Pre-Order Dreamgirls 2017 Director's Cut (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

The link below will take you directly to the product on Amazon. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

I would like to add for those curious I've read that it will include the theatrical and extended cut and finally not only will fans get HD Audio! But the release will also feature a DTS X audio track! (I'd have preferred Dolby Atmos but honestly I would have been thrilled to finally get a DTS HD MA 5.1 so DTSX is even better!)

 

[Jake Lipson]

I know a different cut had been rumored for some time about a decade ago, but to finaly get this 11 years after the movie's theatrical release is a big surprise. Does anyone know yet how different the film will be from the original?

I have the original 2-disc Showstopper Edition Blu-ray and will not be getting rid of it for all of its wonderful bonus features which have since gone out-of-print in favor of the single-disc release out now, but will be glad to add this to my collection as well, especially given the reasonable asking price at Amazon at the moment. Hopefully it includes commentary by Mr. Condon, since he has been an informative and engaging speaker on the other commentaries I've heard by him in the past, and I missed having one for this film, which I like very much, on the original release. (That's just speculation on my part, but I hope he was asked to do one, which seems likely if he supervised the new cut.)

Oh, and given the fiasco with his Vudu-exclusive commentary for Beauty and the Beast: please, Paramount, put this commentary on the disc!

 

[Jake Lipson]

I found what appears to be a press release posted elsewhere:

Sadly, it appears no commentary.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/articl...-Blu-ray-Combo-Gift-Set-This-October-20170803

The DREAMGIRLS Blu-ray Combo gift set is presented in striking new collectible book-style packaging with images of the musical moments and corresponding lyrics and includes the Director's Extended Edition and theatrical versions of the film, as well as never-before-released footage of Jennifer Hudson's auditions and screen test. The Digital HD release available on iTunes will also include nearly an hour of additional new featurettes and over four hours of previously released bonus content. The Blu-ray and Digital HD have been specially remixed with DTS:X immersive audio to enhance viewers' enjoyment of the film's music and sound.

I'm particularly troubled by the "iTunes will also include nearly an hour of additional new featurettes" that sound like they won't bbe on the disc. Paramount clearly hasn't learned anything from the Star Trek Into Darkness/Beyond retailer-exclusive extras fiasco. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I also can't find anything saying how long the new cut is or what the changes are.

 

[Jason_V]

^ Paramount doesn't learn, period. Their Trek BD's were ridiculed and they keep rehashing the same titles (how many releases is this for Dreamgirls). I'll stick with the version I have. It works for me.

 

[Jake Lipson]

My impression is that this is actually the second release for Dreamgirls, if you want to count actual newly-authored discs and content.

So far as I can tell, the 2-disc set released in 2007 was discontinued at some point for no apparent reason and replaced by a single-disc version, but my impression was (and someone can feel fee to correct me if I am wrong here) that the reissue was simply Disc 1 (the movie disc) from the 2-disc set, dropping the extras on the second platter. So that would still be the same transfer and everything from 2007.

Since there is new content in the body of the film for this release, obviously it will have to be a new transfer (plus the press release indicates it was remastered.) So this seems to be the second time they've actually done something new for the film, after the initial release, although how many times they repackaged the initial release is a different (and valid) question.

I will more than likely get this because I want to see the director's cut, but like I said, I love my original release too and will not be parting with it. Also, if the director's cut is only two or three minutes different, that is going to be very annoying. They need to be clear on how much has changed.

Also, can we talk about the timing of this release? I know it's been rumored for years, but did Condon actually cut this version in 2006-7 and Paramount was sitting on it for 10 years? Or did he come back to it and recut it now? I'm happy to get it but the timing is very odd.

Lastly, anyone who is a fan of this movie and hasn't already done so should go over to Amazon or wherever you buy music and check out the London cast recording of the musical, which was released in May. The 2-disc set is (almost) the full show, recorded live, including a bunch of music that didn't make it into the movie which will be new to you if you haven't seen the show before, since it is much more of a sung-though piece (with characters regularly singing when they're not performing), as opposed to the movie making 99% of the singing (except for It's All Over/And I Am Telling You) into performance numbers only and adding dialogue scenes for the rest of the plot.

I wonder if there will be more singing for singing's sake because it is a musical in this version. I hope so.

