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Some "Blade Runner" info from Alan Ladd (producer) (1 Viewer)

Brad Cook

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Didn't this film get a decent Special Edition on LD? What was the difference back then? Did Perenchio not hate Ridley Scott as much? Or does he see the huge success of DVD now and take delight in knowing that it kills Scott to have such an inferior release of the film available?

Which leads me into my purchase of the DVD at Best Buy today. I had held off on buying it because I hate buying a bare bones release, even of a movie I love, and then finding out 6 months later that an SE is on the way. Since it sounds like this one could be in legal limbo for a while, though, I figured I'd spend the $15.

Bottom line: What a crappy transfer. I didn't watch the film, but I did check out a few scenes, and they looked pretty bad. And I'm certainly no picture quality connisseur. I was checking it out on a computer screen, to boot, so it's not like I was scrutinizing the image on a 50-inch TV. I have to admit I was a bit surprised, given that I checked out a couple reviews last week saying how nice the picture was.

And what's up with the scene access screen? You can go to scenes 3, 7, 12, etc., but you can't go directly to the scenes between those numbers. I don't think I've ever seen that on a DVD.

Then again, this one came out around 1997/1998, didn't it? That would explain a few things.
 

DaViD Boulet

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This was the very first DVD I owned. It was given to me along with my Sony 7000 DVD player back in 1997. I remember the thrill having a 16x9 movie to watch on my 16x9 Proscan TV. Lots of memories.
 

Nelson Au

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In response to Nils-

Nostalgia does play into my comments that SE's of today seem to be less then those of yesterday. But I've had this little peeve that many films out on DVD today are using the SE label as a marketing ploy because they help sales. And that was started from early DVD's using the exact same materials from those SE LD's aimed at the film buff. Sure, there are a lot of great suppliments on todays SE, many I've not seen.

Let's all hope the Tyrell God's align the stars for an exellent SE of Blade Runner!
 

Nils Luehrmann

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I agree completely, but of course the same can be said about a few of the so-called Special/Collector's/Limited Edition LDs. :)

In fact edition labels in general are often misleading. I always get a chuckle when I see a DVD release labeled as Limited Edition even though they aren't numbered and seem to have an unlimited supply like:
  • From Hell
  • Total Recall
  • Basic Instinct
  • Bridge on the River Kwai
  • Men in Black
  • Planet of the Apes: The Evolution Box Set
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • and many more
The biggest abuser of the so-called Limited Edition label has to be Anchor Bay. Although some of their Limited Edition releases truly are limited (5,000 copies or less), some have huge runs and show no signs of running out any time soon.

I don't remember the title, but Anchor Bay recently announced a Limited Edition with a 50,000 copy run. :rolleyes

Considering all the misuse of edition labeling for marketing purposes, it is far more surprising to see the many DVD releases with OAR transfers and several quality special features (commentaries, documentaries, deleted scenes, etc) and yet the DVDs aren't given any edition label at all!

Recent examples of this are:
  • In America
  • Big Fish
  • The Cooler
  • Love Actually
  • House of Sand and Fog
  • Something's Gotta Give
  • Veronica Guerin
  • Runaway Jury
  • Flesh & Blood
  • Under the Tuscan Sun
  • Radio
  • Thirteen
  • Once Upon a Time in Mexico
  • The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
  • and so many more
A great example of this is Buena Vista's DVD release of Spike Lee's 25th Hour. Although the DVD has no edition label it is easily a far better, feature ridden DVD than most Special/Collector's/Limited Edition DVDs out there. For those that may have skipped over it because it wasn't an edition labeled title, here is what they missed out on:
  • Gorgeous OAR Anamorphic 2.35:1 Transfer
  • Audio Commentary with Director Spike Lee
  • Audio Commentary with Writer David Benioff
  • Documentary - The Evolution of an American Filmmaker
  • Documentary - Ground Zero
  • Deleted Scenes
  • THX Certified
Not bad for a non Special Edition. ;)

So what's this got to do with Blade Runner? Hmmm... nothing I guess. :D


PARDON THE INTERRUPTION

You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled program.
 

Daniel Richey

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Hey, if Perenchio makes it too impossible for them to release the disc, we all know what's going to happen: someone will eventually leak it to the internet. And then we'll all be able to get it for free. I'm sure nothing would chap Perenchio's ass more.
 

Douglas Bailey

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I guess not. The Criterion laserdisc of the original (European/more violent) theatrical cut has a gallery of Syd Mead design paintings, and the back cover notes that the gallery is provided courtesy of Perenchio. So he wasn't always opposed to having it on home video... So what's changed? Well, perhaps all the publicity since the early 1990s about the so-called "Director's Cut" — focusing especially on how Yorkin and Perenchio took the film away from Scott, and on how much better his version would have been without their interference — pushed Perenchio's buttons?
 

Yee-Ming

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I'd also hope the original version gets released somehow on DVD. Even if it has to be a bare-bones edition in view of all the problems. But hey, you're right, something is better than nothing at all. :frowning:
 

Sten F

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I´ve heard about this rumor. But is there any confirmation that the alleged 2 Disc is actually coming later this year?
 

Jeannette Walsh

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"This DVD is now selling for silly money on Ebay and Amazon."

-----------------------------

I just did a search on ebay and nothing out of ordinary came up regarding price for R2 Blade Runner DVD's. I think there are far too many copies floating around to make it valuable especially if (and it's a big IF) there is a new version coming soon.
 

Mark_TS

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If WB have deleted BR in the UK-it stands to reason that a new version would be coming-BR is too much a money maker to let lie fallow.


But maybe im just dreaming.
 

Zen Butler

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No, absolutely not at the time of this post. I hunted everywhere to confirm. Still goose eggs.

Please continue, we ought to have a 9 disk Region 1 Superbit Criterion by the end of the day. :) (yes, joking)
 

Gordon McMurphy

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The UK region 2 DVD of Blade Runner which has been available since 1997 (?) is now on moratorium. The question is why. Because Warner has created or is creating a new transfer, new 5.1 mix and is producing a 2-disc edition to be released before Christmas. Am I right? Time will tell! :D
 

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