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"The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

post #1 of 38
11/27/07 at 4:55am
Thread Starter 
Here are the details (from DVDACTIVE):

MGM Home Entertainment has announced a collector's edition of The Apartment which stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. This Billy Wilder directed film will be available to own from the 5th February, and should retail at around $19.98. Extra material will include an audio commentary from Bruce Block, Film Producer, UCLA Professor and AFI Member, an “Inside the Apartment” documentary, and a “Tribute to Jack Lemmon”.
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post #2 of 38
11/27/07 at 5:05am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

This is the best DVD news since "Ace in the Hole" was announced last year!!

I always watch "The Apartment" over New Years, so I might have to push it back a month this year.

Now if only Universal could release the early Wilder titles!
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post #3 of 38
11/27/07 at 7:01am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

My all-time favorite film. Wonderful news. Was planning on introducing my g/f to it over the holidays, but now I may have to push back to Valentine's day

With this and the Lubitsch musicals, February is shaping up to be the most exciting DVD month for me in a long, long time.
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post #4 of 38
11/27/07 at 7:04am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

An addendum:

The cover art is HORRENDOUS. I may have to just swap out the old cover in the amaray. Just awful.
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post #5 of 38
11/27/07 at 8:24am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Wow! That art is pretty bad. Where's the mention of Billy Wilder or the number of awards that it won. Certainly 3 Oscars for Wilder is worthy of a mention on the cover.

In defense though, the original poster and advertising materials aren't much either. They had to separate it from the original artwork which has been used since the VHS days. At least they used the keyhole motif from the original art.
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post #6 of 38
11/27/07 at 11:50am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I don't care if this comes in a paper bag. I'm just happy a (hopefully) quality edition is coming at all.
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post #7 of 38
11/27/07 at 3:12pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Great news! Sony/MGM are definitely improving as far as special editions of their classics are concerned, with this following their recent announcements of 'New York, New York' (provided it's going to be anamorphic this time!), 'In The Heat Of The Night' and 'Tootsie'.
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post #8 of 38
11/27/07 at 3:42pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I'll put the celebrations on hold until the news is in that this is an improved transfer; for now, it's a very cautious thumbs up.
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post #9 of 38
11/27/07 at 6:10pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Quote:
I'll put the celebrations on hold until the news is in that this is an improved transfer; for now, it's a very cautious thumbs up.

Exactly.
The relationship with Fox has resulted in major improvments to some titles (Jean de Florette/Manon for one)- hopefully the trend will continue here. I can't see how it would be worse...but I've been suprised before.

This is one title I would sell blood to get in HD. Unfortunately, being associated with Blu-ray, a black and white MGM catalog title from the 60s is going to be a long time in coming to that format.
If the transfer is improved, I won't hesitate to pick it up- since there is almost no chance of a further HD upgrade anytime soon.


(haven't seen the coverart yet, but I can't believe it could be worse than the current one)
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post #10 of 38
11/27/07 at 6:31pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Where is the Cameron Crowe interview with Wilder that I thought he offered up a few years ago. Supposedly there was enough from his book about Wilder to use on a new edition of The Apartment.

And I know it wont happen . . . but Blu Ray please . . .
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post #11 of 38
11/28/07 at 3:15am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Having just read the press release on this that Ron posted in another thread, I'm worried that it doesn't even say remastered. But I'm praying that the picture quality is improved. This is my #1 film of all-time, and it deserves the best release possible.
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post #12 of 38
11/28/07 at 12:55pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Where is the Cameron Crowe interview with Wilder that I thought he offered up a few years ago. Supposedly there was enough from his book about Wilder to use on a new edition of The Apartment.


I almost forgot about that. It's truly a shame when the members of a forum such as this are more aware about these sort of things than the companies that are actually in charge of producing and releasing these titles.

Having just read the press release on this that Ron posted in another thread, I'm worried that it doesn't even say remastered. But I'm praying that the picture quality is improved. This is my #1 film of all-time, and it deserves the best release possible.


It's also my #1 film and it desperately needs a new transfer. That said, I seem to remember another recent re-release from MGM that was re-mastered despite the lack of mention in the press release. Hopefully this is another case of this.
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post #13 of 38
11/28/07 at 5:12pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!


And it is true that the cover art is idiotic. The title text-font-style belongs on a National Lampoon dvd or dumb teen college movie. Never thought I'd upgrade discs but actually hang on to the awful current cover, but that's what I'll be doing! What a buncha maroons...
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post #14 of 38
11/28/07 at 7:28pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Peterson
It's also my #1 film and it desperately needs a new transfer. That said, I seem to remember another recent re-release from MGM that was re-mastered despite the lack of mention in the press release. Hopefully this is another case of this.

I think the announcement for the latest release of The Graduate didn't say anything about it being anamorphic, even though it was the first time they released it that way.
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post #15 of 38
11/29/07 at 5:04am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I think the announcement for the latest release of The Graduate didn't say anything about it being anamorphic, even though it was the first time they released it that way.


That's the exact title that I was thinking of. Hopefully this is the case again.
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post #16 of 38
11/29/07 at 1:00pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Haggai
I think the announcement for the latest release of The Graduate didn't say anything about it being anamorphic, even though it was the first time they released it that way.

