EXODUS BLURAY JAN 18 1012.

It would be great to get a Blu-ray that includes the intermission and of course it would the OAR.  Not a great film, but certainly a good and entertaing film.  The Saul Bass logo is iconic. 

 

It will be great to get a Blu-ray disc that presents this movie in the best possible way. The DVD is a total abomination, perhaps the worst DVD in my collection.

Yes, the DVD is crap. I might import this if there is no news of a U.S. soon after it is released.

I've been familiar with the iconic Ernest Gold theme since day one, but never saw the film.  Caught a few minutes of it on TV at some point and had no idea what was going on, so didn't ever get into it, and I know a lot of people don't think it's all that good -- but if the Blu-ray gets really good reviews, I'll go for it.

 

 

Exodus is not a great film by any means, but can be entertaining.  Sal Mineo and Sally Haworth shine in the film, while Paul Newman is not quite believable in his role.  Eve Marie Saint is always interesting to watch.  It was a great book, great score, great advertising, great to good cast, but the I think the subject was one many people did not attach to.  It was estimated to cost $4 million and took in close to $9 million in the US and over $21 million worldwide.  It was filmed in the Super Panivison 70 process with 6-track sound on the 70 prints and 4-track on some 35mm prints.  It did make the Roadshow circuit. 

 

I wonder if the French Blu-ray is using any of the 65mm elements?

 

And I do so concur that the DVD that MGM/UA release years ago was one of the worst in the long history of DVD's.  It was not anamorphic and it lacked the intermission and entr'acte music.  It also was only in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (whatever that is) so Gold's score was not near as vibrant as I am sure the 70 and 35 stereo presentations were. The Laserdisc was much more fuller and I kept that after looking at the DVD. 

 

I too am concerned about the source of this disc given that it was reported many moons ago that the original 65mm negs and tracks had long since disappeared.That was apparently the reason for the state of both the current dvd and cd abominations. Hopefully some proper elements have surfaced somewhere. Somewhat long but It had great photography too.Fingers crossed

Strange that this isn't being released by MGM but by a small outfit called Opening Distribution.

I'm not sure whether this is a cause for hope or dispair, Doug.

It has been available on Vudu in HD and looks spectacular! I truly hope its released in the U.S. on DVD Blu Ray1

This has been a favorite of mine since I saw it when first released.
We have a family friend who had a small part in it.
Every time we watched it, we'd all yell out.......There's Jerry! LOL

About 2 months ago there was an HD broadcast, available here in Austria via the German ARD. It looked WONDERFUL! Really NOTHING in common with the unbelieveable DVD...

I see that this has forced French sub-titles http://www.annees-laser.com/critique/blu-ray/exodus.html
From my poor French translation, it doesn't seem to be a brilliant transfer?
Edited by Douglas R - 1/20/12 at 5:57am

On another site. someone who has just watched the disc mentions the AR is 2:35 imploying 35mm. No intermission slug and intermission music.

That would be me. I've watched part one so far. The forced subtitles are indeed forced and it's annoying. The good news is that it's a gazillion times better than the horrifying DVD. To my eyes it's pretty clear that it's taken from a 35mm source and the aspect ratio is 2.35, which is incorrect. I saw Exodus at the Wilshire Theatre here in LA in 70mm and it was breathtaking, something I've never forgotten. I also saw it several times in 35mm dye transfer and it looked good that way, too, but with nowhere near the clarity of the 70mm.

Here we get a transfer that is inconsistent - some scenes have very nice detail, and certainly a humungous amount more than the DVD. The color is occasionally very pleasing and just as occasionally too brown/orange/yellow. The main titles are that weird thing I've seen occasionally where bars are on the side - is that some kind of window boxing? There's a fair amount of white negative dirt but that gets better after the first twenty minutes and most of the image is pretty clean. No intermission card, no intermission music. As far as I know, this film was never shortened for general release, so the no intermission card is just further proof that a 35mm source was used, although how people sat for three hours and twenty-something minutes is anyone's guess.

The transfer is stereo - don't know what kind, but I presume four-track. There is something going on in the surrounds but at least it's in stereo. My verdict its simple - it's nice to finally have something resembling Exodus to watch. It's not what we want, but it's miles better than what we've had. I'd be interested to know if this is what's been shown on the HD channels and if anyone could post comparison photos. I know I'm in the minority, but I've always loved this film, from the time I was thirteen to now.

I was about 10 or 11 when I first saw Exodus, and it made me cry hysterically. Would you believe I've never watched it since then? After reading the reviews of the DVD, I never bothered to buy it. I may have the laserdisc in a stack of unwatched discs, but it's probably as bad or worse than the DVD. (Seems like I remember a review said it had no color.)

 

HD input : Much better than the DVD, but it's not quite that.

● Interactivity: In SD except where indicated. Magnificent documentary, archival and analysis in support, listed on filming in historical events which it is drawn (56 '); interesting portrait of the director, but the layout awkward and frozen (29', and VF mixed VOST) Trailer (HD, VO).

● Film Format: Widescreen 2.35.

● audio versions: VF and VO in 2.0 Stereo DTS HD MA.

● Subtitles: French, imposed on VO.

