The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well - Page 3

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I got this today from Amazon but have not opened it due to the DNR comments I've read. Has anyone here watched their disc? I've already prepped the thing from return - I hate DNRed stuff that much!

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Thanks, Oliver. Sarcasm is my preferred means of communication.

Honestly, I'm sure there is some improvement, but this release is a big disappointment especially when Fistful of Dollars has been handled so brilliantly on BD in Italy.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Ah, the master of sarcasm

I had the (dis)pleasure to watch the German Blu-Ray and there is improvement over the DVD but when you are used to watching older titles that are handled properly it is a very big disappointment and it is especially bitter when you see how the first one has been handled so much better.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Boy you hit the nail on the head.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Hum...I know a company that releases BD that just lost some business.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I was on the fence about opening my copy last night or packing it up and sending it back. What I did NOT want was to throw $20 away on a minimal, near indistinguishable 'upgrade' from the DVD. I pulled out the SE DVD first, and was shocked at how awful it looked. I originally watched it on a different projector. While I remember even then considering it a disappointment, it was the only watchable version at the time having finally replaced the 4:3 letterbox edition. On my current pj, which is ruthlessly revealing of poor sources, it's a real eye sore. Ringing, mpeg artifacts, smeared grain and detail that just looks like clumpy noise...the only saving grace is Leone's frequent use of extreme close-ups which mitigate all these problems.
I don't give a piss how good or what Fistfull Of Dollars looks like, the Bd of TGTBATU is a MAJOR improvment over what has been the best available version for home theater here. It really doesn't bother me that the image isn't awash with grain- that's not the only metric for what differentiates the look of video and the look of film. In all other aspects the image on Bd looks far more natural and more filmlike than the SAME FILM on DVD.
And the grain isn't totally absent. Any filtering looks to have been done with some discretion and some restraint. Bottom line for me is- this doesn't look like scrubbed linoleum to me- it looks like a fresh, clean print being as being viewed in the finest studio screening room.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

It seems that now we get the extremist opinions from both sides....

Like a clean print in the finest studio screening room ???

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Why did they feel the need to cram this with so much stuff that the bit rate is only 18mbps? Some of my other blu-rays are 34!

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I don't consider myself an extremist, far from it, but TGTBTU is without a doubt one of the worst BDs I have seen. It's even worse than Patton as there is less information in the frame to begin with. Scrub away the grain and you're left with a release that looks like a DVD. The only difference is the absence of compression artifacts but fine detail, which a properly transferred Techniscope film (ie one that retains the grain) should show on BD, is completely absent.

I haven't seen the Italian release of A Fistful Of Dollars so I can't give my opinion on that (although I trust Oliver's judgement) but if anybody wants to see how good a Techniscope film on BD can look like, I suggest they check out Blue Underground's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage or ITV's The Ipcress File.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Yeah. it looks a virgin first run print, not like one that's been duped around the block a thousand times.
This monomaniacal fixation on grain, in and of itself, seems to be missing the point to me. You can achieve a grainy, film-like look by faithfully replicating a dupe print complete with emulsion scratches and other analog anomolies. I don't want my Bds filtered of all texture and looking like video. Neither do I want the above scenario. TGTBATU to my eyes strikes a good balance between seeming freshened up, while at the same time still retaining an analog sensation, and being a significant upgrade over the only previously watchable version to boot. The SE looks far grainier-yet all the mpeg artifacts and ringing certainly don't make it seem analog. Even with the appearence of more abundant grain, it still looks far more digital than the Bd does.And yes, viewing the Bd (as compared to the same content on DVD on the same gear) I do have the sensation of being transported to a fine private screening room to view a special print of the film. I'm not saying this is the best it can ever look. I'm saying this is a significant advancement over the best it has looked previously on home video. To me that makes for a huge net plus.
BTW-this is on a Pioneer FPJ1 (JVC RS-2 clone) 1080p projector, 96" wide viewed 9' back.
I really think people need to pick and choose their fights with more discretion. The People who lash out at every less than absolutely perfect edition with the same ferocity just end up spewing white noise after a point.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Danny I did not mean to refer to you but the usual bunch of members on another forum that I frequent as thjey go a bit further with their judgement of this Blu-Ray.

You are preaching to the choir with regard to the look of TGTBTU although I will have to repeat that it still looks better than the best prior DVD in my system.

And thanks for reminding me of the Bird With The Crystal Plumage and The Ipcress File - I need to pay more attention to non mainstream releases

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Which is exactly what happened with TGTBTU.


I have the same projector, a Pioneer 9000 FD (the European version of the FPJ1) and watch on a 2m wide screen from about 3,5m distance.


The only BDs that I really have complaints about are Patton and TGTBTU. I have seen numerous BDs with a high level of DNR, eg Zulu, Brief Encounter, Salo, Vanishing Point, the first two Trek movies (haven't seen the others yet) but still considered them watchable. But TGTBTU is for me unwatchable.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Odd, because by most accounts (and now having both sets in my hands, mine included), TGTBTU looks better than at least 3 of the Trek films. Certainly better than Zulu and Patton (IMO).

