I just picked up Columbia's 2-disc set of the complete 1943 Batman serial. I previously bought the 1949 serial, which has terrific a/v, especially for a 1949 serial.
The 1943 serial seemed to have a much better story, from what I read. So, I'm looking forward to watching it.
A few problems, though:
I was horrified when I started watching the first episode. The quality is awful. Panic ensued when I realized the rest of this set would be the same... but I was wrong. The rest of the episodes look much better. This is obviously from an older video master, so it's interlaced, has some DVNR, and not as sharp as B&R. The sound is excellent, though.
Also, does anyone know if this serial is uncut? It was sanitized for video by removing the Japanese stereotypes, apparently. It would be good to know if Columbia used the original versions.
The 1943 serial seemed to have a much better story, from what I read. So, I'm looking forward to watching it.
A few problems, though:
I was horrified when I started watching the first episode. The quality is awful. Panic ensued when I realized the rest of this set would be the same... but I was wrong. The rest of the episodes look much better. This is obviously from an older video master, so it's interlaced, has some DVNR, and not as sharp as B&R. The sound is excellent, though.
Also, does anyone know if this serial is uncut? It was sanitized for video by removing the Japanese stereotypes, apparently. It would be good to know if Columbia used the original versions.