Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Yeah, like I said, the Elite discs are gonna fall in the middle between terrible and great and there's really no advantage to that.

They looked great for their time (15 years ago) and the absolutely appalling public domain releases have made the Elite discs look even better but the film is long overdue for another transfer, and we're getting it from the man behind the Elite discs with the benefit of 15 years of technological improvement.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

"I of course speak of the highly influential film classic Night of the Living Bread."

I've written to my friend Kevin O'Brien, who made Bread, to let him know about this upcoming release so he can campaign to stay included, if he has the time/energy. It's nice to hear that people enjoy it!

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

I'm also looking forward to the new transfer. Bring it on!

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

The worst part of the Elite transfer in my opinion is the freeze-frame moments that occur a bunch of times mostly in the opening graveyard sequence. Apparently, the source they used (the negative?) had damaged splices so a frame or two would be missing on certain scene changes in the film. So Elite decided to pause the first intact frame for a blip of a second to keep the sound in sync. It may be minor to many, but it can be very distracting especially if you really know the film. It kept taking me out of the action every time it paused like that. It seems most of the damage was in the first reel, though. I actually prefer a PD copy I picked up - I looked at the splices and even though the splices might not be perfect, the film flows with no stop in motion. I also kind of like NOTLD to be a bit dark. The Elite is so bright that you can see every detail in the kitchen, etc. That may be great that it looks so clean and bright, but it also takes something away from the film. Just my opinion - I know others feel the opposite.

In any event, I'm keeping the Elite for the extras, keeping the PD copy as a viewing choice, and am also waiting to hear what this new version delivers.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Yes, also the opening reel on the Elite appears to be quite zoomed in, as it does not matte comfortably like the remainder of the film (though Romero has stated his preference for an Academy presentation, so that's not much of an issue), and some inferior, 16mm derived DVDs match the opening of the Elite in framing but not the remainder

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

I took a quick look at this new Dimension-Weinstein transfer and that freeze-frame BAD-ness from the older Elite-Millennium version is no longer there! The action flows seamlessly on this restored remastered transfer. This is a definite upgrade for that alone. Good job!

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Good news. I wasn't really planning on upgrading but I may buy it.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Bill, people here are speculating this, but I don't think that's a given as of right now...

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Don May Jr. has said he's working on a movie he already did before for Dimension.

The Dimension "NotLD" disc has the commentaries from the Don May Jr.-produced Elite disc.

There are reports that the transfer IS improved upon, including one in this very thread:


I don't think there's really any doubt that this is the project May was speaking of.

The one troubling thing about this new disc is that there is no mono track according to an IMDB posting by someone who has the disc. That makes sense as there is a feature-length doc on this disc, but he also says the 5.1 track is unimpressive so I'm thinking it is probably pretty faithful to the mono track as opposed to something like "Superman" or "The Terminator" with awful new sound effects. Edit: someone on the DVDtalk boards says it's a 2.0 mono track which would explain why the IMDB poster was unimpressed. This guy also stated the quality of the Elite disc was comparable to a PD title and claims that this Dimension edition is no better so he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about anyway.

There seem to be typos on the back promising a non-existent 5.1 track and saying the film is in "widescreen" then going on to say it is in 1.33:1 (which it should be) but according to people that have played the disc it is in the proper OAR and in original mono.

We'll all know in 6 days but so far it looks like this is every bit the improvement that Don May Jr.'s overwhelmingly-likely involvement guarantees.

More Don May Jr. evidence, when somebody posted about it on the Mobius forums the first person to reply was, you guessed it, Don May Jr.:

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Bill, sounds good!

Would love there to be a Blu-ray of this new version!

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

I believe it was already announced as the first Blu-ray release from the Weinstein Co.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Please clarify--DIARY OF THE DEAD is coming to Blu-ray or the 1968 original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD? I don't care about the former, but if the latter is on its way to Blu in a few months, I'll hold off buying next week's SD release...

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

I'm pretty sure "Night" was said to be TWC's first Blu-ray.

Edit:

BD Horror News - UPDATE: Dimension Extreme to Re-release 'Night of the Living Dead'

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Hmm, well, I'd prefer something a bit more solid--like a press release--but I guess it's enough for me to forego the SD next week (especially since the Paramount Blu-ray re-issues, V FOR VENDETTA and the NATIONAL TREASURE duo are gonna kick me over $200 next Tuesday). Thanks for the update...

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

I'm doing this review now. I don't have any of the previous versions but this looks fantastic to me. Review should be up by the weekend, let me know if you have any questions about it. Oh, and check the OTHER thread about this film, if you havent seen it today =)

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...ml#post3371828

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Yes - I thought I had read this, but when I looked yesterday, I couldn't find the piece, and so wasn't sure. Good to know. I will hold out for now.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

I've just watched the feature-length documentary on the making of the film on this new Dimension release and it is superb in every way. I usually don't care for this kind of extra on most DVD's, but once I started this one, I was hooked for the entire 85 minutes. Emotional and insightful comments are included from almost everyone still around involved in the film (including late cast-member Karl Hardman), this documentary is a real treat for fans of the film. The comments from the cast and director about the late Duane Jones are priceless on their own. Great stuff. I can't imagine any true NOTLD fan passing this up. The documentary alone is worth the price of the entire DVD. This is a must-purchase.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Wow, this looks like the release we've been hoping for all these years. Looking forward to getting this!

