Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Sound of Music (Combo Pack) (1 Viewer)

[John Skoda]

I got the deluxe box, and I really didn't need to. Especially since the soundtrack CD has just the album contents--nothing new. The blu-ray is wonderful, though.

 

[Joe Caps]

A couple things i must mention(dare I).


The original six track has been used since the first letterbox laser.

The only difference I ever heard in thetheater between the four and six track is the finale vocal has a more prominent vocal line from the male chorus.


For some reason, over the years, the surround track for this film has gotten lower and lower in volume. This film had very loud surrounds, as did Mary Poppins, Camelot, Dr. Zhivago, a few others but it doesn't seem to be that way on home video.


Further, the complete Chris Plummer vocal of edelweiss exists, as I have a copy of the whole thing.

 

[GMpasqua]

Originally Posted by MattH.

I certainly would like to have heard all of Christopher Plummer's own vocals if they had them. I guess they didn't.

All of Chris Plummers vocals exist - they were going to release them a while back, but Chris didn't think they sounded good enough and asked they not be issued. One of the The FOX screen test DVDs includes his version of "Edelwiess" I believe it was also up on you tube for a while as were Audrey Hepburn, Roz Russell and Leslie Caron vocals from "My Fair Lady", "Gypsy" and "Gigi" as someone synced them up to the video

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by GMpasqua






All of Chris Plummers vocals exist - they were going to release them a while back, but Chris didn't think they sounded good enough and asked they not be issued. One of the The FOX screen test DVDs includes his version of "Edelwiess" I believe it was also up on you tube for a while as were Audrey Hepburn, Roz Russell and Leslie Caron vocals from "My Fair Lady", "Gypsy" and "Gigi" as someone synced them up to the video

I have those Fox screen test DVDs, and I don't remember Plummer's vocal for the song on there. I do remember Keith Michell's screen test for the Captain being on it. But I haven't watched them in years, so perhaps I'm mistaken.

 

[GMpasqua]

They may have been on the FOX dvd's with the screen tests or the other batch they issued - don't remember what they were called, they're out there somewhere

 

[Rick Thompson]

I agree with most of the review. The one exception is those new "interactive" extras. They would have been much better off doing a full documentary such as the one included with "South Pacific." These new ones are gimmicks with minimal content. Without a "play all" option, you spend way too much time at the interactive menu. The little segments themselves are sketchy at best and uninformative at worst.


Worst of all, you have to hear all of the menu music before the menu itself reappears after you watch one of these. If I have to hear the instrumental opening of "So Long, Farewell" one more time I'll scream!


The main reason to get the Blu-ray, of course, is the film itself and the new transfer is worth every penny. But those interactive extras -- ugh! Feh!

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Rick Thompson

I agree with most of the review. The one exception is those new "interactive" extras. They would have been much better off doing a full documentary such as the one included with "South Pacific." These new ones are gimmicks with minimal content. Without a "play all" option, you spend way too much time at the interactive menu. The little segments themselves are sketchy at best and uninformative at worst.


Worst of all, you have to hear all of the menu music before the menu itself reappears after you watch one of these. If I have to hear the instrumental opening of "So Long, Farewell" one more time I'll scream!


The main reason to get the Blu-ray, of course, is the film itself and the new transfer is worth every penny. But those interactive extras -- ugh! Feh!

But there is a 'play all' option. There's an option to view all of the featurettes on one list, and there you can choose to play them all at once.

 

[bigshot]

Is there any information in the supplements on Bil Baird, the puppeteer who designed the Lonely Goatherd song? He did a children's book of it that would make a great image gallery.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by bigshot

Is there any information in the supplements on Bil Baird, the puppeteer who designed the Lonely Goatherd song? He did a children's book of it that would make a great image gallery.

Not really. There is a short featurette on the Salzburg Marionette Theater, who inspired the sequence and were asked to do it but couldn't due to scheduling conflicts.

 

[bigshot]

That's a shame. Bil Baird was one of the greatest puppeteers of his time, just as great as Jim Henson. They really missed out on an opportunity there.

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by bigshot

That's a shame. Bil Baird was one of the greatest puppeteers of his time, just as great as Jim Henson. They really missed out on an opportunity there.

They missed out on creating featurettes on the technical aspects (almost nothing on the camerawork? really?) of the movie as well. Oh well, it's still a great set.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I'm having trouble selecting the audio track I want for the My Favorite Things mode. I tried selecting both an audio commentary and the 4.0 English tracks on the main menu before entering the mode, but the sound reverted to the 7.1 English default, which my TV cannot process. Is there a work-around I can use?


The movie and Blu-ray presentation are top-notch, and I am very satisfied with my purchase.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Tarkin,

What kind of TV and BD player are you using?

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I'm using a Sony Bravia HDTV and LG BD-370 Blu-ray player with Profile 2.0.

 

[Projectionist]

Being a projectionist-service technician in movie theaters and having run this in 70mm I can tell you that the sound track contained on the Blu-Ray is nothing but a mere shade of the original mix. It's just not even close to the way it sounded when played back properly in a movie theater. I donno why Hollywood has to screw around with something as golden as the original sound mix for this film. On the 70mm prints there was much dialoge panning between the front 5 screen speakers. Of course back then the surrounds were just mono. However, on the release prints the sound was considerably more dynamic than it is on the Blu-Ray. The picture quality on the Blu Ray speaks in droves for the capability of the Todd-AO 70mm system and I heard that the original camera negative was used for this and scanned at 8K resolution. Anyone else here this so it can be confirmed? It's sad that all the great 70mm film systems have been put to bed for good and that we have to settle for lesser quality 2K resolution at the cinema. Thankfully the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood makes use of the very few 70mm prints that are left today... so they can occasionally still be seen presented properly and heard with the original sound mix.


Mark

 

[john a hunter]

Originally Posted by Projectionist

Being a projectionist-service technician in movie theaters and having run this in 70mm I can tell you that the sound track contained on the Blu-Ray is nothing but a mere shade of the original mix. It's just not even close to the way it sounded when played back properly in a movie theater. I donno why Hollywood has to screw around with something as golden as the original sound mix for this film. On the 70mm prints there was much dialoge panning between the front 5 screen speakers. Of course back then the surrounds were just mono. Mark

They may have been mono, Mark, but the effects track as it was then called contained some very effective use of "surround"- birds during the opening, bells during the wedding and lots of reverb during the chase thru the grave yard at the end. None of which appears on the BD.

 

[MatthewA]

Back to the actual content of the movie, does anyone else find it odd that Frau Schmidt only appears in two scenes, then never again, while the first scene in which Max and the Baroness are at the house, an unnamed housemaid serves strudel to Max?

 

[Rob_Ray]

Originally Posted by MatthewA

Back to the actual content of the movie, does anyone else find it odd that Frau Schmidt only appears in two scenes, then never again, while the first scene in which Max and the Baroness are at the house, an unnamed housemaid serves strudel to Max?

Not really. the "unnamed housemaid" was part of the kitchen help. Someone in Frau Schmidt's position would probably not be carrying trays of food to the guests. The only mildly odd thing is that she and one of the nuns did not get any screen credit. I wonder if "Fraulein Strudel" was hired in Austria and dubbed by someone else back at Fox.

 

Norma Varden did indeed receive screen credit.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Originally Posted by Eric Scott Richard

Norma Varden did indeed receive screen credit.

Sorry, Eric. I meant to say that "Fraulein Strudel" did not get any screen credit. Norma Varden has always been one of my favorites going back to the days of "Hazel."