The existing Apartment DVD is anamorphic - it just looks like death. So it's not that the film needs a 16X9 transfer - it needs a GOOD transfer!
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post #17 of 38
11/30/07 at 6:11pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Quote:
(haven't seen the coverart yet, but I can't believe it could be worse than the current one)
Have a look at this page.
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post #18 of 38
11/30/07 at 7:32pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I'm not one to comment on cover art as a rule, but this one is BAD. I mean, BAD!

The least they could have done was altered one of the hands so it wasn't completely obvious that they are identical....just flopped. Ay, ay, ay.
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post #19 of 38
12/5/07 at 8:32am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

That is one hideous cover. Shirley MacLaine should sue (or meditate over some crystals to mystically intervene or something). They even try to bell her dress out to fit the shape of the keyhole, ballooning her figure. Oh, well, you could always just put the new disc in your older case. I've done that with several reissues (and, speaking of hideous covers, may have to do that with the Stanley Kubrick collection!)
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post #20 of 38
12/6/07 at 10:02pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Agree. The cover ... truly awful!
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post #21 of 38
12/9/07 at 12:55am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Agreed - Cover terrible!

I seem to recall the movie was re-released at least in the UK to cinemas in a new remastered version a year or two ago. Hopefully it's this print they'll use.
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post #22 of 38
12/9/07 at 6:07am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I want to know more about the Wilder box set that's listed on DVDEmpire and whether ALL of the films included will be given new transfers... and where the remaining titles are? Why wouldn't MGM reissue them all in one set like Warners did their Kubrick library?
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post #23 of 38
12/9/07 at 8:52am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarcoBiscotti
I want to know more about the Wilder box set that's listed on DVDEmpire and whether ALL of the films included will be given new transfers... and where the remaining titles are? Why wouldn't MGM reissue them all in one set like Warners did their Kubrick library?
Well, Warner did leave Barry Lyndon and Lolita out of their recent Kubrick box, so they're guilty too.

As far as the Wilder set goes, prepare yourself for disappointment. I suspect it may resemble MGM's upcoming Frankenheimer collection. That one looks like it has four existing discs piled in to a single keepcase (don't ask me how). It contains only disc one of the two-disc Ronin along with The Manchurian Candidate, The Train, and Young Savages.

You will notice that DVD Empire's listing of The Billy Wilder Giftset also lists it as containing only four discs. I imagine it will have disc one of the existing Some Like It Hot set, disc one of the upcoming The Apartment set, and the existing discs of The Fortune Cookie and Kiss Me, Stupid. Of course this is idle speculation on my part. I would love nothing more than to see all of Wilder's MGM titles revisited (along with Buddy Buddy and Fedora -- both of which I suspect they may now have the rights to). Two-disc sets of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and Avanti! would make my year. For now though, I'll have to content myself with the fact that my favorite Wilder film, The Apartment, looks to finally be getting the treatment it deserves (excepting the atrocious cover art).
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post #24 of 38
2/17/08 at 9:19am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I just watched this with. Yes improved transfer . . . however this has to be one of the worst commentaries I have ever heard in my life.
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post #25 of 38
2/17/08 at 9:22am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Boyd
I just watched this with. Yes improved transfer . . . however this has to be one of the worst commentaries I have ever heard in my life.

Why do you say that?
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post #26 of 38
2/17/08 at 10:25am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

A lot of it is just the commentator repeating the action we are seeing on the screen. I admit it seems to get better after the 1hour10min mark.
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post #27 of 38
2/17/08 at 11:18am

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

I don't remember anything like that. I thought the commentary was very interesting and provided alot of production info pulled from MGM's documents. Best of all, there was almost no silly Freduian analysis of the movie.
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post #28 of 38
2/17/08 at 1:24pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Definitely worth the upgrade - terrible cover notwithstanding. Watched it on my front projector setup with 100" screen last week and the transfer held up very well. I am quite pleased with the improvements in all the special editions MGM has been putting out lately - most notably of course 'The Graduate' that had a night and day improvement compared to the original edition.

-D
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post #29 of 38
2/18/08 at 1:17pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Any updates on the actual box set now?

Btw Jeff, The Apartment is still only one-disc in the standalone C.E. so surely the set wouldn't be dropping anything. As for Some Like It Hot... I'd be interested to know.
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post #30 of 38
2/19/08 at 10:31pm

Re: "The Apartment" Collector's Edition coming Feb 5th.

Am I the only one to think the new transfer is squished? I know DVD Beaver noted the difference, but they concluded that the 2001 transfer was "vertically compressed". Does anybody else have an opinion on this?

As I watched the new disc, I kept thinking that everyone's faces looked too narrow. I took some captures, and the older transfer, though it is obviously inferior in every other way, seems to look more natural. Am I missing something? Is this some distortion of the lenses they used to shoot the film? Does anybody have an explanation for why this new transfer is correct?

It's infinitely more noticable when the images are moving, but I have included caps of the same frame below, from the 2001 disc and from the new disc.

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...001version.jpg

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/g...008version.jpg
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