Anyway, the new album is terrific. Amber Riley has grown up quickly and significantly from Glee and really delivers the arc for Effie, not to mention her incredible voice. And everyone else surrounding her, although not as big names, are equally sensational. It's a really good buy if you're a fan of this material. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XCD2JG8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[JPCinema]

Saw the reveal last month with Amber Riley in London. It was fantastic> One exception...Changing the lyrics and meaning of the song "Listen"....A very big change that diminishes this great show.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Changing the lyrics and meaning of the song "Listen"....A very big change that diminishes this great show.

The revised Listen works for me. I respect that it doesn't for you, but since it was added for the movie and was never in the show prior to the version that is currently in it, I'm not sure how changing it could diminish the show when it wasn't there in the first place.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm particularly troubled by the "iTunes will also include nearly an hour of additional new featurettes" that sound like they won't bbe on the disc. Paramount clearly hasn't learned anything from the Star Trek Into Darkness/Beyond retailer-exclusive extras fiasco. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

It could just mean that the iTunes version includes the same version that's on disc - iTunes has been carrying special features for new releases and this could just be a way of letting people know that even though it's a catalog title, it will still include bonus features.

Or, of course, it could mean exactly what you said. The problem is that I don't think this hurts their bottom line. I was hugely disappointed by their decision to put the Trek commentaries on iTunes instead of the disc, but I wasn't going to not buy a movie I loved solely because of that omission. Especially because the disc came with a coupon to redeem the iTunes version for free. So the lesson the studio probably got, even though it's not the one we were trying to send, was that people who want the movie will buy the movie anyway, and that they might as well keep doing these exclusives since they get extra money from the retailers for doing them. We're not going to give them extra money for not removing the commentary from the disc, but iTunes will give them easy money for leaving it off. And, they can always do a double-dip later and get people to pay for it again. I think that's what they learned.

Also, can we talk about the timing of this release? I know it's been rumored for years, but did Condon actually cut this version in 2006-7 and Paramount was sitting on it for 10 years? Or did he come back to it and recut it now? I'm happy to get it but the timing is very odd.

I think the release is coming now because the Paramount distribution deal with Warner ended. They've been reissuing a bunch of stuff that Warner was putting out for them prior, so I'm guessing it's simply a matter of them reassessing what they have out there and what they have in their archives ready to go.

 

[Jason_V]

My impression is that this is actually the second release for Dreamgirls, if you want to count actual newly-authored discs and content.

I totally understand how you got to 2. I guess I counted the single disc release and the 2 disc'er and the two movie set with Sparkle.

Needless to say, I have the 2 disc'er...time to get something new on the market no one has. At least IMHO.

 

[Matt Hough]

There was a Dreamgirls in Concert 2-CD set some years ago with Lillias White, Heather Headley, and Audra MacDonald that blew my socks off, and that's saying something since I did see the original Broadway run (but not while Jennifer Holiday was there), and I don't remember it being as well sung as that concert version was in all roles. At any rate, the score is so fantastic that one of these nearly complete versions is absolutely essential to get the full Dreamgirls experience. The movie was wonderfully entertaining, but the necessities of a movie meant the entire score wasn't going to be heard, and I didn't think any of the new song material to the film was top notch.

 

[JPCinema]

"Listen" was about abuse..and about the power of walking away from an abusive relationship . Now it's a schmaltzy song between Effie and Deena.....just an excuse for Efiie sing a part of a what was a great song.
A powerful moment from the film is gone from the stage version.
It was an anthem against abuse..... now abusively gone.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't see it that way at all. Putting Effie there gives those two central characters a moment of private reconciliation that the show was previously lacking, and which the movie does not have. It also allows Effie to help empower Deena to leave the abusive relationship which you discussed. Also, Deena still gets to walk away from him with her head held high in the next scene, which is a musical moment that the movie turned into dialogue.

I'm not saying I like one approach to Listen more than the other or that the other. I think they both work. But, the revision of Listen can't really detract from what it was in the show before if it never was in the show before.

 

[bujaki]

There was a Dreamgirls in Concert 2-CD set some years ago with Lillias White, Heather Headley, and Audra MacDonald that blew my socks off, and that's saying something since I did see the original Broadway run (but not while Jennifer Holiday was there), and I don't remember it being as well sung as that concert version was in all roles. At any rate, the score is so fantastic that one of these nearly complete versions is absolutely essential to get the full Dreamgirls experience. The movie was wonderfully entertaining, but the necessities of a movie meant the entire score wasn't going to be heard, and I didn't think any of the new song material to the film was top notch.

