Star Trek; The Motion Picture

If you know the story about the theatrical cut verse the Directors Cut, then you know the version on the current blu ray set is the theatrical cut from 1979. All 6 of the TOS films in that Blu Ray set are theatrical cuts. 

I have not seen anything about this Blu Ray being cut from Amazon for any reason. It's still very new from release this past summer. The main version we are all waiting for is the Directors Cut to be released on Blu Ray. This is the same cut that was released in 2000 on DVD with added and corrected effects shots as they were intended in 1979, but were not completed due to time and technical issues. This is also slightly edited by Robert Wise himself. It's the preferred version for most fans, but there are those who also prefer to have the theatrical cut for completeness and historical reason.

I am hoping to see this released in the next year or so. And I am hoping all 6 films get a proper Lowry rework, well Star Trek 2 got the most benefit from the current remastering job. But of all the films, Star Trek The Motion Picture deserves it the most.

So I doubt the current release is being pulled. It's brand new still!

try this:

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Original-Picture-Collection/dp/B002I9Z8I0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Jacob

I doubt it will be in the next year, but Paramount will surely re-release the BDs of the films again, most likely when the next Abrams film comes out (which is looking less like 2011 and more like 2012).

I really enjoy TMP. It gets a bad rap in general, mostly from fans who want to see space battles and explosions, but it is really the film that is truest to the original concept of the show. In many ways, it is the most mature of the Trek films. Wise's directors cut is the best version I have seen (the theatrical cut and the extended home video (VHS) cut being the others) and I hope it finds its way to BD.

Unless you were there, it is virtually impossible to explain the anticipation leading up to the release of the film in 1979. Upon its release, it received a lukewarm reception by critics and a lot of moviegoers, but I doubt that any film could have lived up to the months of hype and anticipation. Even The Empire Strikes Back (released six months later) didn't have the media build-up that TMP had prior to its release (the reason being that Lucasfilm never needed - or could afford -  the kind of paid media hype that Paramount had at its disposal).

I thought I was the only one that really enjoyed ST:TMP. I remember seeing it at the theater opening day and enjoying it immensely.

I saw it the first week it premiered as well and really enjoyed it. The feeling of first seeing the Enterprise in space dock on the big screen is hard to articulate.

i read the book by Gene Roddenberry =P. dunno if that makes me a "super"-trekkie... but i'm sure there are a lot more crazier fans than i am ;).

re: DC, i'm going to bet that Paramount is going to release the special cuts/editions one by one then box it up. just like they did w/DVDs (except TMP, which came out on DVD as DC-ONLY).

This is so true, and I'm pleased to hear someone else thinks so.
It is the truest to the letter and spirit of the original program, which is why I'm so fond of it.
True, the script is fatally flawed, and I do wish they had thrown it out and started over again.
If Star Trek the Motion Picture aims high and falls the hardest of all the films, at least it aims high.
It's a positive and life-affirming Star Trek.
It has the best lensmanship, composition, and editing of all the films; it's the one film in which the Star Trek universe is properly and beautifully realized from a visual and aesthetic point of view.
Star TreK the Motion Picture was a dream come true for a generation, and in many ways, it surpassed audience expectations.
Even with all its faults, it remains a groundbreaking and important film in the evolution of science-fiction movies.

Can the theatrical cut be bought on Blu-ray individually?
I'm no longer interested in watching the other films in the set, and the newest film by Abrams kills my interest in the next one.

Unfortunately, I do not believe it can be purchased separately. Personally, I'm waiting for the inevitable BD re-release, since by most reports the transfer was not what it could have been on this one (although, in fairness, most say it was better than the DVD).

It's nice to see so much appreciation for TMP.  I love the film, and the music is gorgeous and worthy of many hours of discussion.  The musical score is IMO one of the more interesting and compelling to listen to, and can be enjoyed on a variety of levels apart from any programmatic elements.

After 30 years TMP is still my favourite Trek movie, and it has my favourite Trek music score by the late great Jerry Goldsmith, my favourite film composer. What it doesn't have is my favourite Trek movie villain. Oh and to buck the trend I prefer the original 1979 theatrical to the more recent directors cut which isn't really the film I saw back in cinemas December '79 and many times on video since.

I would welcome a multi-disc set similar to the Blade Runner or CE3K sets containing multiple editions of the film, I have the 140min tv version somewhere on tape.

