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Messages - Jordan Krug
1
« on: April 01, 2021, 06:28:51 PM »
I got the Mondo on Amazon. It has a major grading issue. The images look very choppy in motion. Nice color but I find it unwatchable
It was done on an early generation film scanner with jello problems caused by the scanner only scanning parts of a frame at a time, instead of the full frame. It gives it a digital wobble throughout. You get the same effect with fast motion on very cheap video cameras, if you pan left or right quickly, you'll notice everything bends left or right as chunks of video are captured in lines (like a set of stairs). Nowadays, each frame is scanned entirely.
2
« on: April 01, 2021, 06:24:41 PM »
Benji Heran and Jordan Krug have certainly done a wonderful job in systematically researching and documenting the various GBU prints.
My great hope is that someone will find unused material lying around somewhere in Rome, e.g. the complete Socorro scene.
The film of Sergio Leone directing post-production sound effects for the GBU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK_oYEs4dJ4) is hopefully only one of many preserved treasures.
I also agree that the scene shot at Grotte di Salone, Rome, should have only been an extra on DVDs etc.
I just had a re-look at Jordan Krug's "Comparison of the Tuco Torture scene from 4 sources" (https://vimeo.com/214347921).
The 2009 MONDO BLU (Bluy-ray) version looks absolutely fantastic compared to the others.
The 2014 MGM 4K version looks sick. It's unwatchable.
I often look at the clouds to judge the quality of a print or still in terms of image resolution/contrast.
In the 2009 MONDO BLU version the colors appear very natural, and the both the sky and clouds look great.
In some versions the clouds are missing.
In general, a scan from the negative will always yield more sky detail (mondo and MGM 4K), by the time release prints hit theatres in 66/67 they were 2-3 generations away from negative, and thus have greater contrast and less detail. The 2009 has its flaws but is an example of the richness of a negative scan. The 2014 completely botched the colour correction, where they somehow added contrast and lost detail. The 2014 is also the most cropped!
3
« on: April 01, 2021, 06:15:59 PM »
I also agree. The additional scenes really impact the anti-war theme.
I'm in Arizona, USA; I saw this upon its first release here (1968) and pretty damn sure that the scene referenced above was included.
I've mentioned before that the three gunshots/actual shooting of the three bounty killers with Tuco in the desert early in the film was cut out due to a film repair. So one saw the stare-down and then the three dead and Blondie there with his gun, and the music. I thought that was the greatest editing I'd ever seen, later realized it had been a repaired reel.
Listen, I adore the film, so I do love seeing the extra scenes...but I wish they had stayed in the Italian cut and that the Italian cut as we have it now was the full version. Right now we are about to get one of Leone's cuts (shorter international) back into its correct form for the first time since 1993. I hope in the future, the full Italian cut with all its excess (including the full beating scene, the skeleton desert scene) can be brought back to its complete glory. I love that anecdote - as you see a minor trim can make a big difference!
5
« on: January 19, 2021, 04:28:47 AM »
Hugs to you Jordan, you are the only guy in the world I would have sold it to... (whywere you born?  )
Glad to see they finally "accepted" your input, which they did not for their "first release". Maybe
they didn't trust my opinion at that time, although I already had successfully co-produced 3 Peckinpah's
with KINO by then...
PS: 2 GLORREICHE HALUNKEN was Sergio's first title for the film as I recall. (TWO MAGNIFICENT ROGUES). Right?
I'm glad it's going to live on in home video form, hopefully forever! Yes, I really appreciate you sticking up for us (lil brutto and I) during Kino's first attempt. They did eventually reach out although there is a much longer story I'd rather tell you in person  One day, when this crazy virus is in the past I hope to make it over to Europe and we will have many beers together Mike. All the best to you.
6
« on: January 15, 2021, 08:30:56 AM »
This is not our trailer, which has been cleaned up and restored in 4K, but this is a German trailer (ours is in 2:35, this one is in 16:9 (cropped) : https://youtu.be/KSF9JBuMp2w
7
« on: January 14, 2021, 07:02:29 PM »
Happy to report that the German trailer came from this boards very own Mike Siegel. We provided it in 4K and it looks pretty nice. And every single shot in it is an alternate take, angle or deleted scene (same as the French trailer) but now its sharp as a tack. Thanks Mike!
8
« on: January 14, 2021, 02:05:09 PM »
Quick update: lil brutto and I have gotten Kino the 35mm elements they needed to do a correct 1967 theatrical edit. Their new blu/uhd will have this edit. They want fans to vote on either having the extended or the theatrical in UHD on the Kino Lorber studio classics Facebook page. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3717534361636777&id=682934655096778
9
« on: December 22, 2020, 04:16:10 PM »
Kino has announced a new UHD version of GBU. Its the extended cut with another new color grade (but not HDR) . Hopefully its better.
10
« on: December 22, 2020, 11:49:19 AM »
11
« on: December 21, 2020, 05:22:20 AM »
Just finished listening to the whole thing, sound quality is fantastic, even in mono. You can tell they went back to the master tapes and captured everything in high resolution to start. My favorite part is the alternate versions of familiar pieces, and the set is definitely aimed at the fan who wants to hear everything ever recorded or mixed for the film (which is me). For the casual fan, there is a lot of redundancy for sure. Speaking of soundtracks, check this out, Leone working on foley for the film: https://youtu.be/fK_oYEs4dJ4
12
« on: December 19, 2020, 11:51:32 AM »
From the liner notes (which are great by the way and include some fun quotes from Eastwood):
Disc 1 and 2 were restored from the monaural original recording session.
Also premiering on Disc 2 is a longer album version of "La storia di un soldato" featuring three additional verses, remixed from the recently discovered original International Recording Studios 1/2" three-track tape.
Following an extensive search, Disc 3 showcases Morricone's best-selling original soundtrack assembly remastered from the first generation 1/4" master tape. This has allowed us to restore two seconds to the opening of 'll deserto" and, crucially, restore eight seconds to the start of "Marcetta senza speranza"
rather than utilizing the truncated fade-in present on other 1/4" tapes and heard on North American CD releases.
It is worth noting that Morricone's soundtrack assembly plays in film sequence, although it features some different performances. For instance, the second half of "il Triello" is the original version; Morricone rescored the scene after his album had been finalized.
14
« on: November 20, 2020, 05:54:24 PM »
Anything new come up in the interview? Worth watching?
15
« on: October 26, 2020, 08:32:26 AM »
I would go in the order they were released, because with the exception of duck you sucker, each movie is better than the next. Fistful is fun and short and a good introduction.
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