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Paramount, The Truman Show and Star Trek: TMP - Special Longer Version need proper releases (1 Viewer)

LCD22

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Cropped. Stretched. DNR'd. EE. These are the issues that affected both the Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases. The Truman Show was first released on DVD in the correct (1:66.1) aspect ratio but was non-anamorphic. I almost picked it up then. This is one of my favorite films. Please give this a 4K scan and release it on Blu-ray in 1:66.1.

I'm not a diehard Star Trek fan and Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Special Longer Version is a personal favorite. It is the only version that has never been released in its entirely on DVD or Blu-ray. I would love to see The Motion Picture get the same Blu-ray treatment as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - Director's Cut did in 2016 by having all three cuts and all the extras. This was the first time I have ever purchased Star Trek II. You did a wonderful job on that title. Please keep it up.

Personally speaking, I would add, if you do the same for III, IV and VI (on the latter, please include the theatrical version in its theatrical aspect ratio again, but scanned in 4K, along with the Director's Cut and the Special Home Video Version (also scanned in 4K), I will purchase them on Blu-ray. The Special Home Video Version was released on DVD but is non-anamorphic. Out of this bunch, I have never bought VI.
 
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Gary Seven

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I don't think they can release a widescreen Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Special Longer Version as that contains unfinished footage cropped in pan and scan. Being cropped, they could hide the various structures used in filming.

As a die hard Trek fan , I would rather have the director's cut released in 4k or 1080P.
 

Gary Seven

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The Director's edition was to address what Robert Wise would have done had he time to complete the film. The film was rushed to theaters to meet the deadline but was not finished to Wise's satisfaction. The director's cut was released to address it but they only had the budget to do it in standard definition... not hi-def. So we fans really want the director's cut in hi-def but may actually never see it unless they budget it to be done.
 

Bill Waits

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What I can't understand is the piss-poor treatment that they give ST: TMP with respect to the longer cuts in HD, especially considering how valuable the property is to them.
 

Josh Steinberg

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Fair or not, but I'm not sure they consider the property to be that valuable.
 

Joel Fontenot

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Really, the "longer version" had one sequence added that included one shot intended to be a visual effects matte shot that was never completed. The whole sequence is actually a continuity error because it includes a different space suit for Kirk as it was supposed to be part of a totally different scripted space walk (the abandoned memory wall sequence). The inclusion of that short scene (Kirk in the dock area getting suited up and him floating off the platform into space) in the "longer version" was not important to the events surrounding it and never should have been included.

My memory may be fading, but did any of the other added scenes include unfinished effects? Most were additional dialog.

Oh, and I agree that The Truman Show needs a proper release too.
 

Josh Steinberg

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I think that would be the only problematic shot. When it’s cropped to 4x3, you can’t see the set. In its original 2.35:1, you can on the sides.

If they ever seriously considered doing an HD transfer, there are two possible simple solutions and I’d be in favor of either. Either cut that shot altogether, or just do a simple black matte to block out the view of the set. Either way, quick fix, problem solved!
 

LCD22

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I've only seen that shot with the visible set once when the Director's Edition came out on DVD, and I had forgotten it. Never really bothered me that Kirk had the wrong space suit. I'm fine with not showing the surrounding film set in this scene.
 
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Allansfirebird

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I think that would be the only problematic shot. When it’s cropped to 4x3, you can’t see the set. In its original 2.35:1, you can on the sides.

If they ever seriously considered doing an HD transfer, there are two possible simple solutions and I’d be in favor of either. Either cut that shot altogether, or just do a simple black matte to block out the view of the set. Either way, quick fix, problem solved!
Or, you do this quick, cheap, little fix:


EDIT
Here's a youtube video where a fan completed the scene with cgi.


DAMN - beat me to it!
 

Nelson Au

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I missed this thread too. Pretty nice job on finishing the matte painting in that video. :). I am ever hopeful that the Directors Edition will be remastered along with the Longer and Theatrical version.
 

LCD22

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Paramount might want to hire him to complete the Special Longer Version and the Director's Cut (with the original team that worked on it). I love what was done in the video that was posted.
 

mBen989

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As the deleted scenes on the Director's Edition DVD show, the footage added for ABC was shot in scope.
 

Josh Steinberg

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I don't believe that's the concern. The issue is, one of the deleted scenes (from an abandoned sequence where Shatner would have followed Nimoy into the V'Ger cloud) shows Kirk exiting the Enterprise in a space suit, but the shot was never completed because the sequence was abandoned during production. When that scene was inserted into the "Special Longer Version" for television exhibition, the 4x3 crop obscures the fact that the set is visible in the original shot. When viewing the widescreen version of the shot (as seen on the Director's Edition DVD in the deleted scenes section), the set surrounding Shatner is very clearly visible in the wider frame.
 

Carabimero

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A look back at the directors cut....
Oh, how I wish they had done an actual director's cut. If Wise had actually done a director's cut, it would be much shorter because he wanted to excise a bunch of V'ger footage, but the studio's compromise to do the project was to leave that footage in because they had spent so much money on it. So Wise compromised with the title of the release and they called it the Director's Edition.

To me, unless they leave out the V'ger material that Wise privately wanted cut (even though he publicly said the required things), the DVD edition will suit me just fine.
 

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