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Hard to find Universal Westerns coming to Region 4 - Australia

post #1 of 13
11/7/09 at 5:35am
Thread Starter 
Tell Them Willie Boy is Here:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/809454

I believe this is the first official release of this film on DVD anywhere in the world.

Texas Across the River:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/809455

Seminole:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/809452

Only other version is by Optimum in the U.K.

Man Without A Star:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/809449

The only other DVDs of this film I have seen are bootlegs.

The Last Sunset:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/809447

This is available in the Region 1 Rock Hudson Universal set, but I don't think it is available individually.

Also two John Sturges films:

By Love Possessed:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/804408

Backlash:
http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/809437

Only other version is by Optimum in the U.K.

Note, I don't know at this stage if these releases will be in original aspect ratio. I'm not associated with EzyDVD.com.au, the links are just there as a guide.
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post #2 of 13
11/7/09 at 9:07am
Those westerns have all been out in France and Germany for a while but the French ones all have forced subs IIRC. Also Man Without a Star is not widescreen in the French edition.
I have Optimum's UK Backlash and I'm perfectly satisfied with it, but I'd be interested in Seminole if it's an improvement on the UK disc, which is frankly poor.  

I'll probably pick up Tell Them Willie Boy is Here and Man Without a Star if, as those links suggest, they're anamorphic widescreen.

Also I see the same company have released The White Buffalo.
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post #3 of 13
11/7/09 at 10:11am
Let us know if TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE is widescreen anamorphic, will you?
Together with THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ, I consider it one of the 5 most important westerns ever made.
A very discerning film, it just towers over the rest of the genre.

Richard
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post #4 of 13
11/7/09 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W View Post

Let us know if TELL THEM WILLIE BOY IS HERE is widescreen anamorphic, will you?
Together with THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ, I consider it one of the 5 most important westerns ever made.
A very discerning film, it just towers over the rest of the genre.

Richard

I've sent the distributor an email  asking if Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here is in 2.35:1. The EzyDVD page says it is 16:9 anamorphic, but they won't list the actual aspect ratio until they receive the DVD.

If the distributor doesn't reply I'll just see if I can find a copy in store and will play it in store to determine if the ratio is right.

Apparently Tell Them Willie Boy is Here can be streamed from Netflix:
http://www.netflix.com/Signin?nextpage=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netflix.com%2FWiMovie%2FTell_Them_Willie_Boy_Is_Here%2F70042248

Also the Netflix page uses a very similar cover picture to the DVD cover art:
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post #5 of 13
11/8/09 at 8:55pm
Thread Starter 
I received a reply back from the distributor stating that the aspect ratio of Tell Them Willie Boy is Here will be 2.35:1 and 16:9 enhanced.
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post #6 of 13
11/10/09 at 9:42pm
Thread Starter 
The distributor has told me that the aspect ratio for Man without a Star will be full frame 4:3, which I strongly doubt is the correct ratio for a film released in 1955.
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post #7 of 13
11/11/09 at 12:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Howson View Post

The distributor has told me that the aspect ratio for Man without a Star will be full frame 4:3, which I strongly doubt is the correct ratio for a film released in 1955.
 

It's certainly not correct - It should be 2:1.
Sounds like this will probably be sourced from the same master used for the French DVD, which seems to be open-matte.
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post #8 of 13
3/15/10 at 3:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Howson View Post

The distributor has told me that the aspect ratio for Man without a Star will be full frame 4:3, which I strongly doubt is the correct ratio for a film released in 1955.
 

I got Man Without a Star today and just had a quick look at it. The good news is that it's a very nice print and, contrary to what the case claims, it's also anamorphic widescreen. What's more, it also looks to be the correct AR, about 2:1 to my eyes.
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post #9 of 13
3/15/10 at 6:24am
Thanks for the update on Man Without A Star.
I've been wanting this title for years.
Was the 4% PAL speed-up very noticeable?
It seems to effect some films more than others.

Since Simon Howson started this thread, Universal has released The Last Sunset as part of Rock Hudson: the Franchise Collection and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here in amazon's burn-on-demand program.

