Flash Gordon? (1 Viewer)

[James Reader]

I don't know where the subtitles appear, but they are likely to be player generated rather than burnt-in.

If you have a disc which already forces subtitles (perhaps you can try with a James Bond disc which replaces burnt in subtitles with player generated ones) then try this as a workaround:

1)start the movie
2)stop the movie
3)go to the player's set-up menu and select language
play around with the default subtitles options - select one then select none
4) exit the menu and resume the film. This may stop forced subtitles depending on your player (and sadly, if the disc lets you resume or not)

 

[Dave Mack]

Sounds good, James...

I just want to know 1st whether they are player generated though.....
edit... I just checked on a site and they only come on when the English audio is selected, meaning they MUST be player generated!

D

 

[Paul_Scott]

you can try here

http://www.dvdzone2.com/dvd/detail.asp?id=123087

just have to say, i saw this thread last week, and i ordered this from the above retailer on the 20th- it came in today.
exactly one week from Belgium to NY (actually i may have ordered on a Sat. or Sunday, but still...)

this was faster than using DDD here in the states.
the packaging was pretty good too.
disc came wrapped in foam, and a cardboard sleeve in addition to the outer cardboard.
iirc, when i order RS from amazon, they just use one piece of cardboard for the entire parcel.
disc arrived without a ding.

i haven't cracked it open yet, but just from the case design it looks pretty unique.
i'll pop it in tonight and see if i can work around the subs on my Malata.

all in all , a positive experience from this retailer so far, which makes me breathe a sigh of relief since i ordered another disc the next day before i had any clue about their service.

also, high marks to their websites interface.
very easy to navigate and order from and they seemed to have a good selection.


anyways, for dvdzone2

 

[Dave Mack]

Paul! Any luck with the subtitles? How does the disc look..?

D

 

[Paul_Scott]

unable to disable them on my Malata 520 since i have no set-up setting for the subtitles :frowning: .
about 60% of the time, they are below the image area, but the rest of the time dialouge is broken into two lines so some of it does intrude into the picture.

it shouldn't be a big deal, but it real pisses me off for several reasons

1) they didn't HAVE to be forced. it really seems like they are just sticking it to the English market here. surely they could have made these disable-able (?) but they consciously chose not to. ( and if you think it is all paranoid delusion, Hodges makes a comment within the first few minutes of the commentary about "dumb US foregin policy" )
a persons candid, honest comment doesn't bother me.
But degrading a release for a certain audience unecessarily, like this, does.

2) and i am further irked when i think of all the other French dvds i would love to finally see that they don't even bother subbing into English- while at the same time we have to make sure for the sake of Quebec, nearly every single R1 disc contains a French sub track.
that galls me.


other than the irritation of the sub issue, the disc is a big winner in all other respects.
really love the 5.1 track and why i would rather just wait for another R1 release before bothering to buy the UK edition with its paltry 2.0 track.

these extras appear to me to be commissioned soley for the French release.
i would be very suprised if they ever appear in any R1 issue ( like the comment referenced above).

the packaging is really quite lovely.
and the film... i really had forgotten how much fun this movie is.
the line readings from Von Sydow, Muti, Dalton and Topol are priceless.
it's clear everyone was having a lot of fun and that vibe very much carries over to the viewing.
not a totally brillant movie, but so much more fun than the typically crass juvenailia that gets made these days.

considering i paid less for this import set than i did for the bare bones laserdisc 10 years ago, it's hard to complain...just don't get me started on the subs.

 

[Paul_Scott]

as far as how the disc looks- i'd rate it about a B+.
i honestly think it is as good here as it will ever look short of an expensive, involved restoration, which we all realize it won't be seeing anytime soon.
there was a little bit of shimmering a couple times during the film and on the end credits, but i'm not sure how much this has to do with the transfer vs. the pal-ntsc downconversion from my player.
my pj won't sync on green so i can't project PAL progressively.
for an 80+" wide image i thought it looked very good considering the age, the style of filming at the time, etc.

disc seemed a little light, washed out, but after tweaking my display settings, i was able to get an image with solid blacks and robust colors.
i'll have to go back afterwards and re-avia-ate my settings, but at least i was able to create a satisfying visual presentation from it.

i'm not expecting the disc to look significantly better when Universal redoes it over here, and its a crapshoot whether they wil1 be able to use the 5.1 track, so...
it's a definte for any fan of the film.

 

[James Reader]

1) they didn't HAVE to be forced. it really seems like they are just sticking it to the English market here. surely they could have made these disable-able (?) but they consciously chose not to. ( and if you think it is all paranoid delusion, Hodges makes a comment within the first few minutes of the commentary about "dumb US foreign policy" )

Don't blame the French, blame the big monolithic US media corporations!

Usually forced subtitles are implemented on the request or insistence of the big corporations who own the rights to the film in English speaking territories. And yes, this included no English subs on most French films - think of the giant that is Miramax that takes foreign films and markets them virtually all over the world!

 

[Dave Mack]

Thanx, Paul

Mine might be coming today!

Who knows when this will ever get rereleased in R1. I also want the '79 Langella DRACULA, also OOP and also from Universal.


Any word on that title in any region?

D

 

[Dave Mack]

Well, it just came. Pic. and audio are very good. James, I tried your method on my JVC with no luck. It's quite annoying.

Anybody know a subtitle trick for the JVC...?

D

 

[Paul_Scott]

after going on and on about how impressed i was with the service from dvdzone2 they go and make me regret i said anything.
my second disc came today and this time there was no carboard whatsoever.
the disc was just thrown into a padded envelope.
tha't it.
not only was the disc loose and scratched, but the case was cracked & broken.
now it can't shut and snap closed.

arrrrggghhh!

and i paid the same price on shipping as i did on the Gordon set.

well one positive thing is this cools my heal on more willy-nilly ordering.
i really need to conserve my budget for domestic material anyway.



yeah, Dave i would love to see a nice disc for Dracula also.
i'm sure Universal will get around to re-doing it at some point.
unless it was a super-duper set like the Flash Gordon, i'd be content to just wait on that one.

 

[Dave Mack]

Hey Paul,

Just finished FLASH, good fun...
The subs are annoying and they do enter the frame info. area a bit. So if I mask out the bottom to cover the subs, I will lose a bit of the bottom of the image.

Oh well,

It'll tide me over I guess. I ordered from Amazon.fr and the service was good. Came in the typical Am. box but was in perfect condition.

D

 

[Dave Mack]

What was cool that I've never noticed b4 is Philip Stone who was Delbert Grady in "The Shining" plays the high priest in "Flash.."

D