Status of George Stevens' "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1 Viewer)

[RolandL]

And they'll resurrect the original look of the film. (sorry)

Below is even better than the Blu-ray (not cropped on all sides). Sorry, it needs to stretched to 2.76.1.

 

[OliverK]

Below is even better than the Blu-ray (not cropped on all sides). Sorry, it needs to stretched to 2.76.1.

Wouldn't work as it is a rectified Cinerama print with a variable squeeze, this seems to go for at least the majority, if not all, 70mm prints that are around.


I saw two of these and even with an anamorphic stretch you have issues with everything in the center of the picture being too wide and everything on the sides too narrow. Of course without a 1.25:1 lens everything is too narrow which imo is even worse but some prefer to show it that way.


This is why a proper digital version would be most welcome even for those who saw it in 70mm - it would finally allow us to appreciate the original cinematography without distortions.

 

[ljgranberry]

Until MGM changes ownership, or a responsible company buys the film library, I really don't see much hope for this, THE ALAMO, and who knows how many other films.

 

[Vegas 1]

Saw The Greatest Story Ever Told and The Robe at Sam's Club today for $7.99ea with the Exodus:Gods and Kings sticker.

 

[Ernest]

Watched this great movie yesterday, average Blu-ray, noticed just before the movie started there is a disclaimer "This Blu-ray was made from the best elements available". I think that says it all as far as the studio is concerned. Sadly this is the best the movie will ever look on Blu-ray the studio has washed their hands. It is sad but a reality it is all about making money. Restorations are very expensive and timely something studios want to avoid, if possible.

 

[Carcosa]

Looking forward to your impressions - are you familiar with the previous version?

Package arrived and the question is answered before I even get home and put it into the player.


Despite the nifty new cover insert graphics, the disc itself is the exact same with the exact same Photoshop image as the previous release.


Its apparently a repackaging tie-in with the Exodus release, with a "study guide" included. That's about it.


Now THAT was a waste of $13.00. Glad I saved you guys the money...

 

[Carcosa]

Ironically, THE ROBE repackage actually has new disc graphics that match the new cover...although I expect the contents of that to be the same.

 

[davidmatychuk]

Package arrived and the question is answered before I even get home and put it into the player.


Despite the nifty new cover insert graphics, the disc itself is the exact same with the exact same Photoshop image as the previous release.


Its apparently a repackaging tie-in with the Exodus release, with a "study guide" included. That's about it.


Now THAT was a waste of $13.00. Glad I saved you guys the money...

You fell on your sword most honourably, and we thank you.

 

[OliverK]

Package arrived and the question is answered before I even get home and put it into the player.


Despite the nifty new cover insert graphics, the disc itself is the exact same with the exact same Photoshop image as the previous release.


Its apparently a repackaging tie-in with the Exodus release, with a "study guide" included. That's about it.


Now THAT was a waste of $13.00. Glad I saved you guys the money...

You should really send it back telling them that this must be a DVD, not a Blu-ray - that's how it looks anyway!


Thanks a lot for checking this one out, the chance that this would be anything else than a repackaging was extremely slim, but one always hopes for the impossible.

 

[trajan]

This film is so boring. I don't care even if Robert Harris restores it.

 

[TonyD]

It was on TCM the other day and I couldn't get through it I thought it was pretty dull too.

 

[Carcosa]

It was on TCM the other day and I couldn't get through it I thought it was pretty dull too.

I'm a huge fan of it, and would love to see it restored. I remember that $500,000 was supposedly spent on a previous restoration...now 10 years ago or more? It would be interesting to understand the state of the original elements...

 

[OliverK]

I'm a huge fan of it, and would love to see it restored. I remember that $500,000 was supposedly spent on a previous restoration...now 10 years ago or more? It would be interesting to understand the state of the original elements...

They at least have a checkprint judging from what can be read here:


http://www.in70mm.com/news/2005/ultra_panavision_70/index.htm


but there is no proper digital record of the OCN.


Time for an 8k scan if you ask me but highly unlikely to happen under current MGM management and to be realistic unlikely to recoup its costs anytime soon.

 

[ValLewton]

A few years ago I saw a gorgeous print as part of an Academy George Stevens retrospective. I'll try and dig up the program and check the running time. It may not be a great movie but the power of seeing those oversize images on a big screen was a terrific movie watching experience.

 

[davidmatychuk]

A few years ago I saw a gorgeous print as part of an Academy George Stevens retrospective. I'll try and dig up the program and check the running time. It may not be a great movie but the power of seeing those oversize images on a big screen was a terrific movie watching experience.

That was my experience seeing this movie in a theatre when I was a boy. Despite years of inferior video versions, I remain convinced that a proper restoration of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" on a Blu-Ray would be a knockout.

 

[OliverK]

A few years ago I saw a gorgeous print as part of an Academy George Stevens retrospective. I'll try and dig up the program and check the running time. It may not be a great movie but the power of seeing those oversize images on a big screen was a terrific movie watching experience.

I think that this may have been the 70mm version that was shown on the occasion:


"And on Nov. 22, 2004, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ended its two month tribute to George Stevens with a screening of a new Ultra Panavision 70 print of "The Greatest Story Ever Told". This was apparently a check print struck as a guide for subsequent video transfer and had an overall bluish cast, correctable if another print were to be struck. It was run double system with 6 track magnetic sound. For the presentation at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater, the overall picture size had to be reduced and there was some question as to whether or not it was actually being shown at 2.75:1 though there seemed to be no image cutoff."


Link:

http://www.in70mm.com/news/2005/ultra_panavision_70/index.htm


I have also edited my above post accordingly.

 

[DP 70]

A few years ago I saw a gorgeous print as part of an Academy George Stevens retrospective. I'll try and dig up the program and check the running time. It may not be a great movie but the power of seeing those oversize images on a big screen was a terrific movie watching experience.

I would have loved to have seen that print not perfect but better than anything else.

 

[OliverK]

I would have loved to have seen that print not perfect but better than anything else.

Indeed, apparently people living in the L.A: area have access to some really rare stuff. There are also prints out there of Grand Prix, Ben Hur and Ryan's Daughter that have been shown there on special occasions, the late Rick Mitchell reported about them on in70mm.com.


That 70mm check print would also have the distinction of having been struck flat and not with the strange Cinerama compression that made most if not all of the original release prints look a bit strange on non-Cinerama screens.

 

[Dr Griffin]

I got the 50th Anniversary edition at Sam's Club for $7.99(!) (the DVD is probably more expensive). I much prefer the new cover art. In Matt's review thread there was some discussion about the directional dialog - I concentrated most on this, and it is there. There's a lot of what would be called LE and RE effect between the 3 front channels, where the pan is between hard left/right and center. There is also the occasional hard left/right pan. I think listening at or very near reference (home theater is usually 75dB pink noise) is important to get the full effect.

Though I understand the Fox/MGM issue on this release, I wonder how hard it was for Shawn Belston to OK it. While it's nice to have it in the intended very wide 2.75:1 with good sound, the image is very un-Blu-ray, with glowing halos, buggy noise/grain, instability and flicker. The repackaging without the much needed fix again raises some questionable decisions by the studios.

 

[skylark68]

I watched this over Easter. I'd love to see a restored uncut version of this film. I have the re-issued bluray without the funky artwork of the original bluray release. It's interesting that it came with an Exodus study guide. Maybe one day we'll be surprised and get this and a fully restored Alamo at the same time.