Did anyone else get their copy of DON'T LOOK NOW? (1 Viewer)

[Jussi Tarvainen]

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread. I recently bought the R2 disc but would gladly sell it and get the R1 disc if it's indeed completely uncut. But I still don't think it is.

 

[Deepak Shenoy]

I received my copy yesterday and it looks great. But I am not R2 capable and don't have the R2 disc for comparison. Any confirmation that the R1 disc is uncut ?

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Watched it last night - an absolutely beautiful transfer. RAH is correct in his assessment above. This one achieves 'film-like' status on my front projector.

This was my first time with the film - other than a half-hearted viewing on VHS 15 years ago - what a unique picture and what a great DVD!

 

[Ted Kontos]

How is the sound? The R2 has beautiful picture quality but horrible sound. Is the sound improved in the Paramount version?

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

It sounded good to me. Very clear mono - encoded as DD 2.0 - the film has a dense mix at times, but it's obvious that's what it is supposed to sound like.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I have the most recently released VHS version of the US cut. Assuming my local retailer has the DVD in stock, I will try to confirm William's observation that the R1 DVD is a different cut and report back tomorrow.

Regards,

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Just to confirm William's observations, there are about 9-10 shot differences between the R1 DVD version and my VHS version of the US cut. This means that it is either the original European cut or there is a 3rd version.
The picture on the previous video release is not even worth talking about, the element used was probably not suited for video transfer and the dark scenes are brightened up and tinged blue. Ugh! The picture on the DVD is wonderful and very film-like. There is noticeable, but natural looking grain and a few non-distracting specs on the film element. The extra resolution afforded by the anamorphic transfer really helps to better resolve the film grain pattern and look natural. When I watched a segment in downconverted 4:3 letterbox, it looked a bit soft and indistinct. Overall, a wonderful job by Paramount.
The audio on the VHS was extremely hissy, and it did not sound like an early generation source was used. The audio on the DVD was probably from a better source, but it sounds like some digital noise reduction was applied. This tends to shave off some of the natural sibilance and faintly obscure some of the detail in the mix. An example is early in the film after a women mentions that her sister is blind, it cuts to a close-up of Donald Sutherland and he flashes back to a scene where his & Julie Christie's characters drive away from a house in the rain. The mix consists primarily of music being played over the sound of the rainfall. The rain sounds somewhat muffled and unnatural on the DVD. It's subtle, though, and will probably not bother most listeners.
It is compressed fairly well on a single layer disc with only the trailer and French language and subtitle options as extras.
All in all, it's "business as usual" -- a very nice movie-only release from Paramount. If you are a fan of creepy psychological thrillers, they don't get much better than this.
Regards,

 

[William DAnnucci]

Ken-
Thanks. Glad someone believes me!
Okay, now that we know it isn't the censored American version...can anyone confirm this sexier version is the original European cut?
I love this disc. DON'T LOOK NOW is one of my top 20 favorite films and I feel like I am only really seeing what it looks like now.
What did you think of that wild trailer? Does anyone know if it was the work of Roeg or his editor? Or was it just someone in Paramount's advertizing division?
-B

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

What did you think of that wild trailer? Does anyone know if it was the work of Roeg or his editor? Or was it just someone in Paramount's advertizing division?

The trailer is very cool. I suspect that Roeg and/or his editor, Graeme Clifford were involved since, as you mentioned earlier, it is stylistically very similar to the way the film is cut. The trailer is also in anamorphic widescreen for those who wonder about such things.

Regards,

 

[Walt Riarson]

Ron said that the Paramount rep said it's the cut version.

So, does Paramount not know that they've released the Uncut version or what?

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

So, does Paramount not know that they've released the Uncut version or what?

Shhhh! Do you want to be like the lady who ruined Swamp Thing for everyone? Let it go.
Regards,

 

[Ted Kontos]

From what I've read in this thread, the U.S. release sounds like it's the same as the R2 UK release on Warners, which from all accounts, is the same Studio Canal release transfer as the French R2. It even has the Studio Canal logo up front, with no mention of WB at all. Ergo, the Paramount release must be the "international" release.

 

[Jay E]

Thanks everyone for the info. I just gave the go-ahead for DVD Empire to ship my pre-order. I can't wait!

 

[Mark_vdH]

I think I'm gonna order it too.....

Though the doc on the UK version is nice, the sound is really distracting.....