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International Moby Dick ( 1956 ) (1 Viewer)

Brent Avery

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I just ordered this from Australia where it was just released ( July 2 ), no information or reviews but I guess I will find out when it arrives. Cost was just under 13.00 but the shipping was a bit expensive. Thought I would mention it for those interested, it is part of the " Hollywood Gold Collection " and they are usually Region free.
 

Thomas T

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Do let us know if this is an anamorphic 16x9 transfer. Otherwise, I'm content with the region 1 DVD I have.
 

classicmovieguy

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Dick

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Yeah, I have this, HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959), SPLASH and EXODUS on order and will also report on the quality.
 

classicmovieguy

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I have had "Exodus" and thought the quality was pretty good. Not really the kind of film I enjoy, though, and its for sale if anybody is interested.
 

Persianimmortal

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I keep forgetting to grab a copy of this while I'm in my local mall. If I do I'll post some screencaps to give an indication of quality and aspect ratio. I'm so used to ordering everything from overseas, it's actually a bit of a chore to pick up a BD from a local bricks and mortar store these days!
 

Dick

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I have MOBY DICK, HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and EXODUS on their way to me and will report when received.
 

Henry Gondorff

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The sales page indicates region B, unfortunately for me in the states. Very interested in hearing the report about quality, especially audio which is dreadful on the dvd.
 

atfree

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Henry Gondorff said:
The sales page indicates region B, unfortunately for me in the states. Very interested in hearing the report about quality, especially audio which is dreadful on the dvd.
I have several of these "Hollywood Gold Series" BD's. They are all REGION FREE despite being labeled Region B. I confirmed with the distributors (Shock/Veg) before getting my first one. I have "Lifeboat", " Journey to the Center of the Earth", "Exodus", " Judgment at Nuremberg " and others. Quality releases with lossless DTS-HD MA audio. You can get many of them at Amazon UK via marketplace seller SmokeCds w/ reasonable shipping, or at JBHiFionline but their shipping from Australia is higher to US.
 

Henry Gondorff

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Thanks Alex for the reassurance about region. Once I've seen the reports and screen caps, I'll probably avail myself of the sources you mentioned. Huston's Moby Dick is a great film and there should be more of a push for a proper restoration in HD. I'm also very interested in Exodus but I'm guessing it is mastered from 35mm rather than from the original 65mm as it should be - hope I'm wrong.
 

atfree

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Henry Gondorff said:
Thanks Alex for the reassurance about region. Once I've seen the reports and screen caps, I'll probably avail myself of the sources you mentioned. Huston's Moby Dick is a great film and there should be more of a push for a proper restoration in HD. I'm also very interested in Exodus but I'm guessing it is mastered from 35mm rather than from the original 65mm as it should be - hope I'm wrong.
No, you are correct. The Exodus transfer is from 35mm rather than 65mm. That said, I doubt the market, sadly, for this film along with many others of its generation will merit a better transfer anytime soon. I'd bet even if we see a US release (most likely from a Twilight Time or Kino Lorber) it will be the same transfer. I've fallen back to the "best available" rationale for my catalog BD purchases as the market for these films on BD is apparently too small for the license holders to release restored versions. Better 60% of something than 100% of nothing [emoji3]
 

Persianimmortal

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OK I managed to remember to buy this while I was out today. I got it for $11.90 in store at JB Hifi, but it's currently $11.18 at JB Hifi Online. Plus as it turns out, the first store I went to didn't have a copy, so I had to stop at another mall on the way home and luckily the JB Hifi there did have one copy left. Moral of the story: don't bother with bricks and mortar stores, just shop online - cheaper and much more convenient :)

Anyway, I can confirm that the disc is region free. I set my Panasonic BDT500 Region Free modded player to Region A and the disc loads up and plays without a hitch. So far I think all of the Hollywood Gold BDs have been region free, so that's no real surprise. Also, just a note that the disc contains no extras, the main menu lets you play the movie or jump to scenes, that's it.

