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Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

post #1 of 59
5/10/07 at 3:05pm
Thread Starter 
just saw this on The Digital Bits site (in the rumour mill).
This was the first title I ever bought on DVD way back when, and though it looks like ass now, I hate the thought of not having it in my collection.
Hopefully this time we'll get an anamorphic edition of the film.

Wonder if Lionsgate will kick out a better version of the original when the Craig/Kidman film hits dvd at the end of the year (which is what I'm assuming MGM is trying to tie into with the CE release)?
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post #2 of 59
5/10/07 at 3:45pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

I'd love to have this in Hi Def. I've always loved the '78 Philip Kaufman version of all of the Body Snatcher films, but rather not buy another standard DVD of it at this point.
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post #3 of 59
5/10/07 at 3:57pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Hopefully they will include the Academy ratio version as well.

EDIT: never mind
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post #4 of 59
5/10/07 at 4:03pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

I got very excited for a second, I thought this news was about the original classic. But the remake is still a very good film.
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post #5 of 59
5/10/07 at 4:52pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Quote:
Originally Posted by GlennWD
I got very excited for a second, I thought this news was about the original classic. But the remake is still a very good film.

Oops... I assumed that they were talking about the original too. My Academy ratio comment doesn't apply then. It would definitely be nice to have an anamorphic version of the remake.
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post #6 of 59
5/11/07 at 3:43am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

always thought that Spock was / is excellent
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post #7 of 59
5/11/07 at 4:14am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Awesome film. Definately my preferred version. The effects hold up quite well too. I'd buy this a third time on HD.
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post #8 of 59
5/11/07 at 4:47am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

I got very excited for a second, I thought this news was about the original classic. But the remake is still a very good film.


Me too. My heart was racing until I realized that it was the remake. Although, this is one of the all-time best remakes it still pales in comparison to the original. IMHO
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post #9 of 59
5/11/07 at 4:52am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

An anamorphic transfer would be a tempting upgrade for me but I think I'll hold out for the eventual BD. The HDMonsters channel plays this from time to time and it looks fantastic.

A proper re-do of the original would also be sweet.
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post #10 of 59
5/11/07 at 6:21am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

I thought it was the original, too. Maybe the thread title shold be amended.

The original film was due for a new release here in r2, but it got cancelled. So far the only release of this classic piece of science-fiction is the old one by Republic which is Ok but not brilliant. There's a newer release in Germany by Kinowelt, but that too has had mixed reviews.
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post #11 of 59
5/11/07 at 10:39am
Thread Starter 

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radioman970
Awesome film. Definately my preferred version. The effects hold up quite well too. I'd buy this a third time on HD.

I would too, as I will definitely be picking up the CE if it's anamorphic.
Given that MGM has already postponed a slew of much more popular catalog titles- I won't be waiting for the Bd release.
I appreciate the improvments that HD brings, but when you are talking about 1.78/.85 AR films, I have no problem whatsoever enjoying a well mastered sd DVD.

apologies for not clearly delineating the version being discussed in the thread title.
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post #12 of 59
5/11/07 at 10:40am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Where's the confirmation that this is the 1978 version? Are specs listed anywhere yet?
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post #13 of 59
5/11/07 at 5:02pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Here's a link to the Rumor Mill : http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html.

If it's MGM, it's the remake, since it was released by United Artists and they've released a previous non-anamorphic version. Since Republic previously distributed the original on VHS, the rights would be held by Viacom/Paramount, but likely licenced to Lionsgate. Don't hold your breath for a new transfer or a "flat" transfer for that matter.
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post #14 of 59
5/11/07 at 8:18pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Great, I am happy as hell that the 78 version is finally getting a proper transfer.....I'll be first in line.
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post #15 of 59
5/12/07 at 6:24am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul_Scott
I would too, as I will definitely be picking up the CE if it's anamorphic.
Given that MGM has already postponed a slew of much more popular catalog titles- I won't be waiting for the Bd release.
I appreciate the improvments that HD brings, but when you are talking about 1.78/.85 AR films, I have no problem whatsoever enjoying a well mastered sd DVD.

apologies for not clearly delineating the version being discussed in the thread title.
Somehow I knew which version you were talking about. *checks closet for pods* Uuuuhm....how did I know.....? Paul? ARe you....one of them??? *gets a'scared*

This forum is part of the collective! I knew it! ...well, anyway...I only paid $4.88 for the last DVD release because it was discounted before I could fork out full price on it, which I was planning to do. I wouldn't think twice about upgrading.
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post #16 of 59
5/21/07 at 1:28pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

I recently upgraded from a 28" Panasonic CRT to a 42" Panasonic Plasma (TH-42PX70) and the difference in quality for Invasion of the Body Snatchers, when zoomed-in is staggering. The increased size and blow-up revealed much more detail - but also scratches and dirt I had barely noticed before, so I'd still upgrade if MGM do a new 1080p transfer. I'm going for the Blu-Ray + HD-DVD Samsung when it comes out in the summer, so this would definitely be a title I'd buy on Blu-Ray.
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post #17 of 59
5/21/07 at 2:00pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

At the risk of getting booed off the boards, I think I prefer the remake to the original as well--well at least the remake's ending, which scared the hell out of me when I was kid and is still chill-inducing. I'm curious if there will be new special features/transfer or if this will be the exact same disc as released years ago but with a new cover. A Donald Sutherland commentary would be cool.
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post #18 of 59
5/21/07 at 3:42pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Hey, the original still packs a wallop and is beautifully photographed. The '78 version doesn't make any bad moves, as far as I can see and exudes a moodiness like few other sci-horror films. Also, the chemistry between Sutherland and Adams is by far one of the best in the genre, too. Awesome score by Denny Zeitlin.
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post #19 of 59
5/21/07 at 5:12pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff-Wooten
At the risk of getting booed off the boards, I think I prefer the remake to the original as well--well at least the remake's ending, which scared the hell out of me when I was kid and is still chill-inducing. I'm curious if there will be new special features/transfer or if this will be the exact same disc as released years ago but with a new cover. A Donald Sutherland commentary would be cool.

