Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › Blu-ray › The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

post #1 of 35
12/2/08 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
This is listed as being released today, but no reviews here or over at AVS Forum. Does anyone have any word on the quality of the transfer?
Reply
post #2 of 35
12/2/08 at 8:46pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

I would be interested in reading some reviews on this, but it looks just fine in SD on my 46" set, and, frankly, while the movie is a classic and I love it all over the place, it is to my mind not a masterpiece of black and white cinematography , just servicable. In this case, the screenplay and Gort are the magical elements. Therefore, for me, Blu-ray would not be a necessity the way it would for, say, THE THIRD MAN or SUNSET BLVD, where the astonishing camerawork is so vital to the atmosphere.
Reply
post #3 of 35
12/3/08 at 3:01am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick
I would be interested in reading some reviews on this, but it looks just fine in SD on my 46" set, and, frankly, while the movie is a classic and I love it all over the place, it is to my mind not a masterpiece of black and white cinematography , just servicable. In this case, the screenplay and Gort are the magical elements. Therefore, for me, Blu-ray would not be a necessity the way it would for, say, THE THIRD MAN or SUNSET BLVD, where the astonishing camerawork is so vital to the atmosphere.
I disagree, but anyhow, I'll be watching it this afternoon because it's one of my favorite films and I'll think it would look great in HD.





Crawdaddy
Reply
post #4 of 35
12/3/08 at 7:25am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
I disagree, but anyhow, I'll be watching it this afternoon because it's one of my favorite films and I'll think it would look great in HD.

I am very interested to hear your impressions on this disc, particularly with respect to the presence or, hopefully, absence of DNR.
Reply
post #5 of 35
12/3/08 at 8:40am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

I was hoping to buy this here in the UK this week but for some reason the European release has been cancelled - it's disappeared completely from the Fox UK website. The Region A Fox Blu-ray will certainly be region locked so I've been forced to order the Region 1 SD version because I'm keen on having all those extras. Annoying to say the least.
Reply
post #6 of 35
12/3/08 at 8:43am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

I watched it last night. It looked fine to my eyes & the audio was wonderful.

On my Blu-Ray disc the "Special Feature" about the Theremin was missing! When I selected it from the Menu an 18 second lead-in begins, but after this part is done the screen goes black & there is only dashes (---) in the time indicator on my Sony S550. Has this happened to anyone else???
Reply
post #7 of 35
12/3/08 at 11:36am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Why is the doc "Making of..." 70 mins on the old SD & 23:51 on the new?
(is the doc split up or something)
Thanks.

EDitEDbyED:
LUV the Batman-look by the way!!!
Even my Kong poster looks better!
Thanks.
Reply
post #8 of 35
12/3/08 at 11:49am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed St. Clair
Why is the doc "Making of..." 70 mins on the old SD & 23:51 on the new?
(is the doc split up or something)
Thanks.

EDitEDbyED:
LUV the Batman-look by the way!!!
Even my Kong poster looks better!
Thanks.

Two different features. The 80 Minute feature from the Studio Classic release was not ported over. So hold on to the SD release if you like the 80 Documentary.
Reply
post #9 of 35
12/3/08 at 6:52pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff_HR
I watched it last night. It looked fine to my eyes & the audio was wonderful.

On my Blu-Ray disc the "Special Feature" about the Theremin was missing! When I selected it from the Menu an 18 second lead-in begins, but after this part is done the screen goes black & there is only dashes (---) in the time indicator on my Sony S550. Has this happened to anyone else???
To anyone wondering whether an old b&w movie will benefit from HD, this one certainly does. It's beautiful, the best I've seen since it was in the theaters. It's crisp with excellent detail.

As to the Theremin feature, I too have an S550 and my results were the same. I'd like to know if other players are having the problem.

I wasn't planning on watching the whole thing tonight, but, in for 5 minutes, in for the movie. Except for one item, the basic special effects work very well. That one exception is Gort. His basic appearance can't be beat, but it's that wrinkly rubber suit, it takes me out of the movie every time.

