Universal Monsters; 75th Anniversary releases, Karloff and Chaney Collections? (2 Viewers)

[Michael Elliott]

I've been searching for that doc for the past couple years without any luck so this is certainly a must buy.

 

[JeffMc]

A little bit off topic, but DVDActive is reporting that Universal has announced a September release of the 70's tv-mini-series "FRANKENSTEN -THE TRUE STORY" starring Michael Sarrazin. Now that one has me a bit excited. It also looks like it's the full uncut version, not the edited two-hour feature version once released on VHS.

 

[Paul_Scott]

SWEEEEETTTT! I'll be looking forward to seeing this one again, for sure! Images from it have stayed with me since I first saw it (the only time I've seen it actually) i was like 7 or 8 yrs old. That was over 30 years ago.
Very excited to have an opportunity to see this one again.

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

I read elsewhere that Dracula looks so bad is because the original negative was lost in the 1940s due to overprinting from it so what we see are secondary sources. The Spanish Dracula looks a whole lot better and hopefully they found a new transfer and with the latest technology, can make this release look stunning. Hoping the same for Frankenstein even though I have the Legacy sets for all.

 

[Andy Sheets]

That's true but various people have claimed to have seen a much better print of Dracula at revival screenings, which has lead to some frustration that Universal hasn't used this superior print for the dvd releases.

 

[Jack Theakston]

All of the prints since the 1952 reissue come from the same elements (it's an amalgam of fine grains and dupe negatives). Unfortunately, there are a lot of built in artifacts on these.

Original '52 prints are quite soft, although dense. The 50th Anniversary prints that were made in the early 80s are by far the best-- they have good density and the sound was untampered. The early 90s prints Universal struck were excellent in image quality, but unfortunately had their soundtracks overprocessed. Ultimately, however, these prints all come from the same source, and so the quality difference between the transfers has only to do with how the transfer was done. The source material is what it is.

As for FRANKENSTEIN, original elements survive on that title.

 

[ScottR]

I know I've discussed this on the forum, but I'm still unclear about something. Did everyone in 1931 see the unaltered Flowers sequence in Frankenstein? Or was it cut after previews? Also, does anyone know if the footage exists that shows a closeup of Maria going under the water? I know that it is talked about in the screenplay, how the version now is missing two shots..one of her actually going under, and one closeup of Karloff's reaction.

 

[Michael Elliott]

The flower scene was cut after the film was re-issued. By the time the film was re-released there was a ratings board so the scene got cut then. It was okay in 1931 since it was still a "pre-code" period.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I've always thought the flower scene was missing pretty early on. In interviews, Boris Karloff himself claimed that he wanted the scene removed. I don't know how true that is, but it's what he claimed.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

The flowers scene was officially cut by Universal for the 1938 re-issue. It was missing from most prints prior to that because nearly every local censor board in the country removed the scene for local showings.

 

[JohnPM]

All the extras announced so far for these new editions seem to be recycled from older DVD releases, not only Universal's but others as well (those A&E "Biography" episodes for instance). Has there been any confirmation as to whether the "Universal Horror" documentary is the Kevin Brownlow program?

http://www.greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/

 

[John Hodson]

Full specs and confirmation here

 

[Mark Zimmer]

I'd certainly like to see a confirmation of an HD version of Frankenstein.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

So, Kevin Brownlow's Universal Horror (1998, 95 minutes) will be on the Frankenstein and the Dracula sets? I'm suprised at that; Universal could easily have just put it on one of the sets, thus forcing buyers who want Universal Horror to buy both sets. Kudos.

I held out on the previous sets of these films, due to reports of bad transfers and this has pained me, as I have not see Frankenstein for about 12 years.

 

[ScottR]

You shouldn't hold out for Frankenstein...the transfer was about as good as it is gonna get. The new one may be a little better (there are a few scratches that could be eliminated) but it looks very good for its age now.

 

[dana martin]

looking forward to Kevin Brownlow's Universal Horror , but with the extra disc , i would have thought that it would have been on one and a different doc would have been on the other, maybe Jack Pierce: The Man Behind the Monsters , would have been a good one for the Frankenstein disc to go with it, maybe when they try to release these in HD, someone in another thread mentioned Monster Tracks, i belive that was on the Classic Monster Collection release, not sure anymore traded that one in when i got the "Legacy Series"
My biggest hope is that the source material has been restored and the soundtracks are correct this time, not one to want to triple dip for anything, but these are the films i fell in love with as a kid, so it has that soft spot working for it

 

[Craig Beam]

Aw damn it, I guess I'll get 'em after all. I'd rather triple-dip on films like these instead of the damn American Pie movies.

 

[Patrick McCart]

It's great, but it's not nearly as sharp or clean as newer Universal remasters.

 

[Dave Mack]

Any further news on the new Dracula transfer? I assume if they are doing an HDdvd then they have to use a better master than the last one for the previous DVDs. It was awful.

 

[Matt Stieg]

Dracula looks about as good as it's ever going to. I don't understand why people expect Universal to be able to work some sort of miracle with this film. As Jack Theakston said above, "the source material is what it is."