That leaves Man Without A Star, Backlash, Seminole, and Texas Across the River still missing in action in the USA, the country in which they are made. Universal continues to sit on a large catalogue of fine westerns from the 1950s, including such under-rated gems as Four Guns to the Border, Dawn at Socorro, and Star In the Dust, not to mention several of Audie Murphy's best westerns such as The Kid From Texas, Ride A Crooked Trail, Drums Across the River, and Seven Ways From Sundown. These are all high-quality productions in rich color, widescreen, and with major talent in front of and behind the camera. Also missing in action is Universal's most historically important western, John Ford's silent Straight Shooting.

What are they waiting for?
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post #10 of 13
3/15/10 at 6:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard--W View Post

Thanks for the update on Man Without A Star.
I've been wanting this title for years.
Was the 4% PAL speed-up very noticeable?
It seems to effect some films more than others.

 

Well seeing as I come from PAL land I can't say the speed-up is ever something I notice, and I never notice NTSC as sounding slower either. I suppose I'm just tone deaf or something.

Seeing as you mention some of Audie Murphy's Universal westerns, did you know that there a number available in R2?
Ride Clear of Diablo
Ride a Crooked Trail
Posse from Hell
Hell Bent for Leather (coming next month) are all available from Germany.

Bullet for a Badman is out in the UK. And Six Black Horses is out in France and the Netherlands - weak non-anamorphic transfer though.
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post #11 of 13
3/18/10 at 1:31am
Someone really needs to start a site tracking all these R4 and R2 releases of titles not available in R1!
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post #12 of 13
3/18/10 at 3:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Livius View Post

Well seeing as I come from PAL land I can't say the speed-up is ever something I notice, and I never notice NTSC as sounding slower either. I suppose I'm just tone deaf or something.

Seeing as you mention some of Audie Murphy's Universal westerns, did you know that there a number available in R2?
Ride Clear of Diablo
Ride a Crooked Trail
Posse from Hell
Hell Bent for Leather (coming next month) are all available from Germany.

Bullet for a Badman is out in the UK. And Six Black Horses is out in France and the Netherlands - weak non-anamorphic transfer though.
 


This has been debated over at the SD TV  Bd for a long time (detecting the PAL speedup).  All I can say is that I've been region-free and it's the best home ent decision I've made as a DVD collector.

I have perfect "relative-pitch" hearing,  My Mom's a retired music teacher with perfect-pitch hearing.  I've played many PAL discs for friends without telling them anything about the DVD and have asked them afterward "Did you notice anything different about this movie or TV show?"

All have said, "No" and were surprised that they just watched a PAL disc.  Mom is not bothered nor is distracted by any "PAL speedup" issues.

As for me, if I'm familiar with one of my favorite TV/DVD sets, and I compare a PAL vs NTSC version, I can tell the difference, but only when I'm listening to an opening theme or the closing credits of a TV/DVD PAL disc (vs the NTSC version).  That's the only way I can tell.  I've never heard a problem when watching the main episode (no speed-up in spoken dialog or voices).

That's just me, but I know that there's some out there that it bothers them and they won't buy PAL DVD's.  That's a bummer for them as I've read posts on the SD TV Bd from some members who won't buy PAL DVD's for the "speed-up" reason.

I've found it interesting that so much of the rest of the world is PAL and they don't seem to be bothered by this,  Just us over here :)
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post #13 of 13
8/21/10 at 10:58am

I've just received my copies of Man Without A Star and Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here from Australia. Although both were released by Umbrella at the same time...oddly enough, my copy of Man Without A Star is in NTSC while ...Willie Boy is in PAL . The box of MWAS states that it's PAL and full screen but mine definitely isn't. As has been said above, the aspect ratio of MWAS looks to be the correct 2.1 and the disc is certainly anamorphic. Also the picture quality is very good, but I'm puzzled why an Australian disc would be in NTSC.  Is there a sort of dual TV standard over there or is this just someone in charge of duplicating the DVDs pressing the wrong button on a recoding device? :)

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