BTW, when Gort is carrying Patricia Neal to the saucer, do I see wires holding her in Gort's arms? I've never noticed those before.
Reply
post #10 of 35
12/3/08 at 7:11pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick
I would be interested in reading some reviews on this, but it looks just fine in SD on my 46" set, and, frankly, while the movie is a classic and I love it all over the place, it is to my mind not a masterpiece of black and white cinematography , just servicable. In this case, the screenplay and Gort are the magical elements. Therefore, for me, Blu-ray would not be a necessity the way it would for, say, THE THIRD MAN or SUNSET BLVD, where the astonishing camerawork is so vital to the atmosphere.


I also have to disagree with this. As a filmmaker who has studied a great deal of B&W cinematography, I think The Day The Earth Stood Still stands out as one of the finest examples of "noir" photography there is. The scene where Mr. Carpenter first arrives at the boarding house in silhouette is nothing less than stunning.

Doug
Reply
post #11 of 35
12/3/08 at 7:23pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Douglas Monce
I also have to disagree with this. As a filmmaker who has studied a great deal of B&W cinematography, I think The Day The Earth Stood Still stands out as one of the finest examples of "noir" photography there is. The scene where Mr. Carpenter first arrives at the boarding house in silhouette is nothing less than stunning.

I couldn't agree more. One of the few "sci-fi noirs" out there.
Reply
post #12 of 35
12/3/08 at 7:47pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
As to the Theremin feature, I too have an S550 and my results were the same. I'd like to know if other players are having the problem

Nice to know I'm not alone with this problem.
Reply
post #13 of 35
12/3/08 at 8:09pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
BTW, when Gort is carrying Patricia Neal to the saucer, do I see wires holding her in Gort's arms? I've never noticed those before.
I just watched the making of doc and they mention there were wires holding Patricia Neal. The actor playing Gort was very tall but not robust. Apparently he couldn't carry her while in costume. I was looking for the wires while Gort carried Klatuu but didn't see them then.
Reply
post #14 of 35
12/3/08 at 8:21pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

DVD Beaver has a review up with some screen shots here:

The Day the Earth Stood Still Blu-ray Michael Rennie Patricia Neal

It does not appear to have an overprocessed looked to it. This is going on my Christmas List for sure!
Reply
post #15 of 35
12/4/08 at 2:22am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
BTW, when Gort is carrying Patricia Neal to the saucer, do I see wires holding her in Gort's arms? I've never noticed those before.
A lot of wires too.
Reply
post #16 of 35
12/4/08 at 2:23am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Douglas Monce
I also have to disagree with this. As a filmmaker who has studied a great deal of B&W cinematography, I think The Day The Earth Stood Still stands out as one of the finest examples of "noir" photography there is. The scene where Mr. Carpenter first arrives at the boarding house in silhouette is nothing less than stunning.

Doug
Yep, that was exactly the scene I was thinking about when I posted my disagreement with Dick. It looks fantastic in HD.
Reply
post #17 of 35
12/4/08 at 4:30am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Watched this last night and it was well worth the upgrade from the old DVD.

Any fan of classic Sci-fi with a Blu-ray player who doesn't pick this up should promptly punch themselves in the face.


Reply
post #18 of 35
12/4/08 at 7:47am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
BTW, when Gort is carrying Patricia Neal to the saucer, do I see wires holding her in Gort's arms? I've never noticed those before.
I noticed them on the DVD (that I just sold in preparation for the BR). Very much looking forward to watching this.
Reply
post #19 of 35
12/4/08 at 8:29am
Thread Starter 

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Douglas Monce
I also have to disagree with this. As a filmmaker who has studied a great deal of B&W cinematography, I think The Day The Earth Stood Still stands out as one of the finest examples of "noir" photography there is. The scene where Mr. Carpenter first arrives at the boarding house in silhouette is nothing less than stunning.
Indeed. So stunning that William Friedkin, ahem, "borrowed" it for a similarly key scene when he filmed "The Exorcist".
Reply
post #20 of 35
12/4/08 at 8:33am
Thread Starter 

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Arnette
DVD Beaver has a review up with some screen shots here:

The Day the Earth Stood Still Blu-ray Michael Rennie Patricia Neal

It does not appear to have an overprocessed looked to it. This is going on my Christmas List for sure!
Thanks for the link Paul. I was concerned that this title would be a target for grain removal, and I'm glad to see that it apparently escaped that fate on BD.
Reply
post #21 of 35
12/4/08 at 6:03pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff_HR
Nice to know I'm not alone with this problem.

Hi All!

