Brazil release of "Once Upon a Time in America" (1 Viewer)

[Bob Engleman]

One of the online retailers sent me an E-mail which included this title packaged in Brazil. Does anyone have any experience with S.American product?

Bob Engleman

 

[Michael Reuben]

I've edited the title to make it clear that this is a specialized question. Also, I'm moving it to the Regional DVD forum.
M.

 

[Chad B.]

The Brazilian release of OUATIA is pan and scan. There was just recently a thread here or at DVDTalk about this release. A search should give you more details. From what I've seen, most R4-South America DVDs aren't available in widescreen. :frowning:

 

[Hendrik]

...the Brazilian disc has been available since 1998(!)...
...not only is it P&S, it is a DS-SL DVD-10 'flipper'!...
...the (reportedly) same transfer has recently been released - in Greece(!) - on an SS-DL DVD-9, with optional Greek and Portuguese subtitles, (Quote)DD 5.1(Unquote) sound ...but still P&S... available in the UK from: http://www.playserver2.com/play247.a...2&title=104730
(...apparently - and strangely, IMO, for such a potentially sought-after title - the ONLY e-tailer in the UK that carries the disc)
(also available from the same source: "THE NAME OF THE ROSE" - which is at least letterboxed widescreen, but otherwise has the same specs as the OUATIA thingy)
Caveat emptor!
(signed) Suspicious Sam
. . . . . .

 

[Chad B.]

I just noticed at CD-Wow.net that they have this movie listed as an R1 release on 8/27:
http://www.cd-wow.net/detail_results...duct_code=2741
Don't have a clue where they got their info from as this is the first I've heard of it.

 

[Hendrik]

...yeah... curiouser and curiouser... seems the "Brazil version" is doing the rounds... (suggest you reread my amended post, above)
(signed) Still Suspicious Sam
. . . . . .

 

[Jay Blair]

I have the Brazilian DVD and it is of marginal quality and I can confirm it is a pan & scan flipper (but at over 220 minutes, even when a quality widescreen release comes out, it will have to be a flipper or spread over two discs to obtain the quality needed). But even still, it's not so bad that I don't find it watchable. I bought it not knowing if it was widescreen or not at the time and was obviously disappointed when it wasn't, and had I known I doubt I would have gotten it, but now that I have it I'm glad to have it. I love this film, at least the longer cut, which the Brazilian DVD is.

I keep kicking myself in the butt for getting rid of my widescreen laserdisc when not long after the launch of DVD this title was announced, and then it was never released.

 

[Mark_Wilson]

There was a post, here or on avs I think, from someone involved in putting that and the greek dvd together. He said he wasn't able to obtain a widescreen source from anywhere.

 

[Malcolm Cleugh]

Mark
You may have been thinking of DVDFile. Definitely a poster there in a similar thread, claimed to be involved in producing the Greek disk, as worked for a UK based company linked to the Greek distributor.
I asked him some questions about this and the Name of the Rose from the same source. Never got a reply
Am therefore very dubious
Malcolm

 

[Mark_Wilson]

Thanks Malcolm.

I also saw someone else claiming that OUATIA was shot full frame (super 35?) and matted for release. IMDB says Spherical, but you know how they are. Can anyone corroborate?

 

[Hendrik]

"...IMDB says Spherical, but you know how they are..."
...'spherical' simply means the movie was not filmed in 'Scope' using anamorphic optics... I saw OUATIA in the cinema when it was 'new' and, yes, it may have been 1.66:1 or 1.85:1 or anywhere in-between - but it definitely was not 2.35:1...
. . . . . .

 

[oscar_merkx]

well, I guess it would be not too long before other etailers would jump at the chance of offering this, found this through http://www.dvdpricesearch.com/cgi-bin/dvdhtml2
and a link to http://www.hkflix.com/coupons/hkflix...qx/default.htm

 

[Richard Hardbattle]

Just bought this from Play today - not had a chance to watch, but it is NOT a flipper - picture on one side of the disc.

It says English 5.1 sound, Poruguese 2.0 sound, Greek Subtitles, Dual Layer, 226 mins, 4:3.....

I will post tomorrow regarding picture and sound quality and whether or not it seems to be cut!!

(By the way - the old US laser was 1x1:85 - but always seemed cropped...)

Rich

Rich

 

[Richard Hardbattle]

Well, I had a look last night.....and I'm sending it back!!!

English sound is W A Y out of synch - and not in 5.1, its in mono coming out of all three front speakers!!

The picture is very poor - looks washed out - no blacks - and obviously cropped.

Avoid!


Rich

 

[oscar_merkx]

hardly surprising, but good to know anyway.