A few words about...™ The Sound of Music -- in Blu-ray

What a relief to know that Fox got it right this time...finally!!!

How thrilling that Fox has treated this film like the crown jewel that it is.  I've waited many years to experience something close to what I saw in the theatre back in 1965 at home.  I can't wait to pick this up tomorrow!

I now truly look forward to reliving a, ahem, long ago Sunday matinee at the roadshow run in Miami Beach.

I saw this is the theater a few weeks ago and was flat out amazed--and moved. My whole family loved the film, from ages 9 to 47. I've purchased my blu-ray and expect it any day. Blu-ray has made it so that we are living in a new golden age for film for at least some titles.

I have been waiting for this review - glad to hear that it has been worth the wait.  Is a Blu-Ray update of Patton  under the care of Schawn Belston in the works?  Thank you.

Thanks for the review, Robert! 

Thank you for the great insight Robert on this masterpiece.  I have the privilege of watching this Blu-Ray early and you are absolutely right.  This is still one of the greatest films ever made!  And to FOX and Mr Belston - BRAVO!  BRAVO! 

Wonderful news, for the film and for BD! 

I'm also wondering if there's something new in the works for 'Patton'. 

    Thanks much, RAH, for the confirmation of what was looking like a top notch release.  Plan to pick this up (along w/ Toy Story 3 and probably Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) later today -- not too often that I do that on release day.

Ditto on the query about Patton.

And Universal desperately needs to learn from Fox (and Sony) now.

_Man_

Thanks for the thumbs up on this disc from Fox. I look forward to watching it tonight.

RAH:

My wife lived next door to Marni and her late great husband Ernest Gold as a child and used to stand around the grand piano

listening to her practice her songs. When she saw her up on the screen as Sister Sophia this was a real big eye opener to see her

next door neighbor up on the screen and hearing her sing what she had heard her sing at the house. Whenever she would

hear her voice coming out of another person she was always puzzled as to why and how they did that.

Parker

Thanks for the great review!

I was very disappointed in the previous two DVD releases (although the 40th Anniversary Edition was at least viewable) so I'm absolutely *ecstatic* to hear that Fox has finally provided an A/V experience that is worthy of this incredibly timeless and award winning movie!!

Needless to say, I'm picking up my copy tonight ... and will probably purchase several more as Christmas gifts for various family members.

Regarding "Patton" and such: Let's get some new stuff -- "Oklahoma," "The King and I," "Carousel," "Hello Dolly!," the list goes on and on -- before we start redoing what's already out, even if it isn't practically perfect in every way (to almost name another that isn't out but should be).

Quote:

Originally Posted by MatthewA 









I totally agree on wanting those titles sooner rather than later (the two CinemaScope 55 films have been restored already). I also really want to see All That Jazz on Blu-ray, and without the inexplicable overly dark sea-green color schemes of the last DVD. I also would love to see Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (I'm guessing they will eventually redo the Marilyn Monroe titles). Imagine the Technicolor reds of the opening number dresses and how they can look in HD.



I can tell that the restoration team at Fox really loves movies. And after the two disappointing DVDs of this film and the DNR overdose on Patton and The Longest Day it seems the two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals released thus far prove that they, unlike Universal, have learned their lesson about the overuse of DNR. They have set a standard for all studios to live up to. Fox was the king of widescreen in the 1950s and 1960s, and I hope to see how far digital technology can help the early CinemaScope films look as good as possible.

Now let's see if CBS/Paramount can do equally good work with My Fair Lady.

here, here. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

After a looooooooooooong wait, finally a home video presentation of TSOM that does it justice. My jaw literally dropped when I saw and heard this disc today! Wow! The image and sound are amazing. I've had practically every video version of this classic since home video was invented (VHS, laserdisc, DVD, and now blu). I couldn't be more pleased and Fox has done this title proud. Literally the first movie I ever saw at the age of 1, it's amazing to see it in such caring clarity 45 years later. I truly feel this is the "definitive edition."

Bravo Fox. 

Oh Yes--Just watched the Target Version---It was so Todd-AO----But every time the I HAVE CONFIDENCE number ends, and the butler answers the door, I still think, oh, the disc is going to change to side 2. 

Oh damn, it's too late at night to give the laugh that post deserves.

Or as wife reminded me recently that my oldest grew up watching LD. 

When he was 2-3yo and used to watch Mary Poppins constantly and when the side break came he would frown and turn to Mom looking all confused and sad while pointing

at the screen.  Gently reassured that it going around to the other side -- he began to ask in a meek voice at first "Roun n roun to udder side??" watching the little arrow spinning

on the screen and then gaining confidence rapidly over a couple month began dancing and singing "Round and round to the other side!" and clapping with great enthusiasm 

when the movie resumed.     I think he though that Turtle on Side 4 was his pet turtle for a long time -- "Turtle's sleeping Daddy, Shhhh!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Norman 

Oh damn, it's too late at night to give the laugh that post deserves.

