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Pre-Order Custer of the West (1967) (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

OliverK

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Yes, I think it's folly to release it, as it will not sell many copies - Kino doesn't seem to mind so it's all good. I actually said nothing about purchasing it nor not purchasing it - I said they'll learn the hard way just how many fans this movie has. Sorry, I've been fooled time and again by this in the CD business - whole thread like this saying how many people NEED such and such a soundtrack, it's their Holy Grail, it's a day one purchase. So, we go get the soundtrack and put it out and guess what happens? Every time. A handful of people buy it and we sit on it for three years and lose money. Every time. And the always amusing thing is when those pleading the loudest rarely buy it until it's just about to go out of print. Every time. THAT was the point, as well, but I seriously didn't think that point and other points was hidden.

And now back to everyone's favorite film, Custer of the West.

I completely agree that it is often only a few who make all the noise and giving a warped impression of real demand for a movie or in your case soundtrack. In the end this can cost you a lot of money so I understand your frustration but I do not think that this applies here as nobody ran a big campaign for Custer of the West, it was a big surprise to see it announced.

There is one thing though where you lost me (and I guess many others): Where on this forum did anybody say that Custer of the West was some kind of masterpiece? I must have missed it.

And last but not least there are a few caps around of the French release and they look horrible so sorry to hear that you bought it:
https://www.westernmovies.fr/imgdvd/custerwestbr/custerwestbr3.jpg
 

haineshisway

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Yes, the French release was one of the worst things I've ever seen in ANY home video medium. I remember when it was announced (the French thing) several people were so thrilled - and I believe there are people in this very thread who are equally thrilled, and I've certainly seen it on other forums as well. For those who are, it will be a fine release, I'm sure.
 

RolandL

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DVD vs. French Blu-ray (cropped on all four sides.)

c1.jpg
 

RolandL

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Review of Custer of the West from DVDBEAVER

"The single-layered Kino Lorber Blu-ray of Custer of the West looks exceptional."

"It was in Super Technirama 70 and this 1080P image looks stunning.This Blu-ray image is tight, super-clean, very crisp and show impressive colors and detail. There is plenty of depth and the exterior shots in Spain are gorgeous. What an impressive video image"

large_custer_of_the_west_06_blu-ray_.jpg
 

john a hunter

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So is it 2.0 mono or 2.0 stereo??.
It may have sunk in the U.S but, surprise, surprise there are other places on this planet!
It had a respectable run at the Casino Cinerama in London and did good business in general release during the school holidays
If it's stereo I'm in. If not ,no thank you, Kino.
 

OliverK

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Yes it looks better than the Sidonis but faces do look rather waxy and film grain is largely absent which reminds me of a version from British TV where this also was very obvious. No idea if this was another case of some automated noise removal tool being used with too much deliberation or if it was something else. Looking forward to learn from where this was sourced and what elements were used.
 

aPhil

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The fact that anyone here, after all this time, would take a DVD Beaver assessment seriously is another story :)

I would hate to lose DVDbeaver --
Reading his site is like a piece of a puzzle when one is deciding whether or not to make a purchase.

All review sites have their issues, quirks, limitations, prejudices . . .
It is up to an individual to gather all the pieces and put them together for him/her self.
 

RolandL

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So is it 2.0 mono or 2.0 stereo??.
It may have sunk in the U.S but, surprise, surprise there are other places on this planet!
It had a respectable run at the Casino Cinerama in London and did good business in general release during the school holidays
If it's stereo I'm in. If not ,no thank you, Kino.

It did OK at Cinerama theatres (see below). Some of the other Cinerama titles from the late sixties did about the same.

Custer of the West
Theater: Gaylynn, Houston
Premiere: January 25, 1968
Duration: 5 weeks
Theater: Grand, Columbus
Premiere: 09 February 1968
Duration: 5 weeks
Theatre: Imperial, Montreal
Premiere: 01 February 1968 (Canadian Premiere)
Duration: 12 weeks
Theater: Summit, Detroit
Premiere: January 25, 1968
Duration: 11 weeks
Theater: Empire, Kansas City
Premiere: January 25, 1968 (Mid-West Co-Premiere)
Duration: 7 weeks
Theater: Cooper, Denver
Premiere: January 25, 1968 (Mountain States Premiere)
Duration: 11 weeks
Theater: Martin Cinerama, St. Louis
Premiere: January 25, 1968 (Mid-West Co-Premiere)
Duration: 8 weeks
Theater: Esquire, Sacramnento
Premiere: February 15, 1968 (West Coast Premiere)
Duration: 5 weeks
Hollywood, Portland
January 25, 1968 (Pacific Northwest Premiere)
Duration: 7 weeks
Martin Cinerama, New Orleans
January 25, 1968
Duration: 5 weeks
Century, Buffalo
February 1, 1968 (New York Premiere)
Duration: 5 weeks
 
