Imprint Television Bewitched (Blu-ray) Release (1 Viewer)

[brynmill]

I understand that the Bewtiched episodes DO feature the original opening credits and original as broadcast theme music (carrying 1964 then 1965 copyright dates on screen), rather than the 1966 titles with the colour removed.

Would be interested to know what the quality is like of Jeannie compared to the Mill Creek set. And no doubt no audio issued that they that for 1 specific episode

 

[Nelson Au]

Guys, I’ve had the Imprint blu rays of Bewitched S1 and 2 and I Dream of Jeanne for a few weeks now.

I watched the first 2 episodes of Bewitched and the image really is good! Aside from the increased resolution which is going to be a given, the contrast in the black and white image is soo much better when looking at the colorized DVD’s with color off. The blacks are so much deeper.

I always think of back in the days when these episodes and other TV shows aired, the home viewer would never have had such a great looking image! And these sound great too. I am not super familiar with the music in the titles music as others are. The opening music does sound like a different version in the second episode then what I’m used to hearing. I think many on the forum have been concerned about these releases using the original music that was used as these episode aired.

As a casual fan, I’m pleased with these Imprint sets. I’ll have to picked up the rest of the series, as expensive as it is.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm not a big enough fan of television shows to spend that much money on series I might not watch completely except for a few episodes.

 

[Nelson Au]

I'm not a big enough fan of television shows to spend that much money on series I might not watch completely except for a few episodes.

I totally understand that. I’m not even sure I’ll watch every episode. I did do a watch of the entire series a few years ago and I liked it enough.

 

[Garysb]

It's not a real original opening without the sponsor.

 

[Daniel Melius]

I have these all on dvd but am considering upgrading to blu ray for the first 2 seasons. There were different writers after season 2 that had a different focus on the show. Seasons 1 and 2 are the only seasons i would upgrade to blu ray for.

 

[Garysb]

Seasons 5 and 6 are up for preorder July 30, 2025 release date. Beware of Darrin switch.
It would be funny instead of having the cartoon Samantha turning into a cat, to have the cartoon Dick York turn into a cartoon Dick Sargent. In my opinion it is a shame that the second box set was not the last 3 Dick York seasons and a final set with the 3 Dick Sargent seasons.

Bewitched - Seasons 5 & 6 (1968 - 1970) - Imprint Television #15 | Via Vision Entertainment

WITH THE TWITCH OF A NOSE, BEWITCHED POPS UP IN HIGH-DEFINITION!

viavision.com.au

 

[Todd_Z]

The first set was light blue, second pink, third dark blue, any guesses what the color will be for the final two seasons set???
I will say the prints looks amazing on the first two seasons of Bewitched and the I Dream Of Jeannie set. Imprint definitely has beaten Mill Creek to the punch. Awaiting delivery of the Gidget set which was another of those Sony licensed titles to Mill Creek. Can only hope Imprint continues with more Sony releases. At least they are doing them the right way.

 

[timk1041]

The first set was light blue, second pink, third dark blue, any guesses what the color will be for the final two seasons set???
I will say the prints looks amazing on the first two seasons of Bewitched and the I Dream Of Jeannie set. Imprint definitely has beaten Mill Creek to the punch. Awaiting delivery of the Gidget set which was another of those Sony licensed titles to Mill Creek. Can only hope Imprint continues with more Sony releases. At least they are doing them the right way.

Imprint should find a way to acquire the rest of Donna Reed Seasons 6-8 if possible. Maybe even get The Farmer's Daughter?????

 

[ScottRE]

Imprint should find a way to acquire the rest of Donna Reed Seasons 6-8 if possible. Maybe even get The Farmer's Daughter?????

Just going by their history - Imprint focuses on shows that have already had a full release at some point (so somewhat recent prints are already available) and/or have a large cult following to justify the expense in doing the restoration themselves.

The Donna Reed Show wasn't finished on DVD, so there may not be restored prints available. And it would most likely be a DVD release on the Via Vision label rather than their prestige Blu Ray release. You'll see a bunch of US shows released that way; Kojak, The Fugitive, Hawaii Five-O, etc. The Farmer's Daughter has never gotten an official release, so that would be a hell of a long shot. It is a Screen Gems/Sony series, so they do have a partnership with them, but for Imprint to put money in a restoration, they would have to be fairly confident in a return on their investment. Bewitched is a fairly safe bet, so it's getting this unique treatment from them. The Farmer's Daughter is largely forgotten. It is more of a Mill Creek title, honestly.

 

[timk1041]

Just going by their history - Imprint focuses on shows that have already had a full release at some point (so somewhat recent prints are already available) and/or have a large cult following to justify the expense in doing the restoration themselves.

The Donna Reed Show wasn't finished on DVD, so there may not be restored prints available. And it would most likely be a DVD release on the Via Vision label rather than their prestige Blu Ray release. You'll see a bunch of US shows released that way; Kojak, The Fugitive, Hawaii Five-O, etc. The Farmer's Daughter has never gotten an official release, so that would be a hell of a long shot. It is a Screen Gems/Sony series, so they do have a partnership with them, but for Imprint to put money in a restoration, they would have to be fairly confident in a return on their investment. Bewitched is a fairly safe bet, so it's getting this unique treatment from them. The Farmer's Daughter is largely forgotten. It is more of a Mill Creek title, honestly.

All true, but more surprising things have happened. If not Imprint/Via Vision, some one else might.

 

[Joel Arndt]

I have these all on dvd but am considering upgrading to blu ray for the first 2 seasons. There were different writers after season 2 that had a different focus on the show. Seasons 1 and 2 are the only seasons i would upgrade to blu ray for.

