HTF REVIEW: "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[SteveP]

While a good deal of dialogue in 70MM productions was looped, certainly not all of it was neccessarily.

Many of these films contain plenty of scenes where the on-set sound was used and then directionalized in post-production.

LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING is not the first DVD to feature the original directionalized mix basically intact--THE SOUND OF MUSIC, HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, and even the 40th Anniversary Laser Disc Dolby Digital track of THE KING AND I (from 1996!) feature good approximations of the original soundtracks.

So much of the SOUTH PACIFIC track was post-dubbed largely because so many of its scenes took place right by the beach.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Steve,

Thanks for bringing up about other video incarnations that preserve directional dialogue.

Sound of Music is actually an example I meant to bring up.

It's a personal thing with me as there was a reviewer on a *very* respected reivew site (not HTF!) who *criticized* the audio for its "odd and distracting dialogue that came out of the L/R speakers on occasion and wasn't properly locked in the center channel". :frowning:

When I wrote him to explain (in the most respectful of ways) about the historic nature of directional dialoge mixes and how FOX had actually preserved the original mix integrity (ie, the talking coming out of his L/R speakers wasn't a "mistake") he wrote back and told me that this was "my opinion" and that he viewed it as an error!

Pretty scary folks. Not to much different than some reviewer talking about the "distracting black bars" on the TV and how the image "was too small in that narrow band to properly watch on a normal 27" TV".

He who has ears...let him hear.

-dave

 

[Peter Kline]

The 5 Cinerama travelogues used live on-site mics. 5 in a special array to be played back via the 5 speakers behind the screen and 1 or 2 additional ambient mics.

Now, sing along with me..." Love.... is a many-splintered thing...."

 

[RolandL]

I love the DVD's that have directional dialogue. Was "The Robe" the first film to have directional dialogue? What DVD's have this feature?

 

[SteveP]

Where is this? Searched Midtown Manhattan this morning for it without success. Release delayed, perhaps?

 

[AlanP]

MARVELOUS FILM, CAN'T WAIT TO BUY
THE DVD.
BREATH TAKING SCENERY OF HONG KONG.
A MUST HAVE DVD.
ONE OF THE BEST FILMS FROM FOX !!!!!!!

 

[David Lambert]

Where is this? Searched Midtown Manhattan this morning for it without success. Release delayed, perhaps?

I couldn't find it anywhere, either. I suspect it is simply being slow-freighted in. I'll bide my time!

 

[Darko]

I picked it up last night on the way to work. I'm going to watch it tonight... I can't wait, Fox is really doing a great job on this Studio Classics line(now if only my copy of Sunrise would show up... it's been almost 8 weeks, and they cashed my cheque a month ago:frowning: :frowning: )

 

[Darko]

Well, I watched it last night, and must agree with you Ron, excellent film, and a beautiful job on the DVD by Fox . I agree that the acting was a bit melodramatic(a few times my wife rolled her eyes, and muttered an "Oh God") but then again that type of acting/dialogue was very common then.

I didn't see it brought up here, but did anyone else notice that the image brightness seems to change every now and then? Other than that and a few instances of excessive edge enhancement, I thought the picture looked fabulous for a fifty year old film.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING is not the first DVD to feature the original directionalized mix basically intact--THE SOUND OF MUSIC, HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, and even the 40th Anniversary Laser Disc Dolby Digital track of THE KING AND I (from 1996!) feature good approximations of the original soundtracks.

The Criterion Spartacus DVD is another good example. The previous Universal issue pulled the dialog in toward the center. It wasn't mono, but it was narrower stereo. I have found on these titles that it helps to have your left and right speakers near the sides of your screen. If they are too far away from the sides of the screen, it can be distracting.

 

[Darko]

Interestingly, on Love is a Many Splendoured Thing, I noticed that the l/r separation seemed very wide(for lack of a better term), even though my speakers are right beside the TV. This didn't happen very often but every now and then the soundstage seemed too wide, almost to the point of distraction.