end of the film as extras, plus it's just plain wrong!
I am dubious about trying to order it a third time now and it is no longer available to buy new from Amazon. I guess I should try and buy it from another seller and just make sure that it is the correct edition first
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I'm in U.S., have both the "original" GBU DVD widescreen with the extra scenes as special features, in Italian but one can choose subtitles in a few languages, including English. I also have GBU 2-disc DVD and Mrs. Cusser got me the 4-film, 8-disc "Sergio Leone" Anthology which has the same 2-dsic GBU. A few days ago I was at Best Buy looking for a speaker switch, and noticed a one-disc GBU DVD with a different cover yet, on sale for $6.99 down from regular $9.99. So maybe that's the same as the previous one-disc GBU DVD????
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I saw the same thing at Sam's Club, different cover, not sure which it is didn't look at the back.
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I would love to have a version of the film that consists of the following:
the original soundtrack in mono
the scene where Angel Eyes visits the fort added to the US cut
the extended dialog with the Captain at the river encampment
ECSTASY OF GOLD & THE TRIO in stereo - what a finish that would be!
This is sort of thing has apparently become sort of popular, fan-edits of movies. There's supposed to be fan versions of the last few star wars movies for example where they cut out of all the junk scenes.
So it's definitely possible. If I had the original dvd I might take it upon myself but I don't.
Actually trying to synchronize the audio would be a big pain, so on second thoughts I wouldn't conciser it ;)
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This is sort of thing has apparently become sort of popular, fan-edits of movies. There's supposed to be fan versions of the last few star wars movies for example where they cut out of all the junk scenes.
So it's definitely possible. If I had the original dvd I might take it upon myself but I don't.
Actually trying to synchronize the audio would be a big pain, so on second thoughts I wouldn't conciser it ;)
you need not synchronize- just insert the scenes i mentioned into the ORIGINAL DVD VERSION
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Maybe, but I don't think having both mono and stereo on the same track is supported.
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Maybe, but I don't think having both mono and stereo on the same track is supported.
You can cut between mono and stereo without a problem, I assure you. The mono would be properly placed in the center channel while the other speakers are simply silent, then all speakers are used for the surround parts (if you want to retain the terrible surround mix that is, I'd personally just switch to Italian).
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http://videociak.net/customer/product.php?productid=23103&cat=&page= O0 (No English though I guess, but it is enough for me if it looks good)
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Is the release on that July 10 or 7 October?
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The release date is 7th of October.
If the Italians use their own print, the one the same company (which is going to release this new blu-ray) already used on their DVD release, it might have very different colors compared to the MGM discs.
Here's couple of examples, first the new MGM Blu-ray then the italian DVD from 2007. (Obviously the blu-ray image has been scaled down, and I compressed all the images a bit so do not judge the image quality of either disc based on these images)
(http://www.sundances.net/spaghetti/screenshots/good_bad_ugly_mgm_blu_ray.jpg)
(http://www.sundances.net/spaghetti/screenshots/good_bad_ugly_mondo_dvd.jpg)
(http://www.sundances.net/spaghetti/screenshots/good_bad_ugly_mgm_blu_ray2.jpg)
(http://www.sundances.net/spaghetti/screenshots/good_bad_ugly_mondo_dvd2.jpg)
As you can see, there's quite a bit of difference. I don't know how it is supposed to be but this same kind of difference isn't new in spaghetti western releases... OUATITW has the same between the Paramount and CVC (at least the old) discs. At least one of the Sabatas had as well. Same with My Name Is Nobody discs of everything else (that I can remember) compared to the German Paramount disc. And there have been others which I just can't remember now. But the differences in GBU and OUATITW are huge... which do you think is more likely, the Italians got it wrong or MGM/Paramount? This Italian GBU DVD is from CVC's print, who like I mentioned released the older OUATITW.
Anyways, the colors might remain about the same but I have a feeling the Blu-Ray from Mondo Home Entertainment will be of better quality than their DVD (which isn't really that great... too much edge enhancement for starters). At first I had this theory in my mind that because Mondo released My Name Is Nobody and For a Few Dollars More in 2007 in both regular and special edition DVDs (which contained a book) and these both were also released on Blu-Ray (and HD-DVD), but GBU and DYS only got regular DVDs and no HD at all, that Mondo was saving the HD releases of the latter two for some new restored prints. But then I remembered OUATITW got both regular and special edition DVDs and no HD. :P
Oh and the Mondo DVD has the longer version of GBU BUT without the cave scene.
