The Best Years of our Lives (1 Viewer)

[Jennifer_Rose]

Hearing about the passing of Virginia Mayo the other day got me thinking about her films. I particularly enjoyed her roles in White Heat and The Best Years of our Lives. I will be getting White Heat latter this month. (I have pre ordered The Gangster Collection.) My question is, I am thinking about finally buying The Best Years of our Lives on DVD, but I have heard that the DVD transfer is not that good. Can someone please give me their thoughts on the quality of the current DVD transfer? Also, what are the chances that this DVD may be released again?

 

[Scott David]

Good question. I've been holding off buying the current DVD of this great film too because I've heard the transfer isn't too great. That, and it's a flipper. I've also heard the earlier, OOP HBO DVD release was superior. I think there are some screen caps of it on www.dvdbeaver.com.

 

[ArthurMy]

"That and it's a flipper." No, it's not a flipper. The current MGM/UA DVD is not a flipper. A flipper it is not. So, you might want to amend your post. While the current MGM/UA non-flipper DVD that isn't a flipper is not a great transfer, it is a pretty decent one, and miles better than the HBO version, which was riddled with early DVD artifacts and WAS a flipper, which the new one isn't.

Seriously, you can't go wrong with the MGM/UA - it's a great film in a decent transfer at an inexpensive price. Voila.

BTW, it's not a flipper.

 

[Scott David]

I stand corrected--several times over. :b

Now at least I'll go out and buy it. Especially since...you know...it's not a flipper.

 

[ArthurMy]

The best thing about it is it's not a flipper. In other words, you don't have to turn the disc over, it's only on one side.

On the other hand, Flipper is not a flipper either.

 

[Joe Caps]

I am a bit shocked. I had not heard about Miss Mayos death. I was fortunate to have lunch with here several years ago and she had many stories to tell about the films she made. She mentioned that she was sort of thrown into an acting career. She had never taken acting lessons until she did the Silver Chalice.
When did Miss Mayo pass away?

 

[Robert Crawford]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movi...eut/index.html

 

[Elinor]

Hmmm. I must have gotten lucky. I consider my DVD to be almost pristine. One of the best.

 

[Alistair_M]

According to this comparison the HBO version is better.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcom...ofourlives.htm


I have the HBO (yes it is a flipper) and the picture quality is decent enough.

The MGM seems pretty good.

 

[Elinor]

Ah, I didn't know there were 2 versions. Mine is the HBO one.

 

[Jennifer_Rose]

Thanks for your help. I had always thought that the HBO version was superior to the MGM one but since I did not actually watch it myself, I was not certain. Since the HBO version is a flipper, how is it set up? Do you have to flip the disk in order to watch the entire film (like the old version of Gone With the Wind) or, is the film on one side and the extras on the other?

 

[ArthurMy]

Yes, the film is on two sides. I had the HBO disc which, as I said, had lots of digital artifacts. While I like dvdbeaver, he is not always correct about transfers. If people are happy with the HBO, great - but the MGM is superior in every way, AND it's not a flipper - the movie is all on one side.

 

[DeeF]

The HBO one has an intro by Teresa Wright. I've been trying to get my hands on this disk for a long time, for this reason.

My MGM disk is fine for picture and sound, though.

It is close to my favorite movie. Virginia Mayo never got a better role.

 

[Alistair_M]

Since this thread is about 'Best years of our lives' - here's a nice webpage about it:

http://www.reelclassics.com/Movies/B.../bestyears.htm

and a gallery of Virginia Mayo

http://www.virginiamayo.com/gallery/framgall.htm

 

[ToddF]

I have both versions and the HBO DVD looks the best. Yes, it's a flipper but it's a long film and a nice time for a break.

 

[Elinor]

Wow. They're asking for $80 plus for that HBO version on the Amazon used market ... more for NIB versions.

If only my 401k appreciated that much.

 

[ToddF]

I wonder if people actually pay those asking prices?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I did a check on ebay completed auctions and couldn't find any finished Best Years auctions with high prices. However, it's hard to weed out the good from the bad, as there were a lot of "gray area" auctions for Asian versions. Still, I didn't see anything that sold for big bucks...