Hitchhiker's Guide-When? (1 Viewer)

I know we're getting all sorts of EXCELLENT dvds in the next few months(I'll be broke by December!), but I REALLY wish Fox would put the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy soon. A two disc set with plenty of extras would be nice, such as a making of documentary, a documentary on Douglas Adams, and commentary by Simon Jones. If you've never seen it, do yourself a favor and rent it on the dreaded VHS.

I'd buy that! I have a VHS copy that I recorded off PBS about a million years ago (EP Speed covered it all).
I agree that if you're a fan, and haven't seen the television version, you should check it out on that awful format. After all, it's mostly harmless.
I really hope that Jay Roach gets the movie version off the ground. I know things are held up a bit now that Douglas Adams has passed away. But I understand that he completed a script that he and Roach were happy with...
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Amen to Jay Roach getting the movie version off the ground.
I had it taped EP quite a long time ago. I then got the Laser Disc of the entire series. The LDs were damn nice. There was one odd thing about them though and I am working from memory as I did not pull it out to look. In one place they listed as Mono and another as Stereo.
During playback in DPL mode they seemed fairly mono with the exception of when the overly cheerful door spoke.
DVDs would be nice and a Jay Roach Movie would be very cool. I think in movie form it could be stretched in to a trilogy maybe rather then to try and squeeze all the books in to one movie or to do it incomplete.
BTW I would also love to see Adam's Dirk Gently stuff reach the big screen.
Max
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Warner now owns the video distribution rights for Fox's BBC catalog (hence Warner's Ab Fab, Fawlty Towers, etc)

I agree that Jay Roach should go ahead and get the movie version going. I also think they should do the entire 'trilogy'. I didn't know that Warner owned the BBC/Fox collection. If Warner makes a DVD of it, it'll be sure to be in a crappy snapper case and probably won't be full of extras, but as long as they do a restored and cleaned up version of the series, I'd get it!

I sure would love to see this series make it to dvd. I personally like the radio series better (especially Ford) but I was sure happy to see that many of the voice talents from the radio series made it to the tv series as well. I personally would love to see the Hitchhikers Guide done as an animated feature (perhaps I'm biased) as then you could use a lot fo the original voice talent that defined the characters to begin with, and your effects budget would be much more managable. I just can't see anyone besides Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, he's too firmly entrenched in my mind as that role. Apparently at one time Douglas Adams wanted Hugh Laurie for the role. I cringe at the thought. Anyways, here's hoping they make a nice special edition set.

A superb-sounding 2 disc HITCH-HIKER'S GUIDE TOP THE GALAXY is being released by the BBC in the UK (Region 2) later this year.
As well as all six episodes in the longest available versions, it will have remastered sound, the 1992 (?) "Making of..." documentary, and several brand new bonus features.
I imagine a similar R1 version will arrive shortly afterwards.

Sounds great! Just hope it comes on this side of the pond. And, hopefully, with a commentary by Simon Jones thrown in for good measure. Thanks for the info!

The BBFC has passed the following extras for the UK R2 release, which I hear is currently due on 19 November.
"Hitch Hikers Guide - Extras" 54min 4secs
- Earth Explosion Easter Egg (Mute)
- Peter Jones Audience Warm Up
- Episode One Trailer (+Continuity)
- Deleted Scene From Episode Two
- Behind The Scenes (Episode Two)
- Communicate!
- Tomorrow's World (a UK TV programme on scientific deleopments)
- Pebble Mill At One (a UK daytime TV chat show)
- Unused Titles Easter Egg
- Out-Takes
- Heart Of Gold (16:9)
No sign yet of the BBC's recent tribute documentary on Douglas Adams, but hopefully it may still turn up.

"Is there any tea on this spaceship?"
I'm pretty darn sure that given BBCs Region 1 track record, this release will hit R1 at the same time, if not a little before, or a little after then the domestic UK R2 release.
quote: No sign yet of the BBC's recent tribute documentary on Douglas Adams, but hopefully it may still turn up.[/quote]
The Omnibus special? I was dissapointed with that.
Dan (UK)
[Edited last by Dan Brecher on August 14, 2001 at 02:47 PM]

I own the awful VHS box set. But what I also own is an excellent "making of" VHS as well, which came out in 1993 I think. It's over an hour long and has some amazing behind the scenes footage and is chock full of triva and interviews. It's narrated by "the book" and covers all aspects of the TV show. It has "datablasts" at the end of all the cast and crew. FAB! I wonder if this will make it onto the DVD?
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And what of that wonderful hour documentary/interview with Douglas Adams that was made when he was still alive, which featured actors from several of his series (Hitchhikers and Dirk Gentley's) approaching his flat in London, and ultimately finding they were in a parallel universe - walking around his flat, without being seen by DA or the interviewer?
It was some kind of interview program, but they went all out in making it incredibly wonderful.
The Hitchhikers people included Arthur Dent, Marvin (just his robot head and a trenchcoat covering the rest of his body), and Ford. The actors playing Dirk Gentley and another guy may have been new as I wasn't aware there was any series made of them? But they were all good.
Anyone know what this show was?

Is anybody else worried that Warner will release this in a "best of" format only? I'm sorry, I just want this real bad, and lately Warner can't do anything right. If they have control, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it, its not something J6P will pick up at Walmart so Warner isn't going to care about it one bit.

Keith,
Warner only distribute BBC titles in R1, they have little, if nothing at all, to do with the production content of the discs themselves, it's all up to the BBC. This is why BBC discs via warner come in keepcases, it's not for WB to control.
Dan (UK)

Thanks Dan, that's good to know. I'll be looking forward to buying this if it comes over here then.

I'd be willing to pay $42 for the series....
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The R2 Project has received the BBC's confirmation of the UK edition's extras and a Valentine's Day release date at:
http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?se...articleId=2807

Eagerly awaiting the R1 DVD, as Side Four of my LD is rotting. (Blasted Sony/Columbia plant...)
Was the LD a limited release? I don't hear much about it. The picture is fairly crummy, but definitely better than nothing...
Ryan

R2 project has posted further details of the UK edition at:
http://www.r2-dvd.org/article.jsp?se...articleId=2813
Aside from additional info on the menus, extras and running time (the longest available, apparently), the site also lists a choice of remastered soundtrack - the original mono mix or the stereo mix from the aborted 1981 laserdisc.

When did Douglas Adams die? He was my favorite author...
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