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Dread Central has the first review here:

Night of the Living Dead: 40th Anniversary Edition (DVD) | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central

Their style isn't as tech-oriented as you might find on a website like HTF but it does say that the transfer is the best yet for the film.

Also, here's their "Diary" DVD review:

Diary of the Dead (DVD) | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central

I am officially stoked for tomorrow night at midnight.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Sorry guys, I was sick in bed all weekend, will try to get this review out in the next day or two. For those of you on the fence tho I can tell you this is definitely a 'buy'

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

And Don May Jr.'s involvement is confirmed, by a pretty reliable source:

EXCLUSIVE: George A. Romero Talks Diary of the Dead DVD


May replies at mhvf.com:



So let any unnecessary allegiance to the Elite transfer be put to rest. This is officially a new digital restoration from the man behind the Elite transfer, and by all accounts it is a great improvement. Just a few hours to go!

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Ah dammit, I was thinking about waiting for the rumored Blu Ray but I know I'm going to crack and buy this now.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

well i want to see the comparison on dvdbeaver, before i turn my back on my elite disc

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I'll say that the Elite laserdisc/DVD will always have a special place in my heart since it's probably the best upgrade that I've ever seen for any movie. I still remember seeing the LD and having my jaw hit the ground since I was used to garbage looking prints on TV or VHS.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

The 30th Anniversary version looked awesome. I can't say about the transfer, since I only had it on VHS, but the print itself was great, no ugly exposure fluctuations, no print damage, good detail and a really clear image. Of course, that was that whole Special Edition with new scenes and a new score (there was a version you could get which had the film in its original edit but just with the new score, which is the version I got--I have to say, I've always thought this version was much superior to the original, which has a slightly dated score that sometimes undermines what is often a timeless suspense film).

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Uh-oh, somebody evoked the dreaded 30th Anniversary Edition.

That's like the ultimate internet taboo.

In all seriousness, I have watched everything but the commentaries on both new discs ("Night" and "Diary") and they're both top-notch releases.

In addition to the films themselves both feature-length docs are great, and I found none of the extras tedious. Both discs walk the line between substantial content and overkill perfectly, and I will definitely watch the supplements again. The supplement bar was set pretty high by the other 3 Romero "Dead" films (of course "Day" and especially "Dawn" dwarf "Land" in the extras department but on its own that disc is no slouch) and they're worthy. In spite of the Elite disc's previously-undefeated transfer I always felt it was lacking in comparison to the other films in terms of documentaries, etc. and now they're all well represented.

Who would have thought even 5 years ago that we would have two new Romero "Dead" films, and all with such excellent DVD releases? Granted, "Day" has those minor audio blunders and it would be nice to have the theatrical cut of "Land" in widescreen (if "Dawn" can have 3 cuts I don't see the problem) but I'm pretty happy with what we've got.

As for the new "Night" transfer, it's flawless. The Elite Millennium Edition will remain in my collection for the handful of extras the Dimension disc doesn't retain but if I had to choose it would be no choice at all. Dimension has far more substantial extras and the transfer is a revelation. I'd love to hear what magic Don May Jr. worked on it.

I had low expectations for "Diary" since it's been pretty much universally maligned online (but what isn't these days?) and I expected the worst and was very pleasantly surprised. I know I'm in the minority but I truly think "Land" and "Diary" are worthy of the first three films, and I hope Romero has at least one more in him, especially if it involves the return of Bub as he's recently suggested.

For anyone who is interested in both of these movies I hear K-Mart has an exclusive 2-pack for about $25. I got "Diary" at Wal-Mart at midnight but they didn't have "Night" (they don't seem to be carrying it at all, it isn't even listed on their website) and I ended up finding "Night" at FYE earlier today but if you're the kind of person who isn't waiting at Wal-Mart at midnight for new DVD releases (which should certainly be the case if you don't own these yet) that definitely seems to be the best deal going.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

I love the original score. It's been one of my favorites for nearly forty years. I especially love the 'Doppler-like' (for want of a better phrase) effects that occur during some of the still-frame sequences. But what I didn't know was that there was another score for this film. Thanks!

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Can you tell me more about Day's "audio blunders"? I'm not familiar with the film or its DVD release and I couldn't find any pertinent information.

Edit: After some more searching, I think I found the answer. It appears that the most recent DVD release of Day (the "divimax" release) includes a remixed 5.1 audio track in which several expletives have been replaced with milder wording, and the original mono track is not included. The previous DVD release of the film had the proper mono track, but was non-anamorphic and suffered extremely poor image quality in general.

I presume this is what you were referring to, Bill?

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Not to speak for Bill but I'm 99.99% sure that's what he's referring to.

Re: Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Again

Oh yeah, that new synth score is so timeless...

Vincent