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Jaws 30th Anniversary Edition in June

post #1 of 315
3/25/05 at 1:09pm
Thread Starter 
From DVD Times here:

Universal Studios Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Jaws 30th Anniversary Edition for 14th June 2005 priced at $22.98 SRP. Steven Spielberg's monster classic resurfaces on DVD to celebrate its 30th Anniversary coming to us as a two-disc set packaged with a Commemorative Photo Journal.

Exact details on what additional bonus features we can expect over the current release are yet to be revealed, though it seems like wishful thinking that we'll finally see the full-length making of documentary from the Laserdisc edition on the bonus disc. Arriving in separate Widescreen and Full Screen editions, both are packed with language options which include English 2.0 Mono, 5.1 Surround and 5.1 DTS Surround alongside French and Spanish 5.1 Surround tracks. The standard subtitle options of English, French and Spanish languages will also be available.
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post #2 of 315
3/25/05 at 1:38pm
I wouldn't buy it again just for the photo book, but I'll be staying tuned to this thread to find out any further details.
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post #3 of 315
3/25/05 at 1:49pm
Is it the same transfer??

If so then my reaction is similiar to the towns people when Robert Shaw grates his nails on the chalkboard

Still one of my all time favorite movies though!
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post #4 of 315
3/25/05 at 1:54pm
maybe they will finally get it right.
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post #5 of 315
3/25/05 at 2:30pm
This is great news, I can't wait to get it.
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post #6 of 315
3/25/05 at 2:38pm
Seems like the original mono track will be included this time around. Thank God!

Chris
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post #7 of 315
3/25/05 at 2:57pm
DTS 5.1 and DD 5.1, that's good. What's bad is that they'll probably just move all the current extras onto the second disc, and that will be it. Hopefully I'm wrong.
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post #8 of 315
3/25/05 at 3:03pm
The original MONO soundtrack mix is a MUST. The new digital foley effects are just too jaring for me. The original mix is a masterpiece of mono magic.
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post #9 of 315
3/25/05 at 3:21pm
Maybe they will have the full 2 hour documentary from the old LD.
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post #10 of 315
3/25/05 at 3:33pm
Quote:
maybe they will finally get it right.
This is Universal, don't hold your breath.
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post #11 of 315
3/25/05 at 3:42pm
YEAH!

I'm so glad I decided to sell my 25th Ann. Ed.


The scoring for this film is so brilliant, it really deserves to be offered in it's original mono mix to full appreciate the rich layers on each track. I'll be so happy to upgrade, and suggest that everyone do the same if not just for the original mono mix alone!

Btw, I wouldn't mind at all if Universal ported over the current transfer. I'd love to see the full documentary, but regardless of what else is added, it's definitely one step ahead of the current release we have!


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post #12 of 315
3/25/05 at 3:43pm
A new transfer with less digital noise, the original theatrical audio mix, and the full LD documentary on the 2nd disc, otherwise no sale here.
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post #13 of 315
3/25/05 at 4:28pm
Yeah, no sale here either if the full length
documentary from the laserdisc is not one of
the features. We all know we won't be getting
a commentary track with the film, so the other
bells and whistles had better be an improvement
over the original DVD. It's nice to hear that the
original mono track is included though.
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post #14 of 315
3/25/05 at 4:36pm
Quote:
This is Universal, don't hold your breath.

Ditto. The spontaneity of this announcement probably isn't a great sign, but Universal does have the materials available to make this a worthwhile upgrade if they care to, even utilizing the same master. I agree with Jeremy; re-authoring, original mono soundtrack, full-legth documentary...that's the MINIMUM requirement to make this thing worthwhile. And it'd be REALLY easy to do. But...could be just another no-effort cash-in. We'll see.

While they're at it, though, I wish they'd go back and put 'E.T.' in a real box, with some indication of what's actually inside it!
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post #15 of 315
3/25/05 at 4:59pm
I can't wait to pick this up. Hopefully some more specifics will be coming soon.

And am I the only one who can't believe it's already been five years since the first release of Jaws came out?
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post #16 of 315
3/25/05 at 5:23pm
This movie is so great they could release a barebones disc with no menu and just the 16x9 picture transfer and the mono track and I'd be satisfied.
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post #17 of 315
3/25/05 at 5:27pm
I'm gonna hold out for the 35th anniversary edition or maybe the 40th?

What a joke!!!
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post #18 of 315
3/25/05 at 5:38pm
Within the following six months, there is no reason why a High Definition version would not be available. This seems like another wasted "anniversary" effort.

RAH
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post #19 of 315
3/25/05 at 5:45pm
Judging by the laziness that has been applied to the upcoming "Special" Edition of Casino, I'm not going to get excited about this just yet. Casino won't even be a 2-disc - it will be a DVD-14 and the extras don't look too applealing.

I also have the nagging feeling that this new edition of Jaws won't have the original 1975 mono mix. Recent theatrical prints have been Dolby 5.1 and even TV broadcasts are stereo with the new foley effects from the 5.1 mix. However, the UK release of the old DVD had mono dub mixes in French, German, Italian and Spanish. The French and German tracks sound very good and must have been made from the original tracks recently. The Spanish has the least fidelity and was probably made from an older source (optical print?) than the other three. There really is no reason not to include the original mix. The same goes for Vertigo. I don't care if the track has major flaws; it has to preserved for posterity.