The presence of Audra MacDonald always elevates the material to another level.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Relive the Dream with a Director’s Extended Edition of the Sensational Musical Masterpiece

DREAMGIRLS


Taking the Stage October 10, 2017, Dazzling Blu-ray™ Combo Gift Set and Digital HD Release Include 10 Minutes of Additional Footage, Plus Never-Before-Seen Jennifer Hudson Auditions and More! ​

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Winner of two Academy Awards®* and three Golden Globes,®** including Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy, DREAMGIRLS arrives October 10, 2017 in a Blu-ray Combo gift set with a Digital HD copy and on Digital HD featuring a Director’s Extended Edition and never-before-seen bonus features from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

A rich and vivid tale of fame, fortune and the sacrifices they demand, director Bill Condon’s electrifying adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical was a triumphant success with audiences and critics alike. The Director’s Extended Edition includes 10 minutes of additional footage and represents Condon’s complete vision for the story of three singers who dream of stardom and learn the high cost of success.

The DREAMGIRLS Blu-ray Combo gift set is presented in striking new collectible book-style packaging with images of the musical moments and corresponding lyrics and includes the Director’s Extended Edition and theatrical versions of the film, as well as never-before-released footage of Jennifer Hudson’s auditions and screen test. The Digital HD release available on iTunes will also include nearly an hour of additional new featurettes and over four hours of previously released bonus content. The Blu-ray and Digital HD have been specially remixed with DTS:X immersive audio to enhance viewers’ enjoyment of the film’s music and sound.

Set in the 1960s, singers Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose), and Deena (Beyoncé Knowles) are discovered at a local talent show by ambitious manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx). The trio known as "the Dreamettes" is soon offered the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of opening for popular singer James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy). Subsequently molded by Taylor and propelled into the spotlight as "the Dreams," the girls find their bid for the big time taking priority over personal friendship, and begin to realize that the true cost of fame may be higher than any of them ever anticipated. DREAMGIRLS features a stellar cast including Academy Award® winner Jamie Fox***, global superstar Beyoncé Knowles, Golden Globe® winner Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson in her breakout, award-winning role.



DREAMGIRLS Blu-ray Combo

The DREAMGIRLS Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English DTS:X, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English DTS Headphone: X with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Japanese subtitles. The Blu-ray Combo gift set includes a Digital HD copy of the film, as well as the following:


Blu-ray

· Theatrical & Director’s Extended Edition via branching (in high definition)

· Jennifer Hudson – Auditions and Screen Test

o Audition: Can He Even Sing

o Audition: What About Me

o Audition: And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going

o Screen Test: And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going

DVD

· Director’s Extended Edition

· Jennifer Hudson – Auditions and Screen Test

o Audition: Can He Even Sing

o Audition: What About Me

o Screen Test: And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going







DREAMGIRLS Director’s Extended Edition

Street Date: October 10, 2017 (Blu-ray Combo gift set, Digital HD)

U.S. Rating: PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug content

 

[Jake Lipson]

Ten minutes? Really?

Edit: I should clarify that I respect Condon's choices on his cut, since it's his choice. However, double dipping for ten minutes is a lot more to ask than if they had just put both cuts on the original release.

 

[MatthewA]

Isn't that just the same extended cut that's on the old disc?* Sometimes it's not how much is put back that makes the difference, but what's in it.

There is one advantage to the new disc, and a key one in a musical: lossless sound.

*And if they can seamlessly branch multiple cuts, what's Disney's excuse?

 

[Jake Lipson]

Isn't that just the same extended cut that's on the old disc?

There is no extended cut on the previous disc. There are some deleted/extended/alternate take musical numbers available as bonus features, but everything presented in the body of the film itself was in the theatrical release. Condon's director's cut has never been available before. Of course, whether or not it includes some of the deleted scenes from the previous release's deleted scenes section is a good question.

 

[TJPC]

I totally understand how you got to 2. I guess I counted the single disc release and the 2 disc'er and the two movie set with Sparkle.

Needless to say, I have the 2 disc'er...time to get something new on the market no one has. At least IMHO.

I bought this set in a Walmart bargain bin for $7.99. I divided it up and downloaded the Blu ray cover from the internet for Dream Girls. This gave me the separate blu ray for Dreamgirls in which I also stored the extras disc from the DVD version. It also gave me a "Sparkle" frisbee, which I disposed of.
To me it was like storing "Gone With The Wind" with a 3 Stooges Flick.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Surprised no one commented on this release now that it's on the shelves!

I'm disappointed it drops the old disc's extras, but both picture and audio get an upgrade.

The longer cut of the film adds about 10 minutes - it's interesting but not required viewing...