DVD Review HTF Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly CE (Highly Recommended!) (1 Viewer)

[Randy A Salas]

I did some exact-frame screen captures last night but forgot to upload them.

 

[Rob Mac]

On the contents page it shows 6 post cards fanned out. I got 5. Anyone get 6? "Was there 6 cards or only 5. I lost track myself in all this..." Ooops, wrong movie. I also got a CD cover insert from the soundtrack leading me to think the soundtrack is hidden someplace in this set. Are they just teasing me? I think the extended torture scene should have been put back in the film. The damage was not that bad. It could have been re-edited with the good elements.

 

[JonZ]

Theres a pretty big difference. The new disc looks fantastic!

"Not real crazy about the packaging on this set"

Me neither. I would have preferred Escape From NY type packaging.

Also suprised how much the soundalike sounds like Van Cleef. I was worried

 

[Carlo_M]

Rob, I only have 5 cards too.

FWIW - I did a screen grab from PowerDVD, which of course captures the black bars as well. I then went into Photoshop and cropped away the black bars as best I could.

I'm sure I'm a few pixels off, but the remaining image was: 960x410 pixels = 2.34:1 aspect ratio. When I get home I'll compare it vs. the old version.

 

[Randy A Salas]

Here are three screen grabs I made. In all cases, the "a" file is the old DVD and the "b" the new one. The best way to view them is to load each numbered scene in your browser; then go back and forth between the two pages to see how the image differs between the two releases. On No. 3, note how his face changes shape slightly, as if the film wasn't making good contact for the transfer on the old disc, but was flattened properly on the new one. I did not reduce these images at all, nor did I adjust or process them in any way. They were simply converted from BMPs to JPGs to conserve space.

Opening scene:
http://home.comcast.net/~rasalas/1a.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rasalas/1b.JPG

Angel Eyes rides in at sundown:
http://home.comcast.net/~rasalas/2a.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rasalas/2b.JPG

A meal before dying:
http://home.comcast.net/~rasalas/3a.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rasalas/3b.JPG

 

[Shane Roach]

I've got to weigh in with a few complaints on the packaging as well.

After comparing about 18 copies at Best Buy to find one with crisp foil-stamped text centered on the spine and no dirt marks on the box, I thought I was home free. Then I opened it and found a big smudge underneath the price sticker! Aagh! So I tried to remove it with a gentle touch on an eraser, but that messed up the matte-coated finish on the paper. I managed to remove the back sheet without tearing the box paper, but it did leave a small bubble; there was also a small bubble on the lid, just to the right of Clint's head.

"Well, camel poo," I said, and set to work opening the box. The level of difficulty was somewhere between the Memento SE DVD and the Jurassic Park CAV LD. Then I was greeted by Disc 1 in the lid, a nifty booklet, cards for the soundtrack album and posters (don't remember if it was 5 or 6, sorry guys), and that ugly black anti-theft tag UNDER the disc carrier in the bottom of the box. Optimally it'd be on top of the carrier so I could peel it off without damaging any underlying paper, though I'd have accepted it if it were hidden behind the DVD. But no, it's right there smack above the disc, and in the middle of that pretty copper sheet. It looks horrible there, but I don't see any way of removing it without absolutely destroying the box, so I guess it has to stay. Crap.

 

[CraigF]

Was going to say how much I liked the packaging, but after reading I guess I better not!

Suppose it might become a pain keeping everything from tumbling out, will have to see. Considering this set cost a few bucks less (here) than TGE, seems pretty darn good (I don't like the non-shrinkwrapped thing for TGE) with the inserts. My case looks perfect, hand-picked by the fine folks at amazon.

 

[Shane Roach]

Don't get me wrong, Craig. I think the packaging for this set is gorgeous, and very well-designed. It just loses points because of the execution.

IMO there's no reason the anti-theft tag couldn't be put on top of the disc carrier, especially on a set like this where the box's design and construction makes it impossible for me, the paid-in-full permanent owner with no need for inventory tracking in my home, to remove it for aesthetic and philosophical reasons.

 

[Raymond_H]

Count me as one of those that likes the packaging.

I still haven't seen this movie, and waited patiently until this edition came out. Like others have stated, hopefully the other 2 will get the well-done treatment as well.

Watching it tonight!

Ray

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Got five cards. BTW, why is there a soundtrack listing?

 

[Haggai]

I think the soundtrack promo is in there because, as Randy Salas mentioned upthread, a new CD of the soundtrack was released today as well.

 

[TonyE]

The packaging is cool and so is the artwork. In fact, I love the artwork. But it is alot taller and a little wider than a standard keep case. So I had to put it in with my boxed sets and misc. sized special editions. Fine be me, this movie is so good, it deserves its own special place.

Love the new transfer by the way!

 

[Justin Bauer]

This set sold like crazy at my Best Buy.
I hope the sales are good enough to get SEs of the other 2 movies.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Ah, another pet peeve of mine. Just like in the Sex & The City sets, where you can't get at it yet see it clearly through all the plastic? Damn things are such a nuisance, and fugly to boot.

Sigh. Anyway, can't wait, my copy is somewhere between here and the US (Amazon shipped it last Friday, so I should get it in a few days ).

 

[Roger_R]

Hated that black thingie too only that in my box it was white. I also got 5 poster cards.

To me it looks like they put the bottom of the picture at the same place, but zoomed in slightly so that the other three edges are cropped.

By the way, the ad for the soundtrack is lying/lieing(or however you spell that word). The Italian version of the soundtrack sounds better than the old unmastered, US one which leads me to believe the Italian one was remastered somewhat, making it the one to be remastered for the first time
Also, the Italian one got 21 tracks whereas the US one only has 11...

 

[Haggai]

The soundtrack ad in the DVD only lists 11 tracks, and I don't know what's up with that. I also picked up the CD yesterday when I got the DVD, and the CD has 21 tracks. In the ad, they didn't list the 10 tracks that had previously been unreleased in the US.

Also, what's up with the German title of the movie (which is on one of the poster cards)? I think it translates as "Two Glorious Scoundrels." Uh...what? Are we talking about the same movie?

 

[Paul Hillenbrand]

The packaging sucks in my situation. This is the only DVD packaging that is too tall to put on my DVD storage shelves. There are 1,475 other DVD cases on these shelves and kept in alphabetical order. I'm going to have to find a dual disc keepcase and transfer the 2 discs, making my own copy of the cover of the original box and spine. The back will be easy to insert.

Anyone know where to find those rare 2 disc keepcases?:rolleyes

Paul

 

[John Hodson]

Leone's working title for the movie was The Two Magnificent Tramps; doesn't have the same ring does it?

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So many films, so little time...

 

[Haggai]

No, it doesn't sound the same, especially considering that there are three main dudes, not two! Was it going to be two at some point, with a third added later on in the project's development?

 

[John Hodson]

No, perversely it was always three; but only two were considered 'magnificent' or 'glorious' it seems!

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So many films, so little time...