Charly - Finally Got A Copy (1 Viewer)

[Brent Avery]

MGM's Charly made a local appearance and I hope to view it tonight. It is on a flipper disc with the original P&S abomination on one side and the proper 2:35 ( enhanced for widescreen ) on the other. If the transfer is good than it was worth the wait. Audio is listed as Mono. There you have it. Anybody that wants me to check for anything please post your concerns.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Great news.

The 16x9 2.35:1 version ought to look quite good. The film has never had a widescreen transfer before, so this would have to be a brand new remaster.

Everyone ought to thank ChristopherBlig for heading the petition to get the OAR DVD released.

 

[PeterMano]

Brent, I live in Vancouver as well, can you tell me where you got it, I didn't notice it on my tuesday shopping trip to FS and A&B Sound.

 

[Brent Avery]

Peter - I just sent you an email with all the information. In the meantime I think I will sit back and watch it -now where did I put the popcorn? I will post later on the transfer.

P.S. It is not due out officially until March 8th.

 

[RyanAn]

I second the note to Christopher, He definately fought for the release more than anyone I had ever seen before. 'grats to him!

Ryan

 

[Brent Avery]

The verdict is in regarding the transfer which appears to be very good. It is nice and sharp with good colors and contrast - overall quite pleasing. Outside of specks showing up here and there and what seems like a slight "graininess" at times - barely distracting as the image as mentioned was always sharp and detailed it was a welcome effort by MGM. The downside is that it was viewed on a 26" standard tv so I was not able to take advantage of the extra resolution offered by a widescreen setup. Later in the week I will try it on the front projector which will give me a much better idea of how good it really is. The audio signal going to the processor was showing stereo, but I cannot say if it was true stereo or just a remixed mono - either way audio quality was above average. Dialogue was clear and very easy to follow and the music score sounded "full" with lots of detail. If you take into consideration the price paid it is a bargain. Hopefully MGM will pay more attention to their film library as I don't mind a flipper disc if they always give us the OAR. There are no extras of course, not even a trailer.

 

[ArthurMy]

"a slight graininess". All movies that have opticals have a slight graininess occasionally. It is part of the film, not the transfer and shouldn't even be mentioned, unless you're criticizing the way they made movies back then.

I've had Charly for a couple of weeks - it's not just a very good transfer, it's a great transfer - in fact, I don't think it could be better. I watched it on my new 62" DLP TV.

 

[Brent Avery]

Critics! Just humoring you Arthur. Yes, I was not going to mention it but some do seem to expect perfection. I knew it was part of the film itself but I suppose it was a case of looking too hard ( not that I didn't enjoy the movie ). I did try to give the transfer high marks. Am I forgiven?

 

[Joel Vardy]

I had this one on order last year when it mysteriously disappeared from the release list and DDD unceremoneously removed it from my purchase order. It appears that Charly has just as unceremoneously reappeared and now I can put it back in my purchase wishlist. Does anyone know why DDD still lists this as a 3/8 release date? It appears that others have had more luck elsewhere...

Joel

 

[Patrick McCart]

Any excesive grain on Charly would be normal, anyways. It was shot in 2perf Techniscope (same format as American Graffiti, Once Upon a Time in the West, and THX 1138).

 

[Brook K]

That's really nice to hear, I'll definitely be picking this up. Could anyone provide more details on the audio quality? I haven't seen this in many years but remember it having a powerful score that was my 1st non-Beatles related exposure to Ravi Shankar.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Great news, Brent!

And another big thanks to Christopher Blig for spear-heading the petition drive for a proper widescreen release, and to MGM for heeding it and taking the high road.

Universal, take note!

 

[Joshua Clinard]

Good to hear that the picture quality is good. I'd also like to thank Christopher for his efforts.

 

[ArthurMy]

All is forgiven, Brent. :b

 

[Jesse Blacklow]

Is this the same "Charly" that was a screen adaptation of "Flowers for Algernon"?

 

[ArthurMy]

Yes, same as Flowers for Algernon.

 

[Travis Brashear]

Yes.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I have the UK R2 anamorphic 2.35:1 edition that was released a few years ago. I wonder how it would fair against the R1? Paging Gary Tooze...

It's a really odd adaptation, isn't it? The staging and gimmicky split-screen techniques are quite jarring on the first viewing. But Robertson's performance is astonishing, culminating in the electrifying speech where he denounces Modern Living, which may just be my favourite movie speech.

The novel is amazing, of course - Keyes is a remarkable writer. Keyes' complex novel, The Minds of Billy Milligan is about to be filmed as The Crowded Room by... gasp... Joel Schumacher with the screenplay by Todd Graff. No word on who is playing Billy, but I am pretty skeptical about this adaptation.

Ralph Nelson is an underrated director. The Wrath of God is vastly underappreciated - it's a fine Western. Counterpoint is one of the strangest WW2 films ever made. Embryo isn't great, but it has a really creepy atmosphere and was beautiful shot by Fred Koenekamp (Papillon). The current DVD transfer is among the worst I have ever seen. Once a Thief is awesome. Was it ever on VHS? Alain Delon, as ever, is ultra-cool. Beautifully shot in black and white scope by Robert Burkes. I am amazed that Soldier in the Rain, starring Steve McQueen and Jackie Gleason isn't on DVD yet - it's a beauty. Fate is the Hunter, starring Glenn Ford in perhaps his finest role is begging for a DVD release. Shot in b&w scope by the great Milton R. Krasner, it has always been panned and scanned on VHS and TV. Requiem for a Heavyweight is probably his most famous film and it is indeed a classic, but it needs a new transfer and Paramount, who now own the Republic library are sure to release their own edition in due course. Soldier Blue should have had a R1 release five years ago. I have the uncut German DVD which has a gorgeous anamorphic transfer. Lilies of the Field, is a great film but I don't own the DVD - is it good? Father Goose is hilarious - Cary Grant at his best, I feel.

Flight of the Doves, one of my favourite movies as a kid is out on R2 soon.

While not an auteur, Nelson was a fine filmmaker in various genres and had a solid, yet lyrical style that I find very appealing.