International THE ALAMO (John Wayne's extended cut) (4 Viewers)

[compson]

I'm not surprised, I can't pre-order any films from Amazon.de, I think you have to wait until a short time before release (just a few days), & this release is way off, 15th September (& I see they have a new cover). I wouldn't worry, I don't think it'll sell out as fast this time, being a second release.

See on Amazon

I preordered it yesterday to the US and can do so today.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I preordered it yesterday to the US and can do so today.

I think it's a UK and/or EU issue for those living in the UK.

 

[RMajidi]

I think it's a UK and/or EU issue for those living in the UK.

Robert, while I brought this to your attention yesterday on the Invaders thread - as I shared the feelings you’d expressed there having also missed out the first time around - I find I still can’t order this from Amazon.de for myself.

It’s an involved thing that arose over a sales tax collection dispute between the former Oz govt here and Amazon, pre-pandemic.

All international Amazon stores (including the parent US store) stopped sales to Australia.

After a year, the US Amazon store restarted allowing some direct sales, but so far none of the other international Amazon stores have followed, including Germany.

Very frustrating, as I used to buy a lot of great titles from the UK, German and French stores, but can no longer do so.

Occasionally, some of these titles find their way to the Oz Amazon storefront, or eBay, but it’s very hit and miss. The Alamo never made it to any of these. I’m hoping this Koch re-release might, but I’m not holding my breath.

And there endeth a tale of woe.

 

[Capt D McMars]

Hello, a few more images from the long version of Koch. film

You sure that's not screne grabs from the French edition? These look the same?

 

[cremers andre]

no it's the koch film version the French version is in 16/9 4-3 and the German version is 16/9 2.35

 

[SuperClark]

Interesting and detailed info re the differences between the extended and standard version.

Alamo, The (Comparison: Theatrical Version - Director's Cut) - Movie-Censorship.com

Comparison: Theatrical Version - Director's Cut

www.movie-censorship.com

 

[Robert Harris]

no it's the koch film version the French version is in 16/9 4-3 and the German version is 16/9 2.35

There is no prime quality 16:9. It’s 4:3.

 

[cremers andre]

Hello here are some pictures that I took myself on my tv, it's in 720p 16/9

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is starting to confuse me which I grant is easy to do.

 

[OliverK]

You sure that's not screne grabs from the French edition? These look the same?

The screen grabs from the French SD version look worse than that. Not sure where I saw them but my conclusion was that people who wanted to see the long version had to get the Koch edition. Of course that was not only because the SD parts look better but even more important because the SD parts are intercut with the much better looking standard release.

 

[cremers andre]

screenshots of the French edition in 4/3 is to say with black all around

 

[OliverK]

screenshots of the French edition in 4/3 is to say with black all around

Thanks - indeed it wouldn't be fun to watch the whole movie looking like that!

 

[cremers andre]

For the ESC France Alamo version, long version (202', 2.05:1 in 4/3, MPEG-2, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo), in English with optional subtitles, and in French dubbing. It contains the opening and exit music (6 minutes) and 34 minutes of scenes from the first version released in 70mm, cut from the 35mm print. (the details of the cut passages are specified on the page https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3869). A disclaimer states that the copy is from an analog source and "offered for archival quality". The image is, indeed, at the level of a very bad VHS. A German edition, of which I also have this long version, called Roadshow-version, at an acceptable technical level. In the French version there is still a small cut in the church

 

[Randy Korstick]

I have preordered a copy. I do not want to miss out again.

 

[OliverK]

For the ESC France Alamo version, long version (202', 2.05:1 in 4/3, MPEG-2, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo), in English with optional subtitles, and in French dubbing. It contains the opening and exit music (6 minutes) and 34 minutes of scenes from the first version released in 70mm, cut from the 35mm print. (the details of the cut passages are specified on the page https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=3869). A disclaimer states that the copy is from an analog source and "offered for archival quality". The image is, indeed, at the level of a very bad VHS. A German edition, of which I also have this long version, called Roadshow-version, at an acceptable technical level. In the French version there is still a small cut in the church

Very bad VHS quality - sounds like they digitized a VHS tape for the long cut!

 

[cremers andre]

Features of Blu-Ray:
Blu-Ray
Published by ESC Editions
Disk size: 43.1 GB
Duration: 2H41m. 56s.
18 chapters

Image: 1080p AVC - 2.35 16/9 - DTS HD 5.1 VO/2.0 VF & VF
Sound: English, French
French subtitles






Chronicle of the Blu-Ray published by ESC Editions - Available

This edition features two discs, one of which contains the Alamo roadshow version.


Highly anticipated, Alamo arrives on Blu-Ray a few weeks after a German Blu-Ray edition from Koch Media. In the United States, the film has caused much ink to flow in recent years as to the state of the elements available.

This double Blu-Ray contains two versions of the film: the cinema version (disc 1) and the roadshow version (disc 2).

2.35 16:9 MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 24fps (cinema version)
Only the cinema version is in high definition (duration: 2h41m. 56s. - see 4 first captures out of the 8 at the bottom of this page).
On the scale of MGM remasters, the copy is relatively satisfactory without reaching the heights. We are approaching 4K remasters for the American Blu-Ray editions of The Great Escape or The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

The image is clean but contains common white spots and speckles and frame jitter. The result remains far superior to the DVDs of the early 2000s (with a dirtier image).
Note that in a scene, some images may stand out from the rest of the scene. Additional remastering work would have been required.
The framing is wider than on the DVDs.
The definition is correct. The grain is preserved. The color palette is nice and rich thanks to a new calibration. The reduced contrasts of the French DVD are brought to a consistent level.
In the end, this cinema version is quite satisfactory and offers a very clear qualitative gain on the DVD.


