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- Ronald Epstein
INTERVIEW WITH
DIRECTOR
PETER H. HUNT
I was very fortunate to be granted a phone interview with Director Peter H. Hunt this past week.
Rather than transcribe the entire interview into text, I had come up with a better plan of just presenting the actual audio of the phone interview for all of you, adding interesting video stills (which include never-before-seen photos) to help enhance the storytelling.
After watching the interview, I am going to offer a few thoughts about the reconstructed Blu-ray of "1776" which I just completed watching this very afternoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU84JvdElq8&feature=youtu.be
It's been an interesting two years for fans looking for the "Holy Grail" versions of their favorite films on Blu-ray. In 2014 we finally were treated to a Roadshow version of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Now a year later, we finally have the definitive release of 1776 on Blu-ray, with both the theatrical and extended editions of the film.
(Actual Blu-ray screenshot click on photo to enlarge)
For those of us that owned the Pioneer Laserdisc of the early 1990s, this extended version will be the closest clone we will ever see of that release. While one can sit here and argue that mere seconds of footage (outside of an unauthorized overture) still haven't made it to this definitive edition, in the end it doesn't matter. Finally, the two key scenes that were missing from the reconstructed DVD release, "Piddle Twiddle and Resolve" and the reprise of "The Lees of Old Virginia" are finally intact here. There are also some very brief surprise additions.
For those of you watching this Blu-ray for the first time, there is no choice as to which version to see. The EXTENDED CUT is the better version of the film, whether you are familiar with the theatrical release or not. All the additional footage has been seamlessly added, with only a split-second of noticeable jump insertion editing during "Piddle Twiddle and Resolve."
(Actual Blu-ray screenshot click on photo to enlarge)
I sat and watched this film on a large 118" projection screen. Even at that size, I was stunned at how beautiful this new print from a 4k negative looks and sounds. It is not only better than the DVD, but leaps and bounds further. Just watch "The Less of Old Virginia" and marvel at the picture brightness, detail and color saturation. It's really something to behold! The indoor scenes of Independence Hall look extremely intricate and bold, with a nice underlying amount of film grain.
The film's 5.1 DTS-HD MA track seems to have a lot more punch to it over its predecessor. Dialogue and music are well balanced, and I was very pleased to find nice bass response supporting the film's more "rousing" musical numbers.
(Actual Blu-ray screenshot click on photo to enlarge)
When you watch this film for yourself, there will be no doubt in your mind that this was a project very close to the hearts of those who truly love this film. It is gorgeous. It is flawless. This is the release all of us had been hoping for since the introduction of Blu-ray in 2007.
As Robert Harris pointed out in his review, having Grover Crisp behind this project says everything about the flawless presentation of this Blu-ray. When Sony wasn't budging on requests to get a Blu-ray done, it was Grover and Jeremy Glassman that continued pushing on their end for this project to see the light of day. Trust me when I say, I thought this release was dead in the water and had no idea it was in the works until practically a few months prior to its announcement.
I am absolutely thrilled with this release. Every one of you will be as well.