I've spotted TWOK on Blu by itself as well as some of the TNG films at Costco, so it's likely they sell the others individually too. :)

It's probably way out of print, but the making of book penned by Roddenberry is an interesting read. Especially the account of long twisting path from small screen revival to big screen movie.

My favorite story from the old DC comics run bridged the end of the five year mission with events leading into the movie. Some of the current comics have been referencing TMP too.

Of the TOS Trek films, only Wrath Of Khan, Search For Spock and Voyage Home are available individually on Blu-ray, since they were originally sold as a trilogy set. 

I can't really compare the music from the first film to the others all that much. Look at the Enterprise Drydock sequence. The footage was used again for Wrath Of Khan and the context is different. Musically, both approaches to the same footage are entirely different yet equally valid and impressive. You could almost say that Goldsmith wrote a tribute to the Enterprise, while Horner wrote a tribute to Kirk. Both are pitch-perfect for their respective films.

As for the newest Trek film, I loved it. It was both new and familiar in a very fun and enjoyable sense. Chris Pine didn't have to be a Shatner clone to be Kirk, and it worked. He sold me on it completely.

Criticism for it doesn't interest me at all, because it's usually from those who are very set in their ways about what "Star Trek" is "supposed" to be, since every fan considers him or herself an expert on what it really is. All that says to me is that for a series and universe that is all about tolerating diversity and keeping an open mind, fans of it are almost the polar opposite of that ideal.

That "Batman Forever"-style theme music is drilled into my mind, though.

Actually it's Khan, Voyage Home, and Undiscovered Country that are available individually, because they were the "best."

I did get two out of three....I glanced at them when picking up the TNG blu-ray set and since the trilogy was the set I got I assumed it was all three of those they were now selling on their own.

I'm gratified to see some of the positive comments about this first Trek movie here. As a fan of the original series, I'd thought the show was done in 1969 when NBC canceled it. I'd followed the rumors, then the solid news, through the 1970s, looking forward to something I'd never experienced before: a fun childhood TV favorite resurrected as a big-budget film.

Because I was able to read an early-draft script months ahead of time (decades before internet spoilers became the rule), I knew about plot points that echoed (some may have stronger words) specific episodes from the series. Because I was then that intense a fan, I went along with a good friend to get in "line" for the first showing on December 7th '79... in Buffalo, NY... at 7 in the morning (first official show was at noon).

The crew at the (now-gone, I believe) Holiday Cinemas took pity on the small group of us out in the cold and let us in to see the test run of the just-arrived print. Thank goodness they did, as their sound system went bad for the first public show. (So much for Mr. Goldsmith's work for that audience.)

All that nostalgia is part of my fondness for the film and particularly for the theatrical cut, flawed as it may be. You can be sure I'm delighted it's finally available (with a couple minor tweaks) now on DVD. Make no mistake, I'm also happy that Robert Wise was able to achieve his vision of the film during his lifetime, and that too is a well-enjoyed disc on my shelves.

Over the years, I've always been pleasantly surprised when I came across a favorable opinion of the film. One such was when the SF writer George Zebrowski came into my store and we chatted about Trek and this movie in particular. If I remember correctly, he made the point that this work at least attempted to be a science fiction film, rather than an explosions-in-space extravaganza.

So, when I thought I was pretty much Trekked out this year, Paramount came up with a way to part a few more bucks from me - by finally getting the original theatrical cuts of films 1 and 6 out on disc.

Finally got around to pulling the Blu-ray of TMP last night. This is only the third time I've seen it, and must be the first time I've seen the true theatrical version because I believe the laserdisc contained a slightly extended version- and that was my only viewing prior to the Director's Cut.
A lot of teeth gnashing attended the Bd release of the set, and while none of the films are realized in as ideal a way as they could be (even TWOK which gets high marks from most videophiles), I think I have to credit the Blu-ray with being a big reason I enjoyed this film more than I ever have last night.  I'll confine the most of the rest of my comments to the HD software forum, but I did see a couple mention things in this thread that I wanted to echo/embellish.
1) The Goldsmith score.
I've just come around in the last few years to appreciating just how good and diverse this composer was and it's a real treat to (re)watch the films he's scored now. I usually have no problem with Horner's work, but there was definitely a feeling that Goldsmith's work  was more subtle, more nuanced, and more delicate than what I am used to in the other films in the series. The marriage of the eye candy special effects with Goldsmith's score made passages, that I was expecting to be tedious, entrancing.
2) The Holiday Six theaters.
Dave, they did indeed tear these down, about 14 years ago iirc. The Holiday 1 & 2 were the big theaters in front, while the 3, 4, 5, and 6 were in the smaller complex off to the back. I wasn't up in Buffalo for that Christmas, but I have little doubt they would have put ST:TMP in 1 or 2. Without a doubt, the 1 & 2 were my favorite venue to see movies in, and I have many, many fond memories of seeing some of the all time greats there (Alien, Raiders, Empire, Star Wars, etc).
In particular, in the summer of '79 I spent every weekend seeing films there- for free! I was spending the summer with my grandmother and she was giving driving lessons to another little old lady in the same apartment complex. That (dear, sweet ) lady happened to be the widow that owned the Holiday theaters, the Showcase restaurant, and the Buffalo Drive-in (which was torn down just in the last year or two) and she made sure there were passes waiting for me at the ticket box every Friday and Saturday. I had a blast that summer and get misty eyed thinking about the people and places that are no longer there.

