The Big Blue US version  

Re: The Big Blue US version

Re: The Big Blue US version

Hi Lucia and Jon,
I loved reading your thoughts about The Big Blue and I wish I had been able to watch the movie when it was first released like you obviously were able to...along with my husband...and hopefully others too. This is my husband's favourite movie....the movie he believes truly captures his own relationship to the big blue. He was thrilled to find a VCD version of the original US release when we were in Taiwan so that he could share it with me. We watched the movie over and over again, even made a WMV rip of it somehow. Unfortunately we simply had no idea this version would disappear the way it has. Or else we would have brought the VCD back to Canada with us. Grrr!! The WMV version we have has deteriorated like CDs tend to do and the disc is no longer recognized by any of our players. Although it is nice to have a DVD of the Director's cut....neither of us can bring ourselves to watch it because it is an entirely different experience in our opinions. My husband is heartbroken about this and I wish I could find him a copy.

Re: The Big Blue US version

Re: The Big Blue US version

Re: The Big Blue US version

Re: The Big Blue US version

Re: The Big Blue US version

Re: The Big Blue US version

Well I stumbled across this post and joined to add my $0.02. I've been a big fan of this movie for a long time. Like most others I have the directors cut on DVD as well as the blue ray version (beautiful version). My first exposure to this movie was the US version so like others it hits home more than the directors cut (not that there's anything wrong with the directors cut). Anyways I have the Conti score and its a gem. I also have the US version but on laserdisc only. My laserdisc player has long since died so I'm stuck with having it but cannot view it. I did try to convert it from my laserdisc to DVD with no luck unfortunately from a friend who had an older laserdisc player. I doubt there will ever be a US dvd release, Besson has clearly stated he hated it.

brill19

I've only watched the US version once and it has stuck with me ever since. I was mildly disappointed when I watched the Director's cut but I can see why people would prefer it if it was the first version they saw. Both versions are beautiful and haunting!

I never imagined there were others who longed for the US version. I believe the only release of the US Edit was the the Laserdisc version? Unfortunately, Laserdisc is all analog and it would be preferable to find a DVD quality version. Somewhere along the way, I ended up with a promo copy of the Bill Conti score of Big Blue on CD. I'd been waiting/searching for the US version of the movie to appear, but no such luck.

Being solution-oriented, I'd like to figure out what would be the best way to realize a digital copy of the Big Blue US edit version that is at least DVD quality.

Would it be possible to take a copy of the existing long/director's version and "re-cut" into the US edit? Is all the video in the US edit version available in the long/director's cut? If so, with the digital video from the Blu-Ray version and audio tracks from the DVD and Blu-Ray version, and the Bill Conti CD score, it should be possible (although extremely time-consuming) to produce the US edit version.

Any ideas? Thoughts?

In a recent blog post, I mentioned that I'm considering remastering the director's cut of this film, to restore it to something very close to the U.S. theatrical release. With the exception of the ending, I believe all of the scenes from the U.S. release are in the director's cut. It's simply a matter of separating the good from the bad.

NOTE: Before anyone asks, I would be violating copyright laws (not to mention the rules of this forum), if I was to sell copies of this, so please don't ask. For those who are just dying to see the U.S. version of this film - in DVD quality - complete with Bill Conti soundtrack, I'm sure we could work out some way for you to borrow my copy - if this ever gets done. If/when that time comes, PM me.

The biggest obstacle (aside from my available discretionary time) to this project is that it's been a very long time since I've seen the U.S. version. As I watch the director's cut, there are some scenes I can pick out right away that don't belong. Others, though, I'm not certain. Bottom line, I need a cut list for all the scenes, consisting of a text description of what's happening on screen as each scene opens and closes. An easier way would be for me to borrow someone's VHS tape... if someone really wants to help, that would be big.

The second biggest obstacle (aside from my available discretionary time) is stripping out Eric Serra's music. Adding Bill Conti's score back in will be simple, but stripping away the Serra score while leaving dialog and integral sound effects is going to be TOUGH - and time consuming. If anyone else out there is experienced with Audacity and wants to be responsible for editing a chunk of the soundtrack, please PM me.

