moviebuff75
Screenwriter
The shot where Laurie is walking past a foreshadowing railroad crossing sign has the sign green here. Is this from the lighting and leaves reflecting off of the metal sign, or an error?
I got my copy of the original today. Watching it now. But I think there are scenes missing. When I was a teenager, I remember renting the VHS version. After the opening scene in 1963, there’s a scene where Dr. Loomis meets with his boss at the Sanatorium and they discuss the ruling from the court to leave Michael in at the Sanatorium. Loomis argues. Then he goes to Michael’s hospital room and says “you’ve Fooled them, haven’t you,Michael?” “But not me”.
These scenes are missing. From the 4 K UHD disc. Were they only on a directors cut or something?
Those scenes were never in the original version, nor were they even filmed during the original production. They were shot during the making of Halloween II and added to the television cut to fill a 2 hour time slot.I got my copy of the original today. Watching it now. But I think there are scenes missing. When I was a teenager, I remember renting the VHS version. After the opening scene in 1963, there’s a scene where Dr. Loomis meets with his boss at the Sanatorium and they discuss the ruling from the court to leave Michael in at the Sanatorium. Loomis argues. Then he goes to Michael’s hospital room and says “you’ve Fooled them, haven’t you,Michael?” “But not me”.
These scenes are missing. From the 4 K UHD disc. Were they only on a directors cut or something?
To expand on what Andrew and Kyle said, the scenes with Loomis and young Michale at the mental hospital and a scene of Linda borrowing a blouse from Laurie were only shot for the TV version. Carpenter considers the theatrical cut to be his version of the movie.I got my copy of the original today. Watching it now. But I think there are scenes missing. When I was a teenager, I remember renting the VHS version. After the opening scene in 1963, there’s a scene where Dr. Loomis meets with his boss at the Sanatorium and they discuss the ruling from the court to leave Michael in at the Sanatorium. Loomis argues. Then he goes to Michael’s hospital room and says “you’ve Fooled them, haven’t you,Michael?” “But not me”.
These scenes are missing. From the 4 K UHD disc. Were they only on a directors cut or something?
Were they only on a directors cut or something?
Kaskade, I'm totally with you on that! The only transfer I can take so far is the 1999 THX version. The bright greens also take me out of the mood. I've lived in N. Illinois my entire life and the reds and browns are what it looks Iike. Not bright green. The filters used were a great idea and completely harnesses the mood. No offense to anybody else but that's my version.I know; it's why I mentioned that certain elements were used to give the appearance of the specific season. I believe, if memory serves, that Cundey utilized certain filters when he supervised the THX transfer to add to that reddish/orange tinge. I am well aware of the fact that Carpenter shot this in warmer weather in California, so aspects of the production had to be creatively altered to provide the look of autumn in the midwest; I could just never get into the story the same way once I saw those other "brighter" transfers of the film, some of which sucked the creepy blue atmosphere right out of the Michael-chases-Laurie sequence towards the end (in the kitchen break-in scene) and other tidbits.
I also can't help but be distracted by those palm trees that were never removed in subsequent releases, though this bothers me less.
I disagree, when it comes to this film. It's ALL about mood and environment here. For whatever reason, those bright neon-esque greens always take me out of what is going on...and I have watched this COUNTLESS times since I was a kid up until now.
Which Blu-ray release is the closest approximation to the THX 1999 color timing?Yeah, it definitely looks soft -- especially after years of consuming 1080p and now 2160p content. And, yes, this Anchor Bay release had both widescreen and full screen versions on one disc (it wasn't a flipper, like the original DVD release was I THINK) which ate up bitrate, along with the surround mix.
I used to watch the pan-and-scan version when I first got this because I was running a small 4:3 Sony tube TV and the full screen editions were made for these displays; of course, I wasn't seeing Carpenter's full anamorphic vison...
Still -- the PQ doesn't bother me, even with the softness, aside from some aliasing issues along the chrome trims of cars and such, but if the Scream Factory release in 4K ends up being the be-all, end-all variant of the title, I may upgrade.
Are you talking about the Starz/Anchor Bay release? Because if so, I don't find the outdoor sequences to look autumn-like at all; in fact, I believe the master for that transfer was taken from the inaccurate DiviMax DVD that AB put out after the THX cut.
This is the BD I have:
There's absolutely NOTHING special about it, at all, IMO; it was a mere cash-grab for the Bay, being able to say they put the classic on Blu-ray (some other AB titles came out on BD debuts about this time, too, such as Dawn of the Dead).