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Well said sir. The outright hysteria that now greets every average release (not so much here but, er, elsewhere ) is starting to get tiresome.

This release is, to my eyes, a big step up over the DVD. Is it like watching a brand new print? Nope. Is it as bad as Patton or The Longest Day? Nope. It's merely average for Blu-ray. We want more, and by God this classic flick deserves it, but in the absence of The Perfect Edition I'd take this BD every time over the DVD.

Of course, we shouldn't have to accept mediocre presentations (I'm more pissed off at the remixed audio), but this ain't a perfect world. We get what we're given. And as a movie fan, first and foremost, I'm not gonna deny myself the best current presentation of a favourite flick just because it doesn't meet the very highest standards.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Not quite sure what you mean here, as every R1 DVD release of GBU (yes, even the first one) was/is anamorphic. True, Fistful and FDM had 4:3 letterbox discs, but GBU was always 16:9.

The Good, the Bad and the DNR

Absolutely abominable!! I have Zulu and Patton & The Longest Day, but (which, to my eyes Zulu is the benchmark disc for what can be done positively with DNR, as for Patton & The Longest Day, I wish I could say the same! ) TGTBATU takes the cake! Some close ups and scenes do look OK, but overall this film looks way too soft for a BD.


oops, meant to reply to the other thread on TGTBATU....... if the moderators could help me out?

Re: The Good, the Bad and the DNR

No problem, Mike!


Cees

Re: The Good, the Bad and the DNR

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to watch this title this week to see for myself since I own all those titles. It seems like everytime we get into these type of discussions, stated opinions vary depending on HT equipment, personal expectations and what's pleasing to your own set of eyes versus what others are seeing from their perspective.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Anyone here seen A Fistful Of Dollars in Blu-ray?

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I still have not opened mine but I am inclined to return it to amazon. Still can't get a firm review on it.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Well Paul, it looks like we have some common ground here. IMO, this release looks better than "The Longest Day" and "Patton", but is not quite as good as "Zulu". I'm glad I kept my copy and watched it.





Crawdaddy

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I just finished watching it, and I thought it looked presentable. I wasn't to crazy about the audio remix (5.1 or mono) though. It would have been nice, if they had included the theatrical cut on this release. Anyway, I enjoyed this disc and that's what really counts for me.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Well, we can forget that. As far as I can tell, the entire mono track is a mixdown of the DTS, with all the fancy new gunshots and other ridiculousness. Why did they even bother to include this? Did they really think we were all clamoring for a newly remixed mono track?

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I was curious about comments on this disc, which I thought only okay. I'm new to Blu-Ray, but I absolutely cannot believe someone here had the temerity to criticize the import of Zulu - I put that on a couple of days ago and I could not believe the beauty in front of my eyes - with achingly beautiful color and clarity - maybe the best color disc I've ever seen. Sometimes this anal fixation on whatever people perceive as whatever people perceive is absolutely perplexing. I'll go along with TGTBATU not being perfect, but Zulu - sorry, it's spectacular. I'll tell you what else is spectacular - ITV's Black Narcissus. Amazing.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I had the pleasure of viewing the Bd release this evening. I believe that the presentation is decent enough, with the main flaw being softness and lack of detail in the medium distance shots, and some evidence of DNR with regards to skin textures (on an intermittent but not pervasive basis).

On the plus side, most of the closeup shots look good, color performance is (once again) decent, and the presentation is absent the digital artifacts that were present on the DVD release. I did not notice any edge enhancement (which is always a good thing.)

Not a spectacular release by any stretch of the imagination, but for fans of the film a step up from the DVD. I'd give the video 3 or possibly 3.5 / 5 stars.

Kind of wish that the theatrical cut was an option as I find the revised voiceover work a bit of a distraction, but oh well.

All in all, a moderate recommendation from me, and no regrets on the purchase.

- Walter.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Zulu has been robbed of a lot its finer grain and detail through an automated dustbusting process. That it still looks rather spectacular is a testament to its stunning original cinematography and being shot in Super Technirama 70.

So you have something to enjoy right now and you can also look forward to an even better looking version if the movie is treated properly in the hopefully not too distant future

ITV's Black Narcissus is a Blu-Ray that seems to be faithful to the look of the film elements it is derived from, and I do like it a lot.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

It's mad, isn't it? Better attention should've been paid to the original mono audio when the movie was restored to this length in 2002, but in the restoration featurette they make it clear that a remix was foremost on their minds.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

Watched this two nights ago and thought the pq was decent enough. Perhaps not as much detail as there could have been but still a significant enough upgrade (on my system at least) from the DVD.

I saw nothing that merits some of the histrionics I've read about this release. Not that I'm surprised.

Re: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well

I see that you have Patton and The Longest Day in your collection. If you also consider those "decent enough", that will tell me a lot.