The Rockford Files: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[smithbrad]

Thanks Rich. Much appreciated for all the extra effort in researching and clarifying the run times across the various extended episodes.

 

[BobO'Link]

It is true that this originally two-hour episode is split into two parts on the Blu-ray. However, the running time of Part 1 is 49 1/2 hours, excluding the preview of Part 2 and the closing credits; the running time of Part 2 is 48 minutes, excluding the opening credits and the brief recap of Part 1. That gives us 97 1/2 minutes of footage. If as you claim, there is 8 minutes of footage missing, you are saying that the original two-hour episode had 105 1/2 minutes of footage and only 14 1/2 minutes of commercials. That is impossible. There would have been at least 20 minutes of commercials in the original broadcast.

No wonder that episode seems so long!

 

[FanCollector]

Thank you for checking and clarifying! Have you confirmed the day-for-night issue? That's the only other thing that seems like it could be a problem as compared to the DVDs.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Thank you for checking and clarifying! Have you confirmed the day-for-night issue? That's the only other thing that seems like it could be a problem as compared to the DVDs.

That is something I could have missed because it obviously is impossible to watch more than 100 hours of the show in the week or so I had to do the review.

If someone can provide me with specific examples I'll compare the BDs of those instances to the DVDs.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

No wonder that episode seems so long!

That's what i get for staying up so late!

 

[bigshot]

That is something I could have missed because it obviously is impossible to watch more than 100 hours of the show in the week or so I had to do the review. If someone can provide me with specific examples I'll compare the BDs of those instances to the DVDs.

You're the only online reviewer I've ever seen that has been honest enough to admit he wasn't able to watch everything from beginning to end in a box set. It's clear that you did spend plenty of time looking at the discs and assembling your review. I read too many reviews that consist mostly of trivia about the production culled from google searches along with cursory descriptions of the discs that appear to be taken from studio tear sheets. Sometimes I wonder if the reviewer has even spent any time at all with the blu-ray he's reviewing.

You get my respect with this review. Thanks.

 

[MattHR]

Glad to see it's only the pilot that is in its "Frankenstein" version. Very odd that the two 90-minute episodes are original and not the pilot, especially since it was presented properly on the previous DVDs (and even the VHS release.)

My thoughts on the Blu-ray will have to wait since, once again, my copy was received in poor condition. Of the eight corners on the outer box, six are smashed in. There are also loose pieces of broken plastic that can heard rattling around inside. It usually takes Amazon three or four attempts to deliver an acceptable set, so it may take a while before I'm able to check it out. I may also get tired of waiting and simply cancel it. This problem is a big reason I've all but given up on the hobby.

 

[Patrick*R]

It's currently $49.99 with free shipping at Fry's.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

You're the only online reviewer I've ever seen that has been honest enough to admit he wasn't able to watch everything from beginning to end in a box set. It's clear that you did spend plenty of time looking at the discs and assembling your review. I read too many reviews that consist mostly of trivia about the production culled from google searches along with cursory descriptions of the discs that appear to be taken from studio tear sheets. Sometimes I wonder if the reviewer has even spent any time at all with the blu-ray he's reviewing.

You get my respect with this review. Thanks.

I appreciate that.

It's simple arithmetic, really. If I spent four hours a day watching the set it would take me nearly a month to get through it. I watched a half dozen episodes in full and spot checked the rest (at one point I thought that I had a bad disc but it was my fingerprint that was causing the hiccup).

In retrospect I should have compared all of the extended time episodes to the way in which they were originally aired. However, when I saw that virtually all of the hour-long episodes were coming in at 50 minutes I felt certain that there were no syndicated episodes with cuts. I remember watching the syndicated episodes and my recollection is that they typically had about five minutes of footage edited out.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Glad to see it's only the pilot that is in its "Frankenstein" version. Very odd that the two 90-minute episodes are original and not the pilot, especially since it was presented properly on the previous DVDs (and even the VHS release.)

My thoughts on the Blu-ray will have to wait since, once again, my copy was received in poor condition. Of the eight corners on the outer box, six are smashed in. There are also loose pieces of broken plastic that can heard rattling around inside. It usually takes Amazon three or four attempts to deliver an acceptable set, so it may take a while before I'm able to check it out. I may also get tired of waiting and simply cancel it. This problem is a big reason I've all but given up on the hobby.

I suspect that Mill Creek had to use what Universal gave them, but who knows? Maybe somebody at Mill Creek felt that the extended version of the pilot is better. In fact, one could argue that the extended version is the real version of "Backlash of the Hunter" because that wasn't its name when it first aired. I just noticed that it isn't called "Backlash of hte Hunter" on the Universal Season Two DVD - it's just listed as the pilot.