Doesn't the DVD have a 5.1 mix? Well, the center channel might be free of the score for you to get the dialog and much of the sound effects. Decode that Dolby Digital track and you can work with that center channel maybe.

Honestly, I think even trying to do that would probably be going in the wrong direction. Track down the Laserdisc. Get it into your computer with that full-bodied, lovely uncompressed PCM stereo soundtrack. Then edit in the footage to match the cut on the Laserdisc, leaving the sound as is. That would make a lot more sense.

The DVD Big Blue Director's Cut US Release has 5.1 audio, English language, but all Eric Serra music.  

The Blu-Ray Big Blue Director's Cut UK Release has ONLY FRENCH LANGUAGE (yes ONLY the DUBBED track!) 

The VHS (and maybe LaserDisc, and the 2" tape used to broadcast on HBO) Big Blue US VERSION has a stereo, maybe Dolby Surround, audio track, in English, with Bill Conti's music.

IMHO, what needs to happen is:

The video from the Blu-Ray

The primary audio from the 5.1 AC3 track on the DVD

Audio totally replaced by the analog audio from best source available during passages where Conti's music is clearly superior to the Serra stuff.

The DVD and Blu-Ray are available enough.  The key is finding a HIGH QUALITY audio track of the US Version.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ckeilah Facade 

The DVD and Blu-Ray are available enough.  The key is finding a HIGH QUALITY audio track of the US Version.....

It's called a Laserdisc...

Speaking of special projects, I just ended work on 1776, restoring the superior sound mix from the LD as well as the deleted scenes and re-color timing the entire film to remove the desaturated, brownish look that was exclusive to the DVD. Also kept both the LD and DVD commentary track and edited them to remain in sync though it is a different edit of the movie (kept footage on the DVD but not on the LD, and added footage on the LD but not DVD). So complicated, but the result? Amazing. :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck Pennington 

Quote:Speaking of special projects, I just ended work on 1776, restoring the superior sound mix from the LD as well as the deleted scenes and re-color timing the entire film to remove the desaturated, brownish look that was exclusive to the DVD. Also kept both the LD and DVD commentary track and edited them to remain in sync though it is a different edit of the movie (kept footage on the DVD but not on the LD, and added footage on the LD but not DVD). So complicated, but the result? Amazing. :-)

Sounds exciting!  Would you be willing, like Donny Bahama, to allow this to be borrowed when finished?
 

I have the American Theatrical Release of "The Big Blue" on Laser Disc. With the Bill Conti Score.

Glad to see there's still a lot of interest in Besson's work. However, The Big Blue American Theatrical Cut IS available now. It's a featured supplement on the Region 2 Bluray of The Big Blue from Optimum Entertainment in the U.K. If you order it online from amazon.co.uk be careful. On the first release they goofed the audio on the Director's Cut by only including the French dub soundtrack. This is kind of funny considering the film is Besson's first English language production. Thankfully Optimum quickly released a new version with the correct English track.

Now if only somebody (please, Sony, please!) would release a special edition blu of SUBWAY, my all-time favorite Besson, with BOTH the original French AND  the crappy English dub. Believe it or not, I prefer the cheesy English dub because they actually got Christopher Lambert to loop all his dialogue into english. The actress that dubbed Isabelle Adjani is awful and a lot got lost in the translation, but this is the way I first saw the film and I still prefer that awkward, cheesy dub. Thank God it's on the Sony DVD from 2001.

Best Wishes,

Joe

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Edward Heuck 
Sounds exciting!  Would you be willing, like Donny Bahama, to allow this to be borrowed when finished?

