To be clear, I have no problem with any amazon review wherein they're actually talking about the DVD (or whatever product) - I take exception when they're just talking about the actual show or film and they haven't even seen the DVD (or whatever). Frequently, there are reviews up for product that doesn't even have a release date.
Yeah, I guess Amazon reviews are a double edged sword and, in all fairness, I don't have any ideas on how to 'fix' their problems. The reviews are good when they're intellignetly written or talk about the product or when they can alert to a real problem like the one with The Fugitive (like Carabimero said) but they're a bad thing when it's just weird rants or misinformation or outright lies.
Forty four reviews for season 5 of the MTM show, which has had no formal release date from Fox; forty of the reviews were the full five stars! They're just pleas for the release of more seasons, not reviews. What's equally bizzare is that people find these "reviews" helpful.
Forty four reviews for season 5 of the MTM show, which has had no formal release date from Fox; forty of the reviews were the full five stars! They're just pleas for the release of more seasons, not reviews. What's equally bizzare is that people find these "reviews" helpful.
For the record, I've always enjoyed reading reviews by our own David Von Pein, Bob Huggins and Harry Neyhart.
What a nice thing to say. Thank you Michael. I'm honored to be in such company!
Amazon reviews can be quite helpful. Naturally, wherever the masses are allowed to contribute, one must be careful to weed through the bad stuff to find the gold, but it's often there. After a bit of practice, one can tell which reviews are accurate and which are the fluff.
I had an opportunity on July 4th to be in the presence of a TV station airing the RTN feed of THE FUGITIVE. On that particular day, it was airing "Nobody Loses All The Time", a color fourth season episode with Barbara Baxley and Joanna Moore. It's one of the more frequent fourth season Bill Raisch/Fred Johnson episodes, and a good one. I was happy to hear the Rugolo cues along with some of the Dom Frontiere OUTER LIMITS cues used in the episode. I could also tell that they were airing a time-sped version. The color was a bit washed-out looking, much like what's on the NuVentures tapes from the fourth season.
As I watched it (from about the mid-point on), I was constantly reminded of the great score that's been taken away on the Season Two episodes on DVD, and that unless the situation is remedied, that there's really not much hope for the future of THE FUGITIVE at this point. So it was all a rather bittersweet experience for this FUGITIVE fan.
You know, I was thinkng about something today when I was watching Happy Days on TV. I know that Paramount changed alot due to music issues with Happy Days. Why is it then when we see re-runs on TV of these shows, the origianl music is still intact? The Fugitive, when a station does re-run it, always has the origianl music intact. Why is it the studio can release them for re-runs with the origianl music intact but can't release them intact for private home use on DVD??????
When the original contracts were made for the shows they only addressed running episodes on television, and they didn't forsee new media like VHS then DVD. What's weird for me is the VHS tapes had the right music but now the DVDs can't???
What's weird for me is the VHS tapes had the right music but now the DVDs can't???
This is what is so enormously frustrating to me. If DVDs began their debut around 10 years ago we probably wouldn't be faced with these rights issues. Maybe in the future everything will be dubbed wholesale--music, voice, all of it. Just to be on the safe side.
Quote:
I had some fun assembling this video today, which features Pete Rugolo's outstanding "Fugitive" music front and center
Nice work, David and a firm reminder of how just how great a role Rugolo's music plays in the series. I'm especially fond of a particular 8 note phrase which to my ears sounds like it may be played on a vibraphone, but it's probably another instrument. It never fails to grab me in the S1 episodes. (In your video it occurs around 6:10 - 6:18). I wonder now if it's on the Silva soundtrack?
You know, I was thinkng about something today when I was watching Happy Days on TV. I know that Paramount changed alot due to music issues with Happy Days. Why is it then when we see re-runs on TV of these shows, the origianl music is still intact? The Fugitive, when a station does re-run it, always has the origianl music intact. Why is it the studio can release them for re-runs with the origianl music intact but can't release them intact for private home use on DVD??????
I know what you mean. Season 2 of Absolutely Fabulous on VHS and DVD doesn't contain the vocal version of the theme song Wheels on Fire. However both VHS and DVD versions of seasons 1 & 3 have the vocal version of the theme and it is EXACTLY the same version of the theme that was originaly used for season 2 as well. Performed by the same vocalists. Same music. So what happened? Why was it possible to use the original theme song for seasons 1 & 3 on DVD but not season 2 EVEN when it is the EXACT same version?
Now those same season 2 episodes that are currently being reran on BBC America have the original vocal theme song.
The whole music rights thing just gives me a headache.
Last edited by Brian Himes : 07-14-2008 at 06:22 PM.
I've been looking at the amazon reviews and every one of those five or four-star reviews has something in common:
They either haven't seen the DVD, or they are written so similarly it's almost as if someone had provided a template. And always look at the reviewing history - many times you'll find it's their only review.
I'm especially fond of a particular 8 note phrase which to my ears sounds like it may be played on a vibraphone, but it's probably another instrument. It never fails to grab me in the S1 episodes. (In your video it occurs around 6:10 - 6:18). I wonder now if it's on the Silva soundtrack?
It's definitely on the Silva CD.....because I used that
exact CD when making my soundtrack "video".
