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IT's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World Restoration - Page 5

post #121 of 537
3/1/05 at 6:41am
i wasnt suggesting the mr spielberg has a responsibilty to this or anyone else, just that he is a member of a film restoration group, and maybe this film needs a group like that to get restored.

no one else is gonna do it.
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post #122 of 537
3/1/05 at 8:47am
AMC really tops itself every week--now I've noticed they have "coming up" banners during the thick of the movie itself! Is anything sacred to them anymore????

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post #123 of 537
3/1/05 at 2:43pm
Quote:
You gotta be kidding. AMC used to be a great network. How can they say they support films in any way when they regularly, edit, censor, shorten, pan&scan and have commercial interruptions??

TCM is a real channel for film fans. AMC is an embarassing joke!


I totally agree. TCM is a better channel than AMC. AMC shows commericals during the movies while TCM doesn't.

I haven't watched TV in almost 2 months but I did watch the movie called The Haunting (1963) which I recorded on my DVD recorder over 1+ months ago & I watched it on Sunday night.

TCM showed The Haunting in letterbox format with no commerical interruptions. If this was shown on AMC, AMC would show commericals & they would show the pan & scan version instead of the letterbox version.
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post #124 of 537
3/1/05 at 3:24pm
but have wondered for as long as we have een discussing this, why martinscrosese hasnt been brought into this


The Film Foundation's participation in this effort (and a suggested joint contribution by us on behalf of "Mad World"'s restoration) was already discussed back on page two of this thread (over two years ago!)

FWIW, I contribute annually to both the National Film Preservation Foundation and the Film Foundation - and encourage all here to do likewise. I suspect that Mr. Scorsese is well aware of "Mad World"'s problems.

(On another - but similar -note, did you see Martin Scorsese's introduction of Roger Mayer at the Academy Awards? Mayer was given the Jean Herscholt Award partially in recognition of his efforts on behalf of film preservation.)
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post #125 of 537
6/6/05 at 8:45am
Any new news on "... Mad World" restoration / preservation?
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post #126 of 537
6/6/05 at 8:41pm
Ditto. Any news to report...
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post #127 of 537
10/11/05 at 2:33am
Im one of few of my film friends in my age group that knows and loves this film. Unfortunately its the road show version that I only know after buying the laser disc version over ten years ago when it came out. So the current DVD is almost unwatchable to me now. After just watching Simpsons season 5 where they spoof it I remembered that Sony owns MGM. Though im still not sure if that increases or decreases its chances for a major restoration. Its scary that these older movies are getting in worse shape, will cost more to restore and wont have a pay off for restoring them with younger generations of buyers as time goes on.
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post #128 of 537
10/11/05 at 6:41am
Quote:
Unfortunately its the road show version that I only know after buying the laser disc version over ten years ago when it came


Just to be clear, the laserdisc version is NOT the roadshow version. It is a mishmash of both versions, though closer to the Roadshow version than the current theatrical version DVD (which I prefer over the LD version).

Hopefully some day, a TRUE Roadshow version will become a reality.

Then everyone can be happy.
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post #129 of 537
10/11/05 at 6:52am
I haven't watched IAMMMMW in nearly 10 years,
despite the fact it is one of my favorite films.

The reason is simple: I can't attempt to watch
any other version released since the laserdisc release.

I know that the LD is not the "definitive" roadshow
edition. I know Mr. Harris feels that there are
scenes that don't belong in there -- and his reasoning
is rightly based on the fact that this was not Stanley
Kramer's vision either.

My problem is that I see ALL the scenes included in
that laserdisc release as workable and necessary.
Though they drag the film down a bit, I do think
that they work.

I too am hoping that the folks at Sony will take
on the responsibility of restoring this film. I
did my best to hook up with Grover Crisp a year ago
when I was out at the studio, and am very disappointed
that the time was not made.

I can only hope that our feelings about this
important film will be relayed to the powers that
be and that someone at Sony realizes the importance
of saving this film.
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post #130 of 537
10/11/05 at 7:15am
Quote:
Just to be clear, the laserdisc version is NOT the roadshow version. It is a mishmash of both versions, though closer to the Roadshow version than the current theatrical version DVD (which I prefer over the LD version).


