The Big Country / Quigley Down Under Walmart Exclusives (1 Viewer)

[GMpasqua]

This disc looks f**king Fantastic! This is incredible. If all 50's film could only look as good. This blows away most newer films. Except for a few soft focus closeups of Carol Baker and Jean Simmons this disc if sharp as a tack. This is how "The Greatest Story Ever Told" should have looked. This rates up there with the Bond films (Dr No, Goldfinger, Thunderball and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - which I think looks the best of the catalog titles)


Beautiful vistas - easily one of the best looking catalog titles of this year or last (still waiting for "Once Upon a Time in the West" to arrive)


Walmart thanks for approving this title for release - and for $10 you can't go wrong. William Wylder, and a cast of Oscar winning/nom actors with an excellent screenplay and beautiful cinematography, plus the wonderful score. If Walmart will approve other title for exclusive I say - go ahead


Definitely made my day

 

[Rick Thompson]

Just saw the Blu-ray, and it does look fantastic once the credits have gone by. The main title is much improved, but I recall the sepia/copper being much stronger than it is here.


I'll take it, though. I'm not willing to make perfection be enemy of the extremely good.

 

[John Hodson]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford

Nah, I think submarine duty is more to your liking.






Crawdaddy

Aye aye Cap'n...

 

[GMpasqua]

Originally Posted by Rick Thompson

Just saw the Blu-ray, and it does look fantastic once the credits have gone by. The main title is much improved, but I recall the sepia/copper being much stronger than it is here.


I'll take it, though. I'm not willing to make perfection be enemy of the extremely good.

Is it possible the copy color many seem to recall was pumped up for the video or tv release at some point? The credits are sepia and color. After the credits finish the film looks flawless. The credit sequence probably was tinited and that with adding the actual credit makes the image llok less than perfect - but this is a problem on many older films. the the rest of the 2 horus and 40 minutes is heaven

 

[David_B_K]

Just saw the Blu-ray, and it does look fantastic once the credits have gone by. The main title is much improved, but I recall the sepia/copper being much stronger than it is here.


I'll take it, though. I'm not willing to make perfection be enemy of the extremely good.

I am still anxiously awaiting the Blu-ray; pre-ordered from Wal-Mart on day one. I already sold my DVD, so I cannot comment on the "copper wash" on the DVD. I always remembered it as sepia. But, when the DVD came out, I seemed to remember the credits being more black and white than sepia as compared to the laserdisc. I took a look at the laserdisc a couple of days ago, and the sepia is not as strong on that version as I'd remembered.

 

[Bob Cashill]

Credits almost always look lousy, given that they're shot on whatever usable stock that can be found. Blu magnifies the issue. BIG COUNTRY looks terrific once they're through; shame no one licensed the LD special features from Image, which included an audio commentary and I believe a documentary. (The Blu has a TV spot, theatrical trailer, and the raggedy b/w featurette "Fun in THE BIG COUNTRY," which Jean Simmons must have narrated through gritted teeth--no one had fun in the big country during the tense, rewrite-filled shoot.)


But at ten bucks it's a steal, as is QUIGLEY, a nice upgrade from DVD.

 

[Rick Thompson]

Originally Posted by Bob Cashill

Credits almost always look lousy, given that they're shot on whatever usable stock that can be found.

That may be the reason Wyler threw the copper wash over shots clearly intended only for the credits. I just recall the color being stronger and not the weak sepia it is on the Blu.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Matt posted his review here: Big Country Blu-ray review

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Rick Thompson




That may be the reason Wyler threw the copper wash over shots clearly intended only for the credits. I just recall the color being stronger and not the weak sepia it is on the Blu.

I'm not so sure the color being stronger was correct and that a more sepia look was the real intended look by Wyler.

 

[Rick Thompson]

We seem to have forgotten the other thread subject. I watched Quigley Down Under last night, and am happy to report that is another excellent transfer. The colors and detail pop off the screen, the Australian vistas look stunning and the music score sounds much better than on the DVD.


As for the film itself, it's a fine piece of work. It has one of Tom Selleck's best performances, and surely his best feature film role. Laura San Giacomo has her moments, and good chemistry with Selleck. Alan Rickman does his patented villain bit, and is one of the best at it.


So here's some love for the "forgotten flick" of this thread, Quigley Down Under.

 

[benbess]

Originally Posted by Rick Thompson

We seem to have forgotten the other thread subject. I watched Quigley Down Under last night, and am happy to report that is another excellent transfer. The colors and detail pop off the screen, the Australian vistas look stunning and the music score sounds much better than on the DVD.


As for the film itself, it's a fine piece of work. It has one of Tom Selleck's best performances, and surely his best feature film role. Laura San Giacomo has her moments, and good chemistry with Selleck. Alan Rickman does his patented villain bit, and is one of the best at it.


So here's some love for the "forgotten flick" of this thread, Quigley Down Under.

Rick: Thanks for the review. I got this one too, and I'm looking forward to it. I love Alan Rickman and I didn't even know he was in it...

 

[dana martin]

picked it up, but havent been able to see it yet, thanks for the info,

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Matt just posted his review of the Quigley Down Under Blu-ray

 

[Ferdinand Hudson]

How long can we expect Quigley Down Under to be a Walmart exclusive before it goes into general circulation?