TCFHE Press Release: The Sound of Music 45th Anniversary (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Brian W.]

No hand slap on "the hills fill my heart," though. Ironically, in the extras, with the clip of the Julie Andrews show with Maria von Trapp as guest, they show the clip (this is circa 1973) and the hand slap is there.


I'm very, very impressed with much of the film. However, in some scenes I felt it looked a little too "contrasty," and despite Sebastian's report regarding the look of the dye transfer print he viewed a few years ago, there are some scenes that to me just look a little TOO yellow. I mean, there are shots where people literally look like they have jaundice. Not sure I'm 100% convinced this was the intended look of the film. The clarity and detail are magnificent, however.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by Brian W.

No hand slap on "the hills fill my heart," though. Ironically, in the extras, with the clip of the Julie Andrews show with Maria von Trapp as guest, they show the clip (this is circa 1973) and the hand slap is there.

When you see what we gain, this is barely noticeable (MattH reviewed the disc and we keep about 99% of the past extras and the new stuff sounds amazing; much of the material from the still-frame section from the laserdisc, which was transferred very badly to the Five-Star DVD, appears to be gone). It seems everything I hoped for has come to pass. The Five-Star DVD goes into hock as soon as my box set arrives. I may even watch the extra features before I watch the movie again (I went to the first date of the sing-along in Cary and the second date while I was visiting my sister in Connecticut). Bless my Blu-Ray forever.


This could be the best week for Blu-Ray releases yet.

 

[Brian W.]

Originally Posted by MatthewA





When you see what we gain, this is barely noticeable

Perhaps; it's just very surprising given the endless complaints about it over the past five years.

 

I wonder if the hand slap was added later? During a re-release? It seems weird that it is now missing from two different mixes.

 

[GMpasqua]

It's odd the hand slap would have been there in the first place. Maybe during one of the video transfers it was increased in volume, but the whole scene was shot to a playback, any sound effects would have been added later - including the hand slap, and it wouldn't have been that loud to begin with

 

[GMpasqua]

Anyone like the cardboard sleeves? Sound of Music and Rocky Horror both have them, but they don't seem to hold the discs very well - they easily fall out

 

[Charles Smith]

First I'd seen this type of holder. I don't dislike the concept, and the cardboard's coated so presumably the discs won't get scratched. But they fall out, plain and simple, just in opening or closing the book. There needs to be a way to make the slots tight. Haven't tried this yet, but I thought of getting that soft material used in some disc storage books, and sticking that in along with the disc. Have no idea if that will work.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by GMpasqua

Anyone like the cardboard sleeves? Sound of Music and Rocky Horror both have them, but they don't seem to hold the discs very well - they easily fall out

They're not my cup of tea, but at least you can actually access the discs unlike that Back to the Future box set fiasco.

 

The sound effect couldn't have been raised too much louder for home video because the clip in the extras has it. Mayb e the sound was tinkered with for the first re-release.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Hmmm... You guys are just refering to the Target exclusive digi-book packaging, no? Yeah, the discs do fall out too easily, especially the one in the fan-out page in the back (that initially holds the extra features BD).


I plan to just store the DVD separately instead and move the extra features BD from the fan-out page.


_Man_

 

[RCinOttawa]

I hate the cardboard sleeves, and I hate digibooks...

Who designed the Rocky Horror one where the disc just falls out by itself ??

 

[JohnMor]

I hate the Rocky Horror digibook. The disc isn't secured well enough (like the warner Bros. ones are) and the book itself is a complete waste, with no real info and far too many pics from the film itself. There are some behind the scenes and promotional pics, but not nearly enough to warrant the digibook presentation, which I usually like.

 

[warnerbro]

After having seen THE SOUND OF MUSIC a few times on blu-ray, there are some very troubling sound issues. They have deleted most sound effects that occur during songs, such as of course the thigh slap in the beginning, the kiss Maria blows Leisel in MY FAVORITE THINGS reprise when Maria returns and many other sound effects throughout. Also, dialogue has been chopped off several places. When Maria says, "Oh, Max, what did they say?" right after their honeymoon, it is chopped off abruptly before she can even get it out for some reason. The word "say" is cut off right after the "s." They have apparently gone back to the original master stems and remixed the sound and it sounds very robust for the most part, I just hate when they delete obvious sound effects that have been there since the beginning. Also, I recommend buying the Target book version as the best buy. I was disappointed with the box of junk version. The books are cheap and flimsy. You can find much better on Amazon and you can get an original program on Ebay for ten bucks. The program they include is a small, reduced-size reproduction. The CD they include is a joke. It sounds terrible and is bare bones. I was expecting something on the order of what they included on the laserdisc with added music. What's the point of including it if it is not anything special that everyone doesn't already have? And the music box is not what they advertised with the statue of Maria. They give you some flimsy little post cards. I really hate the artwork on the blu-ray and box set. It is an awful painting. Why didn't they at least use the original logo and artwork? It is so iconic and outstanding!

More extras that have been deleted from DVD versions are the huge amount of production photos and production daily reports of filming. They give you a few photos in the galleries, but the vast amount of material detailing shooting, production diaries, development journals from William Wyler and behind the scenes photos from the laserdisc box set and DVD are gone. They have replaced it with interviews with people that have nothing to do with the movie and their feelings about the movie. Why, I don't know. We want our extras to be about the movie and its production and people involved directly with it, not what modern people feel about the movie.


The upside is the beautiful picture quality of the blu-ray. And the sound with the exception of missing effects is pretty strong and robust.

 

[Charles Smith]

While I don't hesitate to splurge on the most deluxe sets when they're really what I want, I went for the Target book on this one, too -- for warnerbro's reasons, plus I simply like my extra goodies to be more film-specific. (ex: Salzburg postcards? No thanks, those should have been poster and lobby card reproductions.) The book might be worthy, I have no idea, but I couldn't get excited about the music box, I've got the good CD from the laserdisc set, and my copy of the original program book is in beautiful shape.

Speaking of which: Anyone wanting that original program book is also advised to check out local library sales, secondhand bookstores, etc. These are not hard to find. Older ones can be, but the 1960s-era musical programs are pretty commonly found for a buck or two.