 

Or as wife reminded me recently that my oldest grew up watching LD. 

 

When he was 2-3yo and used to watch Mary Poppins constantly and when the side break came he would frown and turn to Mom looking all confused and sad while pointing

at the screen.  Gently reassured that it going around to the other side -- he began to ask in a meek voice at first "Roun n roun to udder side??" watching the little arrow spinning

on the screen and then gaining confidence rapidly over a couple month began dancing and singing "Round and round to the other side!" and clapping with great enthusiasm 

when the movie resumed.     I think he though that Turtle on Side 4 was his pet turtle for a long time -- "Turtle's sleeping Daddy, Shhhh!"

As someone else who came of age with LD (I was 8 when we got our first player after some friends of ours turned us on to the format), I love that story.

My little dancing kid is now 6'3" and Junior in College.    I can just about relate word for word with Mike Frezon's Toy Story 3 story.

I do understand Marco's post and there are still a few DVD/BR that I get an uneasy feeling about sometimes and realize that subconsciously

I was expecting a break or pause.   I get a kick out of it more than I'd like to admit.   The oversized Fantasia was my first LD purchase with

multiple sides so the upcoming BluRay will be quite trying to watch without giggling.

The huge SOM LD boxset is still just flat gorgeous to look at, but what;s on the screen is just so far above where those first  Fox Widescreen

LD started (almost a VHS quality transfers) that got steadily better with each release.   I remember thinking how great the SE Boxset SOM was back

in the day and now seeing what is available only 15yrs later -- order of magnitudes improvement.

Watched the Blu-Ray tonight with my mom, who had to bite her tongue not to sing along with every song -- she's a HUGE Rodgers & Hammerstein fan. Perhaps the best looking transfer of a pre-digital intermediate film I've ever seen. The level of detail, right from the establishing shots where you can see the ripples of the waves on the lakes through the detailed mosaics in the Von Trapp ballroom to the crowd scenes at the concert near the end, was absolutely phenomenal. While you can easily tell which scenes used diffusion filters, the quality that resulted was painterly, not soft. The colors were absolutely mind blowing, and the DTS 7.1 track (I haven't had a chance to listen to the original 4.0 track yet) was clear as a bell.

I had a smile on my face the whole time, and the three hours positively flew by. This is the kind of experience home theater is all about.

RAH,

Great to read this Blu-ray meets your expectations, as I vividly remember your review

of the SD-DVD and it prevented me from buying the DVD.

Nice to know I could buy this Blu-ray and not dread the video quality upon popping it in my player.

Thanks!

Had so much new to watch last night that I'm afraid I couldn't make myself do a straight-through on any one thing.  But even in skipping around and sampling, The Sound of Music blew me away.  But not like it did when seeing the roadshow engagement back in my tender years.  No sir, much more than that.  More than ever.  This is one of those times in which viewing something through adult eyes is:  priceless.

The other hero of this film is screenwriter Ernest Lehman.  He was attached to the film before Wise, and I believe he was responsible for convincing Wise to do the film after William Wyler didn't work out.  Conventional wisdom in Hollywood was that this was too saccharine a project to touch.  From the beginning, Lehman believed this would make a really good film.

Burt Lancaster said (when he heard Lehman was first working on the script) "Gee, you must really need the money."  That was pretty much the attitude at the time.

Glad to hear the blu-ray reflects the quality of the film.

Were there two sound mixes for this in 1965?  I ask because the sound of Julie Andrews slapping her apron during the opening number was missing in the last release and is still missing. I wouldn't mention it but I was so used to hearing it for years. It's even there during the 1973 Julie Andrews special when she shows a clip from the film. Surely they would have used it here?

Watched the movie last night, I've seen it just under 200 times in theaters and on every home video release, and was blown away. Finally they did justice to my all-time favorite movie. I watched the short on the sound restoration which was quite fascinating, to find that the original music session tapes were damaged and couldn't be used before, but with new technology they were able to fix and use them, plus it plays a bit of the dialogue-only track in that short, without the music, so they had all of the elements.

RAH, I have a question for you. Since Fox has put isolated scores on many movies like the Mel Brooks Collection and Planet of the Apes films, since they did indeed correct the damage to the session music stems of The Sound of Music (as seen on the sound restoration short), why didn't they put an isolated score track on the disc in DTS MA?  Could it be perhaps because it would have reduced the bitrate of the movie using more space?  Or could there be another reason. I am one of those people that love to listen to the orchestra alone and marvel in Irwin's orchestrations.Also, if they did not use the 1st generation music stems, then what is the isolated score on the previous DVD's between Robert Wise's commentary? A music/effects track which would be 2nd generation?

Robert,

You do know they made other movies as well? Thousands in fact! You should try to see some of those too