I won't boo you, the 1978 version is my favorite and I think is the most chilling of the 2 films.
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post #20 of 59
5/22/07 at 10:04am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

I think this one is great-- like Carpenter's "The Thing," this is a true reimagining of the concept and does marvels with the '70's SF setting. I saw this on Showtime HD a few months back and the transfer was basically the old LD transfer (the original DVD issue was just a port of this) blown up to 16x9, right down to the nicks and print flaws. I wonder if a newer, better transfer will be minted for this release.
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post #21 of 59
5/22/07 at 2:36pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Great news. This is one of those rare times I prefer a later version to the original.
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post #22 of 59
5/22/07 at 3:25pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

I love both quite a bit. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite between them- The original is without a doubt my favorite 50s sci-fi film, though the remake is the one I would probably pull out to watch more often. In particular, I've come to appreciate it over the last 10-15 years because it's focused on adults. In the wake of Halloween, and for the last 30 years, a horror/thriller film with adult protagonists has become a rare and beautiful thing. I also really dig Nimoys character and performance and the conflict there with Goldblum. Fun stuff.
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post #23 of 59
5/23/07 at 4:25am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

All this remake love!

Now, how about the second attempt at a remake? Body Snatchers. Very meh even though there's some excellent babeage. Any flick with a Tilly gets an instant endorcement from me.
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post #24 of 59
5/23/07 at 4:39am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radioman970
All this remake love!

Now, how about the second attempt at a remake? Body Snatchers. Very meh even though there's some excellent babeage. Any flick with a Tilly gets an instant endorcement from me.

How about the third:

The Invasion (2007)

Coming August 17th.
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post #25 of 59
5/24/07 at 6:25pm

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Hopefully the featurette that was advertised on the back cover of the first DVD release of this, but wasn't actually on the disc (the BASTARDS), will make it this time.
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post #26 of 59
5/25/07 at 1:04am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Sorry to say this but I thought Kaufman's remake was unremittingly average from start to finish. Setting the invasion in a major city was a serious misjudgment on the part of the filmmakers. Cities are impersonal places anyway so where's the dramatic tension in placing emotionless pod people in a location that is itself impersonal? The original derived much of its power from the small town setting & the fact that everybody knew everybody else. And I don't think Donald Sutherland & Brooke Adams were anywhere near as appealing as Kevin McCarthy & Dana Wynter were. It isn't terribly well plotted either. I've never quite understood why some people seem so passionate about this 1978 version unless it's a nostalgia thing.

Oh, and a shoutout to that other Invasion remake, Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers (1993), which wisely keeps the action to an enclosed setting, in this case a military base. While nothing equals Don Siegel's original I found this one more scary & memorable than Kaufman's misfire.
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post #27 of 59
5/25/07 at 3:22am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Quote:
Cities are impersonal places anyway so where's the dramatic tension in placing emotionless pod people in a location that is itself impersonal?
That's the entire point of the film, the 50's version was an allusion to Communism (as well as the resultant Mccarthy-ism IMO) while the 70's version dealt with the fear of intimacy, the crushing coldness of humanity in mass (The City), the death of empathy in the wake of the "Me" generation & the fact that an invasion of cold emotionless aliens might go unnoticed in an environment such as that.

I think it was a brilliantly plotted and directed film.....and not because of.."nostalgia".
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post #28 of 59
5/25/07 at 3:46am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Henry, I'd never heard of Invasion. Looks to have a great cast, Kidman will get me in a seat. :p Hope all the reshooting mentioned on imdb.com worked. Could be interesting if they can capture the doom and groom that the others have to varying degrees.

That 90s remake had one great scene, the kid in the school classroom holding up his painting. It really needed more of that kind of thing. I actually see what you're saying Rob. It's kind of like Village of the Damned with the small isolated area. But I still prefer the 70s remake for much of the same reasons as Kevin M. Although I harbor a lot of nostalgia for it (and the original).
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post #29 of 59
5/25/07 at 4:14am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

[quote=Kevin M]That's the entire point of the film,

LoL, I just knew someone would say that. But the thing is Kevin, Kaufman's remake has nothing original or interesting to say about the fear of intimacy, despite the fact that such a theme is an intrinsic part of the Bodysnatcher idea. Siegel's original dramatized that theme with subtlety and persuasion FAR more effectively than the '78 remake. Kaufman's attempt to relocate the action to a big city is, I think, the kind of smart ass conceit that might have sounded good in theory but completely fails in practice.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin M
I think it was a brilliantly plotted and directed film.....and not because of.."nostalgia".

The plotting is muddled at best. The film is confusingly told. What exactly did you find so 'brilliant' about Kaufman's plotting and directing? The '78 version boasts a cast of genre favourites and it's slickly made. That's it.
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post #30 of 59
5/25/07 at 9:59am

Re: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Collectors Edition due 8/7/07

Quote:
That's it.
Well...that's your opinion, & obviously many disagree with that opinion.
I haven't got time to elaborate on it but I will start a thread in the Movies section (or I will look for an already existing one...there probably are a few) so we all can talk about both films.
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