Long time reader first time post. I haven't had any problems viewing the Theremin special features. I have a Panasonic BMP-BD55. They did a wonderful job with this encode.
Reply
post #22 of 35
12/4/08 at 6:39pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jenius
Hi All!

Long time reader first time post. I haven't had any problems viewing the Theremin special features. I have a Panasonic BMP-BD55. They did a wonderful job with this encode.
So that's 2 failures with the S550 and 1 success with the BD55.
Reply
post #23 of 35
12/22/08 at 5:34pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Finally sampled this after an undue delay. It looks excellent, but the reviews didn't adequately prepare me for how it SOUNDS. So much detail in the famous Bernard Hermann score! And the bass makes previous versions sound thin.
Reply
post #24 of 35
12/24/08 at 10:40pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Finally got around to watching this earlier this evening and thought it looked splendid. BTW, in complete agreement regarding the noirish aspects of the film's cinematography.

Something I noticed this viewing that had never really registered before was the amount of smoking that takes place in this film. Did Phillip Morris Co. or R.J. Reynolds sponser this film?

- Walter.
Reply
post #25 of 35
12/25/08 at 2:47am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Walter Kittel
Finally got around to watching this earlier this evening and thought it looked splendid. BTW, in complete agreement regarding the noirish aspects of the film's cinematography.

Something I noticed this viewing that had never really registered before was the amount of smoking that takes place in this film. Did Phillip Morris Co. or R.J. Reynolds sponser this film?

- Walter.
I remembered some past HTF discussions in which we laughed about the smoking by the doctors outside of the hospital room as they were discussing Klaatu's condition.





Crawdaddy
Reply
post #26 of 35
12/25/08 at 12:59pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Robert,

Yes, that scene (the doctors) in particular stood out. Very amusing.

- Walter.
Reply
post #27 of 35
12/25/08 at 8:53pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff_HR
On my Blu-Ray disc the "Special Feature" about the Theremin was missing! When I selected it from the Menu an 18 second lead-in begins, but after this part is done the screen goes black & there is only dashes (---) in the time indicator on my Sony S550. Has this happened to anyone else???

On my Denon 3800 the screen goes black for quite some time after those 18 seconds but then a new menu comes up offering 3 Theremin featurette choices that play OK. Is that how it's supposed to be?
Reply
post #28 of 35
12/26/08 at 5:51pm

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

When compared to the last issue SD, it's night and day with the BD. You can't go wrong and will be thoroughly happy you purchased the BD for your collection!
Reply
post #29 of 35
12/27/08 at 7:10am

Re: The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
So that's 2 failures with the S550 and 1 success with the BD55.

I have the Samsung BDP-1500 and have had no problems playing tese features. Very interesting information concerning the theremin.

Doug
Reply
post #30 of 35
12/31/08 at 10:43pm

"The Day The Earth Stood Still" BD

none sense:
I bought this disc when I did cause of the '08 trailer; that I'd been enjoying on TV. Well, its not the trailer I've been seeing all these weeks. Very disappointed as I think the 1st TV ad: "ROCK"!!!.
(it would be silly too post about this part of the post. I can not buy or buy any BD for any reason I want; just as you or anyone else can buy or not buy any BD for themselves)
The long 'intro' too the '08 was OK. Still, I wasn't planning on seeing the '08 (I still may) let alone purchasing the HDM after all the bad reviews (even tho I luv'd the TV ad, even I didn't want too spend $$$ on the movie [may use a gift card though]).
-----------------------------
Is DNR harder too see w/B&W?
This thing looks way too clean & flat, too me.
-----------------------------
Never owned this title B4. Was waiting for the perfect PQ & price. Super glad I got this now. Had been watching it enthusiastically on cable for quite some time. It's even better w/o commercials!
-----------------------------
The soundtrack only track may be my fave BD feature of all time (well... three yrs away)!
I don't mean I like "soundtrack only" features; I do, just I've luv'd those as a feature from way back in the early days of DVD. I mean "THIS" isolated score in lossless may be my #1 BD special feature. It's FANTASTIC!!!
I'd put it even above the alternate score on "Alien" from the original SD disc release.
Way too go BD!!!
Looking forward too many, many, more isolated tracks in lossless!!!
-----------------------------
Happy '09 everyone.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Blu-ray
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › Blu-ray › The Day The Earth Stood Still (Blu-ray) - Reviews?