A Few Words About A few words about...™ West Side Story -- in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

[davidmatychuk]

The copy of "West Side Story" on Blu-Ray that a courier delivered to my home this morning does not fade to black during the overture at any point, like the other Blu-Ray does. How about that.

 

[WilliamMcK]

Does it fade at all? My understanding of the "fix" is that it still fades, just not to black; and that correctly it should shift from fire engine red to blue without the green interim that the DVDs had.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I just noticed that the packing slip from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment says that the item they sent me is "West Side Story 50th BD - CB V2", which reads like "Version 2" to me. And which is what it appears to be. Again, how about that.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I think you can do a youtube search to see all the different versions of the fade colors for yourself. The original P&S LD/VHS versions seem to be the only ones that have that Red to Blue fade done correctly.
Aside from that there were other issues too. It would be nice if they did do a second fix that they'd let people know. Does anyone have the replacement disc? I'm wondering if "V2" is just version 2 after the original issue, or is "CB" standing for "Corrected Blu-Ray", Version 2...
Curiouser and Curiouser...

 

[JimmyK]

The copy of "West Side Story" on Blu-Ray that a courier delivered to my home this morning does not fade to black during the overture at any point, like the other Blu-Ray does. How about that.

I just noticed that the packing slip from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment says that the item they sent me is "West Side Story 50th BD - CB V2", which reads like "Version 2" to me. And which is what it appears to be. Again, how about that.

The "corrected" version also does not fade to black, however it stills fades incorrecty instead of changing from red to blue with no amount of fading in between.
Can you clarify how the copy you received behaves? I strongly suspect it's the still incorrect "corrected version".

 

[WilliamMcK]

Here is a youtube link (quite possibly done by an HTF member!) of a four-way comparison among the 1998 single DVD, the SE DVD box set, the first Blu-Ray release, and the "corrected" Blu-Ray:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjEzv4_Gk20&feature=related
And here's a link to the Criterion 1989 LD:

 

[haineshisway]

I just noticed that the packing slip from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment says that the item they sent me is "West Side Story 50th BD - CB V2", which reads like "Version 2" to me. And which is what it appears to be. Again, how about that.

No. You really must stop trying to confuse things. What you have is the "fixed" version - V1 being the original botched transfer. The fix, however, as you well know, isn't a fix. Examples have been posted, and if you go to page one of this thread and read Mr. Harris's assessment of the "fix" (which is what you have), you will find:
"A replacement disc has finally been viewed.
And I've not come away smiling.
What could possibly be more simple than encoding a dissolve, in which one piece of film fades out, while the other fades in.
This is not what is occurring, and is not what the film was designed to be."
They have minimized the fade, but they haven't fixed it. A fade is not a dissolve. A dissolve is not a fade. Watch the videos and you will see how it should look, the Criterion being the ONLY one that dissolves properly. There is only one correct way and that way is not on the original Blu-ray or the "fixed" version. It could not be simpler. But if it makes you happy to think you have something that no one else in the world has, that's great! How about that?

 

[davidmatychuk]

I do have something that no one else in the world has, and it does make me happy. And it's not the disc 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment went way out of their way to courier me this morning, either, which was kind of the whole point of my little narrative.

 

[haineshisway]

I do have something that no one else in the world has, and it does make me happy. And it's not the disc 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment went way out of their way to courier me this morning, either, which was kind of the whole point of my little narrative.

I guess I and others are missing the point of "your little narrative." Our point is you don't have anything that is new - you have the "fixed" version that isn't "fixed." What other narrative do you need?

 

[JimmyK]

I guess I and others are missing the point of "your little narrative." Our point is you don't have anything that is new - you have the "fixed" version that isn't "fixed." What other narrative do you need?

+1
I'm not trying to be rude to David, but I don't get his point either.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/315747/a-few-words-about-west-side-story-in-blu-ray/780#post_3986406
I guess I and others are missing the point of "your little narrative." Our point is you don't have anything that is new - you have the "fixed" version that isn't "fixed." What other narrative do you need?

This may be the new V2, equivalent to the forthcoming Patton.

I'm sensing that they've returned to the OCN, performed an 8k scan, down-rezzed to 4k, re-accessed and upgraded all the dupes, along with a full digital clean-up. The audio may be derived from the original 6-track mags.

Sounds like something is finally going right.

We'll await a full report.

RAH

 

[JohnMor]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris /t/315747/a-few-words-about-west-side-story-in-blu-ray/780#post_3986701
This may be the new V2, equivalent to the forthcoming Patton.

I'm sensing that they've returned to the OCN, performed an 8k scan, down-rezzed to 4k, re-accessed and upgraded all the dupes, along with a full digital clean-up. The audio may be derived from the original 6-track mags.

Sounds like something is finally going right.

We'll await a full report.

RAH

I KNEW my prayers would be answered! And to think my friends tried to say I should pray for world peace instead! It looks like the joke's on them now, isn't it? Woo Hoo!

 

[Mike Frezon]

My head is spinning here.

David: Do you have any way to post video of the end of the credits (just before the dissolve to the live action shot)? Even if it was cell phone video of those last couple of color transitions?

There's a lot of people here who would love to see if you've got something "different."

 

[Larry-Bender]

Does Mr Harris have some inside info, to be making such a positive statement?

 

[JamesNelson]

Does Mr Harris have some inside info, to be making such a positive statement?

I think only a proclivity for sarcasm.

 

[TonyD]

I think only a proclivity for sarcasm.

Pretty much.
Until David or someone else posts a confirmation and a video, nothing has changed.

 

[haineshisway]

I think only a proclivity for sarcasm.

Exactly. There is nothing new here. IF the scenario Mr. Harris posits were to ever happen you can bet that MGM and Fox won't be silently sending it out.
David had been very odd in every post. Makes one wonder what that's all about.

 

[Michael1]

"I see mentioned that the Special Edition DVD (by which, I assume, you mean the two-disc set in the red slipcase) had a sync problem during 'Tonight' that had each actor singing the other's lines. I went back and checked that chapter on my disc, and couldn't find any such problem."
I think whoever wrote about each actor singing the other one's lines was exaggerating for effect.. I have that DVD edition of WSS, and though the sync problem in WSS is nowhere near THAT bad, it's bad enough that it's very obvious. And no, this is not a problem with the original film, in which all of the vocals are perfectly synched.

 

[ijthompson]

It almost seems like some folks are determined not to hope that Fox just might be finally trying to pull things together and fix this. I'm not one for blind optimism, but if there's potential here, I wanna hear about it.
David - the proposed cell phone video others mentioned... how 'bout it?

 

[haineshisway]

It almost seems like some folks are determined not to hope that Fox just might be finally trying to pull things together and fix this. I'm not one for blind optimism, but if there's potential here, I wanna hear about it.
David - the proposed cell phone video others mentioned... how 'bout it?

There is no potential here and nothing has been "fixed" beyond the initial "fix." That's a fact. Why you would say that "some folks" are determined that Fox won't fix this (the film does not belong to Fox, BTW, but to MGM) is anyone's guess and could not be further from the truth. From the beginning, those of us who knew there was a problem (and not just one problem) have made it clear just how much we want it to be fixed. It would cost money to do it right and would mean a completely new transfer and scan. If you think MGM would go to all that expense and not let people know about it, well, if and when they fix it you will hear about it loudly and clearly. David has nothing that others don't have, presuming they got the "fixed" version.