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

Mike Frezon

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Originally Posted by Brent Avery

I went over some of the captures at DVD Beaver and they give an idea of what to expect, but what I saw was better yet. The scene near the beginning that shows Julie Andrews among the birch trees as an example, the fine detail really stood out, there was a wonderful contrast and the sharp outline of the trees was impressive, especially seeing the small pieces of bark fluttering in the breeze. Quite the scene!

I have always found that visual--Maria walking through that linear stand of birch trees--to be one of the most memorable scenes (for me) visually of any film.
 

RobertSiegel

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I cannot believe how good the screen shots look, this is finally, after about 14 different versions on all video formats, going to be THE edition I think. The thing I am really happy about is the notations on the audio. The Sound of Music has not had a soundtrack on home video as good as it should have been, now with a remaster and lossless, it appears according to DVDBeaver they finally got this movie sounding like it should have, which would be as good or better to the wonderful soundtrack on Oklahoma, which to me is outstanding even on laserdisc! He says he expected alot and was still blown away! Yahoooooooooooooooooooooo!


10 days and counting by the hour, LOL! I am also excited about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on the same day, but I have a feeling I won't be getting to that one until the day after. Finally my all-time favorite movie has been given the treatment it deserves! My hats off to Fox for realizing this needed to be done!
 

benbess

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Originally Posted by RobertSiegel

I cannot believe how good the screen shots look, this is finally, after about 14 different versions on all video formats, going to be THE edition I think. The thing I am really happy about is the notations on the audio. The Sound of Music has not had a soundtrack on home video as good as it should have been, now with a remaster and lossless, it appears according to DVDBeaver they finally got this movie sounding like it should have, which would be as good or better to the wonderful soundtrack on Oklahoma, which to me is outstanding even on laserdisc! He says he expected alot and was still blown away! Yahoooooooooooooooooooooo!


10 days and counting by the hour, LOL! I am also excited about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on the same day, but I have a feeling I won't be getting to that one until the day after. Finally my all-time favorite movie has been given the treatment it deserves! My hats off to Fox for realizing this needed to be done!


If it's as good as the presentation I saw in the theater, and I think it will be, this blu-ray should blow you away....+++
 

GMpasqua

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Originally Posted by ahollis

It is a testament to Robert Wise. He did the same with WEST SIDE STORY. A near perfect film and were is that on Blu-ray. THE SOUND OF MUSIC is ordered and can not wait until the 2nd. All this interesting talk just makes me that much more impatient.


2011 is the 50th anniversary of "[COLOR= #ff0000]West Side Story[/COLOR]" and the film is being re-released to theaters to celebrate. A blu-ray will follow. There's a newly struck 70MM print of the film showing around Los Angeles the last year or so and it looks beautiful in 70MM. Should make an awesome Blu-ray
 

RobertSiegel

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Originally Posted by Eric Scott Richard

I've been thinking that about The Ten Commandments all year. ABC presented a beautifully restored print in HD this Easter and next year is the 55th Anniversary.


This is one of my most eagerly awaited Blu-rays. Unfortunately I missed the network showing last year so didn't get to see the print that many people raved about, but with the scope of this film, it should make one incredible Blu-ray. I do wonder which soundtrack they are using. There's the one from Joe Cap's laserdisc presentation and the one they created for the AC-3 laserdisc and that was on all of the DVD versions. Let's hope they remastered the sound as well.
 

Twist

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Thanks Fox for a good job.

Sony, wake up! [COLOR= #000]"Oliver" on Blu Ray now![/COLOR]
 

Robert, the sound for the new version was the Caps laserdisc version with all of the cues restored...I listened for them!
 

Brian Borst

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Originally Posted by warnerbro

Does anyone know if the music only track is included? I'm going to be very disappointed if it isn't.


Not unless you count the Robert Wise documentary, which is silent during the songs.


Well, I spend my entire free Sunday watching the movie and most of the supplements on disc 2, and I have to say that this is an amazing movie, and a fantastic Blu-ray. The three hours went by like that, and why this movie is referred to as schmaltzy is beyond me. It was funny, heartwarming, and thrilling, altogether. The DVDBeaver review mentioned that he didn't see any images that looked three dimensional. I hate that term (along with the picture having 'pop', while I'm at it) but the 'Do-Re-Mi' sequence alone had several shots that looked absolutely astonishing.
The only negative point I can think of is about the bonus material. The package is very extensive, but the focus lies too much on Salzburg, the real Von Trapp family and Rodgers and Hammerstein, while I would've preferred to learn more about the technical sides of making the movie. The cinematography, additional music and editing deserved to get a featurette, at least. Also, the restoration featurettes were far too short. I'm expecting the 'Favorite Things' experience in Disc 1 will mostly be a rehash of information found on disc 2, so I won't bother with that. I will give Robert Wise's audio commentary a listen, and maybe the other one as well. Still, I'm glad Fox managed to include most of the supplements of the previous editions, and include several new ones. A definitive package indeed.
 

Mark-P

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It was the play that was considered schmaltzy. Julie Andrews mentioned once in an interview that she and Robert Wise were dedicated to eliminating the schmaltz for the movie. Obviously they succeeded.


Originally Posted by Brian Borst
The three hours went by like that, and why this movie is referred to as schmaltzy is beyond me.
 

