Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › DVD › IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount! - Page 4

post #91 of 125
11/16/06 at 6:58am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

If the sound pops were source defects, I wouldn't care. These, however, are clearly digital audio artifacts introduced during the mastering process. They'd be easy to fix, and Paramount should do it.

I don't think anyone implied that the sky was falling, Van. But we certainly are entitled to call attention to a flawed product, aren't we?
Reply
post #92 of 125
11/17/06 at 2:20pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

I called Paramount and the lady said she would do some research to see if anyone else has complained and she would send me a new copy. However, it will probably be faulty as well. I didn't get a chance to tell her exactly where the pops occur, so if a tech is checking the disc they probably won't notice it. Some other people need to call and to give them the time stamps where the pops occur. That is the only way this will get fixed. Can some of you do that? It's pretty painless and the people on the line are fairly polite. Thanks!

When you call, it is at first automated. Just keep saying "I need Home Video" and eventually they will transfer you to a live person. Here is the number:
(323) 956-5000
Reply
post #93 of 125
9/13/07 at 6:13pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

For anybody interested, IAWL is getting another release in November. The raison d'etre, I guess, is the inclusion of a colorized version (that should satisfy those Amazon critics). But it is claiming a "restored black and white version." Presumably sans the 'sound pops', although now I'm such a cynic on this title, one never knows.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...r-20/ref=nosim
Reply
post #94 of 125
9/13/07 at 7:09pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

I contacted Paramount last Christmas season about the sound pops, and was told it would be fixed. They sent me another copy, but it still had the pops.
Reply
post #95 of 125
9/13/07 at 10:44pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Lord, they just HAVE to appease the "THE PICTURE ON THE CASE IS IN COLOR SO I WANT THE MOVIE IN COLOR!!!" crowd.... eesh
Reply
post #96 of 125
9/13/07 at 11:27pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

I guess it's more work from Legend Films. They do a lovely job of enhancing films that require none.

James Stewart specifically used this film as an example of why he was opposed to colorization.
Reply
post #97 of 125
9/14/07 at 12:59am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Yep, the bleakness and heavy contrast of the B+W photography really helps with the twilight zone atmosphere of the "night when he never had existed"


Reply
post #98 of 125
9/16/07 at 6:00pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

So any details on this new edition?
Reply
post #99 of 125
9/16/07 at 8:45pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulP
So any details on this new edition?

Paul: I think you got snookered on the dates. This is last year's release that's being discussed. There is a link to a review, though, in post #49.
Reply
post #100 of 125
9/16/07 at 8:57pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

No, there is a new release this year featuring a "restored" black and white print and a new colorized print, in a 2-disc set.
Reply
post #101 of 125
9/16/07 at 9:19pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Looks like I'm the one who's been snookered. Thanks, Scott!
Reply
post #102 of 125
9/17/07 at 9:51am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

No problem, Mike...
Reply
post #103 of 125
11/5/07 at 10:01am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

So here we are (still snookered ), about two months later, and I am not finding any further details on this release next week.

HERE is the listing at Amazon.
Reply
post #104 of 125
11/5/07 at 12:23pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

DVD Beaver confirms that this is just last year's 60th anniversary edition packaged with a 2nd disc with the new colorization. www.dvdbeaver.com

Looks great, even if this is a prime film that doesn't need color.
Reply
post #105 of 125
11/5/07 at 1:18pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Thanks, Patrick. Boy...that colorization job sure does look good.

It was funny to read Gary's comments. I can't support colorization...but "that look in Donna Reed's eyes..."
Reply
post #106 of 125
11/5/07 at 1:26pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

The one thing I can easily say about Legend Films is that they somehow manage to make something disturbing like colorization look pretty good anyway.
Reply
post #107 of 125
11/5/07 at 1:43pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

I can't believe I'm saying this. That colorization job looked good. Note that I'm NOT saying this makes it "ok". Just that... as colorization goes... it looks good. I'd be curious to see how color changes the mood/emotion of the film. I can't imagine that cold, difficult, gut-wrenching ending in anything but black and white.
Reply
post #108 of 125
11/5/07 at 2:23pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

So, are there still the loud audio pops from faulty remastering, or did they fix them? I called last year, and they said they would look into it.
Reply
post #109 of 125
11/5/07 at 2:27pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottR
So, are there still the loud audio pops from faulty remastering, or did they fix them? I called last year, and they said they would look into it.

