Planet of the Apes (1968) Restoration details. (1 Viewer)

[andySu]

Watching now.

I'll keep PLANET OF THE APES on DVD thou wouldn't mind region 1 DVD of the same pressing and THX laserdisc pressing.

I'm happy with the way this one looks and sounds on the remix.

Jerry Goldsmith's opening cue is chilling for one of and still only best PLANET OF THE APES made.

The ending still gives me the chills.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Fox did re-release the original five films in a new set to promote DAWN. I know because I bought it. It is marked as the Legacy Collection (which I think had only previously been applied to the DVD release) and contains all the movies in a single 5-disc Blu-ray case rather than individually packaged, plus movie cash for the new one which expires August 16. However, this is my first purchase of this title on Blu-ray, so I don't know if they are new discs or simply re-pressings of the old discs with new artwork. I suspect the latter.

 

[David Weicker]

Fox did re-release the original five films in a new set to promote DAWN. I know because I bought it. It is marked as the Legacy Collection (which I think had only previously been applied to the DVD release) and contains all the movies in a single 5-disc Blu-ray case rather than individually packaged, plus movie cash for the new one which expires August 16. However, this is my first purchase of this title on Blu-ray, so I don't know if they are new discs or simply re-pressings of the old discs with new artwork. I suspect the latter.

I picked up the new set. I had the prior version of the first movie.

It appears to be the same (other than the disc art). Same menus, same extras. The specs on the case are the same.

I can't tell about the transfer, because I don't know of any specific scenes that either looked bad, or might have been improved from this new restoration.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

AndySu,

I hate that DVD cover with a passion for obvious reasons. What the
hell was the artist thinking when he designed a cover that gives away
the entire ending of the movie?

However, this is my first purchase of this title on Blu-ray, so I don't know if they are new discs or simply re-pressings of the old discs with new artwork. I suspect the latter.

The studios are notorious for taking existing transfers and repackaging.

Had there been a brand-new scan done, there would have been an announcement.

 

[andySu]

AndySu,

I hate that DVD cover with a passion for obvious reasons. What the
hell was the artist thinking when he designed a cover that gives away
the entire ending of the movie?


The studios are notorious for taking existing transfers and repackaging.

Had there been a brand-new scan done, there would have been an announcement.

I guess you seen the "morphing apes" main menu then? Cool. Almost bone bananas bare with extras.

A few picture stills and trailers.

Looking at various other US and UK posters of 1968. I think the one that shows Chuck and others on the poster as apes,is a give away to the surprise?

I like the score changing to that "Ape" sound in Goldsmith score when Taylor, sees them in look of horror! "Blimey, where the hell am I"?

A lot of re-packing titles I often don't go near them with barge pole. I can tell its the same thing. The studios getting greedier and thinking they can pull a fast one on consumers.

 

[Paul_Warren]

The restored version looks like a new movie Fox should just release that ASAP on Bluray why the long wait when the work is already done you would think Fox would want to see a return on that new transfer. The 2nd Apes movie is also pretty decent & very hard hitting.

It seems to me someone @ Fox has forgotten about this if not now will it ever get released?

Perhaps someone @ HTF could remind Fox they have this terrific looking transfer ready to go on bluray

 

[Matt Hough]

Maybe they'll release it when this current Apes film is released on Blu-ray.

 

[Lord Dalek]

The ending of Planet of the Apes isn't a spoiler anymore. Its hit the same level of cultural osmosis as Citizen Kane and Empire Strikes Back.

 

[Nelson Au]

Noooooo! It can't be!

 

[TravisR]

The ending of Planet of the Apes isn't a spoiler anymore. Its hit the same level of cultural osmosis as Citizen Kane and Empire Strikes Back.

I agree with that but at the same time, the cover to Kane doesn't have the sled on it and the cover to Empire doesn't have Vader with a word balloon saying "No, I'm your father".

 

[Paul Scott]

Looks like the restoration work may finally have seen the light of day on a Bd release.

Though I have to wonder just when the hell this release actually came out.


Cap-a-holic just posted a comparison between the original US discs (that were found in both the original book style set and the later eco cases in a slipbox) and a UK release. According to Amazon the releae is listed with a 2009 date (the Evolution set had a 2008 release date).

Have a hard time believing that a superior release has existed since 2009 and no one bothered mentioning it.


FWIW, I've owned both US sets. Sold off the Evolution book to buy the more user friendly slipboxed set, but still haven't watched one film in either of the sets. I put the original in the other night intending to finally sit down with it, but had to turn it off a couple minutes in. I couldn't believe how (relatively) lousy the image looked. Maybe not as bad as the original Patton, but it's a terrible representation in 2015 of how a theatrical film should look.

The UK disc doesn't look as dynamic in direct comparisons, but it sure as hell looks more natural and more like film with vastly superior compression.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Unless I'm missing it, the caps page is between the UK Blu and the US DVD.

 

[haineshisway]

Unless I'm missing it, the caps page is between the UK Blu and the US DVD.

You're not missing it. Nobody has seen whatever the new restoration is - Fox will not be silent about it when it's released.

 

[Paul Scott]

Unless I'm missing it, the caps page is between the UK Blu and the US DVD.

Ooops. Your right. Didn't notice that.


I will say though, while the US Bd will almost certainly show better compression than the dvd does there, I remember comparing the two (us DVD vs Bd) when the Evolution set first came out. I was shocked at how little the difference was between them in terms of color, etc. I know people hate to put too much stock into this but if you look at the comparison of the Warner Archive release of Far From The Madding Crowd with it's DVD release, you will see the same amount of difference I saw comparing POTA years back. It was a tiny, tiny difference that mostly came down to a more stable looking image (better compression) with a very slight bump in fine resolved detail.

Putting the Bd in the other night I was struck by just how much filtering had been applied to it. Again, not Patton bad, but still pretty lousy.


The UK disc here looks significantly different from the image I saw the other night, and more disimiliar to the DVD which wasn't the case for me years back when I owned the DVD and could compare the two- hence why I thought this was a completely different transfer.

 

[Dave H]

The Blu is far superior than the DVD, but I recall film restoration guy, Torsten Kaiser (sp?) alluding the Blu had some issues not inherent to the original look of the film. I'm looking forward to an eventual restoration.

 

[Tom St Jones]

I really like the 2014 BD yellow-orange cover art for the original POTA. The art design is miles above the original BD artwork, and appears to be based on the original poster art. I have the Comic-Con edition and this beats even that. The BD itself remains one the best discs I own, to my eyes at least. Can't wait for Fox to bring their restored version out from wherever their keeping it, though. Then the apes will truly rule the planet!

 

[Bryan^H]

This snuck out, almost unknown to everyone.
https://www.target.com/p/planet-of-the-apes-50th-anniversary-blu-ray/-/A-53305944

It has all the same special features as the 2008 disc so it looks to be another repackaging of the old transfer.

 

[DaveF]

What’s the version of the POTA saga to buy (disc or streaming)? I watched the Rise / Dawn / War trilogy this week. Now I want to go watch the originals. But too many versions. Disc + MA code preferred.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Not sure if there’s one with a code but they’re all repacks of the same discs, so you’ll be good whichever you get.

 

[B-ROLL]

Not sure if there’s one with a code but they’re all repacks of the same discs, so you’ll be good whichever you get.

I've found Most of the old FOX codes redeem through MA with no problem ...