There is indeed a lot of archive material for Jaws, for instance, New England Our Way, an excellent 1974 TV documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew.

Jaws, taken as a yarn, is not a great film, I feel, although it is the best 'trash movie' ever made. But it is, without a doubt, a true 'lesson in filmmaking' - a masterclass in film-editing and a prime example of how music can elevate suspense to unbearable, giddy heights.
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post #20 of 315
3/25/05 at 5:45pm
Within the following six months, there is no reason why a High Definition version would not be available. This seems like another wasted "anniversary" effort.

I disagree with your "wasted" assertion because I don't see myself upgrading to high definition dvd for at least the next three years and it may be longer than that depending if a prolonged format war emerges from both camps.





Crawdaddy
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post #21 of 315
3/25/05 at 5:51pm
Same here. Back in the day this was once my favorite film. When I do eventually get into HD, Jaws will certainly be in the first bunch purchased.
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post #22 of 315
3/25/05 at 6:30pm
seams that my dts dvd and the 3 disc laserdisc box will still be around in my collection well, unless universal will surprise us all with the original mono track and the full documentary + a remastered video that'll fit todays standards then they have me on the hook for a new purchase
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post #23 of 315
3/25/05 at 6:47pm
Cannot wait for this one. Hope it is worth it!
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post #24 of 315
3/25/05 at 6:58pm
I'll pass....I'm happy enough with the DTS version currently in my collection. Perhaps when it comes out in HD someday, I'll bite (heh,heh). Now what I really want is an SE for 'The Frighteners'.....where's that one, Universal?
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post #25 of 315
3/25/05 at 7:09pm
Anyone want to add up all of the bitspace taken up by all of the audio tracks? That doesn't leave much room for video bitrate peaks... Not looking good for PQ.

-Reagan
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post #26 of 315
3/25/05 at 7:36pm
Quote:
Ditto. The spontaneity of this announcement probably isn't a great sign,


I wouldn't call it spontaneous, this re-issue has been on the radar for a while now and there are other threads about it.

I would like to be positive and give Universal the benefit of the doubt. They certainly know that to convince people like us and others to upgrade, they better be upping the ante on this one. They seem to plan to include the Mono track which is one Holy Grail. The other being the full length documentary. In another thread, I asked if there was any way to contact Spielberg's offices and try to get a message to make sure this release was done right. It may seem like a long shot, but apparently he did intervene and make the original cut of E.T. available on the standard 2-Disc set so maybe the same could happen here if Universal is planning on screwing us over.
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post #27 of 315
3/25/05 at 8:21pm
I thought the current DVD looks great, even if it's soft (which seems to be intentional).

I'd imagine noise wouldn't be a big problem for an SE, though. Compression could be a lot better this time around.... sort of like the remastered (but not retransfered) versions of Lawrence of Arabia and My Fair Lady.
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post #28 of 315
3/25/05 at 8:34pm
Original Mono track is included.

From the digital bits:

Universal has officially announced the DVD release of a Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition for 6/14 (SRP $22.98). This will be a 2-disc set containing the film in anamorphic widescreen video, with both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio. The second disc will be all extras (no word yet on what they are). Word is you'll also get something called Jaws: The Commemorative Photo Journal - probably a commemorative book. This 2-disc set will also be available in a full frame version, and it looks as though a single-disc Jaws: Anniversary Collector's Edition version will also be available in full frame and anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 and anamorphic widescreen with DTS 5.1 (SRP $14.98). So let's get this straight... there are 5 DVD versions in all. 2-disc Wide (DD/DTS), 2-disc Full (DD/DTS), 1-disc Full (DD), 1-disc Wide (DD) and 1-disc Wide (DTS). Whew.
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post #29 of 315
3/25/05 at 9:08pm
How about the original mono mix offered in PCM, with no Dolby or DTS? You know we're only going to get a Dolby 2.0 mono at 192/kbs.

I wish PCM was utilized more often, especially for mono mixes. Dolby is just too thin sounding to handle the subtleties of a mono mix, especially at 192/kbs.
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post #30 of 315
3/25/05 at 9:12pm
Jaws, taken as a yarn, is not a great film, I feel, although it is the best 'trash movie' ever made.

I think Jaws is one of the best American motion pictures ever made. In fact, when I rank the films of Steven Spielberg, Jaws and Schindler's List tie for #1.

Sure, sitting back and studying it from a subjective scientific standpoint, it is absurb on its face. A giant fish attacking a boat, possessing almost supernatural qualities, and when the brains and brawn have been defeated, the only thing left to destroy the killer fish is sheer will. The climax is absurd.

And yet the whole thing works as a work of raw primal cinema. The whole movie is so brilliantly realized through the filter of Spielberg's imagination (aided tremendously by Carl Gottlieb's character improvs and character studies) that complaints about the film's technical realism seem churlish. How else can a film end that begins with a naked girl swimming in the ocean, but with an explosion? Anything less is an anti-climax. You want realism - go watch The Bicycle Thief. You want cinema? Come watch Jaws.

Trash movie? Not a great film?

Try one of the greatest works of cinema of the vaunted 1970's.
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