Rob_Ray

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Originally Posted by Mark-P

It was the play that was considered schmaltzy. Julie Andrews mentioned once in an interview that she and Robert Wise were dedicated to eliminating the schmalz for the movie. Obviously they succeeded.

There are only one or two very brief moments in the movie that I consider just a tad too schmaltzy, but by and large they succeeded magnificently. But that didn't stop a lot of critics from carping. I remember Judith Crist saying something to the effect that The Sound of Music was suitable entertainment for everyone from five to seven and those not up to the biting sophistication of "Mary Poppins." Even when it made its TV debut years later, after all the accolades and box-office triumphs, she was still taking pot-shots at it in her TV Guide coverage of the week's movies on television. Cynical people like her and Pauline Kael just hated that movie because its emotions were so simple and direct without any subversion.


In my personal experience, whenever I see the movie with someone who has purposely avoided it over the years, they invariably remark that it's much better than they were expecting it to be and, at the very least, it is expertly crafted entertainment.


I have a question for anyone who already has a copy: does the Entr'Acte play against a black screen or has the slide show that's been a part of the film throughout the DVD era been retained? I hope it's a black screen as it would be in theatres.
 

Nelson Au

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I'd be curious to know what the reviews will be of the Gift Box set.

It's tempting, but I don't think it's worth it. The item in there that is of greatest interest is a reprint of the original 1965 souvenir program book. And my father might actually have one when we went to see it in 1965. So I'll go looking for that! And the audio CD I assume is the one that's being issued this week as a 45th Anniversary disc. The other items in the box look like fun, but I think the main interest is the souvenir booklet and CD. I can make my own box from the items I can gather for less money! The real meat is in the standard blu ray I think.
 

Brian Borst

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Originally Posted by Rob_Ray

It was the play that was considered schmaltzy. Julie Andrews mentioned once in an interview that she and Robert Wise were dedicated to eliminating the schmaltz for the movie. Obviously they succeeded.

Yes, I know that, but I've read several reviews by people who still think the movie is schmaltzy. Anyway, that wasn't how I felt, so they can say whatever they like.
 

warnerbro

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Just a note, THE SOUND OF MUSIC received 5 Oscars: best picture, best director, best sound, best editing, musical scoring. It was nominated for 10 total including Julie Andrews for best actress, Peggy Wood for best supporting actress, art direction, cinematography, and costumes and was the top-grossing movie of all time until THE GODFATHER when ticket prices were much higher. It also played in theatres non-stop for several years. The stage version was also a blockbuster and is one of the most-produced plays of all time to this day.
 

RobertSiegel

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Originally Posted by warnerbro

Just a note, THE SOUND OF MUSIC received 5 Oscars: best picture, best director, best sound, best editing, musical scoring. It was nominated for 10 total including Julie Andrews for best actress, Peggy Wood for best supporting actress, art direction, cinematography, and costumes and was the top-grossing movie of all time until THE GODFATHER when ticket prices were much higher. It also played in theatres non-stop for several years. The stage version was also a blockbuster and is one of the most-produced plays of all time to this day.


When computing number of tickets sold to any movie ever made, The Sound of Music is number 3, behind #1 Gone with the Wind and 2. Star Wars. It is also number 3 when adjusting the boxoffice dollar for inflation. That's a pretty honorable position.
 

WilliamMcK

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Well first: I love the movie -- and I've seen it more often than any other movie ever made; but that doesn't blind me to the fact that many of the initial criticisms of the film were not unwarranted. Pauline Kael was far from a cynic (she was emotionally honest to a fault in her reviews), and her dislike of the film had to do with the fact that in her view the movie was not honest; that the emotions were synthetic and divorced from any real interest on the part of the filmmakers beyond that of manipulating the audience to respond. I think she had a point -- but I still love the movie, because it is so well done, and because the score is so good (Kael had a bit of a tin ear when it came to music, as well as a limited perception of what movie musicals should be). There's a significant difference between loving a movie (or novel, poem, opera, play, symphony, song, painting, sculpture, etc.) and critically assessing the work. Many of my favorite movies have nothing to do with artistic merit--they just work for me on an entirely gut level.
 

Brian Borst

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Originally Posted by warnerbro

Brian Borst,


On the Robert Wise commentary, when he stops talking when the songs come on, did the music only track kick in?


I checked for you, and yes, it's the music only track. By the way, Wise opens the commentary beautifully, saying that the pieces of music interspersed with the commentary gives the viewer the advantage of listening to the music, while not having to listen to Wise for three hours. It must also be a chore talking for three hours about a single subject, alone, so it makes sense.
 

RobertSiegel

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Originally Posted by Brian Borst





I checked for you, and yes, it's the music only track. By the way, Wise opens the commentary beautifully, saying that the pieces of music interspersed with the commentary gives the viewer the advantage of listening to the music, while not having to listen to Wise for three hours. It must also be a chore talking for three hours about a single subject, alone, so it makes sense.

I am (sadly) assuming that the Wise commentary track with the isolated score is not in DTS Master audio? That commentary/music track was made in the days of laserdisc and is at least 12-15 years old. I wish they would have remastered the isolated score and presented it in lossless separately from the commentary. That I think will be my only gripe about this release. Can you check for us? It's probably Dolby Digital.
 

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