Oliver!: Buy now or wait? (1 Viewer)

[MatthewA]

I've been wondering whether I should buy the current DVD of Oliver. I'm worried what will happen, this being a Columbia title; I can't trust them with their widescreen musicals about orphans.

 

[Gary Palmer]

Well, Columbia did THIS 'widescreen musical about orphans' proud! Beautiful widescreen print (Panavision 2.35:1 - anamorphically enhanced), excellent 5.1 sound, and a few trimmings. Only slight drawback: The movie is split over two sides, BUT the interruption occurs at the original theatrical Intermission point, so at least it doesn't cut into the narrative at an awkward moment.

 

[Joe Caps]

I have to declare an interest here, as I produced the Pioneer Laserdisc version of Oliver.
The dvd is sharp but seems low on color. Okay, turn the color up on your monitor. What's unpardonable, especially in a musical is the sound. Where is the high end, It sounds like its under blankets a lot of the time.
Its also had some fake surround stuff added that hurt the mix. Columbia found some clean chorus tracks and added them to the end of Consider Yourself. Nor the chorus sounds too big and is overpowering the orchestra.
Worse is the end of Who Will By - when the marching band goes by at the very end they are covered up by tracks NOT in the original film of kids and the srownd going YAYYYY.
Not Good.