Dan, as of right now, they only have 35 copies remaining of Seasons 1 and 2 in stock, so if you want them I'd make a purchase fairly soon. BTW, they look amazing! I've been a huge fan of this show my entire life and have really been enjoying revisiting it in HD.

Also, Imprint's customer service is wonderful and they were packaged so well to travel over 10K miles to me. Not one scratch or dent. Highly recommended.

 

[ScottRE]

Dan, as of right now, they only have 35 copies remaining of Seasons 1 and 2 in stock, so if you want them I'd make a purchase fairly soon. BTW, they look amazing! I've been a huge fan of this show my entire life and have really been enjoying revisiting it in HD.

Also, Imprint's customer service is wonderful and they were packaged so well to travel over 10K miles to me. Not one scratch or dent. Highly recommended.

Agreed about Imprint's customer service. They accidentally sent me a second copy of The Prisoner, but because of the cost of shipping, told me to keep it. I wound up giving it to my sister, since I didn't feel right selling it. Imprint is very responsive and easy to deal with.

 

[Robbie^Blackmon]

Agreed about Imprint's customer service. They accidentally sent me a second copy of The Prisoner, but because of the cost of shipping, told me to keep it. I wound up giving it to my sister, since I didn't feel right selling it. Imprint is very responsive and easy to deal with.

And about what was the time frame for their response to you? I just got a brand-spanking new Complete Gidget set instead of the costlier Bewitched 1-2 that I ordered and, for me, it's been 4 days and 4 attempts to contact them with no response about getting this rectified.

 

[ScottRE]

Wow yeah that's odd. About a day, it was one email and a response from them.

 

[Robbie^Blackmon]

Wow yeah that's odd. About a day, it was one email and a response from them.

Nice. I got nothing about this. They got half the order right and I got the Season 3-4, but Gidget has cost me about double (the Bewitched set is much pricier on their site) since it looks like I'm shh-tuck with it!

For the original order which was for seasons 1-2 and 3-4, I did contact them b/c the website wouldn't let me create an account. I got an immediate response to that (from someone purporting to be "Lester") and, of course, as soon as the payment processed I got 5 different confirmations with a follow-up tracking number and final delivery notice. Now that there's a problem, like Charlie Brown, I got a rock! And that's after trying to open claim tickets, send new, direct messages AND reply to "Lester" in the original email.

A whole week. Nothing. Not a sausage. Bugger all!

Now, I shall have to seek 1-2 from a different avenue. And to add insult to injury, I can't cancel the preorder I already got charged for, for the unreleased 5-6 set!

I wish I could do that Moe The Stooge trick and poke their eyes through the Internets!

Folks, use your own judgement, but I cannot recommend ordering direct from the Via Vision/Imprint website. It looks like they really just don't care beyond getting the ca$h in hand.

Mileage may vary.

 

[Konstantinos]

I love the packaging/artwork in the Bewitched series, but yeah, I don't know if I should buy such an expensive set (for all the seasons) for a series I'll watch once.

 

[Robbie^Blackmon]

I love the packaging/artwork in the Bewitched series, but yeah, I don't know if I should buy such an expensive set (for all the seasons) for a series I'll watch once.

Despite the logistical side of getting the one set (so far) actually in my hands, I still want the rest. I just hope I actually get what I paid for on the next go-round. And, for the last set, I'll use a second or third-party seller again. No more VIA/Imprint for this jilted, former customer.

I got to audition one episode, Endora Moves In For A Spell, this morning and I gotta say the transfer is stunning! Color is bold but not oversaturated and despite having the film dirt, noise and, yes, grain tamed quite a lot, there is still plenty of detail. Uncle Arthur's eyes really sparkle and Endora's eye shadow is stunning! Some of the layered optical effects look less layered and dirty, too. And I do believe some monofilament has been digitally erased for some of the "magic". I'll have to watch closer to all the effects as I dig in further.

The booklet, while a nice, little glossy hardback affair with the animated caricatures on the front and back is nice to see, it really is little more than a glorified episode guide with screenshots from the show as illustrations. There mayyy be a production photo or two? But it all looks like film stills to me. And the cloth binding isn't very strong-- it pops up and away from the outer spine when opened and the pages spread so that they feel like they're going to liberate from the binder at any moment.

There's also the theme from the show that isn't quite right, but we all knew that was going to be an issue long before the actual release, so no surprise there.

This really didn't need-need to be an expensive, boutique release. If you love the show, proper, for what it is, the episodes never looked better! I haven't given a close listen with the headphonies to see if there is any egregious use of noise reduction, but just through the regular tv speakers, everything seems fine in the audio dept.

On the whole, the set is greater than the company selling it, if that makes sense? Though it is excessive in its excess. I mean, once you open the box it is all about just the discs, anyway. No need for all the frou-frou.

In all fairness, I'd rather plunk the cash for what is a nearly bare-bones complete series (couple 'o new commentaries and a featurette or two, I know. Haven't explored that yet.) in just a plain ol' case would be enough for me.

 

[Robbie^Blackmon]

Just because no one wanted to know, I did get a correct set from Imprint/Via with the gracious gift of the Gidget set as an apology. So..

I shall rescind my swipe at the company. The did make things right and with a very fast turnaround.

The hack? In case you run into a similar predicament, just use the general inquiry selection on their contact page. You'll get an immediate response. Not sure what the deal is with the contact us for problems or other selections, but that's the way to get through in short order.

So, while waiting for them to respond, I secured a set for a slightly lesser price from New Zealand, and I now have one sealed and one to watch. Both made the trip halfway round the world with no damage a'tall!

See? You read this far and didn't even want to! Heh!

 

[ScottRE]

Really happy it worked out!