What's the word on Lost Highway? (1 Viewer)

I had heard a while back that USA Films were releasing a special edition of Lost Highway late this year. Well, here we are, and I haven't heard anything else. Anyone?
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You talkin' to me?

Unfortunately since that initial report there doesn't seem to have been any news.
Gregory

I just watched the German DVD of this. Can someone explain to me what happened? I didn't get it.

I haven't heard any new news. And USA Films has got to have the worst studio website I have ever seen.

I just watched the German DVD of this. Can someone explain to me what happened? I didn't get it.

Welcome to the art of David Lynch. Its a beautiful thing.

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Mark --
Try this Lost Highway thread in the Movies forum.
Lost Highway is one of those films that probably no one will ever fully explain, but it continues to fascinate.
M.
[Edited last by Michael Reuben on November 14, 2001 at 10:04 AM]

I know that many people consider "Blue Velvet" to be Lynch's best work, but I have really enjoyed "Mulholland Falls" and "Lost Highway" the most.
I believe that there is a Canadian release of "Lost Highway" but it is pan and scan, unfortunately.
Wouldn't it be nice if we get a box set of Lynch's films? I would buy that without any qualms.
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Lost Highway is probably my favorite Lynch film, but they're all pretty high up there.
I doubt we'll ever get a Lynch Box set because his films have been released by so many different studios.
Gregory

I was reading Ebert's review of Mullholland Drive- it's funny that he's so enthusiastic about Lynch's dreamlike style now, considering how he trashed Lost Highway. If anything, LH is more straightforward and easier to comprehend than Mullholland.
According to an interview with Lynch's sound designer John Neff (check the Lynch On DVD thread on this site for a link), Lynch participated in the LH disc, doing timing (or was it color correction?) for the transfer- but this was over a year ago. Apparently USA was sitting on the release, possibly to wait for Mullholland to come out for a marketing tie-in? Well Mullholland is out- so I'm guessing they're maybe waiting for that DVD release, but really who knows?

I remember when we heard the announcement (or was it just a rumor of an anouncement?) that USA Films was going to finally release Lost Highway on an American Region 1 disc. As someone else mentioned, the transfer has been in the can for a year now. I can't believe they would hold it for the public's (or even The Academy's) reaction to Mulholland Drive. Surely the crossover from MD to LH will be minimal. I don't know anyone who is dying to see LH after seeing MD, that wasn't already dying to see LH on DVD 1, 2 or even 3 years ago. Hopefully Lost Highway will be released soon. The wait is like torture.
Here's my personal rundown on the list of Lost Highway DVD's that I own.
Japanese version: Non-anamorphic with horrific artifacts. The video quality is simply abysmal. The 5.1 soundtrack is fantastic however and the best sounding of all Lost Highway DVD's I've listened to.
German version: Anamorphic video, but terrible sounding audio. It sounds like it was dubbed from a mike held up to a speaker in a public restroom.
French Version: Anamorphic video, but has noticeably desaturated colors. Not as good as the German release and has forced, non-removable French subtitles.
Canada Version: I haven't seen this one, but it's Pan & Scan, so who cares?
Australian version: Is anamorphic and has the "cigarette burns" in the picture. I don't mind that at all. I should have it in a few weeks.

On the pan and scan version: 'Lost Highway' was on Cinemax like 100 times last month. So, I'm watching it and the panning was horrendous. I believe this is a 2.35:1 film so in the scenes with Pete and Mr. Eddie in the car, it would frantically pan back and forth between the two. I had to turn it off. Terrible.
As for the other versions, none sound like they worth getting. I still have the widescreen VHS which will have to do. BTW, what do you mean by cigarette burns?
As for USA Films, their website doesn't even have an email address to enquire what the heck is going on. LAME.

I called USA Films and talked to someone a long time ago about LH and I was also inquiring about Before the Rain. Anyhoo, they really had no time frame for the release.

Tom,
I ordered it from: http://www.ezydvd.com.au/
Good luck.

Patrick,
Lost Highway was definitely a 2.35:1 film. I saw it in the theater when it was released. Lost highway is literally a very dark film. I hope the new transfer will show the kind of detail in the shadows that we saw on screen in the theater. The soundtrack also had a lot of low Hz background noise designed to heighten the atmosphere. Hopefully this will be the definitive version. So many other versions have been flawed. I wonder why the DVD is being held back. I have to admit, this is my #1 most anticipated release.

Lawrence --
This is my #1 most anticipated film as well.
The VHS is very disappointing becuase of the dark scenes you mention.
Also, this has one of the BEST soundtracks of any film - meaning music AND soundscapes.
-dick laurent is dead

VideoBusiness has an article dated Feb 4, 2002 which sort of states that Lost Highway is on the schedule for 2002 as an SE.
http://www.videobusiness.com/news/02...rbowl_mike.asp

I read the article a few days ago. I don't believe it. This is the same info we were given last year. To date we have no street date and no info on what will be in the DVD. Why has the DVD not been released? If I remember correctly, Lynch and John Neff reworked the soundtrack at least a year ago. Or even longer. They could have released LH when the publicity surrounding Robert Blake's morbid tragedy were in the press. Lynch is now getting a lot of publicity for Mulholland Drive. I bet that was at least partly the trigger for New Line to Release FWWM this February. But we still know almost nothing about USA's plans. What is USA waiting for? I don't believe any SE is coming out, now or in the near future.

Shane wrote:
"I was reading Ebert's review of Mullholland Drive- it's funny that he's so enthusiastic about Lynch's dreamlike style now, considering how he trashed Lost Highway. If anything, LH is more straightforward and easier to comprehend than Mullholland."
Shane-
I think Ebert loved Mullholland Drive
because David Lynch quit flirting with being
occasionally surreal and finally committed
to it for a whole film, which gets progressively
more untrackable rather than pulling in and out.
The "straightforward" parts of LH are what Ebert
found objectionable.
Mark

I'm hopeful too, but I don't have my hopes up. I wouldn't be surprised if next February we are asking "where is the Lost Highway DVD?". Hopefully I'm wrong and we'll have it soon. Wouldn't that be nice after only 5 years of waiting?