Terminator 1 & 2 (1 Viewer)

[Dave H]

Van,

I see the Digital Bits has mentioned a SE Terminator coming out this year as a possibility. I know there were discussions about it earlier. My question is, how much better can this look compared to the existing Blu-ray? Also, do you know if the original mono track will be included this time? Thanks.

 

[oscar_merkx]

Yes that would really be awesome to include the original mono track

 

[Van Ling]

Dave and Oscar, I think the existing Blu-ray of T1 was made using the 2001 film-to-video HD transfer. If I'm not mistaken, Lightstorm has been working on a restoration with Lowry Digital using 2K scans of the original cut negative. So the question is how much better can the latter be than the former? I reckon that's up to how well it's done...

And if I have any say in the matter, the mono track will be included. But that's a big "if"...

V

 

[camroncamera]

If I'm not mistaken, Lightstorm has been working on a restoration with Lowry Digital using 2K scans of the original cut negative.

Exciting news! This should make for a fantastic image. Does Jim Cameron have a favorite colorist he likes to work with for the color grading?

 

A perfect T1 bluray would be one with the original mono mix as well as a Cameron/Schwarzenegger commentary on one track, Biehn/Hamilton on another, then the technical one with Gene Warren, Mark Goldblatt and maybe snippets from Stan Winston on a third. I can't wait to see what the menus look like.

 

[DVDvision]

Nice, I think however Arnold asks for a fee for his commentaries. I wouldn't mind one mirroring the T2 disc, with Cameron and Wisher together, as Wisher also wrote stuff in the movie.

 

I'm hyped to see who shows up on what featurettes are on the disc, as well as seeing what menus might look like, maybe a different one each time you load the disc like the Star Wars dvd's, one inside Tech Noir, one in the police station waiting room, after a while Arnie would walk in, one of the future bunker, after a while you hear 'Reese, DN38416'. Mr. Ling always puts so much effort into the releases, I am so stoked!

 

[Greg K]

Hey, gang. Just wanted to chime in here, seeing as how I've been watching T1 and T2 on BD this week.
I'd like to say thanks to the good Mr. Ling for all of his incredible work on the previous DVDs and BDs (which I've eagerly snapped up).
A while back, I finally gave in and got T1 on BD for $10, despite already having gotten the 2001 SE DVD the day it was released. The BD has only the 5.1 mix and only a few features (or PARTS of features) ported over, and really is not worth the upgrade-, but--it's The Terminator on Blu-Ray! And, correct me if I'm wrong, but have the various DVD re-releases dumped the 2001 SE's bonus features? That would be sad!
And, then, of course, I find this thread today, which says that a T1 BD SE is forthcoming. Typical! Greatly looking forward to it, though.
I personally prefer T1 to T2--which is not a slight against T2. T1 is an amazing piece of filmmaking--a classic example of Art from Adversity. And, it's a complete story, a perfect circle. And it's so beautifully lonely and depressing, yet hopeful. It's as grim as a snuff movie, and does not compromise for the sake of making the audience happy like so many cookie-cutter "blockbusters" do today.
T2 is an amazing ride that hinges on a loophole in the first film's tight narrative which allows the sequel to work. Really, there wasn't a need for a sequel, but T2 absolutely works.
The less said about the next two films, the better.
Anyway, I'm very big on historical accuracy and film preservation. T1 has major value to film history, and deserves to be preserved in its original form on BD. Glad to hear about the negatives being scanned, and I'm hopeful that the mono mix is included. The 5.1 mix has its pros and cons. It works well enough as a "gateway drug" to the film, since T1 is pretty obviously low-budget, and the low-budget mono mix might put off modern audiences with its lack of slickness--the 5.1 mix also brings the film closer to T2's audio sensibilities, so the two films can be tied a bit closer together. That said, the mix just doesn't fit the sensibilties of the film's vintage--it feels too artificial.
I loved the 2001 DVD, but still hope to see more in-depth features, such as the JC commentary and other odds and ends. The T2 releases are like a film school on disc, but T1 definitely deserves more attention! Glad to hear a new release is in the pipe!

 

[CynthiaF200]

My apologies to Van Ling but I have the Japanese Geneon Blu-ray release instead of your Skynet Edition with an over-abundance of DNR and EE. Maybe you'll get it right finally for a 20th Anniversary Edition with James Cameron in 2011?
Yes I would buy The Terminator on Blu-ray if the original mono track was lossless or even PCM. I really hate 5.1 remixes with changed or added foley. Just gets on my nerves really bad. Be sure to keep your hands off the DNR and EE controls so the film grain stays there.
Be sure to keep the original tints of the films too! No reddening up the image.
You know what would be fitting for The Terminator Blu-ray? A fitting tribute and dedication to the late and great Stan Winston.

 

[Ralphie_B]

Pretty sure Van isn't doing the transfer/encoding, so it'll be up to whoever IS to watch noise reduction/sharpening and color timing. Agreed on the 5.1 -- though in the specific case of the Terminator, I'm not familiar with the original mono (I was a young'un when it was released theatrically, so my experience is all based on the DVD and Blu-Ray releases), in principle I feel the original audio should be included whenever possible.

