STAR TREK- TMP: Overture included? (1 Viewer)

[Anthony_H]

A small thing to be sure....but I was wondering if anyone who has seen the new DVD release noticed whether they included the Overture piece. I think it compliments the beginning nicely..

 

[Richard_Huntington]

Yes it does.

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"My wife actually prefers widescreen"

 

[Jaxon's Dad]

I have seen it and am pleased to report that not only is there an overture included, but it is the entire cut of "Ilia's Theme." Earlier Home Video versions of the movie contained an edited version of this beautiful music which faded into the piece at the second movement. The entire score sounds beautiful in Dolby Digital!
Regards.
D
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~Marriage is great but she keeps leaving the toilet seat down...~
[Edited last by Doug Irving on November 01, 2001 at 01:44 PM]

 

[RickardL]

The overture on my VHS copy runs about 95 seconds.
How long is it on the DVD?

 

[Scott Strang]

I must admit that if the overture had not been on this DVD, pissed would have been an understatement.
I really wish more movies (especially some newer movies) had this.
The overture has always been one of my favorite parts of the movie.
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"What did Mr Spock see when he looked in the toilet? The Captain's Log."
Stolen from a BBS in 1985

 

[Matt Pasant]

I love overtures. They are so underused its sad. They are excellent at setting emotion and tone for a film. But...... JSP dont like them. "Dang movie broken ma!" So we are saddled with memories of how great an overture can be.
I think The Motion Picture is a score lovers paradise. Robert Wise allowed Goldsmith to unleash it all. The enterprise drydock scene is so beautiful, no dialoge? no worries.. Goldsmiths score communicates all that is needed.
-- Matt

 

[Peter McM]

I stongly agree. The score which Goldsmith composed for this Motion Picture has become as recognizable as Alexander Courage's preamble to the original series, thanks to its use in the Next Gen.
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"For Montagar, forever!"

 

[Scott Strang]

As in the 60's Dr. Dolittle, a still frame with the overture would at least settle the worry that some people have that "that there movie is broken (twitch twitch)).
I love the dry dock thing in TMP. The music carried the segment and no dialog was even needed. One thing I loved about the first Star Wars movie was that Williams' score was a major contribution to the greatness of the film.

 

[Jaxon's Dad]

quote: "The overture on my VHS copy runs about 95 seconds.
How long is it on the DVD?"
RickardL,
Total time for Ilia's Theme is 3 minutes, 1 second. Kind of tragic that less than half was not included on the VHS. Fortunately, we have this piece of music in it's entirity on the DVD. The plain black backdrop has also been replaced with a moving starfield which also carries over to the new opening credits. Quite nice to see this movie finally being treated with dignity.
Regards.
D
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~Marriage is great but she keeps leaving the toilet seat down...~
[Edited last by Doug Irving on November 02, 2001 at 08:59 AM]

 

[Joel Fontenot]

The plain black backdrop has also been replaced with a moving starfield which also carries over to the new opening credits.

So does this mean that the overture occurs after the Paramount logo instead of before where it was previously?
On the widescreen laserdisc, the overture (playing over a black screen) runs about a minute and a half as I recall - the second half of "Ilia's Theme" which is, as Doug stated, the second movement. Then fades into the older Paramount logo - the painted mountain range fading into the simplified blue graphic, then the opening beats of the main theme.
Or are you simply saying that the moving starfield just follows through to the main theme after being interrupted by the Paramount logo?
Which Paramount logo is used - the original one or the more recent (I assume) CGI (it could be a physical model) mountain range where the stars fly in and over the mountain?
Joel

 

[Jaxon's Dad]

The overture remains at the beginning, followed by the Paramount logo(more recent, CGI'd "A Viacom Company" logo), followed by brand new credits over the same starfield.
Interesting that the Director's Edition has a copyright date of 2001, obviously one more nail in the coffin of the original theatrical version. I will echo the sentiments of many a reviewer by saying that it is a short-sighted tragedy that this movie is not in theaters. It truly is something special.
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~Marriage is great but she keeps leaving the toilet seat down...~
[Edited last by Doug Irving on November 02, 2001 at 08:50 AM]

 

[Scott Gammans]

Just how are y'all seeing this DVD? The street date isn't until next Tuesday, November 6th...
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Scott Gammans
Link Removed
[Edited last by Scott Gammans on November 02, 2001 at 09:08 AM]

 

[Kevin M]

