"The Alamo"s Status? (1 Viewer)

[ahollis]

I have it too (the laserdisc, not the bottle!). It is one of a few I kept after switching over the DVD.

Same here. I have a few left, including this one and Raintree County, along with the Dawn Of Sound box sets.

 

[RolandL]

I have the extended version from TCMHD and the shortened version from MGMHD on my DVR.

 

[davidmatychuk]

Love him or hate him, the great Jeffrey Wells is squarely on the side of the angels on this one:

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2017/02/eyes-nose-resemblance-ends/#more-98545

 

[Tino]

The Alamo is "free with ads" on Vudu right now if anyone wants to watch it.

And I think it looks pretty good.

 

[Robert Harris]

This is not about streaming, via which most anything can look decent.

Take that image and project it on a sixty foot screen, as intended.

Bottom line.

Why do we need movie theaters?

 

[Robert Harris]

Answer

We probably don't.

 

[TJPC]

(I have not read this entire thread so forgive me if this question was already answered.)
What happened to the Canadian full print? I remember the interview with the people who found it on the CBC radio show "As It Happens" some years ago. Apparently it was shown at the 70mm festival at the Ontario Place Cinesphere and the people organizing the festival did not know what they had. Someone who saw it casually mentioned to people he knew in the industry and they almost had a heart attack. They arranged for a special screening of the print and sure enough it was the road show version. Problem solved? Apparently not.

 

[Robert Harris]

(I have not read this entire thread so forgive me if this question was already answered.)
What happened to the Canadian full print? I remember the interview with the people who found it on the CBC radio show "As It Happens" some years ago. Apparently it was shown at the 70mm festival at the Ontario Place Cinesphere and the people organizing the festival did not know what they had. Someone who saw it casually mentioned to people he knew in the industry and they almost had a heart attack. They arranged for a special screening of the print and sure enough it was the road show version. Problem solved? Apparently not.

The print was heavily mishandled during and after the creation of the laserdisc mastering, spent a decade or more in improper storage, and now has no color.

With original elements for the cut version also heavily damaged, things are not in a good p,ace for The Alamo in 70mm.

Unfortunately, this is also the tip of the iceberg for much of the library.

 

[ahollis]

Answer

We probably don't.

And that's why I retired from the exhibition industry.

 

[RolandL]

And I think it looks pretty good.

That's the same version that is shown on MGMHD with just one commercial.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

This is not about streaming, via which most anything can look decent.

Take that image and project it on a sixty foot screen, as intended.

Bottom line.

Why do we need movie theaters?

RAH, you know I'm in favor of restoring this film, and for all of the restoration work you do. Your expertise and insight is something I have tremendous appreciation and admiration for. I just wanted to say that first because my next thing may sound more negative, or at least pessimistic.

It's not likely that there will ever been wide demand for this film to ever be shown on a sixty foot screen again. Repertory screenings are fading into memory, and those that do still exist primarily screen in a digital format. Most repertory that I'm able to see in the NYC area, for instance, is shown on screens so small I doubt most could distinguish between a Blu-ray, 2K or 4K source. The biggest screens that remain out there these days are IMAX branded screens, as well as the theater chains' IMAX knockoffs like AMC Prime and RPX - it seems extremely unlikely to me that any of these premium screens would be available for an Alamo booking. Once those are out of the equation, I'm not sure that there are that many screens remaining that are large enough for the difference between 2K and 4K to really show up.

Even when there's a movie that's been restored that would rightly be viewed as a crown jewel, like My Fair Lady, the presentation can leave something to be desired. When the new My Fair Lady restoration screened, I recall most of the comments from users here being about botched presentations - I'm sure that what was sent to the theaters was in perfect condition, but it seems that a lot of places didn't know how to present it or just didn't care. If that's the treatment that My Fair Lady gets, what hope is there that The Alamo (which is generally less beloved than My Fair Lady) would get better?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I'm fully in favor of this being fully restored in 4K resolution and being shown on 60' screens, I'm not sure that the theater industry as it exists today would have any interest in showing this film in a quality reminiscent of the original roadshow presentation, and even if they had interest, I'm not sure that enough theaters are technically capable of presenting it that way. And if there were, would an audience come out and pay money to see it?

Original intention or not, the people who most love the film of The Alamo are likely to be people who are used to watching classic films at home. It's not that I don't think it's deserving of a full restoration, but I think ultimately that theatrical exhibition wouldn't be the primary way that most people would get to see it.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Now days you can see a movie anywhere and any source like on your tv, phone, tablet, watch, streaming, physical disc, and at your local theater.

 

[JPCinema]

The HDX version of THE ALAMO is new to VUDU. After hearing about this here, I purchased it and yes it is the best it has ever looked. I wish there there had been the overture etc even though it is the cut version... 162 minutes.

 

[Tino]

That's the same version that is shown on MGMHD with just one commercial.

I don't think it is. It looks much much better.

 

[skylark68]

As a Texan, I need to remind everyone that this needs a major restoration before 2036, as that is the year of the Battle of the Alamo as well as the bicentennial of Texas Independence. I actually live and work within about a 20 minute drive from the San Jacinto Monument (and battleground), site of the capture and surrender of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

Hopefully it happens before then, but just saying...

 

[davidmatychuk]

As a Texan, I need to remind everyone that this needs a major restoration before 2036, as that is the year of the Battle of the Alamo as well as the bicentennial of Texas Independence. I actually live and work within about a 20 minute drive from the San Jacinto Monument (and battleground), site of the capture and surrender of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

Hopefully it happens before then, but just saying...

And as a British Columbian, I agree with you 100%.

 

[RolandL]

I don't think it is. It looks much much better.

Well that's good. I didn't think MGM would send a different version to VUDU than what they have on MGM HD. I'll have to sign up for VUDU to see the difference.

 

[OliverK]

Well that's good. I didn't think MGM would send a different version to VUDU than what they have on MGM HD. I'll have to sign up for VUDU to see the difference.

It may be that the vudu version looks better due to other factors but I have a very hard time believing that it comes from a different master.
MGM often airs a very low bitrate 1440 x 1080i signal if I am not mistaken so a higher bitrate 1080p signal with a decent codec can look a lot better by comparison.

 

[RolandL]

I was just playing the TCM longer and MGM broadcasts, seeing what scenes are missing. But what I didn't notice before is that the MGM broadcast is only two channels even though the receiver shows DD 5.1. I checked and MGM only has two channels for all their broadcasts. The TCM broadcast is full 5.1 audio.

 

[CinemaCynic]

Unfortunately, this is also the tip of the iceberg for much of the library.

Ugh. Well that Blu Ray release of 'Private Life of Sherlock Holmes' sure was scary as an indicator....