 

[Will_B]

Originally Posted by CynthiaF200 /forum/thread/274676/terminator-1-2/570#post_3662272
You know what would be fitting for The Terminator Blu-ray? A fitting tribute and dedication to the late and great Stan Winston.

Terminator Salvation is already dedicated to him. Would be weird to dedicate a film to him that was made while he was still alive, wouldn't it?

 

[Johnny Angell]

Originally Posted by Will_B /forum/thread/274676/terminator-1-2/570#post_3663233
Terminator Salvation is already dedicated to him. Would be weird to dedicate a film to him that was made while he was still alive, wouldn't it?

I don't think so. Surely there have been films with a dedication to a participant who died after the production of the film. Of course, what they might do is dedicate the production of the blu ray to him.

 

[CynthiaF200]

Originally Posted by Will_B /forum/thread/274676/terminator-1-2/570#post_3663233
Terminator Salvation is already dedicated to him. Would be weird to dedicate a film to him that was made while he was still alive, wouldn't it?

I meant a special feature about him and his work.

 

[Van Ling]

Actually, we've been working on a Stan Winston tribute piece for over a year now... the biggest hurdle is that no studio is willing to license images of anything from their movies to go on another studio's disc... or even to go on a disc from the same studio! It's pretty ridiculous.

And on "The Terminator", although I doubt the movie itself would be dedicated to Stan posthumously, there is some precedent in that we dedicated "The Abyss" Special Edition to actor and Jim's diver friend Kidd Brewer Jr. (who played Finler), who died between the 1989 and 1993 versions. His dedication is at the end of the film credits on the SE, but was of course not changed on the 1989 theatrical release. I'm pushing to have the Blu-ray disc release dedicated to Stan, though.

Assuming I ever get to finish the disc... ;-)

V

PS: Cynthia, Ralphie is correct in that I don't have any control over the color-timing or encoding of "Terminator". But Lightstorm is in charge of handling the restoration of the film, so you're going to get to see it the way Jim Cameron wants you to see it. Whether you like it or not, is up to you...

 

[oscar_merkx]

Thanks for the update Van

 

[Scott D S]

Originally Posted by Van Ling /img/forum/go_quote.gif">
Actually, we've been working on a Stan Winston tribute piece for over a year now... the biggest hurdle is that no studio is willing to license images of anything from their movies to go on another studio's disc... or even to go on a disc from the same studio! It's pretty ridiculous.

Can't Spielberg intervene on Universal and Dreamworks' behalf as far as the Jurassic Park films and A.I. are concerned? Or for that matter, couldn't Cameron call in a few favors?
(I realize this is all a gross simplification of what I'm sure is a complicated legal situation. Just a thought...)

 

[Gary Nash]

Originally Posted by James_Garner /forum/thread/274676/terminator-1-2/330#post_3557213
Mr Ling, I have a question about the new trailer easter eggs. I saw how on "ancillary data" the HD trailers switch from the original T2 trailers to the four new dts-HD trailers, but i forgot how i did it. could you show how to access this egg for future reference? thanks

Originally Posted by Van Ling /forum/thread/274676/terminator-1-2/330#post_3557384
James, arrow right from the THX trailer button.
V

Just picked up a copy of the Canadian release, which should be the same as US/domestic version, but I can't play the easter eggs as outlined above. I've tried right arrowing from all the options and all that happens is the menu collapses and highlights the BD-Live menu option. Has any one managed to activate these trailers ?

 

[DVDvision]

I understand Mr Ling do not have control over the color timing of the movies, however I would like to use this platform to make a totally geeky color timing remark re any forthcoming T2 new transfert.

So this is adressed to whoever will redo the transfert for the 20th anniversary (and 3D) reissue. I hope you read this eventually :

There's one color timing fix I would love you guys to do, in accordance to what the movie looked like in the theaters.

In the scene where Arnold steps into the bikers bar, the color timing was originally, and in all theaters copies, blue, that is, Cameron blue. You can verify it by looking at the excerpts in the T2 making of (the 20mn one that is on the DVDs and was included in the first laserdisc box set), which was edited right before the movie came out.

For release on LD and all subsequent transferts, the whole scene was re-color timed to clear brown -- I suspect because it was too dark when viewed blue, on then low resolution television screens.
Since HD is now in, and screens are capable of displaying better color and resolutions, I think it would be fair if when re-colored, the scene is back to what it originally was, in accordance to the theaters print release. The way it plays now and the whole atmosphere always bothered me, because it wasn't what it looked like on screen.

I understand sometimes artistic fixes are made for home video transfert, when the filmmaker didn't have the time in the rush of post production to make the movie look like he wanted it to, but I believe this one was purely technical, and based only on how the scene would look on then low resolution tv screens.

That was my 5mn of totally sad geek request, thank you for listening

 

[Mike Wadkins]

http://www.playusa.com/DVD/Region_1/STCS6/2-/13709479/The_Terminator/Product.html
Is this a new release? or a repackage?

 

[Mike Wadkins]

Double post