Happy Birthday To Me DVD Soundtrack has been replaced!!! (1 Viewer)

[Ryan Wishton]

Here is some more news on Happy Birthday to me.

This news comes from DVDTalk.



*** BAD NEWS*** for fans of this flick. Sony-Columbia dropped the ball big time on this DVD release.

The entire film has been rescored. All of the original music is gone and has been replaced with a new score - including different cues and music in places where there never was any music before. Don't know why they did this and there's no mention of "music rescored" anywhere on the packaging. But it's all been changed, folks!

On top of that, it's the same old R-rated version - none of the cut moments have been restored.

I think most of us could live with the same R-rated version we've seen for years, but with all the music changed now, this is not the film we know and love. Considering Sony added the poster art insert after the fan's outcries and letter writing campaign, it's astonishing that Sony thinks they can get away with wiping out the film's original music without anyone noticing. Horror fans are a lot smarter than you think, Sony.

Another botched horror title. And they want $24.95 for it!

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Ah, Sony. Start picking up those MGM titles you've ignored before Sony gets their hands on them and begins ruining them wholesale.

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Many thought this would make it uncut because the movie played in most theaters uncut supposedly. So, it wasnt that far of a stretch really. But, they should have never gotten their hopes up with no announcement of this.

Sort of like Terror Train. The DVD is the cut version even though the uncut version played on FMC a few times in widescreen no less. I remember seeing it on FMC several years ago. Then I rented the recent DVD and thought this seems tame compared to what I remember. Seemed like stuff I remembered was missing. Probably because I saw the uncut version.

Anyways, This movie (HBTM) was a rarity. It was one of the only horror/slashers to actually be cut after being in the theater.

Showtime/HBO demanded a tamer version of the film before they would show it. So, things were edited down and all releases since (including video releases) have been the cable shown version.

One of the Fangos has a story on this from many years back.

There is an uncut version overseas, but it's from VHS and is very hard to track down. The true version anyways.

There is also a scam version that floats around as being uncut, but it's not. I know. I was one of the ones scammed.

As for the Soundtrack? What were they thinking? No one ever asked for such a thing. Why waste your time replacing a soundtrack from a 1980 movie no one asked to be replaced to begin with?

 

[Kevin M]

You know, I think the amount of DVD "Net Bitching" is a bit overdone sometimes but this.....I don't even like the movie however it has bad connotations for future products that I do like...why the hell would they waste the time and expense? It's pointless, was there a rights issue?

 

[walter o]

Many thought this would make it uncut because the movie played in most theaters uncut supposedly. So, it wasnt that far of a stretch really. But, they should have never gotten their hopes up with no announcement of this.

Sort of like Terror Train. The DVD is the cut version even though the uncut version played on FMC a few times in widescreen no less. I remember seeing it on FMC several years ago. Then I rented the recent DVD and thought this seems tame compared to what I remember. Seemed like stuff I remembered was missing. Probably because I saw the uncut version.

Anyways, This movie (HBTM) was a rarity. It was one of the only horror/slashers to actually be cut after being in the theater.

Showtime/HBO demanded a tamer version of the film before they would show it. So, things were edited down and all releases since (including video releases) have been the cable shown version.

One of the Fangos has a story on this from many years back.

are you sure? The cable versions of films like SWAMP THING, HUMONGOUS, DEATHSHIP, had scenes that were not in the video nor theatrical release, like more nudity, more graphic violence.

Also I do not think an uncut version of HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME ever played in US theatres. the version on cable, ld, vhs is the same identical version I saw on opening night, and as second feature to GRADUATION DAY back in 1981. First version of HBTM on video is same as the theatre, as was the cable version, then subsequent vhs release was the same, nothing altered at all.

As for TERROR TRAIN, if the version on dVD is shorter than the FXM channel edition, wouldnt Video wAtchdog or posters at that "other" forum that is down right now has mentioned it?

 

[Michael Elliott]

ROTLD2 has a new soundtrack apparently as does the first film so I wonder if any of the edits here are due to music issues? I've never seen the film before except on (I think) Fox were it was already cut pretty bad into a 90 minute time slot.

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Walter,

Some people have mentioned clearly seeing a longer version of Happy Birthday to me. Maybe not everyone did. Who knows? Not me. I never saw it in theaters. But, I still know what I read and I dont make stuff up to amuse myself.

Track down the old Fangoria issue if you are interested that covered the movie. It would be one of the 1982 issues when the movie first went to cable.

They specifically stated the movie was further toned down before going to cable.

Heres one example of someone who stated this:

http://www.horrordvds.com/vb3forum/a...hp/t-9856.html

Last post.

I know I read another way more detailed article on this. But, thats a long, long time ago. I will try to track that down. If any luck, I will post the links.