Anyway, I'm fairly comfortable that all of the episodes have all footage intact, even though a couple of the two-hour episodes are shown in two parts. If anyone can demonstrate that footage is missing, let's see the evidence.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

I think most of us will be very happy with this release despite some contrary comments in this thread.

I don't have the set yet but thanks for clarifying in advance how I'm going to feel about it. I was wondering!

If I'm understanding Richard's notes correctly, the Blu-ray set presents the pilot only in an incoherent syndication re-edit, even though the original version was on the DVDs. That's obviously a major flaw with the new set, right? Perhaps the original cut doesn't have elements suitable for HD but, at a minimum, Mill Creek owes buyers an explanation. Or a reissue, if it can be corrected.

 

[Ron1973]

I don't have the set yet but thanks for clarifying in advance how I'm going to feel about it. I was wondering!

If I'm understanding Richard's notes correctly, the Blu-ray set presents the pilot only in an incoherent syndication re-edit, even though the original version was on the DVDs. That's obviously a major flaw with the new set, right? Perhaps the original cut doesn't have elements suitable for HD but, at a minimum, Mill Creek owes buyers an explanation. Or a reissue, if it can be corrected.

I fail to see how they would owe and explanation or reissue either one. It isn't a "re-edit," but it is added footage to the original. You're still getting the original, just with added footage.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

You're still getting the original, just with added footage.

That's not what "original" means.

 

[smithbrad]

That's not what "original" means.

I guess it just depends on what each individual wants. For those that saw it in its original broadcast or based on the DVD release, they may prefer the shorter version. But, for those that saw it in syndication for many years or in streaming they may prefer the longer cut. It's most likely a no win situation for MC, since there would probably be people complaining either way. Unlike the typical scenario of a syndicated episode that has content removed, this cut actually has all the content of the original, plus some. Kind of like a "Directors Cut". I can't see a reissue or explanation forth coming in this scenario.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don't have the set yet but thanks for clarifying in advance how I'm going to feel about it. I was wondering!

I said "I think most" not "every one" which is a difference, at least, to me it is.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I've got my box set today so I'm looking forward to revisiting this series.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

I guess it just depends on what each individual wants. For those that saw it in its original broadcast or based on the DVD release, they may prefer the shorter version. But, for those that saw it in syndication for many years or in streaming they may prefer the longer cut. It's most likely a no win situation for MC, since there would probably be people complaining either way. Unlike the typical scenario of a syndicated episode that has content removed, this cut actually has all the content of the original, plus some. Kind of like a "Directors Cut". I can't see a reissue or explanation forth coming in this scenario.

They're not directors' cuts because the studio recut them, not the directors. The final paragraph of MattHR's post on the previous page explains some of the problems with these expanded-for-syndication Universal episodes (and I wrote about it here). As Night Gallery fans well know, padding an episode with stock footage can do as much damage as cutting for time. If both versions had been included, great, but with the omission of the original cut of the pilot it will be very hard to make a case that the Blu-ray renders the DVD editions obsolete.

 

[ChrisALM]

My set arrived today and looks to be in great shape with no scratched discs.

This set is really compact. Now I'm wondering how to replace the bluray cases for S1-5 so they will still fit in the accompanying cardboard box. The only 4 disc bluray case from Viva Elite that I have found has a spine width of 15 mm, the cases that come with the set look to be about 12mm. The cases with the set say Viva Elite on them, but I don't seem to be able to find a case for four bluray discs with that 12mm width spine.

 

[smithbrad]

They're not directors' cuts because the studio recut them, not the directors. The final paragraph of MattHR's post on the previous page explains some of the problems with these expanded-for-syndication Universal episodes (and I wrote about it here). As Night Gallery fans well know, padding an episode with stock footage can do as much damage as cutting for time. If both versions had been included, great, but with the omission of the original cut of the pilot it will be very hard to make a case that the Blu-ray renders the DVD editions obsolete.

And I read of someone else that liked the apparent extended chase scene that appears in the longer cut. Just because the extra content can do damage for some doesn't mean it does it for all. Whether the blu-ray edition renders the DVD edition obsolete is more of a personal decision. I still very much doubt the difference here is going to create an outpouring of discontent that is going to resonate in an explanation, reissue, or an adjusted disk.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

If I'm understanding Richard's notes correctly, the Blu-ray set presents the pilot only in an incoherent syndication re-edit, even though the original version was on the DVDs. That's obviously a major flaw with the new set, right? Perhaps the original cut doesn't have elements suitable for HD but, at a minimum, Mill Creek owes buyers an explanation. Or a reissue, if it can be corrected.

I wouldn't call it incoherent, or even close to incoherent. It's just different.

When I get a chance I'll closely compare it to the pilot as it originally aired and make notes about what has been added.