A Few Words About A few words about...™ West Side Story -- in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by CMNash /t/315747/a-few-words-about-west-side-story-in-blu-ray/480#post_3887505
Well, I caved in and bought a second copy at Best Buy. I did a quick rip from the DVD (sorry that I didn't rip it better). You can see it at .
My guess is that Fox did the best that they could do with what they have in hand. It looks somewhat similar to the HDNet version, except that in between the fade from red to blue it goes slightly green.
I guess I'll never really know what the title sequence should look like until I get to see an actual 1961 dye print.

Thank you, I thought I was crazy when I first said something about the "fix" disc.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I don't know anything about anything.

But I purchased the Target set at a great price and couldn't believe how bad that fade in/out looked during the overture. (I'm not complaining. I was properly warned...but went ahead anyway.)

Now to think that they intentionally went in to fix that one particular problem and go through the expense of sending out replacements...and (based on Carlos' YouTube link) this is the best that they do?

It boggles the mind.

 

[KPmusmag]

I was at Fry's today and their stock of WSS was the defective version (I checked the UPC). So I guess Fox is not recalling the stock out there - you only get the corrected disc if you ask for it, it seems. On another subject, I was told by the Fox rep to send in the whole package. When the Mary Tyler Moore Show Season 7 set had the situation where the fourth disc had to be replaced because they used the syndicated version for the final episode (without the cast curtain call), I recall just sending in the one disc, not the whole set.

 

[CMNash]

By the way, about two months ago, I posted on YouTube what I had hope the fix would look like. It was based on the Marc's posting of the LD releases and Robert Wise's instructions given to theatres about proper house lights.

 

[Steve Y]

The new version is in fact available in stores but it's not surprising to me that many of you can't find it. Over the weekend I saw only a few of them mixed in with a far greater quantity of the "uncorrected" set (from the video above, apparently not having the transition on the original negative has still made it awfully hard for the powers that be to recreate the color transition properly).
The new UPC was stickered over the original UPC, but underneath the clear plastic wrapping, if that makes a difference to anyone.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Steve Y /t/315747/a-few-words-about-west-side-story-in-blu-ray/480#post_3887986
The new version is in fact available in stores but it's not surprising to me that many of you can't find it. Over the weekend I saw only a few of them mixed in with a far greater quantity of the "uncorrected" set (from the video above, apparently not having the transition on the original negative has still made it awfully hard for the powers that be to recreate the color transition properly).

The proper information resides on the original negative.

"It's simply a matter of going."

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by KPmusmag /t/315747/a-few-words-about-west-side-story-in-blu-ray/480#post_3887684
I was at Fry's today and their stock of WSS was the defective version (I checked the UPC). So I guess Fox is not recalling the stock out there - you only get the corrected disc if you ask for it, it seems.

Since the "corrected disc" to me, is almost as bad at the first disc, I don't see any reason for them to recall. I don't consider the "corrected disc" to be correct. The My Fair Lady problems was to laziness, the WSS problem now is just incompetence.

 

[Charles Smith]

It's been years since I've seen WSS on film, but if the BD had portrayed this color transition like it appears in the link above, it's hard to imagine it being an issue. That little Adobe mock-up is pretty damned thrilling in how close it seems it must be to the original. Thanks, Carlos.

Now...MGM...how about somebody taking a look at the FILM?

I browsed a few of the other examples on YouTube. This problem -- whatever in the hell actually happened -- goes back at least as far as a 1998 DVD release.

 

[Michael1]

Yes, thank you, Carlos. I really think that's what's it's supposed to look like.
By the way, in all this discussion of other matters, I haven't seen any comments about whether the sound synch problems that existed in the otherwise excellent Special Edition DVD Collector's Set that was issued some years ago have been corrected. In that version, the sound is noticeably out of synch in the "Tonight" duet. I ASSUME it's been fixed for the Blu-Ray, or I would have heard or read otherwise. Anyone?

 

[Marc Martin]

I browsed a few of the other examples on YouTube.  This problem -- whatever in the hell actually happened -- goes back at least as far as a 1998 DVD release.