Im not going to lie about such petty things. Why? That would just be stupid.

 

[DeanR]

This is awful news. This movie was a huge guilty pleasure for me when I saw it as a senior in High School. I badly wanted to retire my craptastic full screen laserdisc. The theme song was sung by Syreeta, who unfortunately passed away recently. I doubt Syreeta/Motown records demanded too much money for music rights. I can live with crappy cover art, theatrical only cuts, and non-anamorphic transfers for low budget movies but changing the soundtrack is completely unacceptable. No Sale!

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

I've never heard of the film (and if it is a typical 80s horror film, have no interest in seeing it). I just clicked on this thread out of curiosity to see what the thread title meant.

Frankly, this idea is really disturbing and wrong. If this is true, then the mind boggles. Why would you do this? Surely not music rights if we're talking about a score composed for the movie. As Kevin said, this is worrying not just for fans of this film, but for fans of films altogether if the removal and replacement of an entire score is now a possibility.

We'll have to keep an eye on this issue.

 

[Walt Riarson]

Though mass complaint e-mails to Columbia persuaded them to include an insert with the original 1-sheet artwork, it's far too late to e-mail them with hopes of turning this kind of error around. :frowning:

The only thing we can hope for is an e-mail campaign after it is released. Perhaps in a year or two, they will re-visit the title (like Candyman and Christine) with all the original music in-tact, and perhaps, the uncut version.

The sad thing is, we have to buy the disc, to show that there is indeed a demand for the title. A terrible catch-22.

I suggest everyone who e-mailed them regarding that horrible cover artwork e-mail them again once the disc hits the streets. Whether you buy it or not, we must let them know that we are not pleased.

Though at the moment, the only thing I can suggest is to sit tight. :frowning:

 

[Justin_S]

This is truly pathetic. I consider Columbia the worst studio in the DVD field. And to think, Sony/Columbia now has MGM and all of their unreleased horror titles, many of which I was eagerly anticipating quality releases of. A true shame.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

This is absurd. Columbia continues to be the Worst! But what am I supposed to do? I saw the film when it was in theatres, and then I eventually got the old VHS tape and as far as I recall, it was the same version I saw in the U.S. theatre. I already got rid of my old tape (which was used when I bought it anyway and pretty wrecked) and I guess I'm going to buy the DVD. It's a film I've only watched twice in the past 20-something years and I don't know it well enough to tell what was changed anyway. I'm not excusing this outrageous blunder; I'm just saying the film isn't that important for me to pass on the DVD and settle for re-buying back an old VHS.

 

[Darren Gross]

Where is this news on DVD Talk? I can't find it anywhere.

I just watched the DVD and while I've never seen the film before, it didn't seem like a rescore...There are vocal songs in it and the rest of the scoring seemed orchestral in nature, not the usual cheap synthesizer replacement score of VHS years past...Can anyone who knows the film well and has seen the actual disc confirm that this it has been rescored?

Something about this seems fishy to me, and I'm starting to believe the news is erroneous.

 

[ErikG]

I think your right, Darren. According to this post by a DVDTalk Reviewer, the theme song appears to be intact (thank god!):


http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...5&pagenumber=1

 

[Michael Elliott]

The reviewer at DVDTalk confirmed that the end song (over the end credits) is still there. It's not clear if the guy making this claim has the disc or just heard from someone.

And again, IF it was changed, was this due to some legal issues like the two RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD films? Music had to be changed on them before they could be released so perhaps that's the deal here???



EDIT TO ADD---Oops, Erik beat me to it.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

I can only hope that a better version of this film will surface in another region somehow.

 

[Steve Phillips]

I guess my old Laserdisc won't get retired after all.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Fox Movies has listed TERROR TRAIN for a month now, but every time I try to TiVo it, I get other films. Sigh. Not that it's a great movie, but it would be fun to watch. I wonder if they ran into trouble for showing that "long version" that a previous poster talked about?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Well, I finally watched this DVD yesterday and the new "pop song" main title music was just ridiculous. I thought that I had already thrown out the old VHS, but actually it was in a pile with other throwaway cassettes, so I was able to retrieve it and do a comparison.

Well, there IS no comparison, really - the tape's opening was much better with the haunting instrumental muzak as opposed to the new Top 40 song. As it stands now, I feel like I'm tuning into FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH!

I understand that this was originally the way the movie was intended to be, but if that was the case I can easily understand why it was changed at the last minute for theatrical release. It's just awful.

But despite that, the end theme is indeed still the same one. And the quality of the DVD blows away my old fullscreen VHS.

 

[Jon Martin]

I can't imagine that they would go to the trouble of rescoring the entire film just to anger fans of the film. There must have been another reason, music rights issues especially.

If as mentioned above the theme was a Motown song, Motown probably asked too much for it.