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RolandL

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So is it 2.0 mono or 2.0 stereo??.
It may have sunk in the U.S but, surprise, surprise there are other places on this planet!
It had a respectable run at the Casino Cinerama in London and did good business in general release during the school holidays
If it's stereo I'm in. If not ,no thank you, Kino.

From DVDTALK

This release of the complete 141-minute cut is still missing the overture and intermission, and the DTS-HD Master Audio is mono where the original roadshow had been six-track stereo. Nevertheless, the image is razor sharp - at least for most of the picture. At some point the film was cut to a 120-minute version, and I suspect that's all presumed to exist of the original Super Technirama negative. Miscellaneous shots and a several-minute sequence appear to have been up-rezzed from standard-definition, and scattered shots show signs of severe color flashing and other damage. Still, about 90% of Custer looks great, and a major improvement over an earlier French Blu-ray release.
 

RolandL

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Received in the mail today. Cinerama logo at the beginning, great picture but only mono sound.
 

MatthewA

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When a film doesn't connect with an audience, there could be any number of reasons. It could be a bad script, it could be that a good script got in the hands of the wrong director or cast somehow, or it could have had cuts made that made the difference between making sense and not making sense. Or it could have been a well-made film about subject matter very few people cared about. Or it could have been overshadowed by a more popular film that came out around the same time. Once in awhile a fluke of timing makes a bad movie into a hit, but not often, so the public isn't always right. And sometimes a country that does poorly in one country does well in another. And once in awhile time can make a pariah out of a once-beloved hit.

But in all seriousness, what happened to the original cuts of this and Krakatoa? Were the scenes lost to time before Disney bought ABC?
 

RolandL

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But in all seriousness, what happened to the original cuts of this and Krakatoa? Were the scenes lost to time before Disney bought ABC?

I think your probably only missing the Overture, Intermission and Exit music (if they had all of them).

Krakatoa roadshow was 136 minutes, Blu-ray 131 minutes, 5 minutes of music missing.
Custer roadshow was 143 minutes, Blu-ray 141 minutes, 2 minutes of music missing.
 
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Eastmancolor

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While certainly not a "great" film, I still like CUSTER OF THE WEST. I was first introduced to the film years ago by a friend who has a 16mm Technicolor CinemaScope print. The movie was even printed in Super 8mm, though it was flat and edited to 80 minutes. Certainly not the ideal way to watch the film! I later bought the Anchor Bay DVD when it came out in the late 1990's and now here's the new disc from Kino.

I find it interesting that on "that other forum" the reviewer there gave the new Blu-ray low marks saying that the film has a waxy look, basically implying the film's been DNR'd too much. I didn't see that at all. There obviously has been a recent scan done because the new Blu-ray has excellent color and density. Lots of detail is present and some fine grain is visible. There are some occasional shots which are a bit soft, but these appear to be dupes cut into the negative and are only on-screen briefly.

Being shot in horizontal 35mm 8-perf Technirama (and blown up to 70mm for the original release prints) the new disc has apparently been sourced either from that negative or likely an IP made from it. I projected the disc onto a 10' screen and it looked great. There's a lot to love here.

Yes, the soundtrack is mono and one wishes for the perfect world scenario of having stereo, but this doesn't harm the film.

A lovely disc, undoubtedly the best CUSTER will probably ever look for home viewing. If you like the film, it's a must.
 

RolandL

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Yes, I think it's folly to release it, as it will not sell many copies - Kino doesn't seem to mind so it's all good. I actually said nothing about purchasing it nor not purchasing it - I said they'll learn the hard way just how many fans this movie has.
Surprisingly it's sold out. It's been six years since it was released but I don't know when it sold out.
 

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