Ash Atchison

What's the word on Lost Highway?

I had heard a while back that USA Films were releasing a special edition of Lost Highway late this year. Well, here we are, and I haven't heard anything else. Anyone?

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You talkin' to me?

Gregory Pauswinski

Unfortunately since that initial report there doesn't seem to have been any news.

Gregory

Mark_Wilson

I just watched the German DVD of this. Can someone explain to me what happened? I didn't get it.

Patrick Larkin

I haven't heard any new news. And USA Films has got to have the worst studio website I have ever seen.


Welcome to the art of David Lynch. Its a beautiful thing.

Michael Reuben

Mark --

Try this Lost Highway thread in the Movies forum.

Lost Highway is one of those films that probably no one will ever fully explain, but it continues to fascinate.

M.

[Edited last by Michael Reuben on November 14, 2001 at 10:04 AM]

Tom Gradisek

I know that many people consider "Blue Velvet" to be Lynch's best work, but I have really enjoyed "Mulholland Falls" and "Lost Highway" the most.

I believe that there is a Canadian release of "Lost Highway" but it is pan and scan, unfortunately.

Wouldn't it be nice if we get a box set of Lynch's films? I would buy that without any qualms.

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Gregory Pauswinski

Lost Highway is probably my favorite Lynch film, but they're all pretty high up there.

I doubt we'll ever get a Lynch Box set because his films have been released by so many different studios.

Gregory

Shane Gralaw

I was reading Ebert's review of Mullholland Drive- it's funny that he's so enthusiastic about Lynch's dreamlike style now, considering how he trashed Lost Highway. If anything, LH is more straightforward and easier to comprehend than Mullholland.

According to an interview with Lynch's sound designer John Neff (check the Lynch On DVD thread on this site for a link), Lynch participated in the LH disc, doing timing (or was it color correction?) for the transfer- but this was over a year ago. Apparently USA was sitting on the release, possibly to wait for Mullholland to come out for a marketing tie-in? Well Mullholland is out- so I'm guessing they're maybe waiting for that DVD release, but really who knows?

Lawrence Davis

I remember when we heard the announcement (or was it just a rumor of an anouncement?) that USA Films was going to finally release Lost Highway on an American Region 1 disc. As someone else mentioned, the transfer has been in the can for a year now. I can't believe they would hold it for the public's (or even The Academy's) reaction to Mulholland Drive. Surely the crossover from MD to LH will be minimal. I don't know anyone who is dying to see LH after seeing MD, that wasn't already dying to see LH on DVD 1, 2 or even 3 years ago. Hopefully Lost Highway will be released soon. The wait is like torture.

Here's my personal rundown on the list of Lost Highway DVD's that I own.

Japanese version: Non-anamorphic with horrific artifacts. The video quality is simply abysmal. The 5.1 soundtrack is fantastic however and the best sounding of all Lost Highway DVD's I've listened to.

German version: Anamorphic video, but terrible sounding audio. It sounds like it was dubbed from a mike held up to a speaker in a public restroom.

French Version: Anamorphic video, but has noticeably desaturated colors. Not as good as the German release and has forced, non-removable French subtitles.

Canada Version: I haven't seen this one, but it's Pan & Scan, so who cares?

Australian version: Is anamorphic and has the "cigarette burns" in the picture. I don't mind that at all. I should have it in a few weeks.

Patrick Larkin

On the pan and scan version: 'Lost Highway' was on Cinemax like 100 times last month. So, I'm watching it and the panning was horrendous. I believe this is a 2.35:1 film so in the scenes with Pete and Mr. Eddie in the car, it would frantically pan back and forth between the two. I had to turn it off. Terrible.

As for the other versions, none sound like they worth getting. I still have the widescreen VHS which will have to do. BTW, what do you mean by cigarette burns?

As for USA Films, their website doesn't even have an email address to enquire what the heck is going on. LAME.

Tom Gradisek

Ah, apparently you have never seen Fight Club, Patrick.

"Cigarette burns" are also known as reel change dots. They used to be used as a cue for projectionists to switch over. They are still noticeable when you see movies in the theaters. You can see them in the upper right-hand corner and you probably have seen them but never really gave much thought to what they were. I like to look for them when I'm unsure if the movie I'm watching is 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 because the circle becomes elliptical on 2.35:1 movies. The scary thing is, there are some movies I've seen so many times in the theater, I can still remember where the dot popped up.

Lawrence, where did you order the Australian version? I very much want this movie on DVD, the cigarette burns won't bother me in the least.

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