DVD.it lists this new Blu-Ray with English audio, but they could be wrong (and most likely are). I just hope they aren't actually just releasing the same HD print that MGM did.
Anyways, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the disc will turn out to be. :D
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If the Italians use their own print, the one the same company (which is going to release this new blu-ray) already used on their DVD release, it might have very different colors compared to the MGM discs.
Here's couple of examples, first the new MGM Blu-ray then the italian DVD from 2007. (Obviously the blu-ray image has been scaled down, and I compressed all the images a bit so do not judge the image quality of either disc based on these images)
Is the US Blu-ray the top image, the Italian DVD the one below?
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Yep. :P
EDIT: Actually, now that I think about it, the first one might be from the US Blu-Ray and the second one from the French. :D But they are supposed to be exactly the same (as far as video goes, soundtracks differ a bit if I remember correctly).
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hmm blue ray seems like a must if you have a large tv.
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I downloaded a downscaled version of the bluray release. It looks pretty good, but don't expect too much. Unless you have a large tv you won't see that much difference other than a slightly sharper image and no pixelation whatsoever. I think this is as good as it will ever get.
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Well the Italian Blu-Ray (without English dub or subs, and it is the Italian theatrical version) is superior to the MGM Blu-Ray. Unless you hate how film is supposed to look.
MGM: http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9048/00057m2tssnapshot024420.png
Italian: http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/9310/00000m2tssnapshot024058.png
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Hmm that's interesting. I always thought that ugly greyness was part of the original print.
Italian one looks great. Is the mgm picture a product of digital noise reduction you think?
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And I must say, judging by that picture, the italian release looks 10 times better
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Good news. Someone has done the work of syncing up the english audio to the Mondo bluray. The bad news is that it's the restored audio only. I think the original mono track is too short to fill the italian theatrical. Of course you could convert the 5.1 audio to mono and fill in the gaps that way. But for now this is the most convenient option we got:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17366501#post17366501
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After seeing the numerous screencaps, the italian MONDO release proves yet again how bungled the supposed "restoration" was in the first place, and how MGM has continued to screw over their consumers....they obviously don't give a crap....or they don't want to spend the money to do things right....the difference in image quality is night and day....so I just ordered my mondo blu-ray, if I have to watch it in italian so be it...why is it that smaller companies out of italy can produce an image that major u.s. studios with infinite resources can't begin to match....?
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I noticed that a few people claim that the Italian Blu-ray looks better than the MGM one, and I'm wondering if we're looking at the same screen caps.
Seriously, I think the MGM image looks very good. Skin tones are correct, colors are lively, I don't see what's wrong with it.
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I noticed that a few people claim that the Italian Blu-ray looks better than the MGM one, and I'm wondering if we're looking at the same screen caps.
Seriously, I think the MGM image looks very good. Skin tones are correct, colors are lively, I don't see what's wrong with it.
here's a comparison, mgm on left mondo on right, you're telling me you can't tell the difference?
(http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/1682/comparisonz.th.jpg) (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/comparisonz.jpg/)
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Uh oh....while the mondo disc is jaw dropping sharp and the color is stellar, there's a big issue with it...I just posted this on the avs forum:
There's a big problem with this new mondo transfer....I'm assuming because this was from the original negative (and not the mgm interpositive based version) that each cut is glued together or spliced together and that over time this has warped the first two frames of the incoming shot and the last two frames of the outgoing shot, because EVERY CUT JUMPS....mostly each cut slightly shifts or warps, but literally there are cuts where the frame jumps a 3rd up the screen - and you can see the top of the frame at the bottom of the screen on the cut! (as if the film is out of it's register as it's being scanned) Case in point, look at the 2nd or 3rd cut in the scene where tuco is shot of his horse (and then after Blondie/Eastwood comes in for the first time). Tuco reaches for his gun, and the last 2 frames jump a 3rd up the screen, his boot is now on the bottom of the screen divided by a black line (a film frame line) - it would be great if someone who can capture br could post those frames up....
ARRRRGGG I really can't believe they would have let this go...they must have decided it wasn't worth the money to fix it...it's such a amazing transfer otherwise....
