Logan's Run BD this year?! (1 Viewer)

[Radioman970]

She's way too young in The Walkabout. I go through great pains in my many "attempts" to avert my eyes and stuff. Many attempts. Many. And one day I'll be successful. On that same day I'll be too busy sippin soup!!

 

[Heinz W]

Can anyone tell me what extras the laser had?

Robert, what film are you refering to? I thought Walkabout was coming later this year on BD from Criterion?

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

While I think the current DVD of LR is acceptable (the best I've ever seen it), a HD version would find its way into my collection. The only unfortunate thing is that those much rumored outtakes are unlikely to be included.

The effects are what I like about a lot of these older films. Back then it was about using one's imagination to build something to capture on film, not just programming in the computer. So what if they look cheesy, that is their charm. And please do not remix the directional sound, that again was part of the film that should be preserved.

 

[SilverWook]

The LD extras are listed here.
http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/7926/ML106353/Logan's-Run:-Special-Edition-(1976)

I remember a really cool LR fan's website that actually had audio from the cut scenes. Seems that someone snuck a tape recorder into a preview screening!

 

[Ethan Riley]

Why wouldn't they be? Btw, I looked at the link to the LD page for Logan; it says the LD had deleted scenes but didn't list what the scenes actually were. Anyone know?

I checked imdb looking for that old special in which I stated above that Jenny appeared along with that blooper clip. It was a special that simply featured outtakes and bloopers from popular movies of the day. I can't figure out what the special was named--it's not on Jenny's imdb page, though. I can't remember who hosted it or when it aired (probably circa 1979). I DO recall that it also had a blooper from the Godfather. That special is probably solid gold if we could figure out what it was...

 

[RobertR]

American Werewolf in London.

 

[Michael Rogers]

I'm stoked about Logan's Run coming to blu-ray. Many would love to have the series come out in DVD at least.

It would be great to have WestWorld (and the sequel Futureworld) and Soylent Green as well on Blu-Ray.

For me, the only basis for being happy when they remake these old Science Fiction is that it will spawn a current DVD (and now) Blu Ray.

I really enjoy seeing effects as they were as well. I don't mind (sometimes even enjoy) state of the art CGI effects but sometimes I appreaciate stuff even more when I can see what went into it.

In other words, picking out the matte paintings, models, blue screen and other assorted techniques they used to make effects is more then than "Oh, it's CGI"

About movies like Logan's Run and Damnation Alley (isn't that supposed to at least come out on DVD Someday?) you would have criticism of the effects even back then in Sci-Fi Magazines such as Cinemafantastique.

They would surmise that directors would use effects people to fix what they try to do practically but failed (like the collapse of the ice cave in Logan's Run). And when effects are approached that way, instead of through good planning, they don't look so hot.

 

[Alex cosmo]

Actually, it seems like the special effects batting average is the same as it ever was. Some good shots and some bad ones. Whether it's Logan's Run or Indiana Jones 4.

 

[Dave Mack]

Exactly. What's more dated? An obvious model shot in LR or an obvious CGI car chase scene in Indy IV...?

There are some wonderful on set practical FX like the people floating up in Carousel, all done with wires and harnesses. Gives it depth and realness. Now it would be over the top CGI and would probably look less believable.

 

[Steven_M Grimes]

She was born in 1952, so was 18 during filming. Nothing at all wrong with looking at her.

 

[Radioman970]

I thought she was 16? And agreed to be in the movie because she thought she was going to meet the Beatles? On the commentary it mentioned that. But still...18 is pretty young. But like you said...don't hurt to uhhhh...look!

And that's a brilliant film. And not just because the camera is up her skirt during most scenes. haha!

 

[Brian Kidd]

Note to self:

Take home WALKABOUT from the library.

Seriously, though (wait, I was serious), I adore LOGAN'S RUN. Yes, it's firmly rooted in 1970's sensibilities, but I don't see that as a bad thing. I love movies that are products of their time. It's a perfect representation of what people in the 1970's saw as "the future". Look at the later APES films or the aforementioned OMEGA MAN and WESTWORLD. They all fall into this category. The fact that they're fun movies just means that the 70's Future Kitsch is icing on the cake. I'd buy a decent HD transfer of LOGAN'S RUN in a heartbeat.

 

[Steven_M Grimes]

There weren't actually any deleted scenes on the LD. Some scenes were described using text, stills and script excerpts. I think the scenes described were the original opening (Francis stalking a runner--bits of this are seen in the theatrical trailer), a conversation with a woman on Lastday while they are in line for Carousel, the Box sculpting scene, and at least one other that I can't remember.

 

[Heinz W]

Thanks Steven. I thought I had read somewhere over the years that no deleted scenes or extra footage existed anymore, that the studio destroyed them maybe? They didn't keep all that stuff back in those days, too expensive. In any case that would certainly account for the lack of them on the current DVD or LD set.

I would love to see the blooper Ethan mentioned again, I believe it was on the Rona Barrett show. It aired in either late '76 or early '77. Can't find it on YouTube. Hopefully this BD will have everything they can find, and if that means the same stuff as the DVD (in HD please!), so be it. I'll just have to 'settle' for the higher quality presentation which is after all what it's all about.

A question re audio for LR: The DVD has English 5.1 surround and a French mono track. Is the original soundtrack stereo or mono? Does 'directional' mean mono? I thought Star Wars was the first film to use a stereo soundtrack.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

No. Star Wars was the first film where there was widespread availability of Dolby Theatre systems. Technically, the first Dolby-encoded film was Ken Russell's Lisztomania, although that only used a L-C-R channel configuration. Dolby itself was made inroads in film sound in the early 70s with Dolby A noise reduction being employed on films including A Clockwork Orange.

 

[RobertR]

Not even remotely close. There were plenty of films with multiple channels (including left-right-center-surround) in the 50s and 60s. Check out the widescreen epics made in that era.

 

[GregK]

Logan's Run had four discrete channels (L/C/R/S) for selected venues.

The term "directional" in the use of this thread refers to the practice of what is typically called "directional dialog". This is when on and off screen dialog is placed (in stereo) where they would be located on or off screen. For example, if an actor is at the far left side of the screen, his dialog would emanate primarily from the left speaker. Sometimes features that employ directional dialog can vary in it's given aggressiveness or consistency, but this is still the general idea. Like letterboxing, directional dialog can seem a bit odd at first when viewed on smaller screens. But when the screen size or speaker configurations more closely mimic that of a theater's, these type of presentations can be very effective. This practice was popular in the 1950's with the dawn of widescreen, notably with Fox and Todd-AO. But by the late 1970's, the practice was near it's end. Some animated features still use it (the original mixes of A Bugs Life and the 2nd Toy Story, for example use a mild form of directional mixing) and is still popular with "off-screen" dialog.

 

[Michael Rogers]

That's too bad because I enjoy it when dialog is directional to the place the person is on screen.

 

[Heinz W]

Okay, that helps guys, thanks. I was aware of the early large-format epics and musicals that featured multi-channel sound. I didn't realize so many "regular" movies also got in on the multi-channel action pre-1975.

I figured directional is what it means, and there are a few scenes in LR (Todd-AO) that spring to mind where the effect is readily apparent. When Jessica first arrives at Logan's apartment there's a wide pull-back shot of them walking up the steps on opposite sides of the room. The dialogue pans hard left and right, it's very effective.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

One wonders, though, if the deleted scenes are just waiting to be discovered in the salt mine. It's possible they're there and no one's ever bothered to look. That's pretty much how the longer (silent) print of Night of Dark Shadows was discovered.