2.35 4/3 MPEG-2 Video 480i 30 frames per second (roadshow version)
The roadshow version (duration: 3H21m. 52s. - see 4 last captures of the 8 at the bottom of this page) is the original version of the film before it was amputated by no less than forty minutes for the general release of the film. Suffice to say that these cuts are not insignificant. It is enriched with an opening, an intermission and an end music, which gives this title of roadshow alongside other great show films of the time (Ben-Hur, Spartacus or Exodus) .

The roadshow version, which had not been found for years, was brought up to date following the identification of a copy in good condition in 1991. Unfortunately, this copy was damaged by chemical treatments for the release of the laserdisc in 1996. In the United States, restorer Robert A. Harris repeatedly alerted public opinion to the catastrophic state of the components of the roadshow version. One of the (former) MGM executives replied that the film was not in danger.
To date, the laserdisc master is the only copy available.

The ESC editions offer this version in standard definition as a bonus on the 2nd Blu-ray (thus from the elements used for the laserdisc). MGM (and not only) has a habit of not making an effort for alternative versions (the American Blu-Ray from Hawaii including the roadshow version in standard resolution).
It features a 2.05:1 4/3 ratio. As Longway says so well on the western forum, a projection on a large screen will lead to an image with reduced dimensions because of the black side bands. Unlike the bonuses which are in the 1.33 16/9, the film is not anamorphic.
The 2.05:1 ratio (compared to 2.35:1 on the cinema version) does not seem correct. The characters are too thin because the image is stretched in height.

The image is limited by a necessarily weak definition and frequent stains in a fortunately controlled quantity. The colors hold.

Where the bottom hurts is that the German edition includes the long version in 720p resolution alternating between the HD copy (of the cinema version) and the additional upscaled scenes, all with homogenized grain. This work of harmonization will obviously remain an exclusivity of the German record. This is what is said on the French site

 

[battlebeast]

Features of Blu-Ray:
Blu-Ray
Published by ESC Editions
Disk size: 43.1 GB
Duration: 2H41m. 56s.
18 chapters

Image: 1080p AVC - 2.35 16/9 - DTS HD 5.1 VO/2.0 VF & VF
Sound: English, French
French subtitles






Chronicle of the Blu-Ray published by ESC Editions - Available

This edition features two discs, one of which contains the Alamo roadshow version.


Highly anticipated, Alamo arrives on Blu-Ray a few weeks after a German Blu-Ray edition from Koch Media. In the United States, the film has caused much ink to flow in recent years as to the state of the elements available.

This double Blu-Ray contains two versions of the film: the cinema version (disc 1) and the roadshow version (disc 2).

2.35 16:9 MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 24fps (cinema version)
Only the cinema version is in high definition (duration: 2h41m. 56s. - see 4 first captures out of the 8 at the bottom of this page).
On the scale of MGM remasters, the copy is relatively satisfactory without reaching the heights. We are approaching 4K remasters for the American Blu-Ray editions of The Great Escape or The Thomas Crown Affair (1968).

The image is clean but contains common white spots and speckles and frame jitter. The result remains far superior to the DVDs of the early 2000s (with a dirtier image).
Note that in a scene, some images may stand out from the rest of the scene. Additional remastering work would have been required.
The framing is wider than on the DVDs.
The definition is correct. The grain is preserved. The color palette is nice and rich thanks to a new calibration. The reduced contrasts of the French DVD are brought to a consistent level.
In the end, this cinema version is quite satisfactory and offers a very clear qualitative gain on the DVD.


2.35 4/3 MPEG-2 Video 480i 30 frames per second (roadshow version)
The roadshow version (duration: 3H21m. 52s. - see 4 last captures of the 8 at the bottom of this page) is the original version of the film before it was amputated by no less than forty minutes for the general release of the film. Suffice to say that these cuts are not insignificant. It is enriched with an opening, an intermission and an end music, which gives this title of roadshow alongside other great show films of the time (Ben-Hur, Spartacus or Exodus) .

The roadshow version, which had not been found for years, was brought up to date following the identification of a copy in good condition in 1991. Unfortunately, this copy was damaged by chemical treatments for the release of the laserdisc in 1996. In the United States, restorer Robert A. Harris repeatedly alerted public opinion to the catastrophic state of the components of the roadshow version. One of the (former) MGM executives replied that the film was not in danger.
To date, the laserdisc master is the only copy available.

The ESC editions offer this version in standard definition as a bonus on the 2nd Blu-ray (thus from the elements used for the laserdisc). MGM (and not only) has a habit of not making an effort for alternative versions (the American Blu-Ray from Hawaii including the roadshow version in standard resolution).
It features a 2.05:1 4/3 ratio. As Longway says so well on the western forum, a projection on a large screen will lead to an image with reduced dimensions because of the black side bands. Unlike the bonuses which are in the 1.33 16/9, the film is not anamorphic.
The 2.05:1 ratio (compared to 2.35:1 on the cinema version) does not seem correct. The characters are too thin because the image is stretched in height.

The image is limited by a necessarily weak definition and frequent stains in a fortunately controlled quantity. The colors hold.

Where the bottom hurts is that the German edition includes the long version in 720p resolution alternating between the HD copy (of the cinema version) and the additional upscaled scenes, all with homogenized grain. This work of harmonization will obviously remain an exclusivity of the German record. This is what is said on the French site

Which version are you talking about?

 

[cremers andre]

De quelle version parles-tu ?

De la version française publiée par ESC édition

 

[Robert Harris]

Once more, with feeling…

”There is no complete Roadshow version of The Alamo on home video.”

”There never has been a compete Roadshow on home video.”

 

[SuperClark]

I don't know if this is a legit company/release but it says its region free.