I'd say this problem goes all the way back to the 1989 Criterion laserdisc:

The most recent release I could find with a proper "dissolve" was the 1984
laserdisc...
Marc

 

[marsnkc]

I'd say this problem goes all the way back to the 1989 Criterion laserdisc:

The most recent release I could find with a proper "dissolve" was the 1984
laserdisc...
Marc

There you go! Looks like whatever elements MGM used are the same as Criterion's, and an attempt to tidy things up was made for the original BD. There's no way this dissolve (negative damage?) was in the original movie, best represented by the '84 laser.

 

[Steve Y]

The proper information resides on the original negative.
"It's simply a matter of going."

From the YouTube link above it seems like a pretty egregious error on the revised disc, then. (From red to yellowish-black to blue) Is this a matter of not "going" in the right direction, or are dissolves more difficult to get right, based on the information that is already on the negative? I suppose it would depend on a lot of factors...

 

[JimmyK]

Yes, thank you, Carlos. I really think that's what's it's supposed to look like.
By the way, in all this discussion of other matters, I haven't seen any comments about whether the sound synch problems that existed in the otherwise excellent Special Edition DVD Collector's Set that was issued some years ago have been corrected. In that version, the sound is noticeably out of synch in the "Tonight" duet. I ASSUME it's been fixed for the Blu-Ray, or I would have heard or read otherwise. Anyone?

I didn't notice any lip sync issues when I viewed the BD.

 

[JimmyK]

I'd say this problem goes all the way back to the 1989 Criterion laserdisc:

The most recent release I could find with a proper "dissolve" was the 1984
laserdisc...
Marc

That still looks better than the current "fix".
The fix offers some improvement, but I'm not sure it's enough to motivate me to go through the exchange process.

 

[JimmyK]

By the way, about two months ago, I posted on YouTube what I had hope the fix would look like. It was based on the Marc's posting of the LD releases and Robert Wise's instructions given to theatres about proper house lights.

When I heard there would be a fix, that is also what I expected/hoped for. But is seems the "fix" isn't even close.

 

This is embarassing.

 

[haineshisway]

That is not a "fix" at all - it's still horrendous. What a shame that no one in a position of power called anyone who could help this situation very easily. The video that Carlos posted comes closest to being like the correct transition. I think this overture has been botched for years and they keep trying to put band-aids on it rather than get someone in there who actually knows what they're doing. I'm sure there is a dye transfer prints somewhere that could easily be looked at - that's all it would take. How hard is that? This "fix" should be loudly hissed and it's now clear this problem is not going to be fixed anytime in the near future.

 

[GMpasqua]

I think most people who haven't seen the film in a theater in 70 - won't even know there is anything wrong.

I knew the defect was there but when I saw it I thought maybe that's how it was supposed to be (It's not like it happens in the middle of a music theme, but just when you would expect the lights to go down.) The other problems - like the chain link fences shimmering throughout the film - seem more problematic to me.

Some shots looks really good, but the contrast seems pushed a little too high on other shots

But this is nothing compared to the lighten sides on the "My Fair Lady" blu-ray - that just ruins the image, or the shoddy eleven year old transfer they slapped on to a blu-ray and called 'The Greatest Story Ever Told"

 

[JimmyK]

I think most people who haven't seen the film in a theater in 70 - won't even know there is anything wrong.

I knew the defect was there but when I saw it I thought maybe that's how it was supposed to be (It's not like it happens in the middle of a music theme, but just when you would expect the lights to go down.) The other problems - like the chain link fences shimmering throughout the film - seem more problematic to me.

Some shots looks really good, but the contrast seems pushed a little too high on other shots

But this is nothing compared to the lighten sides on the "My Fair Lady" blu-ray - that just ruins the image, or the shoddy eleven year old transfer they slapped on to a blu-ray and called 'The Greatest Story Ever Told"

+1

 

[Catlady]

Just wondering if anyone who sent for a replacement has received it yet. UPS tracking shows that Fox received my returned set on January 16, but I haven't heard anything back from them.