The Big Trail & Barbarian and the Geisha - Blu-ray - Wal Mart Exclusive (1 Viewer)

[jim_falconer]

Just received an email from Walmart.com that the blus have shipped....yahoo!

 

[Ed Lachmann]

It's funny Ed, because I almost was going to bite the bullet to get a region free player in order to get Soul Media's John Wayne titles we had talked about.  I read in another thread that someone reported that Soul Media did not use the stereo tracks on Geisha.  Is that right?  I have a DVD-R of the film, burned off the FOX Movie channel, and it is definitely in stereo.  Would be a shame if the stereo tracks were not used for this upcoming R1 release.

Well, Jim, I do believe that the tracks of GEISHA are mono and the old UK Fox release had the same problem. That said, I don't regret the purchase, as the film really looks good on the SoulMedia BD. I don't regret any of the SoulMedia BDs, although with exchange and shipping they were pretty expensive. No forced subs was a plus, as was the general sharpness and good grain structure of the releases. I wonder if we will ever see ALEXANDER THE GREAT or THE CONQUEROR in BD here in the States. I'll probably go for their just released LION IN WINTER, too.

 

[Dick]

So, where does one purchase these Soulmedia Blus from? They have pages on Amazon UK, but say the discs are not available. Is there an English-friendly site for ordering?

 

[John Hermes]

So, where does one purchase these Soulmedia Blus from? They have pages on Amazon UK, but say the discs are not available. Is there an English-friendly site for ordering?

Daaveedee.com has some of them, as well as Amazon.co.uk.

 

[Johnny Angell]

If memory serves, B&TG was a deliciously bad film. I may have to get this one.

 

[jim_falconer]

Originally Posted by Ed Lachmann /t/318954/the-big-trail-barbarian-and-the-geisha-blu-ray-wal-mart-exclusive#post_3923128
Well, Jim, I do believe that the tracks of GEISHA are mono and the old UK Fox release had the same problem. That said, I don't regret the purchase, as the film really looks good on the SoulMedia BD. I don't regret any of the SoulMedia BDs, although with exchange and shipping they were pretty expensive. No forced subs was a plus, as was the general sharpness and good grain structure of the releases. I wonder if we will ever see ALEXANDER THE GREAT or THE CONQUEROR in BD here in the States. I'll probably go for their just released LION IN WINTER, too.

Ed, I'm happy to report that the image on the US version of GEISHA is very good, and the tracks are indeed in stereo! Although there is not any significant separation, you can certainly tell it is not in Mono. Very happy with this release.

 

[Joe Caps]

I have BARBARIAN off the fox movie chan nel in stereo. there is certainly significant separation on that!!

 

[Johnny Angell]

Is this online only?

 

[jim_falconer]

Originally Posted by Joe Caps /t/318954/the-big-trail-barbarian-and-the-geisha-blu-ray-wal-mart-exclusive#post_3924861
I have BARBARIAN off the fox movie chan nel in stereo. there is certainly significant separation on that!!

I also have the film recorded off the FOX movie channel and do agree with you Joe. The separation is much more pronounce on that DVR, then this current blu. But the blu is in stereo (just more subdued), and the image looks just great!

 

[Rob_Ray]

Is this online only?

I found plenty of copies of both titles in stock at the Cerritos, CA WalMart.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I found plenty of copies of both titles in stock at the Cerritos, CA WalMart.

Ok, thanks.

 

[Charles Smith]

Finally got to a Walmart and picked up The Big Trail and Barbarian and the Geisha. Never saw the latter, but just spot-checked it and it looks like delightfully bad movie fun. BUT... what's up with the black levels, or lack of same? There are no dark blacks at all, only grays. Even the dark areas in bright daylight scenes are thin. I wonder if the foreign releases, etc., are the same. Oh well. "It is what it is", as we say. I'll still enjoy watching it.

 

[Richard--W]

Charles, which film's black levels are you referring to?

 

[Charles Smith]

The Barbarian and the Geisha.

 

[jim_falconer]

Well, finally watched The Big Trail. It's a good transfer, but I'm disappointed in the amount of grain in the image. Seems if FOX was going to do a top notch job on blu, they'd try to reduce the heavy grain in certain shots. Has an almost pixilated look in some scenes.

And no problem with grain on The Barbarian and The Geshia, so I'm at a loss to understand it being on this other FOX release.

 

[JParker]

Finally got to a Walmart and picked up The Big Trail and Barbarian and the Geisha.  Never saw the latter, but just spot-checked it and it looks like delightfully bad movie fun.  BUT... what's up with the black levels, or lack of same?  There are no dark blacks at all, only grays.  Even the dark areas in bright daylight scenes are thin.  I wonder if the foreign releases, etc., are the same.  Oh well.  "It is what it is", as we say.  I'll still enjoy watching it.

