The Sound Of Music Update: See Post #63 November DVD Release (1 Viewer)

[Felix Martinez]

http://www.dvdreview.com/html/sound...c_special.shtml

I wonder what Robert Harris thinks about this info. I believe he was also critical of the look of the DVD when it came out and I always find his comments informative and fascinating! Hope you come across this thread, Robert!
I'm honored to have my DVD copy signed by Robert Wise, so I'll never part with it - even if it is re-released in a sparkling new transfer!
Cheers,

 

[Michael Harris]

exactly where is this glorious theater where all these 70 mm classics are shown? Probably not driving distance from Wash DC

David: We could hope that the Uptown Theater can show some of these 70mm classics. When I was in college they used to show 70mm movies during the summer. Got to see "Patton" in all its glory. Granted that was a while ago.

"Sound of Music" would look good there.

 

[RobertSiegel]

does anyone have an email address for Foxvideo? Or snail mail address? It would be nice to pass some of these comments to them.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Yesterday on one of the cable channels (2/14/2005) there was a short story on the planned annioversary DVD's of OKLAHOMA and SOUND OF MUSIC. The story was about Rogers and Hammerstein, so the dvd announcement was just a part of the this story. They did not give any details other than these were remasters and "elaborate" editions. This sounds exciting!

 

[Charles H]

Any word on the 60th anniversary edition of STATE FAIR?

 

[Yumbo]

I have seen so-called edge enhancement on a new theatrical print. Go figure.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Chris, could you elaborate on that? Have you seen a new Sound of Music theatrical print? And Charles, yes I forgot to mention that STATE FAIR was also mentioned with the others.

I have the feeling the new dvd's will come out at Christmas, but I hope sooner.

 

[Yumbo]

hi,

I meant that I have seen EE on new prints in general, much to my surprise.

I am dying for a new copy of SOM, as it is OOP (WS).

 

[Paul_Scott]

a couple years ago i caught a clip from Oklahoma! on a PBS special on R&H.
the special was produced in HD and although i was only watching the show on a small direct view set, the scene from the film ("Oh What A Beautiful Morning...") looked spectacular!
crystal clear, detailed, vibrant, stable, and not a blemish in sight.

i briefly caught a showing of the film on TCM a few weeks ago, and was disappointed to see the film looking not all that much better than any average/mediocre vintage scope dvd would look.
smeary, not particualrly well detailed, off/fluctuating colors, etc.

i'm really happy that it and SOM are getting new discs, but i feel like i need to rachet down my expectations after that TCM broadcast.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Did anyone watch The Sound of Music in HD on ABC last Christmas? It said simulcast in HD, and I was very excited. So that night, I tuned in on the hd ABC and it was actually pan and scanned and was certainly not in HD either. The begining of the broadcast had the little symbol that is was simulcast in HD, but it wasn't for me here in Minneapolis. Anyone see the HD broadcast or was it the same for everyone?

 

[GregK]

Anyone see the HD broadcast or was it the same for everyone?

ABC did provide a HDTV version of Sound of Music. It's always possible your local ABC affiliate may have had problems with their HD feed and upconverted the NTSC feed, or perhaps they upconverted the feature accidentally. The aspect ratio was around 2.20:1 for the opening credits, but sadly was then cropped to 1.78:1 for the rest of the feature. The NTSC pan-n-scanned version caused a strange quirk with the film's native directional audio: When a person or persons were positioned to the far left or right of the wide screen the directional audio tended to follow. The NTSC version, however, was aggressively pan-n-scanned. Therefore when an actor was positioned to the far left or right on the mildly cropped HDTV version, the NTSC version sometimes had them closer to screen center, but their voices still primarily came from the left or right channels. Reason #101 why pan-n-scan is a bad thing...

 

[RobertSiegel]

Thanks Greg for that info. I am upset at the affiliate for what they did. All I got on the HD channel was a pan and scan NTSC looking version, and when I hear it was HD for someone else, after getting the HD box and all, it really angers me. I havn't written, but think I will, the affiliate and make a complaint and see what they say. Sadly, it will be another year to wait, I've waited for several years and our Time Warner just added ABC to the hd channels this year.

May I ask Greg, how was the picture? Compared to the dvd? Same transfer material? Can you give me some details on it? I'd appreciate the info.

