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moviebuff75

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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?
 

John*Wells

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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?
 

darkrock17

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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?

That scene is from the TV version which is included in this release.
 

Kyle_D

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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.
 

TravisR

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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.
 

Will Krupp

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Were they only on a directors cut or something?

To hop on what others have said, that particular footage can be found in two cuts on the new set. The second blu-ray disc ("Original Color Timed Version") includes the 101 min EXTENDED CUT with original theatrical footage padded with TV only material shot for NBC and the 97 min TV CUT (for some reason this version isn't listed as being included on the blu-ray package but it's there) that features the TV footage but omits violence and nudity from the theatrical cut.
 
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Duke23

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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.
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.
 

Duke23

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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:

71kPJlRz-LL._SL1500_.jpg


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....:(
Which Blu-ray release is the closest approximation to the THX 1999 color timing?
 

TravisR

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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 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.

Just to be clear, people can prefer whatever color scheme of the movie they want (I like that look of the movie too) but the DVD isn't indicative of what the movie originally looked and it's not some brown-tinged, gloomy fall version of the movie either. In terms of the greens, I think the new transfer and the 1999 transfer aren't wildly different. Certainly the 1999 one is more muted but it's not as if that disc completely got rid of the greens either.
 
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JoshZ

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Which Blu-ray release is the closest approximation to the THX 1999 color timing?

None. That DVD didn't just have "color timing" as it's usually done. Many scenes were digitally repainted to give them brand new autumn colors that look completely different than the original photographed colors.

That was a one-shot deal and no Blu-ray release has replicated it. However, Cundey did use his digital toolkit in different ways later, such as sucking most of the color out of the movie for the "35th Anniversary" master.
 

Will Krupp

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No, I didn't.

Well, I have to admit I can't place the sign you're referencing. Can you let me know the approximate time stamp and I'll see if I can find it? Thanks!!

(After what you did for everyone on the other forum with the Wonder Woman set, it's the very LEAST I can do :) )
 
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Kaskade1309

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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.
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).

The biggest issue dates back to Anchor Bay's so-called "DiviMax" edition of the film circa 2003 when they went back in and remastered the picture, resulting in a much-cleaned-up image compared to the THX disc but one that also exhibited greens that were far too vibrant and punchy; some night sequences were also robbed of their intensity and effect, most notably towards the end when The Shape is chasing Laurie through the kitchen and we see the steely blue hue cast against the door he's trying to break. On the THX edition, this sequence is bathed in that cool blue, whereas on the DiviMax (and subsequent releases on optical disc) version, the scene suddenly exhibits a neutral-ish look with more of a white lighting scheme.

Now, Anchor Bay and fans of the 2003-onward releases (maybe taking the 35th Anniversary Digibook transfer out of the equation) always defend this tactic because the argument is "well, detail is so much better improved!" and "the film has never looked this sharp before...blows the '99 DVD out of the water!"....which is all well and good. Everyone likes improved detail and clarity. But when it comes at the expense of mood -- which COMPLETELY drives this film -- and seasonal feel, something just falls apart in my mind. I will concede that the '99 THX transfer has been bested by the subsequent releases in terms of clarity and overall punch; upon scrutiny, it exhibits a myriad of compression issues, softness and even aliasing. But with regard to color timing, I just don't think it can be beat...and my players have always done a good job upconverting this DVD to 1080p and now 2160p resolution (the disc is certainly not "unwatchable").

There's a plethora more I can say about this topic, but let me get to the question you asked after this...
 
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Kaskade1309

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Which Blu-ray release is the closest approximation to the THX 1999 color timing?
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.

I'll tell you this: I picked up Anchor Bay/Starz' first Blu-ray release of the title when it came out in 2007, and it was a stripped-down, bare-bones affair (there were some ported-over extras from other editions but it was FAR from a deluxe release you'd think they'd give the title being that it was the first time it was in high definition) that was simply a cash-grab for the two studios to take advantage of the "new" Blu-ray format out at the time. The transfer seemed to be based on that aforementioned DiviMax DVD master because the greens were, once again, super-bright and "glowing" while no autumn-esque tint was to be found. The detail was improved, sure, being a 1080p encode, but there were still issues such as digital noise in some dark sequences (specifically when Loomis is telling Lonnie to "Get His Ass Away" from the Myers house in the bushes) and, of course, there was the color timing problem...

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.
 

Will Krupp

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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.

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.
 

Kaskade1309

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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?
 

TravisR

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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.
 

Will Krupp

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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?

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.

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.
 
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Kaskade1309

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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.
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've read nothing but bad things about the Lionsgate UHD release; glad I didn't impulse buy that one...
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.
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."
 

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