Good to know, but disappointing to fans who immediately upgraded; I had a suspicion that the Lionsgate UHD disc wasn't going to look all that great, because it reminded me of the way the aforementioned original BD was released.
Definitely -- crank up the opening title sequence enough, and you'll hear deep bass notes penetrate Carpenter's relentless piano score. It sounds rich, full and superior to the original mono IMO.
The only issue with that DD 5.1 remix is that the overall mastering volume is pretty weak -- you REALLY gotta crank it up to get immersed in it. The same thing can be said about the original Anchor Bay Blu-ray's uncompressed PCM track (they sound about the same).
Wow...how cool!
I don't have that tape anymore, it's long gone over a number of moves, including a cross-country one, but I remember throwing it in the VCR for horror film parties I used to host on the 31st (when I was younger). Good times I wish I could go back to....
The movie was shot in California in the spring so while I think the green shouldn't be overwhelming, it has always been there. And that includes the 1999 DVD where the greens of the bushes and grass aren't pronounced but they're still clearly green.Kaskade, I'm totally with you on that! The only transfer I can take so far is the 1999 THX version. The bright greens also take me out of the mood. I've lived in N. Illinois my entire life and the reds and browns are what it looks Iike. Not bright green. The filters used were a great idea and completely harnesses the mood. No offense to anybody else but that's my version.
The shot where Laurie is walking past a foreshadowing railroad crossing sign has the sign green here. Is this from the lighting and leaves reflecting off of the metal sign, or an error?
Which Blu-ray release is the closest approximation to the THX 1999 color timing?
No, I didn't.
Irrespective of what so-called professionals -- and others -- have said about this debacle over the years, the ONLY transfer that looks correct, to my eyes, is the 1999 THX edition by Anchor Bay. Every other version of this film I have watched as the decades have passed, including a myriad of VHS, laserdisc, DVD and Blu-ray releases, kept the color timing far too bright (it is true that Carpenter and Cundey shot this in the spring/summer in California, but that doesn't mean filtering can't be done to make it look more appropriate for the environment and season -- which, as you clearly understand because you grew up in Northern Illinois, the THX edition dabbled in).Kaskade, I'm totally with you on that! The only transfer I can take so far is the 1999 THX version. The bright greens also take me out of the mood. I've lived in N. Illinois my entire life and the reds and browns are what it looks Iike. Not bright green. The filters used were a great idea and completely harnesses the mood. No offense to anybody else but that's my version.
As Josh suggested, no Blu-ray release really came close to that DVD -- however, I have read that the 35th Anniversary release (the one with the foil-esque digibook packaging from around 2013 or so), another transfer that was supposed to be supervised by Cundey, moves slightly more towards that "reddish" look, even if it doesn't have the blatant tinting of the THX DVD.Which Blu-ray release is the closest approximation to the THX 1999 color timing?
Someone who has the 35th Anniversary Blu, or who has seen it, may be able to tell you more definitively if that transfer looked somewhat closer to the THX version.
Thanks for the confirmation; I suppose it still boasted those bright greens and summer-esque overtones.It didn't. That being said, I don't need my 35th Anniversary anymore. If someone wants it, I'm happy to send it for free to a good home.
And that's because the THX coloring was just someone making fairly dramatic changes to the color of the movie at their own whims. Once again, I liked the look of that disc alot but it's not indicative of what the movie ever looked previously and why no transfer has ever looked like it again.It didn't. That being said, I don't need my 35th Anniversary anymore. If someone wants it, I'm happy to send it for free to a good home.
Thanks for the confirmation; I suppose it still boasted those bright greens and summer-esque overtones.
Is this the disc (the 1080p Blu-ray) Anchor Bay and Scream included in the big deluxe box set(s) they released?
Okay, well then it must have been "tweaked" a bit from the first Starz/Anchor Bay BD because THAT transfer looked far too bright and summery, much like shots of the DiviMax DVD I have seen (which is why it's often assumed they used the same master to press the BD).I wouldn't go that far as to say it looks summer-esque. I seem to remember it having that same desaturated look (like a cloudy spring day) that the Lionsgate 4K (which I'm also happy to offload if there are any takers) did.
The 2007 release never impressed me (as a matter of fact I have to get around to unloading it to a used store), but I'm skeptical that it boasted "the original color timing."I could be wrong, but the blu-ray included in the Scream 4K package looks to be the same master as the camera negative scan used for the 4K. The included "original color timing" on the 2nd blu-ray looks to be closer to the 2007 release that was included with the Lionsgate 4K, IMO.