A Few Words About A few words about... The Searchers -- in SD (Some potential bad news See Post #139) (1 Viewer)

[GlennH]

The outside packaging of the John Wayne/John Ford Film Collection box is about 5-5/8" W x 5-5/8" D x 7-3/4" H.

There are no thin cases inside. All films except THE SEARCHERS are in standard keepcases, with STAGECOACH being a 2-disc (standard case with the flap inside). THE SEARCHERS Ultimate Collector's Edition is in it's own box about 1-5/16" W x 5-9/16" D x 7-9/16" H, containing a 2-disc digipack plus two separate cardboard folders with the printed extras (comic book and promotion campaign booklet, and picture cards and letter replicas).

 

[Robert Crawford]

RAH,
I must say those two documentaries were excellent! As I watched both of them there were a couple of instances in which I got misty eyed because this film had such a profound effect on me as a child because it was one of the first films that I looked deeper into as I reflect upon it and it's something that I continue to do so after each viewing of it. The only films from my youth that causes similar repeated reflections from me are "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Night of the Hunter". That's not to say that other classic films don't cause me to reflect, but not to the degree those three films do.

This is a great film and I agree with Scorsese, Hanson and Milius, who stated that anybody who thinks John Wayne wasn't a good actor, needs to watch this film because his performance in it, rivals Robert Mitchum in "The Night of the Hunter" and George C. Scott in "Patton" as some of my favorite all-time acting performances.

Do you agree with Scorsese that Vista Vision was the best widescreen ratio for filming a movie?






Crawdaddy

 

[DeeF]

There's another visible mistake in The Searchers -- when the cavalry is crossing the icy river, a car can be seen driving down the distant road, at the right hand side of the screen.

 

[John Hodson]

If anyone - like myself - still hasn't got their copy and is desperate for a look at some screencaps, a comparison between old and new editions has been posted at thedvdforums.com here.

EDIT; worth reading down that thread for some interesting comments...

 

[Robert Crawford]

John,
Sorry to hear that you still don't have this dvd release.




Crawdaddy

 

[John Hodson]

Thanks; I'm pretty unbearable to live with right now, and I will be until I get this in my hands

But more importantly, did you read the other comments on the thread I linked to?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I did not read those comments, what is so interesting about them?





Crawdaddy

 

[John Hodson]

 

[Robert Crawford]

Strange, since he attacked Robert enough not only here, but over there as well. I guess forgive and forget are in order.





Crawdaddy

 

[JohnPM]

Just noticed something as I watched "The Searchers" DVD last night. John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter are talking just before Natalie Wood enters the scene from the distant hilltop. Thanks to the clarity of this new DVD, I could see Natalie (just a tiny speck) peeking over the top of that hill --- waiting quite a long time for her cue to run down and join them. Quite a discovery for me --- thanks Warners!

http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/

 

[Simon Howson]

Well that's very dissapointing that the colour seems to be so far off from release prints.

I am still glad I bought the new DVD (in the Ford / Wayne box), given the drastic cropping issues of the original version.

I hope Warner Bros. does issue replacement discs, and that they make it easy for international buyers to receive them.

 

[Simon Howson]

Double Post - Deleted

 

[Robert Crawford]

I've been able to see that for years, even on television presentations, the same with the actor breathing in the indian burial site.




Crawdaddy

 

[Robert Harris]

It is confirmed that corrections are being made with a return to the dye transfer reference.

No one seems to know what occurred.

The restoration of The Searchers was a huge undertaking, both in time and economics. Somehow the released DVD didn't receive a final pass at color timing, nor did the digital master which was screened publicly in L.A.

The HD version will be correct, and a running change will undoubtedly come about in the near future in SD. You don't want to mess with Mr. Ford's work. He did things for a reason.

I see this as a minor and unfortunate annoyance, which is easily corrected. Only those who know the film intimately will be aware that something is "off." There isn't much of a story here.

Regarding HHW, he and I have known each other for decades. Sometimes we agree, sometimes not. But he generally spot on with his facts. In the instance to which Crawdaddy refers, he did not have all of the facts.

RAH

 

[Simon Howson]

So long as I can get a corrected disc posted to me in Oz I will be happy.

I decided to get the Ford / Wayne box because it came to AUD$10 a film, but also because it looks like Warner are only releasing the regular 2 Disc S.E. of The Searchers in Australia, not the Ultimate Edition.

So far I've only watched Fort Apache, and while not up to The Searchers astronomical standards, I thought it was a brilliant film. Ford has this amazing ability to add comedy to his films without it taking over from the drama.

Oh, I also have the Ford box on its way. I'm especially looking forward to Cheyenne Autumn.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Thankfully, I'll have the HD version with the correct color.

As far as HHW, my only problem with him is his posting style. After reading that thread, I see he hasn't lost his touch. Clearly, he's very knowledgeable about film, but his posting method just pisses people off, thus, whatever knowledge or information he's trying to convey to others is at times lost, by some of the people he rubs the wrong way. Interesting read though with some good information.




Crawdaddy

 

[John Hodson]

It's the one film that, when released in HD, will probably tip my hand to buying a suitable player.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Boy, am I glad that I held off ordering this! Only a deluge of other releases and ordering long-term wish list titles prevented me from snapping up The Searchers before the street date and also thanks to all you knowledgeable folks here at HTF, you saved me some frustration! Many of the studios make goofs, but only Warner can be relied upon to fix their goofs 95% of the time. Kudos.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This is still a beautifully done dvd besides the issue with the color. No doubt, most people won't even notice it.




Crawdaddy

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

IMHO, the new Searchers disc is a big improvement in detail, framing, compression, and extras. The drawbacks are the aforementioned color timing and the fact that its still has some edge haloing (although substantially less than the previous DVD).

Regards,