I love that bass hit that the LD's PCM track has on the start of the Main Titles (after the overture), does the DD track do it justice?
I hope so because the LD's track hits you right in the guttywutts!
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-Kevin M.
I can brave the nastiest weather, even when it's eighty below.
My Pa was an Elephant, but that's irrelevant,
My Ma was an Eskimo." - Cannibal the Musical.
[Edited last by Kevin M on November 02, 2001 at 09:12 AM]

 

[Jaxon's Dad]

Scott,
OT, but since you asked... I write a Home Theater column for my local paper and am fortuante enough to get screeners. I'm currently working on getting a website up and running where I plan to post all my reviews and various articles.
Kevin,
Never had a LD player, so I have nothing to compare it to. Hence, I am often pleased with DVD soundtracks that LD enthusiasts scoff at. Ignorance is bliss. Anyway, it thunders on my system, but it may not be LD reference.
Regards.
D
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~Marriage is great but she keeps leaving the toilet seat down...~
[Edited last by Doug Irving on November 02, 2001 at 09:24 AM]

 

[Joel Fontenot]

Ah yes, those great bass hits. There are also a couple of hits close to the end of the main theme. There's also a great rumble right at the end of the drydock scene that rattles my walls.
And then those low foundation shaking notes all throughout the V'ger flythrough - I too hope they are still there on the DVD.
Joel

 

[Kevin M]

It makes you go all vibraty like.
I suspect it will sound great, Paramount hasn't let me down in that department so far...well mostly.

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-Kevin M.
I can brave the nastiest weather, even when it's eighty below.
My Pa was an Elephant, but that's irrelevant,
My Ma was an Eskimo." - Cannibal the Musical.

 

[Matt Perkins]

Thanks everyone, for all the good info!!
Since the credits are "new", can anyone tell me if the lettering is the same as before -- you know, with the very thin "Star Trek" letters (similar to TMP and Search/Spock), or did they crap-ify it into the thicker lettering?
And did they add blanks between the titles? As I recall, the words on my widescreen VHS (ugh) just cut right into the next title, instead of fading out, holding, and fading in the next. I hope they left it alone; there was something very charming about that title scene.
I'm already a little bummed about the starry backgrounds, since I liked seeing a BLANK screen during the overture, and I liked that the first identifiable image of of the film was a wide shot right into V'Ger. Oh well, price of progress I guess. I'll bet the original isn't on disc 2, either ...
Man, this is a detail-oriented place.

 

[Nelson Au]

Regarding mention of the laserdisc's bass hits. I concur, it sounds great. However, I pulled this disc out a day ago to sample a few scenes in prep for the DVD . Since I knew it was coming, I held off watching this for a long time. And I was struck how bad it looks. I just got used to well mastered DVD's.
Regarding the star fields during the overture and credits, I said it before, the home video versions we are so attached to for the last 22 years is just essentially a work print that Wise never got to complete. I think everything in the new DVD is as it would have been in 1979 had he had the chance to finish it.
The starfield makes sense to me, just like the TV series had a starfield.
Nelson

 

[Scott Strang]

And then those low foundation shaking notes all throughout the V'ger flythrough - I too hope they are still there on the DVD...

I've got original soundtrack CD and I am also hoping those low chords are on the DVD. They're cool.

 

[Kevin M]

Ehh....well....after all this talk I went out & got the DVD and I have to say in regards to the new soundtrack....PCM wins again. I'm sorry to say that because the DVD's transfer is wonderful (for a 1979 film that was already fairly grainy) and the 5.1 track is by no means bad or lacking in bass, the PCM tracks are just stronger in the bass department. Also I have to say that some of the effects such as the thundering sound of the V'ger plasma weapons have been changed & I kind of miss the older plasma weapon sound, also I swear (after a little side by side comparison) that some sections of the score sound a bit muffled such as the music "sting" that strikes after Spock is told by the Vulcan elders that he must find his answers elsewhere, on the LD it comes through with full treble & bass but on the DVD's track the higher tones (of the music score) are very muffled in this and a few other spots here & there throughout the film.
However besides all that I still think it is a fine remix & a great reediting of the Film, I was very happy with the choices made as far as what to add and what to cut down for pacing.
.. although, and call me crazy if you want, I have to admit that I kind of miss the slightly longer trip through The Cloud in the theatrical version if only for Jerry's music. But no matter because it's all there on disc two, everything they cut out.
Go out & buy this SE.
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-Kevin M.
I can brave the nastiest weather, even when it's eighty below.
My Pa was an Elephant, but that's irrelevant,
My Ma was an Eskimo." - Cannibal the Musical.
[Edited last by Kevin M on November 03, 2001 at 08:03 AM]