Jonathan Livingston Seagull stereo in UK? (1 Viewer)

[RobertSiegel]

Is there anyone outside of the USA who has purchased their countries version of the film (just released from Paramount) Jonathan Livingston Seagull? The english version is in mono and sounds like a sound transfer from an old tv print, and the specs for U.K. and other countries say 5.1 stereo. The movie was 4 track mag stereo in theaters. The VHS tape was stereo. There is no reason for this. I called Paramount home entertainment, and she said other countries release different prints. Hmmmm....why couldn't they get that print from the U.K. then?

If anyone overseas from the USA can rent this or if you own it, could you let me know? I would then buy a multi-region player and order the other version, it's a movie I have waited for for many years. The picture quality is stunning, but the sound is just terrible, I think the VHS sounds better. Sad they would take a movie with such a great Neil Diamond score and ruin it.

 

[Scott_Lemon]

I bought the Australian (R4) version, and the English track is mono. The Spanish track is stereo for some wacky reason.

 

[John Skoda]

I don't think it's stereo, but the music sounds MUCH better on the French track than on the English on the U.S. DVD for some reason.

 

[RobertSiegel]

John, couldn't agree with you more. I am still angry about this one.

 

[Vern Dias]

Many years ago, at the University Of Colorado in the Chem 140 auditorium, I ran a 16mm!! scope print of JLS that had one of the best sounding 16mm optical tracks I have ever heard!!!

Very wide dynamic and frequency range, low noise and low distortion. I was amazed that a 16mm optical track could sound that good.

There is absolutely no excuse for Paramount to screw this release up!!!!

All they would have needed to do was go to the master for the optical track, or, failing that, a 35mm print transferred flat (without the Acadamy curve) or, even failing that, a 16mm release print (also transferred flat) and they would haved had an outstanding, albeit mono, audio track for this DVD release.

I had been waiting eagerly for this release. All in vain, I guess.

Ted

 

[RobertSiegel]

Ted, my heart is with you....as you have probably read by my posts, I feel the same way, having eagerly awaited this release, and always thought when they finally release it (more like "if") it would surely sound decent. My heart breaks for Jonathan when I watch the movie, and now it will break twice when I watch that the score has been ruined by sound that I feel is just terrible. It's really sad when an American release of an American film has a much better sounding French track. This was a total lazy sound transfer job, and it stinks. You will find a post of mine earlier in the thread and I urge you to contact Paramount (info in post) and let them know...oh sure they probably won't do anything now, but they should know they screwed up.