UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ - JFK -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

I don’t disagree - that would have been my preference as a potential customer as well.

But Shout’s been at this a long time and I guess they figured that there wouldn’t have been enough people willing to do so.

I think they are wrong. This would've been the ultimate release for this film with both versions on 4K/UHD.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Yeah if I had been designing this release and had a mandate to make it a UHD and BD combo set, I would have budgeted both versions of the film in both formats before greenlighting any other expenditures on packaging or bonus features. I would have also examined the practicality of seamless branching rather than separate discs to bring down physical production costs.

I know Stone has said it was all on budget but he’s also expressed a preference for the director’s cut for decades so I can’t help but wonder just how much of a priority it was for him to lobby for both versions or if it was something he accepted without pushback.

 

[titch]

I think many of us would have paid a few dollars more to include the theatrical cut in 4K/UHD. They already scan it in 4K.

Do you feel the same about Natural Born Killers? Exactly the same decision Shout! made there.

 

[PMF]

The great thing about Oliver Stone’s Director’s Cut is that he was decisive; once done, it was done. Never, over the years, did Mr. Stone keep coming back at us with multiple running times and multiple editions. Once we’re in for a committed 3 plus hours of viewing time, what’s another 17 minutes at that point? This singular Director’s Cut was Mr. Stone’s vision to which he never wavered, tinkered nor altered. The 4K/UHD Shout edition of JFK Director’s Cut is visually all that one could ever wish for.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Do you feel the same about Natural Born Killers? Exactly the same decision Shout! made there.

If it was at the same price point then yes. This 4K/UHD release was already expensive and adding a few more dollars to ensure both film versions were on 4K/UHD would’ve made the ultimate home video release since it’s already priced as such.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The great thing about Oliver Stone’s Director’s Cut is that he was decisive; once done, it was done. Never, over the years, did Mr. Stone keep coming back at us with multiple running times and multiple editions. Once we’re in for a committed 3 plus hours of viewing time, what’s another 17 minutes at that point? This singular Director’s Cut was Mr. Stone’s vision to which he never wavered, tinkered nor altered. The 4K/UHD Shout edition of JFK Director’s Cut is visually all that one could ever wish for.

I have no issues with the PQ of this release.

 

[PMF]

Yeah if I had been designing this release and had a mandate to make it a UHD and BD combo set, I would have budgeted both versions of the film in both formats before greenlighting any other expenditures on packaging or bonus features. I would have also examined the practicality of seamless branching rather than separate discs to bring down physical production costs.

I like and agree with your concept of disc design.

 

[Dave H]

It would most likely have cost thousands of dollars more to master and author an additional disc for the set, and the replication costs per added disc would have added a few dollars to total unit costs. Which doesn’t seem like much in the abstract but each release has a budget based on what the label feels it can recoup in sales and for better or worse they felt that would have crossed that threshold.

Given they are already charging quite a premium ($64.98 list price) for this set, it still puzzles me, but what you say makes sense.

But the way Shout handles Stone films is a little odd. Clearly, they did not do a new 4K scan for Platoon (cost reasons again most likely), yet charged a typical price for it.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

If it was at the same price point then yes. This 4K/UHD release was already expensive and adding a few more dollars to ensure both film versions were on 4K/UHD would’ve made the ultimate home video release since it’s already priced as such.

I don't disagree at all... though I get the sense that a few extra dollars in production/replication costs might really mean raising the MSRP by $10 or so, which may still be ok enough for many fans, but maybe not so much for some who might not feel that need.

Unfortunately, seems Shout! also doesn't believe offering additional/separate option (for say that $10 higher price) to include the theatrical in 4K is warranted/workable, particularly in the current market environment -- actually having that choice would probably be ideal for the customer me thinks.

I have very mixed feelings about all this myself... in part because I'm not even sure if I really wanna upgrade from my old Warner BD (that only included the director's cut)... at least at the already high price Shout! is asking. I generally like/love Oliver Stone's (at least acclaimed) works, but actually have a hard time sitting thru JFK in large part due to its prodigious length (and seemingly less dramatic-for-Stone approach/style on top), which is an issue for me even if I otherwise love the film, heh... but it has been a very long time since I last tried, so maybe I'll find it much more gripping now (much as I do say Nolan's Oppenheimer, but less so say Killers of the Flower Moon)... but still, ~3.5 hours are a lot to commit to 1 film (NVM all the extras that come w/ such a release)...

_Man_

 

[PMF]

I hope that Shout! will supply the completists with a Stand-Alone 4K/UHD of JFK: The Theatrical Cut.

Also, I would hope to see Shout! release a 4K/UHD of Heaven & Earth.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I hope that Shout! will supply the completists with a Stand-Alone 4K/UHD of JFK: The Theatrical Cut.

Also, I would hope to see Shout! release a 4K/UHD of Heaven & Earth.

Even though I have registered my complaints about not having the theatrical cut on 4K/UHD. As a completist, I will not purchase a stand-alone 4K/UHD release. Let's just say I won't do it because of my own principles on the matter as this release should have been the ultimate 4K/UHD release.

 

[Kyle_D]

I just hope Shout learns from this thread and includes both cuts of Dances With Wolves in 4k if/when they update their release of that title to UHD.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I hope that Shout! will supply the completists with a Stand-Alone 4K/UHD of JFK: The Theatrical Cut.

Also, I would hope to see Shout! release a 4K/UHD of Heaven & Earth.

I'd definitely be in on a good release of Heaven & Earth -- I missed out on the Twilight Time BD.

_Man_

 

[PMF]

Even though I have registered my complaints about not having the theatrical cut on 4K/UHD. As a completist, I will not purchase a stand-alone 4K/UHD release. Let's just say I won't do it because of my own principles on the matter as this release should have been the ultimate 4K/UHD release.

True. Well, not that this will happen, but Shout! should do some inverted variation of a disc replacement program. For $12 extra bucks they mail out to purchasers of the boxed set a special 4K/UHD “inclusion” disc of TheTheatrical. I know…it’ll never happen….but they should offer it, anyway.

 

[PMF]

I'd definitely be in on a good release of Heaven & Earth -- I missed out on the Twilight Time BD.

_Man_

Heaven & Earth is an underrated film that perfectly contrasts Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July in a unique narrative, which disarmingly rounds out Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War trilogy. I felt it to be a highly courageous work, which is worthy of reassessment.

 

[JoshZ]

I'd definitely be in on a good release of Heaven & Earth -- I missed out on the Twilight Time BD.

You didn't miss out on much. Awful transfer on that disc. Twilight Time got shafted on that title. The only HD master available was one of Warner's old interlaced 1080i transfers that had been badly deinterlaced and frame rate converted. Jaggie artifacts in every frame. Borderline unwatchable.