What's new

DVD Review HTF Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly CE (Highly Recommended!) (1 Viewer)

Todd Robertson

Second Unit
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
293


I like the pakaging...and nipped this problem in the bud, years ago. when I started collecting and building my library, I already knew that size of cases would end up being a problem to deal with. bookcases were perfect....and match looks with my large bookshelves which hold my hunreads of film books. didnt want to have to scream about it later....so problem solved early. it was the same way for my huge vinyl record collection. boxed sets were often "mis-sized"...as were many regular edition LP's....regardless of the platter size always being 12".
 

Roy Van Nostrand

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
96
Real Name
Roy Van Nostrand
I'm just happy when it's not scratched from rattling around in the case, looks good and fits on my screen :_
 

Kain_C

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 17, 2002
Messages
1,036
I will watch these docs because I have my doubts. Whose to say WHAT 20 minutes he didn't want deleted. He has been dead for some 15 years. Unless he appears on a doc saying THIS IS THE VERSION I WANT YOU TO SEE, then I will continue to doubt it. And it doesn't change the fact for me that the original (and it is the original version here in the states TO ME) version is still much better.
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
Guess what? Leone wasn't American, and neither was this film.

I think you have every right to prefer the cut version. But it's clear that the new version is closer to Leone's original intent. Prefering the cut version is one thing - trying to argue that it was the original version is simply incorrect.

If Citizen Kane was first shown in a foreign country in an edited version, would that version then be the correct version for people in that country to watch 60 years later?
 

John Hodson

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2003
Messages
4,627
Location
Bolton, Lancashire
Real Name
John


And this is where I sympathise; MGM would have been far better minded to prepare a seamless branching version, and to have prepared the sound for DVD in a way that didn't mess too much with the original. It may not have been possible for the cinema, it's perfecty possible for DVD.

---
So many films, so little time...
 

Patrick McCart

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 16, 2001
Messages
8,196
Location
Georgia (the state)
Real Name
Patrick McCart
An original cut is the original cut. It doesn't matter what is released in other countries. In this case, the 3 hr. cut is Leone's version. It was cut down. No studio should be obligated to show a version of a film that isn't the original version.

If it's all about what version you're used to, think about this...

There are a lot of films that are cut without the best intentions... often without even the filmmaker's intent. Examples are The Alamo, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Metropolis, Around the World in 80 Days, Lawrence of Arabia, etc... should the original cuts be secondary to the edited versions just so we don't have to go through the pain of seeing something different than what we're used to? How many people are calling for Columbia to release the cut-down version of Lawrence of Arabia to DVD? The Paramount version of Metropolis? The re-release version of 1931's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde?

As for a comparison, I'm sure that some people prefer the soot-covered Sistine Chapel frescoes over the restoration... just because it's what they're used to seeing.
 

Lyle_E

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
111
Excellent review... I liked the picture quality overall and the sound quality was a lot better... I love the gunshot sound they always use.

I have always liked this movie... it is now part of my collection. I actually thought the cave scene added a bit more to whom the guys were with the spurs but, I can see why it was originally cut.

As far as packaging... the only problem I had was one of the mini-posters had a fold in it when it was printed leaving a permanent crease.

It will sit on the top shelf with my collectors Holy Grail and collectors Pulp Fiction....

Will anyone display these lil mini-posters or will they stay in the box?
 

Richard Kim

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2001
Messages
4,385

I've got the English language postcard displayed in my room. :)

My main problem with the added scenes is the dubbing, in particular, Eli Wallach's voice. He's sounds too old, for example in the first added scene in the cave. Perhaps if Eastwood, Van Cleef, and Wallach were brought in to do the dubbing earlier, it would have sounded better.

Other than that, I have no problem with the added scenes. I liked the one where Angel Eyes visits the Confederate camp looking for Bill Carson, as it reveals how he ends up in the Union POW camp later on.
 

Bob-N

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Messages
915


I always wondered about that. Glad they addressed that one. I must have seen GBU as a kid up until now over 2 dozen times (about once a year at least) and am really looking forward to picking up this set with ROTK tomorrow (Wherehouse is 1/2+ hr away, gotta consolidate my trips).
 