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http://img5.imagebanana.com/view/zmccgvnb/mondo001747.png
Somebody on the avs board grabbed this frame for me....this is what's going on in the new transfer...
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Thanks for keeping us informed about all this. When I finally get a Blu-ray player, info like this will prove very useful when deciding which release to buy.
By the way, does anyone here have any good recommendations regarding region free blu-ray players?
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Naaa, I most probably won't be buying one anytime soon, I just don't see any advantage especially when you factor in all the lousy new films being produced anyway. All the classics I have, they are what they are (and I see no reason to upgrade), all the future classics released that I'd buy probably wouldn't benefit much anyway from the technology.
What gets me is with the new HD technology TV's which are supposed to render super real imagery on one side (which you can see in the wildlife/nature/sports samples on the loop on the display models). While on the other side you have CGI and motion capture images that aren't real anyway and never will, be it seems as if both are at cross purposes to each other, no?.
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I don't know much about the filming and editing processes but didn't they have technology back in the 60s to change how the colors look? Even at the time of the filming? Wouldn't the sun position, lighting, whatever affect how the colors appear on screen? How about Tarantino going to France at a certain time of the year to film his Inglourious Basterds so he could get certain colors on film (I think he or someone else claimed this on some interview)?
Doesn't skin tones look the way the director, cinematographer or nowadays a nerd in front of the buttons, wants them to look? Thus you can't say something is not correct just because it doesn't look "normal". And how do we know how they were supposed to look. Maybe we should ask from Leone... De Colli... Simi... oh crap. Anyways, the credits for the GBU even list an editor with a title of "final colorist", what did he do?
This isn't even the only movie with big color differences... in fact a lot of the Italian released discs (at least AFOD, OUATITW, Nobody and at least one of the Sabatas come to mind) in this genre have very different colors than the ones from the big international companies like MGM or Paramount.
Of course only very small percentage of people actually have their monitors/television perfectly calibrated to show the colors exactly like they are on the disc. I know mine aren't. ;)
As for the Mondo vs MGM, as I already said, in my opinion the Mondo disc is far superior and the image is much more film like and I prefer the colors as well. I'll probably use the instructions at the avs forums to make a custom disc and will never look at the MGM disc again. Unfortunately even with the instructions all the gun shot sounds are still the new crappy ones? But at least the cave scene is missing. ;)
I didn't notice the problems Jordan Krug reported (I don't doubt they are there) but its probably a minor error in an otherwise superb transfer. Although now that I know about the problems, they will probably bother me the next time I watch the disc. ;D I think I may have noticed similar stuff on lots of other discs before, just can't remember any titles now.
EDIT: Anyways, if somebody is looking to get the movie on Blu-Ray and wants it in English (and can't make his own custom disc with the avs instructions) then there aren't any options AND you might actually enjoy the MGM Blu-Ray. A lot of people do, so just because me and others think its crap (and are correct ;) ), perhaps everybody should check it for themselves (rent it or see it at a library if possible, or something).
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For me the ultimate would be to replicate the cinema experience (vision and sound) in my home. The larger the screen the more HD is a necessity. Obviously it won't make a bad movie into a good movie. Whilst watching Changeling and Godfather 1, I wondered why I bothered getting the blu-ray versions. Then I watch the early Bond movies, How The West Was Won, The Professionals etc on Blu-ray and I am blown away.
Well for me the cinema experience for the last 10 years isn't anything to shout about, (between 1970 and 1996 when I lived in Montana I didn't go very much to movies anyway) and my last TV lasted some 15 years, got a new one maybe 3 years ago if it lasts as long then around 2021 I'll possibly get a new one, a lot of the old films from the 1940's, & 1950's I saw that I would get DVD's of, I originally saw on TV also with pan & scan & commercial breaks so the widescreen DVD's are a treat in and of themselves and that alone blows me away.
I saw my first and only Imax film at the Spokane Worlds Fair and I wasn't impressed. I don't play video games so I don't have that platform and I'll not buy a new DVD player till the old one gives out. I like to travel and be outdoors a lot and spend money that way. I just don't have that much incentive to upgrade and its not for me like the big difference between VHS and DVD.
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It's either a benefit or a hazard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6lWNSDsTZg
If it's a benefit - nobody will complain, if it's a hazard - the mob will most likely eat you alive.