For those who care, here's what the front and the back of the case look like (click thumbnails to enlarge):



The case features the gorgeous Australian ratings logo, specifically designed to be large enough to be seen from space.

The good news is that the movie is in the correct 1.66:1 ratio. The bad news is that the transfer seems quite rough. I only gave it a quick 5 minute run through, and it looks unmolested, but also unrestored and somewhat faded. It's hard for me to tell how good this film could look because apparently John Huston deliberately wanted the film to have a washed out and sepia appearance to it. It is also rather uneven at times, with detail and color changing virtually from shot to shot. There are a few damage marks throughout as well, but nothing excessive.

I took what I consider a reasonable sample of screenshots, but it was tough finding shots that represent the movie entirely. All the screenshots below come direct from the disc via my PC's BD drive, they haven't been altered in any way except for slight compression to 90% JPG quality (click large thumbnails to enlarge):














As I said, I haven't had the chance to sit down and watch the movie in its entirety, but my cursory impression is that while better than the DVD version, it appears rather drab and rough a lot of the time. Some of that is director intent, some of it is because the film hasn't been restored. We need expert opinion for the rest of the story. For me it seems a worthwhile purchase as it's an improvement over the DVD (at the very least due to correct AR), at a fairly low price.
 

Mark-P

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Thanks for the report, Koroush. I'll be sure to order one the next time I place an order from JB Hifi. I've imported quite a few Hollywood Gold Blu-rays from Australia and for the most part have been very happy with them.
 

Douglas R

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Yes, thank you Koroush. I'll get this because even if not perfect it will be better than the DVD (why no trailer as on the DVD though?). I see that it's licensed from Hollywood Classics who act as agents for the Hollywood Studios so we're not likely to get a better mastering. I saw the film when it was first released but certainly can't remember what it looked like then.
 

Persianimmortal

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If anyone has any more questions let me know, but I won't get around to watching it in full until this Saturday night.I agree that this is the best transfer we're likely to get. MGM is hardly going to spend any money to restore the film, and if it falls to TT or Kino in the US they obviously will just pass it on to us as is. Just be sure to have modest expectations and you should be happy with it.
 

Persianimmortal

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Decided to watch the movie a day earlier, and to my surprise it holds up better than I had first thought. It's a rough transfer to be sure, but it's adequate, and relatively easy to get immersed in the story and adjust to the quality. Aside from the (deliberate) sepia tone, the heavier grain and less-than-ideal detail, blacks are stable and there's good contrast. The switch from 1.37:1 to 1.66:1 in particular makes a real difference to the grandeur of the film.

I notice one question that I can now answer properly:
Henry Gondorff said:
Very interested in hearing the report about quality, especially audio which is dreadful on the dvd.
The audio is actually quite good on this release. IMDB reports the audio as originally being mono, and this BD has a stereo track of the mono audio. As a mono source it's never going to be spectacular, but the audio is clean and robust, and doesn't sound damaged or harsh.

Anyway it had been a long time since I'd watched Moby Dick, and I enjoyed this presentation - great movie.
 

Mark-P

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Persianimmortal said:
The audio is actually quite good on this release. IMDB reports the audio as originally being mono, and this BD has a stereo track of the mono audio. As a mono source it's never going to be spectacular, but the audio is clean and robust, and doesn't sound damaged or harsh.
Can you clarify? Do you mean stereo enhanced, remixed into true stereo, or dual-channel mono? The first would be dreadful, the second a pleasant surprise, and the third completely normal.
 

Persianimmortal

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The player shows the track as Stereo, but it just sounds like mono sound coming from both channels. There's no directionality that I could detect so it's not remixed stereo of any kind. But as I say, it's surprisingly clean sounding. No hiss, break-up or other signs of damage.
 

Peter Apruzzese

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That looks similar to what ran on some of the MGM HD channels here in the states back in 2008. I suspect it's the same transfer.
 

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