New My Fair Lady Not A New Transfer (1 Viewer)

[Joe Caps]

There was questions a few weeks ago whether the new 2 dvd version of My Fair Lady was a new transfer - it is not - its the same as before. Too Bad,- we need much better sound than we have had on this so called restored edition.
("Restored" as in put back to the way it was? Hardly!)

 

[PaulP]

Source, please?

 

[Patrick McCart]

Ok, so it isn't perfect.

At least the film EXISTS.

 

[Greg_M]

Seems like the first disc will be the same one as is out now (possibly with a new label) The new stuff is all on the second disc.

 

[Joshua Clinard]

And how do you know that this is not a new transfer?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

If this story holds up then I guess I save my money and keep my old version. I didn't think it was THAT bad.

 

[Conrad_SSS]

I just watched the current MY FAIR LADY disc a few weeks ago..it looked (and sounded) quite wonderful. The superlative efforts of Mr. Harris' restoration work were glistening in all respects.

Even if WB is using that same high-def transfer, it has to be taken into account that DVD compression and authoring techniques and equipment have improved hugely since the first release in 1998, and I am certain that the new release will be an improvement over the first issue, no matter what. I'm looking forward to the upgrade, especially since I miss having the docu and all those extras that were on the old laserdisc boxed set.

 

[george kaplan]

If there's no improvement in PQ I won't be buying this.

 

[Randy A Salas]

Well, something is different with the upcoming transfer--or Warner Home Video has its info wrong.

The first release was 2.20:1, according to every source I've found. The upcoming 2-disc special edition is very clearly labeled as being "Original Aspect Ratio - 2.40:1" at Warner's press site.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Nah, the first release had an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 ratio also. It was labelled as 2.21:1, but was, in fact, 2.40:1.

I'd like to know what Mr Caps' source is for this, though. He's a knowledgable in-the-know fellow, but a little more info would be most welcome, Joe.


Gordy

 

[Joe Caps]

Source for this is a good contact in Warner home vid. But seriously, a home vid company is not going to spend lots of money to reencode a transfer that they already have a master of. My problem was not with the picture, but the sound.
The last time the master six track was seen, it had been sent to HBO around 1986 for a new transfer of my fair lady for HBO and Cinemax showings. IT was then sent back to cbs/fox for a new laserdisc. The tapes had been mastered in Michigan and orders were given for the mater tapes to have the picture noise reduced.
the tapes (now picture noise reduced) were sent to California. Mistakenly sent was the order for picture noise reduction. In california, they noise recduced the picture again- so now the picture has beennoise reduced TWICE creating an overly soft image. The sound was mistakenly noise reduced at the same time and it now sounded harsh and brittle.
So - end of master six track - where it went from there, no one knows.
Mr. Harris is searching for the materials for the restoration and the six trackmaster is gone. All they have is a six track printing master - i.e. the soundtrack used to make the prints - they become worn and usually the high end is the first thing to go, so the sound has lost its original brightness.
O.K. - next the bass is artificially pumped up - not a good thing on a track that has bass but no high end.
That can all be dealt with, but they decide to add reverb for all of the muisical numbers. So now we have no high end, a muddy bass thumpy aound and grand canyon reverb. Oi!
If they can't find the master six track, give us the restoration sound track minus the reverb.
All of the original surrounds seem to be gone. I'm not sure if the songs were recorded at Warner Burbank or at Goldwyn studios, but the track was mixed at Todd AO for six track. Todd Ao got their surrounds in one way on everymusical - the entire musical score (incoluding background music) is on the surround track - very loud during the songs.
If your're playing your dvds through a 5.1 system, bring up the surrounds only on films mixed at Todd AO - Oklahoma, South Pacific, Sound of Music, West Side Story. You will hear the entire backgorund score on the rear channels and all of the songs minus vocals are back there. The same should be true fo My Fair Lady, but thats all gone on the restoration. The same should also be true of Camelot, but Warnersremixed that score from scratch for dvd in what can only be described as an abomination.
Does Warners dislike Lernerand Loewe?

 

[Randy A Salas]

But seriously, a home vid company is not going to spend lots of money to reencode a transfer that they already have a master of.

Even if Warner uses the same transfer for My Fair Lady, hundreds of re-released DVDs with new video presentations would seem to dispute your contention. The only sticking point is how you define "lots of money." Obviously, studios regularly spend money on new and improved (in most cases) audio and video presentations on re-released DVDs.

 

[Peter Kline]

There is not much you can do with the voice quality on most of the sequences in which Mr. Harrison sings. He sang "live" and his voice sounds thin do to that. All the other vocals were pre-recorded. (Yes, a few instances with Rex's vocals are pre-recorded as well - the duets).

The film never had great sound even when first released as I remember.

 

[Greg_M]

Disc one has all the same extras as the current one disc set, (audio commentary, trailers etc) so I would think Warners isn't re-mastering the first disc. THe current disc does look very good, but some additional extras on the first disc would have been welcome (second audio track like the laserdisc)