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Thanks for that link, DD, it's quite interesting and brings up some interesting points for discussion. I've noticed when attending digital projections of recently made films that backgrounds tend to be enhanced and that the very notion of "focus" has seemed to go by the wayside. When Landis talks about being able to read the labels on things in the pub (in Werewolf), which wasn't possible with film projection, well, we're talking about a whole new way of watching a "film."
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What Landis mentions at the end is basically what has been done to the MGM Blu-Ray (and most likely on the DVDs as well before). Someone somewhere at some point decided there's too much grain and got rid of it (not all in the MGM disc though).
But film is made of grain. The detail is in the grain. Different film stock has different amounts of grain. Sometimes it might be a financial decision to use more grainy one but sometimes it is an artistic choice. And the people shooting the film know how the particular film stock works and thus the film is shot with that in mind.
If Leone were alive I do not know if he would have liked for someone to remove all the grain from the movie or not when it is transferred to digital. If he had the chance to shoot the film in digital back in the 60s, would he have done it? And even if he would, the fact remains that he shot it with a certain film with a certain look to it. And unless the director wants it to look like something else, the transfer to digital should respect the original film. And even if the director later wants to change it, I do not need to like it (the crappy color changes to the French Connection Blu-Ray... ugh...).
The Mondo disc is much more grainier and more film like of the two. The picture is more alive when played and not a plastic world with waxy faces. :P My screen is only 24" though (FullHD at least) and many recommend at least 50" screens to really see what is going on with the transfer (meaning crap will look even crappier... ;) ).
But of course anyone can like what they want and even though I have no kind of statistics about the subject, I think a lot of people (do not know if it is majority or not) prefer their movies to be clean like a video game or something... waxy faces, and no amount of grain.
The Godfather boxset for Blu-Ray went under very serious restoration and got help from Coppola and the cinematographer Willis and lots of other people to make it look as close to the one it is supposed to be. Yet the last time I read some customer reviews (most likely at amazon.co.uk) a lot of people absolutely hated the discs because in their mind it clearly was not restored properly and definitely wasn't HD because of all the grain in it. :D But if these people own PS3 (and maybe some other players can do it nowadays as well) there is supposed to be a DNR button or something in it which will make the image more smooth. Unfortunately it isn't possible to make a button that removes the DNR that has already been applied to the discs.
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The bottom line is that the grain was ALWAYS there, it's just that VHS & DVD never had the resolution to show it...I personally love film grain...reminds me that something was "captured" on a "medium" instead of just "recorded" which is the way hd feels.
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Interesting.
Take, when Landis talks about being able to read the labels on things in the pub.
Now say for instance there was a pub set where the general film took place in 1865 or an inn or tavern set earlier when filmed those bottles on a back shelf may have had modern labels but that didn't show because of the way it was filmed and focused.
The same thing goes for say For A few Dollars More when Mortimer gets off the train at Tucumcari. In the bg of one of the shots is what looks like a typical Western butte, something like you'd see in Monument Valley its not in focus but its there on the horizon. In reality I believe I've read that its a castle, out of focus, it, to us viewers for all intends and purposes is a butte. Now the question is will a Blue Ray disc reveal this and other unwanted things????
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I don't see how out of focus details could be put in focus by any technology... There are 2 very different things here: HD cameras and HD discs (blue ray). I'm wondering if we're not confusing the 2. A blue ray cannot create information that is not on the 35mm film.
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I don't see how out of focus details could be put in focus by any technology... There are 2 very different things here: HD cameras and HD discs (blue ray). I'm wondering if we're not confusing the 2. A blue ray cannot create information that is not on the 35mm film.
I probably am, I was just concerned about that O0
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Well, maybe Landis himself is confused. He talks about seeing the labels not because film grain has been removed, but because the background is no longer out of focus.
I think it's interesting that he was okay with altering Werewolf, but with Animal House he wanted the grain pretty much as it always was, to get that grittier effect. This makes sense: you have to take these films case-by-case, not apply a one-size-fits-all approach. Of course, it's easier when the filmmakers are still around to make their preferences known.
I have to say I'm less bothered by digital manipulation of the images than by rethinking aspect ratios. Vittorio Storaro, for example, with his insistence now on 2:1 ratios for all the films he's ever shot has really become a menace.
