Saturday Night Fever 4K disc - major problems (2 Viewers)

[RobertMG]

I watched a slew of YouTube reviews on this title last night, being that it's been a favorite of mine (along with the soundtrack) since I was a kid. Seems the consensus is that something definitely went wrong here, with both the video and audio elements. For what it's worth, I'm sticking with my 25th Anniversary DVD edition which, to this day, still looks and sounds absolutely fine.

View attachment 162163

With regard to the Paramount DNR issue, I noticed this on the recent release of Escape From Alcatraz (4K UHD), which was released by Kino Lorber but boasted a scan prepared by Paramount, and this too looked a bit waxy and detail-less in certain places (however, it didn't bother me on that title because I was used to a grainy, soft and ugly image from the non-anamorphic DVD I lived with for...like...ever).

The film was a product of its time - the budget was not that high SAD to say the story of a guy trappped in gritty brooklyn with no hopes of leaving the decaying city of that era was captured - this film will never look like TSOM

 

[Kaskade1309]

The film was a product of its time - the budget was not that high SAD to say the story of a guy trappped in gritty brooklyn with no hopes of leaving the decaying city of that era was captured - this film will never look like TSOM

I totally get that; and I have often argued (to those who saw this as nothing more than a film about the disco scene of the time) that this is far more than a flashy vehicle for Bee Gees music -- it's a tragic, often times violent and graphic, coming of age story that works on so many deep levels.

Still, the criticism seems to be that even with taking the whole "it was a product of its time" element out of the equation, the transfer and TrueHD audio track just don't come across as an Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation (just based on what I've read and seen); the TrueHD audio, in particular, has been labeled "anemic," "weak," "hollow" and "empty," among other monikers, and while I can't say for myself because I haven't seen it in 4K (on disc, that is), the general consensus appears to be enough for me to just pass on an upgrade here. Sure, the colors -- notably reds -- bleed a bit on the DVD, and the indoor, darker-lit sequences don't make this any easier, but it blows away all the VHS versions of the film I have sat through (including the humorous non-R-rated version that adds hilarious vocal edits during key cursing sequences), and the whole thing just simply satisfies (and I am including the effective Dolby Digital 5.1 remix in this assessment; the club sequences sound amazing on this 25th Anniversary release, oozing with ambience and rich surround channel bleed during notable Bee Gees tracks). IMO, a film can be a "product of its time," but when it starts getting transferred to a new premium format like Ultra HD Blu-ray, it should, in many areas, improve upon certain elements that make it look so dated -- I'm not saying it should be a revisionist nightmare approach, like what happened with Friedkin's French Connection (let's hope this doesn't happen with the Exorcist 4K release next year) wherein color, mood and feel is altered with aplomb, but if a presentation ends up super-grainy, somewhat flat or weak in the audio department (on the flip side, if it has been scrubbed of all grain and detail) or otherwise made to look not that engaging, it doesn't make those upgrading their libraries too fond of the experience.

That said, I was just sharing my thoughts about what I have read regarding the 4K release, and how my 25th Anniversary DVD still holds up, even being upscaled to 2160p on a 65-inch display.

 

[Worth]

The film was a product of its time - the budget was not that high SAD to say the story of a guy trappped in gritty brooklyn with no hopes of leaving the decaying city of that era was captured - this film will never look like TSOM

The same could be said of Taxi Driver, and that looks great in 4K.

 

[moviebuff75]

Why are the vocals missing during John Travolta's credit at the start of the film? The bus and ABC versions have a different start to the song. Was this changed for the PG release? Or is the remix how it actually sounded? The vocals are weird....like they were taken from later in the song.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I totally get that; and I have often argued (to those who saw this as nothing more than a film about the disco scene of the time) that this is far more than a flashy vehicle for Bee Gees music -- it's a tragic, often times violent and graphic, coming of age story that works on so many deep levels.

Still, the criticism seems to be that even with taking the whole "it was a product of its time" element out of the equation, the transfer and TrueHD audio track just don't come across as an Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation (just based on what I've read and seen); the TrueHD audio, in particular, has been labeled "anemic," "weak," "hollow" and "empty," among other monikers, and while I can't say for myself because I haven't seen it in 4K (on disc, that is), the general consensus appears to be enough for me to just pass on an upgrade here. Sure, the colors -- notably reds -- bleed a bit on the DVD, and the indoor, darker-lit sequences don't make this any easier, but it blows away all the VHS versions of the film I have sat through (including the humorous non-R-rated version that adds hilarious vocal edits during key cursing sequences), and the whole thing just simply satisfies (and I am including the effective Dolby Digital 5.1 remix in this assessment; the club sequences sound amazing on this 25th Anniversary release, oozing with ambience and rich surround channel bleed during notable Bee Gees tracks). IMO, a film can be a "product of its time," but when it starts getting transferred to a new premium format like Ultra HD Blu-ray, it should, in many areas, improve upon certain elements that make it look so dated -- I'm not saying it should be a revisionist nightmare approach, like what happened with Friedkin's French Connection (let's hope this doesn't happen with the Exorcist 4K release next year) wherein color, mood and feel is altered with aplomb, but if a presentation ends up super-grainy, somewhat flat or weak in the audio department (on the flip side, if it has been scrubbed of all grain and detail) or otherwise made to look not that engaging, it doesn't make those upgrading their libraries too fond of the experience.

That said, I was just sharing my thoughts about what I have read regarding the 4K release, and how my 25th Anniversary DVD still holds up, even being upscaled to 2160p on a 65-inch display.

Why not just go w/ the recent BD instead? Seems like the recent BD, which is often deeply discounted, would be the best choice at this point -- and you can probably even redeem the included digital copy for 4K on iTunes, if so inclined...

_Man_

 

[Kaskade1309]

Why not just go w/ the recent BD instead? Seems like the recent BD, which is often deeply discounted, would be the best choice at this point -- and you can probably even redeem the included digital copy for 4K on iTunes, if so inclined...

_Man_

All true, but I am completely satisfied with the 25th Anniversary DVD Edition -- right down to the sparkly, unique artwork of the half-slipcase packaging.