DVD Review HTF DVD Review: The Jungle Book - 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition (1 Viewer)

[Stephen_J_H]

My mistake, and I should have known better: I was running projection at a Cineplex when Brother Bear came out. We received warnings with the prints that the first few minutes of the film were 1.85:1 printed anamorphic, and that the black bars at the sides of the screen were normal. This was much easier than having to switch lenses 20 minutes in, but it amplified the fact that the projected shape of the image is trapezoidal rather than rectangular.

 

[RobertSiegel]

The problem here is that the film was originally released in mag stereo, I know, I saw it and I heard it. So I am not sure what's up with the "original mono." How about the original 3.0 or 4.0 stereo? I own the original pressbook, and it has an ad supplement for the stereo theaters.

MattH: Could you clarify the sound a bit more? Is there actual left and right separation?

 

[Matt Hough]

I wil check that out later this morning. I didn't listen to the track and made assumptions which may not be true. I'll correct the information in the review if necessary. Thanks for the info, Robert.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

I thought this film was originally released in stereo also, but wasn't LADY AND THE TRAMP as well and didn't it have a mono option on the DVD? I don't remember, but I do know many a Fox film originally in stereo has appeared with mono tracks alongside fake stereo on DVD.

 

[Lord Dalek]

No, it had the original 4.0.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Even if the film was released in mag stereo, there was almost certainly also a dedicated mono mix that would have been used in the majority of theaters. If that is the case, then we would have a DVD including an original mono mix, but not an original stereo mix.

Regards,

 

[Matt Hough]

I just checked, and it is a Dolby Digital 1.0 mono mix ("enhanced" according to the package art) in addition to the 5.1 mixes on the disc. Sounds clear and clean, but there is no separation.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Matt, thanks for checking. Can you do one more thing? Check the 5.1 mix to see if they at least used the true stereo source for that? Please, if you have time, see if the 5.1 mix has any left to right separation, especially in the music (violins on left, horns on right, ect). The dialogue will be mono, always was in most Disney stereo films. It would be a shame if they ignored the stereo sources for this release. If you could give a little more detail on the 5.1, I'll leave you alone hehe.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

The music sounds purely stereo as it did on the previous video releases. I guess that is why I always assumed it was mixed in stereo originally.

BTW - the press release announcing LADY AND THE TRAMP for DVD did state that the original mono mix would be included. It being an early CinemaScope film, I assumed it had been in stereo - and indeed the final DVD did have an original stereo option.

1992 Laserdisc


1997 Laserdisc


1999 DVD


2007 DVD

 

[Chuck Pennington]

The 1997 Laserdisc and 1999 DVD releases of THE JUNGLE BOOK used the same film transfer, and the sample above shows they look VERY similar save for the DVD being slightly sharper without the analog video anomalies of the Laserdisc. However, I used the 1997 Laserdisc for the comparison pics below, but keep in mind the 1999 DVD was a bit sharper.

1992 Laserdisc

1997 Laserdisc

2007 DVD

1992 Laserdisc

1997 Laserdisc

2007 DVD

1992 Laserdisc

1997 Laserdisc

2007 DVD

1992 Laserdisc

1997 Laserdisc

2007 DVD

1992 Laserdisc

1997 Laserdisc

2007 DVD

The 1.75:1 anamorphic widescreen framing sure looks right to me...

 

[Chris S]

Great screenshots Chuck! Thanks!

I really do like the look of the new DVD release. Can't wait to pick it up later this afternoon.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

Aside from some colors still looking a bit pale, I think it is definately one of the better DVD "restorations" - I thought CINDERELLA was probably the worst, followed by PETER PAN.

 

[captainjoe]

I was worried this was going to be another Peter Pan travesty but this looks quite excellent and to see how truly cinematic it looks it has to be seen on a widescreen TV in all its glory!

 

[Matt Hough]

Robert,

I was very pressed for time this evening, but I did put the DVD back in the player to listen to the 5.1 track as you requested.

I didn't spend long with it, but I heard no distinct separation of instruments in the front and rear speakers. The voices were in the center, and it sounded to me as if the accompaniment was the same coming out of the fronts and from the rears.

Again, I listened only to "Colonel Hati's March," but I could not discern any instrumental separations in my brief encounter with it tonight.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Thanks for the great screen shots Chuck. I am glad to see that the 5.1 mix does have the music still in stereo, so now I will indulge in the purchase .

 

[RobertSiegel]

Chuck, Matts post says he heard no stereo at all in the 5.1 mix, and your last post says it it "purely stereo." Since Matt seemed busy (thanks for checking that Matt), could you elaborate on that comment? Is the music, in your opinion, true separated stereo?

 

[Stephen PI]

The original 1967 release was mono. The original underscore, recorded on Disney's orchestra stage - now a dubbing theater - was recorded onto 35mm 3-track fullcoat. These multi-track music masters were utilised for the first (Dolby) Stereo release in the early nineties. I know this because I transferred them myself. As far as I know the same stereo masters were used for the 5.1 mix on this new dvd. I listened to it tonight and the music is very clean and has plenty of seperation.
I thought the picture was great also with no framing issues.
I projected a 35mm IB Technicolor widescreen print in England in 1967 at the Odeon, Elephant and Castle, with a mono optical soundtrack. As the theater was new, we might have projected it in 1.85:1 as this was slowly becoming the standard in England. I think the majority of Rank theatres in England were projecting this film in 1.75:1.

 

[RobertSiegel]

I am surprised then that they included an ad supplement with the original release pressbook that has ads touting stereophonic sound (I have that pressbook and looked at it today). The copyright date on the ads says 1967, and the top it says "to be used in theaters equipped for stereophonic sound." So maybe they planned on this when the pressbook came out and didn't do the stereo?

 

[Mark-P]

Chuck's screencaps swayed me into getting this one. I'm so sick of multiple dips on these Disney animated titles. This will make dip #5 for me - 1 VHS, 2-Laserdisc, and 2 DVD. Even though I generally prefer the open mattes for the animated features because I just don't buy that the camera aperature "accidentally" captured too much of the artwork, I will get this for the digitally cleaned and scrubbed PQ, and, surprize, surprize, a bit more side information is revealed, especially on the right side!

 

[Stephen PI]

That's interesting Robert. I have checked the records in the past and I am quite sure there was no stereo version until the early nineties. Unless there was a rough stereo dub for previews prepared, like MGM did with "The Time Machine" but it was also released in mono only.