Sayonara - Another MGM Disaster (1 Viewer)

[TedD]

I received "Sayonara" today and, in eager anticipation of a sharper cleaner clearer image than my old LD, gave it a spin.
What a disaster! This was a Technirama / Technicolor release and the LD has beautiful color, obviously from an IB Technicolor original.
The DVD is non-anamorphic, so I expected it to use the same transfer as the LD, but MGM has retransferred it from a faded Eastman color source that has a green tint and a total lack of decent color throughout the whole title.
What a disappointment!
So don't waste your money on this one, the LD looks much, much better than the DVD.
Ted

 

[Matt_Stevens]

Shit. Can I say that? I want to.

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www.deceptions.net/superman

 

[Brian Lawrence]

This is unfortunate. I have been giving MGM a lot of credit of late but I guess they are still slipping out some stinkers.

 

[Justin Lane]

Very unfortunate. It is about time MGM made a complete commitment to 16:9 enhanced transfers for their widescreen films. Their old transfer rehash act is getting a bit old.
J

 

[TedD]

Actually, I would have much preferred it if thay had reused the LD transfer which has absolutely georgous color.
The lack of 16x9 is an issue, but the main problem with Sayonara is that MGM used a faded Eastmancolor source element that also has a very nasty green tint present for at least the first 30 minutes. (Thats all I could stand to watch before I destroyed the DVD.)

Ted
[Edited last by TedD on September 22, 2001 at 07:36 PM]

 

[Mike Breslin]

While the Sayonara DVD is no 5th Element it is not terrible either. On my copy, I don't see a green tint and the colors are fine.
Mike
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[TedD]

Do you have the LD to compare with?
This was an IB Technicolor release with very saturated colors and the DVD is so painfully faded compared to the LD that I can't watch it and enjoy it.
Believe it or not, the opening scene where the jet is landing is supposed to be at sunrise with very saturated reds and yellows in the sky.
Ted

 

[Mike Breslin]

Ted,
Yes I also have the LD. I will hunt it down and compare.
Mike
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[Ken_McAlinden]

I suspect that a few of the titles MGM is releasing lately are transfers, and even disc authorings, that they have had in the can for a while. Irma La Douce (which looks pretty good as I have said in another thread), for example, was just released last week, but is without English subtitles which does not reflect MGM's current practice. Hopefully, the occasional set-back is not symptomatic of a regression from their gradually increasing output quality.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I finally saw this DVD for myself. I never saw the laserdisc, but there are definite signs of source element fading throughout. The DVD basically looked like an average laserdisc transfer, which would be a shame if the laserdisc looked as good as the original poster indicated. The sound was pretty decent for DD 2.0 pro-logic. Not a lot in the surrounds, but the stereo music sounded decent.

I'm not a huge fan of Joshua Logan-directed films as they alwys seem "stagey" to me, but if I were a bigger fan of this film, I would probably be even more disappointed with the DVD's appearance.

Regards,

 

[Scott David]

After reading the comments about this DVD, I now have my eye on a couple of LD copies on eBay, but I want to be sure this is the superior copy everyone's referring to. Is it from Fox, or from MGM? The copies on eBay are "special widescreen editions" from Fox.

 

[Scott David]

I'm resurrecting this thread after watching the Fox laserdisc this afternoon. I thought I had read last year that MGM had pulled the DVD version and was going to replace it somewhere down the road, with what I presumed was a better transfer (and anamorphic). I noticed it was once again available on Amazon.com but I don't want to buy the old, inferior version if that's what's still out there. Has anyone purchased this recently, and if so, how is the picture quality?

 

[Scott David]

Anyone?