Sound Of Music 2010 ??????? (1 Viewer)

[Mark-W]

Everything that I'm hearing from the technical side is that every stop is being pulled out toward making this a perfect release.

Do I believe this? Yes.

RAH

Thank goodness! I still remember your review of the DVD vs the DVD of "North By Northwest." It stopped me from buying TSOM on DVD. Nice to hear there is a reasonable chance we will all be happy with the transfer (and purchase the Blu-ray).

 

[RobertSiegel]

Mark B, thanks for posting those comparisons. Where's the Magnetic Video version? (LOL).....There was a video on Youtube that compared 4 versions with running video but it was "deleted due to copyright." Ah yes I remember that first widescreen laserdisc where Austira and the cast had turned pink, what a disappointment that was, we waited 7 or 8 months from when it was announced.

 

[MatthewA]

Robert,


It's funny that you mentioned the Magnetic Video version. I just remembered going to an antique electronics store in downtown Hendersonville, NC one summer when I was a teen, and finding a used copy of the Magnetic Video laserdisc for sale, among other such goodies as a very old Victrola. I didn't buy it, and the next time I went there the store was gone.


And what was up with that 1990 VHS pan and scan job on the shot of Maria leaving the abbey? Not like there is such a thing as good pan and scan, but whoa! Someone was asleep at the switch, perhaps literally.

 

[RobertSiegel]

The pan and scan they did at first was just leaving the frame at the same place throughout the movie, it wasn't until a year or two into VHS that they started panning and scanning so the frames showed the action, it used to be horrible, people talking and not even on screen in the first years of VHS.


I remember that Magnetic Video laserdisc, but I had the Magnetic Video VHS first, I remember being so happy to have the movie to be able to waqtch at home on the TV with the old bulkly 70 pound VCR'S, lol. Now we are waiting for the Blu-ray, how things have changed, it's very exciting! I cannot wait for this disc, this is my all time favorite movie and I have seen it over 150 times.


The soundtrack never sounded that great to me. If you listen to Oklahoma on DVD, it's fantastic, but Sound of Music never sounded that good and it was made 10 years later. I have a feeling Fox this time went back to the original music stems and remixed it, because I think the sources they used were worn down from the studio making so many prints because it was such a popular movie. I have high hopes that this soundtrack will finally be worthy, especially in lossless.

 

[Rob_Ray]

If you think Oklahoma sounds good on DVD, listen to the Todd-AO laserdisc! The DVD sounds so compressed by comparison. I too have high hopes for The Sound of Music! It's been my favorite film since I first saw it back in 1965. Each release seems better than the one before it, but they've never gotten it entirely right.


I hope they let the Entr'acte play on a blank screen as they did with South Pacific. Speaking of entr'actes, of course the early VHS and laserdiscs always cut this. It wasn't until the pinkish brown widescreen laserdisc that the entr'acte was finally heard. And even then, it wasn't placed at a side break.

 

[john a hunter]

Originally Posted by Rob_Ray

If you think Oklahoma sounds good on DVD, listen to the Todd-AO laserdisc!

I can't compare it to the Laserdisc(long gone),but the sound on the recent Todd-AO version on DVD is superb. The exact opposite to the picture,unfortunately.

 

[john a hunter]

sorry double post

 

[Marco S]

When one of the laser discs came out, a free monthly laser disc magazine, had a picture of Maria and the Captain, sitting in front of a Christmas Tree holding presents. They said it was going to be used for publicity, if the movie was released around Christmas. Does anyone have more information on this????

 

[RobertSiegel]

Marco, I still have that magazine because I had never seen that picture before and have never seen it since, anywhere. I have never seen it anywhere else, and never found any information on why that was taken, your explaination sounds like the ideal one, in case of holiday release, although everything I have read on the film never talked about releasing it over the holidays nor did anything talk about plans to do so.


For those of you who are huge fans of the film you probably know about this book, but if you don't I highly suggest it...


"The Sound of Music, the Making of America's Favorite Movie." By Julia Hirsch, it's out of print but I see there are many used on Amazon starting at around 7.00. The book is filled with never before published photos and has a complete description of the film from a short chapter on the real story, to another short chapter on the Broadway musical and then everything about the movie from production to release to sing-a-long, it's great I've read it 5 times now.

 

Maybe the picture was printed for the Christmas season of 1965. The film was still going strong then.

 

[John Skoda]

I've seen the photo--it's no mystery. It was a posed publicity shot taken during the filming. Many of the studios used to take these "holiday" publicity shots for possible later use. While they had the stars together and under contract, they'd do shots themed for the Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving seasons, just in case they had a need for them for later campaigns. MGM was the king of this practice in the 1940s.

It is surprising to see, though. By this time, 1965, I would think this was rarely done anymore.

 

[Greg_M]

There are few other photos of the stars at the christmas tree, "The Sound of Music" went into general release in December of 1965. Back in the 60's a film could run for two years (some did) and then there was the re-lease and the TV sales.


There was a picture of Leslie Parrish as Daisy Mae (Li'l Abner the musical) at a giant clock with the time 5 minutes to midnight for use in newspapers for New Years Eve 1959/60

 

Yes, The Sound of Music is due to be released Christmas 2010 on blu-ray. Bert Fink, Senior Vice-President at the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organisation has recently been involved in filming some more footage in Salzburg, visiting old movie locations and interviewing locals for more stories about The Sound of Music. This is due to be included on the disc.

Linda Olive
The Sound of Music Guide

 

[Finn]

Check out the Rodgers & Hammerstein blog too...http://rnhmailer.com/blog/

 

[RobertSiegel]

Thanks for the link Finn, also read the 2 pages about the trip to Salzburg to film some extras. I hope Fox makes the announcement soon, at least I know how long I will have to suffer in anticipation haha. Best movie ever made, bar none (my opinion of course). Finn, is there anything you can tell us about the source material for this transfer as compared to the 40th anniversary edition? Music stems? film negative? ect?

 

[Finn]

Maybe we can arrange to have an interview done with the team behind the transfer -- there are a lot of great stories that came from working on this release. All well worth sharing. Will talk to HTF to see if we can plan for later this year...

 

[Mike Frezon]

THAT would be cool.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Sounds great!


_Man_

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong

Everything that I'm hearing from the technical side is that every stop is being pulled out toward making this a perfect release.

Do I believe this? Yes.

RAH

 

[RobertSiegel]

Finn, an interview on the transfer would be fantastic, I would love to hear those stories as I am sure everyone would! Thank you.