● Images: (AVC) Very noisy and damaged, the generic fear the worst. But when the show begins, the purity of color and definition takes advantage happily. Still many white spots players and plans where the sharpness and depth of field in serious fluctuations.

● Sound: The beautiful VO, ample and well-spatial, clearly outweighs the rendering of a VF dialogues often outdated.

● Technical Note: 6 / 10

● United States - 1960 - Colors - 199 '- Opening / SPHE - 1 BD - Region B.

● Available for sale on 18/01/2012.

You would certainly be in tears again Matt if you saw the dvd.
I'll give this a miss.Too many problems. Hopefully one day we will get a transfer that does the film justice.

I've now finished. I would recommend this to any fan of the film. The transfer gets better as it goes along. The color varies but it's all acceptable. The sharpness is mostly very sharp and pleasing. The sound is spacious - not amazing, but stereo and that's a nice big step up. There's no overt damage, the source material is mostly very clean.

 

I would almost say that the DVD used the same transfer as the Laserdisc due to both off in color, but the laserdisc had the intermission and Entr'acte, while the DVD did not. That is one of the reasons I kept the Laser.  Bruce is right, you can't sit for three+ hours without an intermission.  Since the DVD was non-anamorphic also, playing the laserdisc is just as good as playing the DVD. 

 

On another note, I have always found this film to entertaining and powerful in a  lot of ways, let alone the great Oscar winning score by Ernest Gold, who didn't have a copy of the #2 Ferrante & Teicher LP.  The soundtrack went on to win a Grammy for Best Soundtrack that year. 

 

I'm sending this back to Amazon.fr tomorrow. Annoying forced subtitles on a blu-ray premiere of an American classic make me sick to my stomach. It makes it unwatchable for me and a heartbreak, as well, since I love this film. There is NO EXCUSE for this! I'm not that upset by the transfer, but white subtitles all over everything including Paul Newman's face make it a disaster. DO NOT spend your money on this piece of garbage. What kind of a hack outfit is "Opening Distribution". One can only hope that they will be "Closing" soon! I will never buy their tripe again. Imagine a French film lover having to watch a landmark premiere Jean Gabin French film with forced white English subtitles plastered all over his face! Thank God a company like, say, Criterion GIVES US (French or English) THE OPTION. Hasn't this option usually been available in most all releases since the dawn of the DVD? What were these knuckleheads thinking? I just pray that MGM lets the UK or Australia at his one. "Shock" in AU did a great job with the "Taras Bulba" BD. This film and its fans deserve better.

You seem to have missed the fact that this is intended and marketed for the French market and nowhere else!

"Shock" in AU did a great job with the "Taras Bulba" BD. This film and its fans deserve better. [/quote]

Yes apart from not using the stereo tracks!!!. As I have said before, with forced subtitles, I will be avoiding this.

Sorry Doug but this may be the only release we will ever see of this film in BD, and there is still no excuse in my opinion. But, to the point, weren't the Carlotta Fox BDs of "Seventh Heaven", "Street Angel" and "Lucky Star" for the French market? That was also true of Fellini's "Casanova" when it was released in France only. How about "1492", "La Mome" and "Pirates"? Why didn't they force the French subtitles on everyone. How many Spanish DVD's of unreleased Universal films have I bought with removable subtitles. Wasn't the BD of "Agora" for the Spanish market and nowhere else? Hell, even French reviewers on the Amazon.fr site wrote that it was a travesty because of the unremovable subtitles. Why do all my American French language DVDs and BDs allow you to watch without English subtitles if you choose? Or, did they miss the fact that these were for the American market and nowhere else? This "Exodus" certainly was not worth the 19 euros and expensive shipping. Big disappointment that didn't have to be.

Well, the subs are forced, but not hard coded.  There are ways....

Robert, please instruct us! If I can save this debacle, I will. As you say, the subs are certainly absent when using the French language option. What's the secret?

It's not a secret, but depending on your level of expertise, perhaps not that easy.

 

Now, I'm not condoning anything that breaks any (stupid) DRM regulations, but...

 

When a disc is ripped to a file, the various streams are generally accessible.  Ripping this Blu-ray to an MKV or M2TS would allow one to simply remove the French subtitle track.

 

Not that I would have any firsthand knowledge of such an activity, and if I did have any knowledge of such an activity I would not be disposed to discuss it.

 

(With apologies to Capt. Willard)

Thank you, Robert. This probably is above my expertise level as well as my present lack of high end electronics. Had hopes that my trusty Oppo 83 could somehow crack it. A good point is take from this is that the streaming factor is already becoming unavoidable and I'm looking seriously at Vudu, a decent blu ray burner and some serious software. I wanted to be a good DVD and BD buyer and play by the rules, but the likes of MGM and its cavalier releasing tactics are proving that they care less than nothing for the classic film buff here in America. This "Exodus" episode has been one of bitterness and anger. And perhaps this stupid hobby is not worth the effort anymore.

To Ed:

If you have an OPPO, you should be able to reposition the subtitles off screen. Hold down the subtitle button, a prompt should appear. You then use the arrow keys to shift the subtitles off the screen. Hit enter. Just remember to reset your subs back after you're done watching, as the setting will carry over to something where you may actually want to see the subs.