 

I don't know about that... But here is an example of the kind of things I'm fixing. The first clip is how the scene is on the Laserdisc. The second one is how I color-corrected it and fixed the sync on the sound. It is pretty subtle, I guess, but it is an improvement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m17ANxmyTtQ

I found a few Copies on the Big Blue With Bill Conti's Score on the Internet. That is the original theatrical version is it not? Well anyways I can make copies of this available but that may not be necessary anymore seeing that BigBlue1963 has an original and Joseph Johnson says that the Original THeatrical version is available on the Blu-ray version of Big Blue re-released by Optimum Entertainment in the U.K. . If that is true, I am going to buy a copy! I don't want a pirated version :P

Also can anyone explain or tell me where I can find information on the different version of this film. As I understand it there are three different version running at 138,168 and 119.

I believe the confusion with running times can be cleared up pretty simply. Luc Besson's original cut was the opening film at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. It was a very big deal for it was a very expensive Euro production, much like the hoopla over The Fifth Element a decade later. Blue was also important because it was Luc's first english language picture and it was filmed in english. That cut was 132 minutes and released all over the world except North America. Those domestic rights were sold to Jerry Weintraub Entertainment / Columbia Pictures. They recut the movie to shorten and "Americanize" it. They added a new score by Bill Conti to make it more uplifting and less moody. Weintraub enjoyed a relationship with Conti with the success of The Karate Kid series. I'm sure Luc was pretty unhappy with what they did. That's his first Hollywood experience. Anyway, that American version with the Conti soundtrack was 118 minutes. That opened in the States around August 1988 and quickly died. It appeared on VHS and laserdisc a few months later through RCA/Columbia Home Video. Luc returned with a vengeance with Nikita / La Femme Nikita and Leon / The Professional. To herald the coming 10th Anniversary, Besson released The Big Blue to theatres in a new Director's Cut. This was basically an expanded version of the original cut. That was 168 minutes and is sometimes referred to as Le Grande Bleu Version Longue or Version Integrale. This is the current preferred version of Luc Besson and was released on Laserdisc in the late 1990s and on DVD around the world in 2001.

Joe

Thank you for clearing that up, JoeJohnson.

Now I know what's what.

Here are amazon's listings for The Big Blue:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddvd&field-keywords=big+blue&x=13&y=15

Which version contains two different edits, do you know?

Amazon is not specific on that point.

Would you post the links here and indicate which is which?

If you know of European editions offering different edits, would you post links to where they can be bought?

Again, thanks for clearing that up.

Ok so there's the 138 Europe release, 119 USA release and the 168 Directors Cut.

Ok now where do I find that 132 version :). I just would like to see all the cuts. All the cuts except for The American 119min cut have the Eric Sierra music. Which was the original music correct?

Is that 132 cut also the same as the Standard Version sold by Gaumont?

Richard-W

Here is the link to the Big Blue with Both the Director and Theatrical Cut

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Blue-English-Language-Blu-ray/dp/B002RNOS3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1275002764&sr=8-1

Here's a review about it

http://www.dvdoutsider.co.uk/bluray/reviews/b/big_blue.html

NOTE: Its a region 2 blu-ray and will not work on US BD Player. Unless you have a region free player. It should work on a pc if you have a Bluray Drive.

Hello, everyone!

I've made some progress, having downloaded the original U.S. theatrical release from a Chinese youtube-like site. (Thanks for the link, Rogelio!) The download is in two parts, with fairly poor picture and sound quality, plus Chinese subtitles. It's far less than perfect, but still very useful for determining edit points so that the Director's cut can be chopped up and reassembled into the U.S. version. Picture/sound quality/subtitles aside, I may still try to assemble it into a complete and contiguous version of the U.S. theatrical release so that at least this version will be available out there somewhere for those that want to see it. But first I'll try to locate my VHS copy. I still have my VCR and a USB capture device. The PQ won't be any worse, the SQ may be better, and there will be no subtitles. I'm not sure, but at some point I may have thrown out ALL my video tapes - not likely, though, as there is video of my wife as an extra on some TV shows and movies. We'll see what turns up as I go through my storage lockers over the next few weeks.

On a side note, as I watched the credits roll, I noticed that "Jacques Mayol" was listed as a technical advisor. (Apparently, he also helped to write the screenplay.) I had no idea he was a real person, and wondered how much basis this film had in real life. I found this on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Mayol Very interesting stuff; makes me like the movie more than ever!