FOX WESTERN CLASSICS I'm upset (1 Viewer)

[Joe Caps]

last year, Fox released a bunch of Classic westerns in Region 2. Several months later, almost all of these titles were released in Regionone, except for the biggie - the 1954 scope stereo classic, Garden of evil. Collectors assumed we would have to wait for the next May bunch of Western releases.
Theywere announced at dVD Planet yesterday and theres quite a few of the early scope stereo films that I like, but they re not good - The last Wagon, The Proud ONes, and These Thousand Hills.
STILL NO GARDEN OF EVIL.

Dear Fox - who the hell do we have to beg to get his film out in region one?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I beg to differ, especially about the first two titles which in my opinion are very good westerns. However, Fox is really missing the boat because "The Gunfighter" should already be released, since, it's a better film than any title mentioned in this thread.






Crawdaddy

 

[Richard--W]

Joe Caps, can you post the url for this announcement?

 

[Steve JD]

I just hope we get 4.0 on the 4-track stereo titles, and not fake-stereo (like Fox gave us for Warlock and others).

They need true movie fans working in their sound division!

 

[Robert Crawford]

There are too many of them, but Fox traditionally has released westerns and war films during the month of May and if you go to www.dvdplanet.com and select recently added from two days ago, you will see several pages of releases. Below is another thread I'd started with several releases besides just westerns.


http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=251449

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Speaking of Fox westerns, anyone know why THE LAST HARD MEN is always MIA on home video?

 

[Simon Howson]

Just get the region 2 - assuming you can play PAL discs that is. The quality is quite good, perhaps not as good as some of there other Fox releases for example I have the Optimum version of Kazan's Wild River which is better picture quality than Garden of Evil. However, the audio track on Garden is great. Herrmann's score really comes across nicely.

I'm happy with all three of these new Fox westerns. I'm really into early CinemaScope stuff, so I pick up as much as I can.

 

[Richard--W]

Mr. Hawson,

how's the qaulity of the region 2 editions of The Gunfighter and The Hanging Tree, do you know? Have you seen them?

 

[walter o]

LAST HARD MEN was out on VHS in U.S, in a "grey market" company using a master from cable. I have the Japanese pre-record from CBS/FOX, perhaps they think it is too violent for US?

 

[Simon Howson]

I don't know sorry. The only 2 Optimum Fox titles I've purchased are Garden of Evil, and Wild River.

I am very happy with the picture quality of both. Optimum told me by email that they receive the transfers directly from Fox. It is possible that Optimum use the transfers as is, where Fox may use further digital cleaning/manipulation.

I suggest this because DVDBeaver has done some comparisons between Optimum R2 and Fox R1 versions of the same title and noted the R1s seem slightly better. Even though if one believes Optimum, the exact same film to video master was used. One example I can recall of the R1 being slightly better is Forty Guns. Also, consider the recent Criterion release of Young Mr Lincoln. The Optimum transfer isn't completely bad, but newer transfers can be better. (See:http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev...gmrlincoln.htm)

Note that the Wild River disc is somewhat let down by the audio track. It contains quite a lot of hiss which I'm sure could've been filtered out. But again, that suggest to me that they don't manipulate the master at all. Garden of Evil has an excellent audio track for both dialog and music.

I do have pretty high expectations of the Optimum discs, because British pounds doesn't convert very well to Australian dollars. Including postage, the discs cost me about AUD$21 each (~US$16). I don't consider that cheap because the discs do not come with any extra features.

So, I doubt the other Optimum / Fox discs are terrible quality. But it is possible that official R1 releases could be somewhat better, I doubt it will be like comparing a public domain disc to a Criterion

 

[Dave GR]

DVD Beaver on THE GUNFIGHTER here.

 

[Douglas R]

The Optimum R2 does NOT have an excellent audio track. It is mono. Get the Spanish version which is far better, in stereo.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Ah, but Fox will be releasing, at long last, the great YELLOW SKY (1948) on R1, in that May '06 wave. Cause for much rejoicing!

Checking that DVD Planet list, three other Fox catalog releases for May also please me greatly:

DECISION BEFORE DAWN (1951) --a truly excellent WWII espionage tale, starring Richard Basehart, Oskar Werner and Gary Merrill, directed by Anatole Litvak.
MURDER, INC (1960)
COMPULSION (1959)

 

[Michael Elliott]

I can't believe they're releasing YELLOW SKY and not THE GUNFIGHTER. I wonder if Fox has heard of a possible Peck box set.

 

[Simon Howson]

OK. I think it is a good mono track.

 

[Member 323668]

The best version of "Garden of Evil" is the R2 DVD from Koch Media Germany. It is not a DVD5 as the Optimum, but formatted on a DVD9 with far less compression problems.

I have both the Optimum release and the Koch. There is quite a difference!

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000B9PV5E



"The Gunfighter" in the Studio Classics series with Lobby Card reprint, very nicely done;

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000BX69AQ


And here some more Fox Westerns on Koch DVD9 - compared to Optimum's overcrompressed DVD5 releases:

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000B9PV54

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009XD8UC

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009XD8UM

...and finally my special recommendation of Columbia's "Two Rode Together" released by Sony.

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000BC9ZZS

 

[SteveGon]

My UK R2 release of The Gunfighter (my fav Western) is on the way - I'll letcha know how it looks.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Don't bother, I rather wait then buy another PAL dvd, besides I'm still able to watch it due to the satellite and a little machine called the dvd recorder.





Crawdaddy

 

[Doug Bull]

I have both the British and the Spanish Pal versions of THE GARDEN OF EVIL.( both are 16:9 )
The Spanish disc is by far the best in both picture and Sound.
The Stereo sound is very, very important on this particular title.
Bernard Herrmann's dynamic score demands a booming Stereo Track which the Spanish release well and truly delivers.

The Australian region 4 version of THE GUNFIGHTER is acceptable, but is nothing really special.
I'm not a fan of Fox transfers as I think that the black levels nearly always tend to be on the heavy side, which results in poor greyscales.

I'm thrilled that we have some more Scope Westerns coming.
I always liked the Last Wagon and The Proud Ones.
I will most certainly be buying both of these.

YELLOW SKY is a terrific western, but a recent, better than average print was recently run here on Digital Cable and somehow or other it seemed to magically find it's way onto a DVD+R, mm, strange that.

Where is White Feather?

 

[Jeff_HR]

I've had the above mentioned "The Gunfighter" from R4 for the last 18 months. I'll be getting that "DECISION BEFORE DAWN" DVD. Hard to believe a relatively obscure film like that being released.