Carlo_M

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 31, 1997
Messages
13,385
I too like at least some of the re-inserted scenes (I have only watched the movie 1/2 through). I think I can say *all* of the scenes if it's pretty much what was on the deleted scenes list of the old DVD...

But I do agree about Wallach and Eastwood sounding old.

I know this is sacrilege, but I'm sure there are some great "voice mimickers" out there. Maybe they should have gotten some of them to re-voice the characters. Or, heck, used post-production to get them to match closer. Anyone who has heard what can be done in post-production nowadays (and I'm thinking of a lot of "pop stars") knows that almost anything can be achieved with a few turns of the dials and moving of the sliders! ;)
 

Jim Douglas

Second Unit
Joined
Aug 2, 1999
Messages
255
Got my replacement set today and guess what? Disc one is a floater and all scratched up. It's time to get a refund and buy locally. I'll get to see it someday......
Jim
 

CraigF

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2002
Messages
3,117
Location
Toronto area, Canada
Real Name
Craig
Some minor things: I found the way the dialogue "jumped" from totally left or right to center kinda annoying, rather than a smooth transition/pan when a person was temporarily offscreen. We had a thread about this kind of thing once, and this is I think the best example I have on disc.

Not about the disc, but the movie: I hadn't seen this for a long time, and what struck me was how "modern" this film is, it could have been made yesterday, nothing at all "retro" about it IMO. Except for the lack of CGI of course.
 

Haggai

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
3,883
Agreed, CraigF. I think that demonstrates how influential this movie has been, that it almost seems more like something of our time period than it does of its own. I know that it knocked everyone for a loop back when it first came out, but thinking about it this way really drives that point home.
 

Howard Tom

Agent
Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
44
Real Name
Howard Tom
Shane Roach wrote:



I felt the same way when I saw this as well, and then I realized that I had previously found that the adhesive used to glue in a DigiPak tray on a surface at the corners always seems to be soft, and in a few cases, I had found that the glue blob had actually pulled away from the card. Keeping that in mind, the first thing I did with the lower half of the case here was to slip a credit card between the lid and the DigiPak tray, and the adhesive yielded immediately. In my case I was a little fast with removing the security tag, and that meant a slight bubble created under the foil paper, but anyone with stuff like "Un-Du" and more patience should yield much better results than I got. The DigiPak tray was easily reseated in any case.
 

Chazz_S

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 8, 2002
Messages
501
Alright, anyway to get a new 'case' for this from MGM? Just who's bright idea was it to glue the info sheet to fragile back surface?

Definitely a few obscenities flying through the air when I tried to remove the back sheet(carefully) and it tore. This is just unacceptably stupid! The sheet was clearly meant to be removed, as evidence by the artwork beneath it, and the fact that it was only secured by two dabs of glue. :angry: :angry: :angry: :thumbsdown:
 

CraigF

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2002
Messages
3,117
Location
Toronto area, Canada
Real Name
Craig

Mine was attached with rubber "snot" :D. It peeled off with almost no effort, in fact I doubt it would have stayed on. Yes, I realise this doesn't help you, but I bet you have a great chance of getting a new case once you are directed to the right customer service number.
 

Chazz_S

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 8, 2002
Messages
501
Yeah Craig, mine was the 'snot' type glue as well. I usually have had no problem with this type of glue either. However usually this is used on op of more 'substantial' material (LOTR EE, Indy etc). In this case, the top layer of paper came right off with the rubber with the slightest tug :angry: :angry: :star:
 

Shawn_KE

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 25, 2003
Messages
1,295
Those that are having a problem with the snot, heat it up a little with a hairdryer and you wont have any problems removing it.

As for the movie, I like the added scenes. I do think in this day and age they could;ve made the voices match the original sound though. The only problem I had, was the voice jumping channels.
 

Joel Vardy

Supporting Actor
Joined
Oct 20, 1998
Messages
573


Aside from this issue I am thrilled with this overall presentation, being a fan of the flik since seeing it on screen (in Israel believe it or not) late in '68.

I've rewatched GBU at least once a year for decades and am quite happy with this incarnation :) .

Joel
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,813
Messages
5,123,610
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top