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He better leave The Conformist alone.
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But it's (un)funny as it's paradoxical: if they can't improve the quality of the picture dramatically, then why are they re-packing it and re-selling it at a much higher cost? (Concerning the ''image degraded'' thing.) And who's foolish enough to pay that money just to see their experiments (what says the sticker on the bottle of soda on the table in the third row)?
The image quality has been improved over the regular DVD release, but then 'downgraded' on someone's request because the picture looked like something it wasn't intended to be. However it was released anyway, and the cost will still be considerably higher. Seems someone's nuts here, no? (But certainly not the companies in the business.)
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Thanks HG for posting.
But you know what? If I look at the sky and at the train's smoke, I prefer the standard DVD picture: at least the sky is blue...
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But it's (un)funny as it's paradoxical: if they can't improve the quality of the picture dramatically, then why are they re-packing it and re-selling it at a much higher cost? (Concerning the ''image degraded'' thing.) And who's foolish enough to pay that money just to see their experiments (what says the sticker on the bottle of soda on the table in the third row)?
The image quality has been improved over the regular DVD release, but then 'downgraded' on someone's request because the picture looked like something it wasn't intended to be. However it was released anyway, and the cost will still be considerably higher. Seems someone's nuts here, no? (But certainly not the companies in the business.)
On most RECENT movies, when watched on a decent TV (i'm very rich), the image quality upgrade between the DVD and the BR is astonishing. On older movies the question has to be raised.
Another point about HD (which i love (HD, not the point)): most of my DVDs, when seen on my parents big full hd screen look like home-made youtube videos. I guess it's due to the screen itself trying to improve the image quality instead of leaving it its standard definition... I definitly HAVE to find a way to avoid that.
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On most RECENT movies, when watched on a decent TV (i'm very rich), the image quality upgrade between the DVD and the BR is astonishing. On older movies the question has to be raised.
Of course.
But the sad thing is that most of those recent movies ain't worth a free-for-everyone summer festival release, let alone BR perversions. They don't have to offer much from a fancy colorful box they come in.
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Well, the same goes with most of the old ones... 99% of the past century's production ain't worth 90 minutes of anyone's time.
(i'm not a "they don't make good movies anymore" guy. Not with the amazing decade we just got. 2 very good movies per year is the average since the 1900's)
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Well, the same goes with most of the old ones... 99% of the past century's production ain't worth 90 minutes of anyone's time.
I agree if you lower it down to 70%. It is more likely nowadays the percentage climbed up to 99%.
(i'm not a "they don't make good movies anymore" guy. Not with the amazing decade we just got. 2 very good movies per year is the average since the 1900's)
(http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/confused/confused0020.gif) (http://www.mysmiley.net)
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I guess we should have to count. Unfortunatly, I have some finals tomorow, so I'm not doing it this evening...
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(http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/confused/confused0020.gif) (http://www.mysmiley.net)
Great smiley.
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cool closeups O0
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You can see the castle in the movie The Wind and The Lion, with Sean Connery and Aldo Sambrell.
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Wasn't it in El Cid too?
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Wasn't it in El Cid too?
No doubt; playing itself.
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Today is the day I go Blu. Frayling commentary, here I come. 8)
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I have a long history with GBU--viewings on TV, LD, and DVD--but I have never seen the film in a cinema. Yesterday, watching the Blu-ray in 1080p on my new plasma screen, I felt like I was seeing the film for the first time. Man! And as I watched I kept thinking, "This is the greatest film ever made."
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Man! And as I watched I kept thinking, "This is the greatest film ever made."
You mean the popcorn version?
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It was the 180 minute cut.
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The "popcorn version" isn't available on video that I'm aware of.
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It was the 180 minute cut.
Stop diddling about: what's the best movie ever: the long version or the popcorn one?
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Looking for a fight as usual - eh, Titoli?
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what's the best movie ever?
A Serious Man.
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A Serious Man.
You're spoiling my game. >:(
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Looking for a fight as usual - eh, Titoli?
titoli, please.
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Already have them ordered. Blu-ray.com is making impressive claims for the the Yojimbo transfer in particular.
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I don't have a Blu-Ray player; I've heard the only additional material on the GBU edition is a commentary by Christopher Frayling. Can anyone here comment on how good that is, or does anyone have an audio copy of that? Thanks.