 

[GregK]

Hi Robert,
The HD version was quite nice. Given the ABC HD-feed was a 720p version panned-n-scanned to 1.78, I'm assuming it would be a new transfer for ABC and other future high def cable and network bookings. 1080i to 720p conversions are not uncommon, but going pan-n-scan would require a dedicated transfer. I'm sure the eventual HD DVD will be OAR, as the current OAR DVD was down-rez'ed from a hi-def master. http://www.dvdreview.com/html/sound_..._special.shtml
I didn't have the DVD on hand for A/B comparisons but did have a high end NTSC feed and HDTV feed both running on broadcast grade displays, so I was able to do extensive comparisons. The NTSC version had ringing or some type of edge enhancement in a number of spots, but the HD-version did not appear to have these problems. The NTSC edge enhancement (much worse on the pan-n-scan version) did remind me a bit of the widescreen DVD, which makes me wonder if the current DVD was "tweaked on" after the NTSC downconversion in an attempt to recover lost resolution?

 

[RobertSiegel]

Greg, thanks for the info, perhaps I did see the hdtv version, although compared to some classic movies I have recently seen on HDNET, it did not look like hdtv to me. I had it on my dvr, but erased it as soon as I saw some of the sides were cut. I thought, how dare they broadcast a pan and scan hd classic, got mad and erased it. It looked 4:3 to me but I could be wrong. I wish I would have saved it to compare further. I do remember the quality was poor, it's as if the ABC affiliate here had the same thing on their regular channel and the HD channel.

Since the film is due for a remastering this year and a new 40th anniversary dvd, I wonder if they are making a new transfer, since they already made a high-def transfer last time and used that for the dvd. We'll have to wait and see. This is my all-time favorite movie, and I've owned 5 different VHS versions, and 3 laserdisc versions and the dvd. I am still not impressed, especially with the sound on the dvd. Oklahoma from 10 years earlier sounds MUCH better. That great 20th Fox sound doesn't seem as good to me on the dvd or any other version for that matter. According to the story you mention (the link), the masters were in pretty bad shape, I am assuming worse than Oklahoma's. It's really a shame. The best sound recording of the score is on the 2 disc special edition soundtrack on RCA that came out for the 35th anniversary. One of the best remastering jobs ever done to this score, and the best I've heard it, if you don't have it, run, don't walk and pick it up. The 2nd disc has an interview with Richard Rogers and alot of music not on the first disc or previous releases, taken from the music masters for the film. Those don't sound as good to me as the disc 1, the original soundtrack RCA released, recorded in Webster Hall exclusively for the LP issue in 1965.

 

[Joe Caps]

something is very goofy here. I don't have the rca 2 cd set, but are they saying in th enotes the original album they releazsed is a rerecording done in Webster Hall? It most certainly is not, but is the fox soundtrack with new intros recorded and some bridges recorded to cover cut material.

 

[Erik_H]

Today's NY Times has a lengthy article on the 40th anniversary of "The Sound of Music."

The article includes some specifics on the upcoming DVD reissue: "Twentieth Century Fox plans to release a special 40th-anniversary two-DVD edition in November, with new documentary material (including interviews with Ms. Andrews, other cast members and creators) prepared by Michael Kantor, who directed the PBS series "Broadway: The American Musical" last year."

The article also notes that "SOM" has been on the Billboard Top 40 video sales chart longer than any other film (300-plus weeks).

Other R&H news: A high-def transfer of "The King and I" will be shown on INHD2 this Saturday (June 4).

 

[Robert Crawford]

Here is a link to this excellent article. If have to be registered with the NYT to read it.
Also, before anyone asks, the video presentation has been revisited by Fox to eliminate the problems associated with the previously released dvd. Furthermore, other R&H musicals are in the dvd pipeline.
Crawdaddy

 

[RobertSiegel]

I saw that transfer of the King and I on INHD, they already broadcast it once. The picture is one of the best I've seen so far of a classic in HD. It was just beautiful. Unfortunately, the movie starts in 2:35:1 (or somewhere near that) and after the credits, if you can believe this, switches to 1:85:1 for the rest of the film. If you get the chance, watch it, the picture is stunning.

 

[Paul Anthony]

I recently saw the current DVD of "The Sound of Music" on my Sony 36" XBR set, and thought the transfer was totally rad! Don't understand why TSOM is being re-mastered, but that's cool with me.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

Unfortunately, the movie starts in 2:35:1 (or somewhere near that) and after the credits, if you can believe this, switches to 1:85:1 for the rest of the film.

I'm hearing more and more about this practice. Ugh...this sort of ridiculousness has got to stop, IMHO.