It's actually a mix of three "versions": the theatrical, the roadshow, and footage that was not included in either.

DJ
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post #131 of 537
10/11/05 at 7:26am
There's a ton of even more footage that wasn't on the laser disc version on the DVD. Near the end of the extra footage there were entire sequences and alternate takes as well. I would hope that there's some kind of original written account for what goes where if they eventually do it.

Acctually thinking about it, why did the laserdisc introduce the footage as having worked with Stanley Kramer on it if this was using footage he didnt want.
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post #132 of 537
10/11/05 at 7:50am
The laser disc may not be the true roadshow version, but it's far closer to that than the horrible dvd version, and far superior to it.

And on the back of the laser disc box, it clearly states
MGM/UA Home Video wishes to express its thanks to Stanley Kramer and Joshua Berman for their contributions which made this special presentation possible.
This leads me to believe that Stanley Kramer approved of the laser disc version despite it's deviations from the true roadshow version.

A Robert Harris restoration of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World has been for a long time now, and remains to this day my number one wish for dvd. Hell, it's the only thing that by itself would get me to buy into HD-DVD or Blu-Ray or any other format that contained such a film.
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post #133 of 537
10/11/05 at 1:21pm
the horrible dvd version


No disrespect intended, but that is the general release version that 99.9% of theater goers would have seen in it's original theatrical run, as well as subsequent video versions. IMO, it is just as valid as the roadshow version. This "horrible" version was most people's introduction to the film, and for most fans of this movie, the version contained on the horrible DVD is exactly the version they have always known and loved.
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post #134 of 537
10/11/05 at 1:49pm
I actually only saw parts of the movie till i bought the laser disc but I think if I saw the theatrical then the extended i would have preferred the extended. I generally always prefer director cuts and extended versions. But both versions should be available to make everyone happy of course

Sometimes It's better to not even know. Its like I used to like Superman 2 till finding out how much better it would have been if Donner finished it.
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post #135 of 537
10/11/05 at 1:54pm
The 154 minute cut of Mad World, which was released after the Premiere, is a superb cut of the film, in many cases a better and cleaner cut than the Premiere.

The longer, original Premiere cut, however, contains numerous scenes and portions of scenes that play brilliantly, and sometimes better than the shorter version.

Neither of these cuts is any more legitimate than the other.

They are simply different versions of the same work.

RAH
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post #136 of 537
10/11/05 at 4:14pm
The main reason why I think the roadshow version seems superior has to do with Buster Keaton's role. In the general release, he gets exactly a minute of screen time and only one line. The extra scene with him and Spencer Tracy talking on the phone would at least make what's left of his cameo more coherent.

Especially compared to his lengthy cameo in Around the World in 80 Days...

As for the preview version, it's dangerous that scenes never meant to be seen in the roadshow OR general release versions are present. The fact that they included the part with Johnathan Winters explaining what he wants to do with the money. I'm hoping that if Sony does have the film restored, they only have it reconstructed to its roadshow version. There was a lot of anger when 1776 was released in its intended director's cut rather than Pioneer's "include everything" version. So some material is omitted... well, that's what deleted scenes are for.
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post #137 of 537
10/11/05 at 5:12pm
Well the dvd version doesn't even have the proper titles. And I stand by my opinion, that compared to the ld cut, the dvd version is much worse. That plus the fact that the dvd has less information in the frame than the ld all combines to create, IMO, a horrible dvd.
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post #138 of 537
10/12/05 at 9:13am
Quote:
Neither of these cuts is any more legitimate than the other

I agree 100%

Quote:
That plus the fact that the dvd has less information in the frame than the ld


Fact?

I have compared the two and do not agree with the above statement. They have the same information, and IIRC the DVD actually has more information in some scenes.