Hello, Charles,
If you are referring to Barbarian and the Geisha, on my display and with the settings I use I didn't see any such difficulties. That is, the black were not super black, and no I don't have a Pioneer Kuro but a Panny Plasma, there was a tendency towards green in the blacks, but that may be the film stock. It's a Bob Harris question but I wish he'd view as well on a good sized flat screen and not just use his projector, I don't know the details of his system. Maybe that would be 'slumming it'. What do you use? Have you modified slightly from D6500K if that is what your display is set at? Sometimes I have to change a little, depending on software.
For example, see here:
http://reviews.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/panasonic-plasma-tv/panasonic-tcp50gt30-p2.html#picset
http://www.hometheater.com/content/panasonic-viera-tc-p50s30-plasma-hdtv-settings
What I did notice is the color is far more natural than the film stock or if not the film stock, that 'turquoise' pushed blue that is used in current films. Again, a question (to be ignored?) by Mr. Harris.
However, the cut is 145 minutes and that impressed me; I think as a film it was wonderful, operatic, but the visuals were stunning, so as Mr. Harris says, the cinematographer was a true hero. In many instances, the composition and color remind of Japanese prints. Note the following from this Wiki entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Barbarian_and_the_Geisha#Production_notes

Before release, the film was heavily re-edited by the studio. Director John Huston denounced this version and even wanted to have his name removed from the credits. Huston had wanted to make a particularly Japanese film in terms of photography, pacing, color and narration but according to him only a few edits - representing his vision - were left intact in the theatrical version.

Wayne is Wayne; he didn't look that well I recall from The Comanchero's Blu-ray extras they discussed his health:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/311534/a-few-words-about-the-comancheros-in-blu-ray
At 145 minutes, I think we're as close as can be possible and one has to view the film in that light. So, I don't agree with your ' like delightfully bad movie fun' but à chacun son goût!
IMHO, a film worth seeing and supporting.I hope Walmart keeps these releases going.
Regards
J.

 

[Bob Cashill]

THE BARBARIAN AND THE GEISHA runs 145 minutes and not the usual 105 (or 1:45)? That is news--are you sure?

 

[Charles Smith]

James, thanks for the detailed response. It's a Panasonic 50" VT25 plasma, on THX setting, in a low-lit room with zero reflections. Nothing has been changed, as best I can recall, except for selecting their "Size 2" for the least amount of overscan. It's not yet calibrated -- that's something I will definitely treat myself to -- but after however many months I've had this screen, I'm still amazed and thrilled by the gorgeous black levels on just about everything. Most of my Blu-rays are very carefully chosen, and this one kind of stuck out in that regard.

I'm afraid I haven't yet sat down and watched the film straight through yet, so that was my impression on spot-checking the disk, nothing more. As to the "delightfully bad" comment, that also was a quick impression inspired by someone's description somewhere above, or in another thread, and I will be more than happy to change my tune on that. I'll try to get to this over the weekend.

 

[Charles Smith]

Just watched, and loved it!

I also figured out how to describe what I'm seeing: It's as though I'm viewing it on the crappy 5-year-old Vizio LCD in the other room, insofar as black or anything approaching black is concerned. They're all grays, and in some scenes much detail or differentiation is lost in the gray. There was one scene near the end of the film when I suddenly thought, wow, there it is, something closer to a real black. But not really. Probably a fluke of having gotten relaxed and into the film, and accustomed to the way it looks.

So, no one else sees this the way I am? Off the top of my head I can't think of any other Blu-ray I have that has made that impression on me, or any that have even remotely tried to turn my Panasonic into a Vizio! But I'm delighted to have the film ("delightfully bad" comment duly retracted), and I look forward to watching it again and to sharing it with a couple of Wayne aficionados who know nothing of it.

EDIT: Player is the Oppo BDP-93.

 

[JParker]

THE BARBARIAN AND THE GEISHA runs 145 minutes and not the usual 105 (or 1:45)? That is news--are you sure?

OK, the player display did indicate 1:45, which I interpreted as one hundred forty-five minutes. It seemed longer than one hundred five minutes, i.e., a little over an hour and a half. But the package does say 105. Reading a review of Cleopatra, a bonus indicated that Fox trashed a lot of old footage, so maybe it is the studio release.
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Cleopatra-Blu-ray/30513/#Review

Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.
Disc 1
Cleopatra's Missing Footage - author and film historian Brad Geagley and 20th Century Fox film archivist Schawn Belston discuss the three different versions of Cleopatra, as well as the early five-and-a-half-hour print of the film, which Joseph L. Mankiewicz showed to producer Darryl F. Zanuck in Paris in 1962. Mr. Belston also explains why 20th Century Fox destroyed all of the trims and outs from Cleopatra (and other films from 1978 and back) that could have been used to reconstruct Joseph L. Mankiewicz's version of the film. In English, with optional English, Spanish, French, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, and Simplified Mandarin subtitles. (9 min, 1080p).

If so, "my bad" as the youngsters say.