 Does the blu ray of TMP and TWOK have the extended versions?  The missing scenes from TWOK were I think important to the story.

TMP -- not this version.  From what I've read, the redone special effects were not done at a high enough quality and they weren't able to upgrade them quickly enough for the Blu.

It was very short sighted of Paramount not to pony up for the new shots to be rendered in HD to begin with. As Foundation Imaging closed it's doors in 2002, who knows where the animation files are now?

 Thanks for the info.  So does TWOK have the extended scenes?

The Blu Ray releases of the original 6 films are theatrical cuts only. Where have you been! Just pulling your leg, Todd!

We are anxiously awaiting the double dip for Directors Cuts. I think Paramount was just being cautious with these releases, they timed them with the release of the JJ film. But they probably didn't want, to take a chance on investing too much with Lowry to transfer the films to Blu Ray. Star Trek wasn't doing too well a few years ago. 

Now that the JJ Abrams film is doing so well both theatrically this past summer and now on blu ray, there's hope in my mind that the bean counters will see there is still a viable market for TOS Star Trek films on blu ray. The only Directors Cuts are Star Trek 1, 2 and 6. Of course Shatner would love to get a budget to remaster the effects of Star Trek 5 too. That would be very nice. They ought to take a page from CBS's great work with Star Trek TOS blu ray season sets.

'Actually it's Khan, Voyage Home, and Undiscovered Country that are available individually, because they were the "best."'

Whoever thought that "The Undiscovered Country" was one of the best Trek films was seriously out of their minds.

Today is the 30th anniversary of TMP. Cheers!

That's right Sam! I almost forgot. I still remember standing in line that day to see it. And then the additional 4 or 5 times after that.

Hard to believe it's been that long! Happy Anniversary to Star Trek The Motion Picture, still one of the most visually stunning of all the films and true to the series, yet flawed as well.

I still remember a friend who got me a video tape of the film recorded off HBO probably around 1981 and then getting the laserdisc some years after that.

I didn't realize it was the anniversary of the film until I read Sam's post.

Such great memories seeing that film for the first time on the big screen.  As one of many that anxiously awaited *anything* Trek-related after the cancellation of TOS, I was thrilled to have the chance to see my heroes on the big screen. :)
Edited by Ockeghem - 12/8/09 at 10:23am

I remember seeing posters for the movie everywhere in the weeks and months leading up to the film, as well as news reports about how highly anticipated it was. I saw it twice opening weekend. It still has the best visuals and photography of any Star Trek film. (Sorry, JJ -- too many lens flares!)

 Did anybody record the audio of Star Trek The Motion Picture at the time? I did it with a buddy at a drive-in!

Sam, my original Star Trek TMP poster is a little faded now. I'd like to get a new one and the teaser poster too at the time. I think that's a really good one too with the Enterprise at an angle with images of the cast and the funky Star Trek logo font used then. But the final poster with the Bob Peak artwork is the classic!

Speaking of lens flares, here's a trivia question: Name the TOS episode where we actually see a real lens flare. Not a minor one, but a pretty big one.
Edited by Nelson Au - 12/8/09 at 8:26am

"Did anybody record the audio of Star Trek The Motion Picture at the time? I did it with a buddy at a drive-in!"

Nelson,

That's going a bit too far.  Sorry, I just can't believe that you'd ... Dang.  I just spilled coffee on my Starfleet Uniform.  Now I have to go change.

Seriously, I don't know what a lens flare is, unless it's what happens to Picard when he first says "I am Locutus of Borg" when staring into the lens during The Best of Both Worlds.  Is that a lens flare?