If you read the DVD Beaver account, Gary says they are still there (but that they never really bothered him). He says Disc 1 of the new set is the same disc that was in the 60th anniversary edition.
Reply
post #110 of 125
11/6/07 at 8:02am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Everything looks kind of brownish to me in the computer color version in the DVD Beaver screen captures.
Reply
post #111 of 125
11/6/07 at 9:41am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Was it really that hard to find somebody who would contribute an audio commentary to this fine film ?
Man, these cheap studio exec really suck ....
Anyway, it's scary but I'm really thinking about buying this colorized version, just to compare it to my Silver Screen Edition.
Reply
post #112 of 125
11/6/07 at 9:57am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

In his review of '20 Million Miles To Earth' Glenn Erikson says this about the practice of crayoning in classics:

"... I'm glad there are only three Columbia B&W Harryhausens to screw around with in this way. I'm also glad that nobody in Hollywood has yet found a way to reap a huge profit by destroying a film outright. If there were an extra nickel to be made, I think it would already be happening."

Over at The DVD Forums, poster clydefro says:

"The sad irony is that Jimmy Stewart went to Congress in 1988 and made a speech against colorization. The NY Times quoted a letter he read from Frank Capra: "Of the coloring of ''It's a Wonderful Life,'' Mr. Capra wrote: 'They ruined it. They splashed it all over with Easter-egg colors and they ruined it. This monstrosity is an embarrassment to me and my friend, James Stewart. Even the villain looks pink and cheerful.'""

Buy it and you're condoning it; it's as simple as that.
Reply
post #113 of 125
11/6/07 at 11:25am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
He says Disc 1 of the new set is the same disc that was in the 60th anniversary edition.

It IS the same DVD - it still says "60th Anniversary Edition" on it, in fact!

This release is a waste of time. It's last year's 60th Anniversary set along with the colorized version on a second disc. Blech!


http://www.dvdmg.com/wonderfullifecs.shtml
Reply
post #114 of 125
11/6/07 at 1:53pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

In Gary's summation he notes that the "pops" are NOT on the new colorized version.

hmmm....

I think I'll wait for an HD release which I hope comes next year.

Reply
post #115 of 125
11/6/07 at 5:10pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Saved me a purchase. Thanks, Paramount.
Reply
post #116 of 125
11/6/07 at 7:19pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Like I have said before, it is a shame that so much money (well spent) is used for a beautiful restoration, only to be marred by slopping mastering. BTW, I do find the pops distracting. I had people over last Christmas to watch this, and they all said "Whoa, what was that?"
Reply
post #117 of 125
11/14/07 at 4:15pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

I picked this up today. The B&W version looks and sounds amazing. I haven't listened to the areas with pops yet, though. It really looks like it was shot only recently.

The colorization is a failure, though. It's really well done and the color choices are good, but it's distracting. A for effort, but it adds absolutely nothing to the film.
Reply
post #118 of 125
12/26/07 at 8:23pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramo

Wow, this has to be one of the best B&W DVDs I've seen (along with WB's Casablanca SE and The Third Man: SE). Paramount may have put minimal effort into the release, but the picture and sound were about as perfect as could be. My copy did not have the sound pops on the original B&W version, too.
Reply
post #119 of 125
12/26/07 at 10:31pm

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Patrick, did you see the 60th Anniversary disc? It had the pops, and I wanted to pick the new one up, but dvdbeaver said it still had the pops.
Reply
post #120 of 125
12/27/07 at 7:03am

Re: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottR
Patrick, did you see the 60th Anniversary disc? It had the pops, and I wanted to pick the new one up, but dvdbeaver said it still had the pops.
I have three different releases of this film on dvd and watched the latest dvd release the other day which was B&W disc. I didn't notice any pops and consider this dvd presentation one of the best for a movie from that film vintage. Someday, I'll watch the color disc, but probably not any time soon.





Crawdaddy
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: DVD
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › DVD › IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION) coming October 31 from Paramount!