Somewhere in Time Re-re-release? (MERGED THREAD) (1 Viewer)

[Mikael Soderholm]

But on the other hand, it is a very good movie, and while the transfer is not great, it is not that bad IMHO, so for me, the choice between not being able to see this movie at all, or being able to see it but in a less than perfect form (but still OAR) was easy, I bought it (used) .

 

[GeorgePaul]

This is one of those rare, tragic SEs that a core group of fans waited years for, willed into being, and now have to live with a half-assed presentation of a film that deserves far better.

Not only is the transfer non-anamorphic, it is NOTICEABLY grainy and even yellowed in spots. And I could see these image flaws on a 30-inch TV. It's THAT bad.

Even worse, though, is that the entire soundtrack for the film with all of John Barry's unforgettable score is in unmixed two-channel stereo. If ANY film cries out for a 5.1 remix, it's this one.

And yet the special features are first-rate! A comprehensive documentary, production notes, director's commentary...how could SO much attention be paid to these and seemingly NONE to the presentation of the film?

In 2005, this sort of half-measure is unacceptable. Universal owes it to its own (already-poor) reputation to not wait for HD-DVD to come along: remaster the film Somewhere in Time and restore its soundtrack RIGHT.

Do this film full justice. It's long past time.

 

[TonyD]

here, here!!

or should it be hear, hear!!!

 

[John Sullmeyer]

I would buy a new Somewhere in Time remastered anamorphic re-issue in a heartbeat.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

The SOMEWHERE IN TIME DVD is far from perfect, but it's more than watchable, at least on my plain-Jane 26" RCA CRT job. I've loved this film ever since I saw it as a lad of 13.

 

[MichaelScott]

I was reading this thread and thinking, sometimes ignorance really is bliss..lol. All I have at home are a two regular TV's, a 27" and a 32", no HD, no fancy setup, just hooked up to my stereo, and to me this DVD looks fine. The same with all my DVD's. Some prints are better then others , yes, but, overall I don't notice all those little things that seem to drive many people with fancy setups up a wall. I can concentrate on just the movie. Considering 3/4 of my collection is classic films I see no need to get into upgrading anytime soon. Think I'll stay ignorant and happy a while longer..

 

[MikeEckman]

This is one of those rare examples where although I am disappointed with the A/V presentation of the film, it is good enough that I will own it no matter what. I know thats not a very good example to give to the studios, but I dont care. Somewhere in Time is definitely one of my favorites, and if theres no better version out there, then technically the existing DVD is the "best presentation on home video".

You bet your henie that as soon as a better version comes out, I will upgrade.

 

[Bill Williams]

I agree. The supplements on the 20th anniversary DVD were pretty generous, though the film transfer itself was really lacking. If they ever decide to do a new DVD, they should also include an isolated score track of the beautiful John Barry score, along with a cleaned-up anamorphic widescreen transfer of the print.

In addition, they should also include a Christopher Reeve tribute and any vintage footage of Chris at the Grand Hotel as part of INSITE's anniversary celebrations, especially anything pre-1995. Hard to believe that a year has already passed now since we lost him. And other than the first "Superman", this was the one film he truly loved making.

 

[Louis Howard]

I LOVE the movie and I DESPISE the DVD transfer. What is pathetic about this one is, this is their 'special edition' version.....I owned the one that came before this (with a better cover) but the only difference I've seen in the two is the added commentary track and documentary.....they did nothing to clean up the print or enhance the sound. I never play the disc but as I've loved the movie for 20 years I have to own it. I've looked at dvdcompare.net to see if there are better versions of this available in other countries but I've yet to find any indications that there are, so we're stuck with a garbage print until they decide to do this movie justice.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

Did you ever watch these things called VHS tapes? 15 years ago, if that transfer would have turned up on VHS tape, fans of the film would be praising it to high heaven. Now, I'm not saying that the bar hasn't been raised, or that the film shouldn't be remastered (I know I'd upgrade), but c'mon, the print is hardly >garbage

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I just picked this up over the weekend and watched it tonight, it's one of my favorite films although the viewing was bittersweet because it's the first time i'd watched it since Christopher Reeves passed away :frowning:, however the current disc is non-anamorphic and appears a little washed out.

The movie's beautiful cinematography and sets are not done justice on this disc, time for a remaster and reissue IMO.

 

[Joe Caps]

This film could also use a simple 3.0 stereo remix. the original film is mono, but it would be great to hear this great score laid in forsimple stereo for this movie.

 

[Charles Ellis]

I couldn't agree more!! For a romantic film, it has a lot of male fans it is told from the viewpoint of a male character, like Berkeley Square and its remake I'll Never Forget You. I've the current DVD, and it's always been a pain that the soundtrack with that great score is mono! This is one title that needs a new SE with 5.1 audio (and perhaps a Jane Seymour commentary).

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

I'm also a big fan of this film; have been since I was around 14, when I first saw it...I think it was about 1982. The current disc is satisfactory for me, and has some nice extras, but I suppose there is room for improvement.

 

[Jeff_HR]

This was my father's favorite film after he 1st saw it. (It is one of my big favorites too) And he was not a romantic by any stretch of the defination. I think that demonstrates the film's power to captivate the human heart.