Can you provide a link stating that as a fact George? Or some screenshots perhaps?
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post #139 of 537
10/12/05 at 9:29am
Thankfully IMMMMW landed at Sony after the MGM sale. With a brilliant restoration staff in place, and enough funding from the parent, Grover Crisp will do an amazing job when the time comes on this title.
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post #140 of 537
10/12/05 at 9:30am
Tino,

I haven't figured out how to take a screenshot of my laser disc, though I'll work on it. However, in side by side comparisons, there is clearly more info (not a LOT more, but definitely more) on the laser disc than on the dvd.
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post #141 of 537
10/12/05 at 9:47am
I almost dont want to let this go. Ive brought this topic up on and off for years now. Theres nobody to really write to or anything is there?
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post #142 of 537
10/12/05 at 9:55am
Considering Messrs. Harris and Katz' prior success with Sony (Lawrence of Arabia), I'd like to think that it's a matter of time (brief, I hope!) before a full restoration effort can begin. It would be so nice to see the film on a big screen with restored footage and music (what about the Shirelles' tracks? "31 Flavors" is in the finished film, what about their vocal version of the theme- the recording does exist) as audiences did in late '63. I've heard that the box office receipts soared after the Kennedy assassination as people needed an antidote to the national atmosphere of despair. Can anyone confirm this story?
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post #143 of 537
10/12/05 at 9:59am
I heard that as well about the sales after Nov but I dont have a reference on it. Aside from the music thats in the intermission I read somewhere that there was police radio updates on the chase during the intermission in some version. Anyone know if thats true?
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post #144 of 537
10/12/05 at 11:50am
Quote:
there is clearly more info (not a LOT more, but definitely more) on the laser disc than on the dvd

That's strange because when I compared the two side by side, I found the opposite to be true.

Mr. Harris, can you shed any light on this subject?
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post #145 of 537
10/12/05 at 12:21pm
Quote:
That's strange because when I compared the two side by side, I found the opposite to be true.


What method did you use to compare? If you just compared on your TV, overscan and hardware issues could intervene and not give you an accurate accounting of what the discs contain. At least as to the DVD, viewing the image via a DVD-ROM drive and computer monitor would be preferrable (and to the extent that it would be possible for you to connect your LD player to your computer, that would be ideal, as well).

DJ
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post #146 of 537
10/12/05 at 12:28pm
Neither of the home video sources are anything that I would care to view, nor should they be used as reference, except possibly against one another to determine which is worse.

The laserdisc, while well-intentioned, is a technical mess, while the DVD is based upon generic 35mm scope elements in the wrong aspect ratio, and with faded titles.
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post #147 of 537
10/12/05 at 12:30pm
That's strange because when I compared the two side by side, I found the opposite to be true.
Strange indeed. Have you completely eliminated all overscan on your display?

Let's take a specific shot. They're at the side of the road talking about how to split the money and Mickey Rooney has just finished answering Jonathan Winter's question with "when we find out we'll send you a wire". On the dvd Edie Adams' right elbow is completely cut off on the left side of the frame. On the ld, not only can you see her entire arm, but about half an arm's width of background to the left of her arm. On the right hand side of the dvd, you see part of a word written on a camper, on the ld, the entire word is seen, followed by some space. On the top of the frame of the dvd, the top of the camper cannot be seen. On the ld, you can see the top of the camper, and blue sky above it. At the bottom of the dvd frame, it cuts through the middle of Buddy Hackett's fourth button, and Edie Adams' bracelet. On the ld, you can see all of the fourth button and 2 1/2 button's worth of jacket below that, and you can see all of Edie's bracelet, and 2 1/2 finger lengths below that.

If you are seeing more than what I see on the dvd, I'll be at a loss to explain it. If you see less than I do on the ld, it is most likely due to overscan (I use a ISCAN HD+ processor on my system to completely eliminate overscan).
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post #148 of 537
10/12/05 at 12:41pm
This film will never look or sound good again unless it gets the deluxe Harris/Katz treatment.

I certainly hope that Mr. Kramer's notes on the original soundtrack mix (inclusive of dubbing) still survive.
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post #149 of 537
10/12/05 at 1:43pm
In many cases original six track survives, either as original fullcoat or as striped print sections.

RAH
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post #150 of 537
10/12/05 at 2:28pm
Hmmm Id like to here more about this Iscan device if i could. Is that the actual name of the company? sound like something I defiantly need.
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