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The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Announced in Region B - now in Region A as well (1 Viewer)

Edward Schatz

Second Unit
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Jan 6, 2003
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415
I got this today from Amazon but have not opened it due to the DNR comments I've read. Has anyone here watched their disc? I've already prepped the thing from return - I hate DNRed stuff that much!
 

Paul Arnette

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Thanks, Oliver. Sarcasm is my preferred means of communication. :D

Honestly, I'm sure there is some improvement, but this release is a big disappointment especially when Fistful of Dollars has been handled so brilliantly on BD in Italy.
 

OliverK

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Ah, the master of sarcasm :D

I had the (dis)pleasure to watch the German Blu-Ray and there is improvement over the DVD but when you are used to watching older titles that are handled properly it is a very big disappointment and it is especially bitter when you see how the first one has been handled so much better.
 

Paul_Scott

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I was on the fence about opening my copy last night or packing it up and sending it back. What I did NOT want was to throw $20 away on a minimal, near indistinguishable 'upgrade' from the DVD. I pulled out the SE DVD first, and was shocked at how awful it looked. I originally watched it on a different projector. While I remember even then considering it a disappointment, it was the only watchable version at the time having finally replaced the 4:3 letterbox edition. On my current pj, which is ruthlessly revealing of poor sources, it's a real eye sore. Ringing, mpeg artifacts, smeared grain and detail that just looks like clumpy noise...the only saving grace is Leone's frequent use of extreme close-ups which mitigate all these problems.
I don't give a piss how good or what Fistfull Of Dollars looks like, the Bd of TGTBATU is a MAJOR improvment over what has been the best available version for home theater here. It really doesn't bother me that the image isn't awash with grain- that's not the only metric for what differentiates the look of video and the look of film. In all other aspects the image on Bd looks far more natural and more filmlike than the SAME FILM on DVD.
And the grain isn't totally absent. Any filtering looks to have been done with some discretion and some restraint. Bottom line for me is- this doesn't look like scrubbed linoleum to me- it looks like a fresh, clean print being as being viewed in the finest studio screening room.
 

OliverK

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It seems that now we get the extremist opinions from both sides....

Like a clean print in the finest studio screening room ??? :eek:
 

Edward Schatz

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Why did they feel the need to cram this with so much stuff that the bit rate is only 18mbps? Some of my other blu-rays are 34!
 

Danny_N

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I don't consider myself an extremist, far from it, but TGTBTU is without a doubt one of the worst BDs I have seen. It's even worse than Patton as there is less information in the frame to begin with. Scrub away the grain and you're left with a release that looks like a DVD. The only difference is the absence of compression artifacts but fine detail, which a properly transferred Techniscope film (ie one that retains the grain) should show on BD, is completely absent.

I haven't seen the Italian release of A Fistful Of Dollars so I can't give my opinion on that (although I trust Oliver's judgement) but if anybody wants to see how good a Techniscope film on BD can look like, I suggest they check out Blue Underground's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage or ITV's The Ipcress File.
 

Paul_Scott

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Yeah. it looks a virgin first run print, not like one that's been duped around the block a thousand times.
This monomaniacal fixation on grain, in and of itself, seems to be missing the point to me. You can achieve a grainy, film-like look by faithfully replicating a dupe print complete with emulsion scratches and other analog anomolies. I don't want my Bds filtered of all texture and looking like video. Neither do I want the above scenario. TGTBATU to my eyes strikes a good balance between seeming freshened up, while at the same time still retaining an analog sensation, and being a significant upgrade over the only previously watchable version to boot. The SE looks far grainier-yet all the mpeg artifacts and ringing certainly don't make it seem analog. Even with the appearence of more abundant grain, it still looks far more digital than the Bd does.And yes, viewing the Bd (as compared to the same content on DVD on the same gear) I do have the sensation of being transported to a fine private screening room to view a special print of the film. I'm not saying this is the best it can ever look. I'm saying this is a significant advancement over the best it has looked previously on home video. To me that makes for a huge net plus.
BTW-this is on a Pioneer FPJ1 (JVC RS-2 clone) 1080p projector, 96" wide viewed 9' back.
I really think people need to pick and choose their fights with more discretion. The People who lash out at every less than absolutely perfect edition with the same ferocity just end up spewing white noise after a point.
 

OliverK

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Danny I did not mean to refer to you but the usual bunch of members on another forum that I frequent as thjey go a bit further with their judgement of this Blu-Ray.

You are preaching to the choir with regard to the look of TGTBTU although I will have to repeat that it still looks better than the best prior DVD in my system.

And thanks for reminding me of the Bird With The Crystal Plumage and The Ipcress File - I need to pay more attention to non mainstream releases
htf_images_smilies_smile.gif
 

Danny_N

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The only BDs that I really have complaints about are Patton and TGTBTU. I have seen numerous BDs with a high level of DNR, eg Zulu, Brief Encounter, Salo, Vanishing Point, the first two Trek movies (haven't seen the others yet) but still considered them watchable. But TGTBTU is for me unwatchable.
 

Jesse Blacklow

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Odd, because by most accounts (and now having both sets in my hands, mine included), TGTBTU looks better than at least 3 of the Trek films. Certainly better than Zulu and Patton (IMO).
 

Geoff_D

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Well said sir. The outright hysteria that now greets every average release (not so much here but, er, elsewhere :D) is starting to get tiresome.

This release is, to my eyes, a big step up over the DVD. Is it like watching a brand new print? Nope. Is it as bad as Patton or The Longest Day? Nope. It's merely average for Blu-ray. We want more, and by God this classic flick deserves it, but in the absence of The Perfect Edition I'd take this BD every time over the DVD.

Of course, we shouldn't have to accept mediocre presentations (I'm more pissed off at the remixed audio), but this ain't a perfect world. We get what we're given. And as a movie fan, first and foremost, I'm not gonna deny myself the best current presentation of a favourite flick just because it doesn't meet the very highest standards.
 

Lyle_JP

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Not quite sure what you mean here, as every R1 DVD release of GBU (yes, even the first one) was/is anamorphic. True, Fistful and FDM had 4:3 letterbox discs, but GBU was always 16:9.
 

mike--

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Absolutely abominable!! I have Zulu and Patton & The Longest Day, but (which, to my eyes Zulu is the benchmark disc for what can be done positively with DNR, as for Patton & The Longest Day, I wish I could say the same! ) TGTBATU takes the cake! Some close ups and scenes do look OK, but overall this film looks way too soft for a BD.


oops, meant to reply to the other thread on TGTBATU....... if the moderators could help me out?
 

Robert Crawford

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Well, it looks like I'm going to have to watch this title this week to see for myself since I own all those titles. It seems like everytime we get into these type of discussions, stated opinions vary depending on HT equipment, personal expectations and what's pleasing to your own set of eyes versus what others are seeing from their perspective.
 

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