Jon Robertson
Screenwriter
- Joined
- May 19, 2001
- Messages
- 1,568
Ladies and gents, having just recieved my copy of The Wicker Man 2-disc set in the post, I have nothing but the highest praise.
The box is a stunner - the front and side artwork literally burned in to the wood. The wood itself is balsa (I think), and it has a brass catch on the side.
Opening reveals two postcards of the original poster artwork, with chapter listings for both versions printed on the reverse. The discs are held in a 2-disc jewel case, encased in a see-through plastic holder, that keeps it securely in place.
The video quality of the theatrical version is beautifully sharp; the colours are correct, there is terrific detail and contrast, barely any print damage and grain only rears its ugly head during night-time sequences. Flesh-tones often appear slightly pink, but that's probably due to the freezing conditions the film was made under!
The 5.1 sound is very effective, clear and sharp, while not a sonic whirlpool sounds splendid, considering the source material.
The extras include an absolutely fantastic 35-minute documentary which covers every single base I could think of, in regards to the film, it's reputation and troubled past, with an incredible array of interviewees. This is one of the best documentaries I've seen on a DVD for a very long time, despite its relatively short running time.
Also included is a theatrical trailer of very good anamorphic quality, almost as good as the feature itself, a poor quality TV spot which is pretty bad, four one-minute radio spots and ten 30-second radio spots, excellent talent biographies and a rather surprising hidden feature - a 25-minute episode of a syndicated (?) TV show "Critic's Choice" from, I would guess, the 1977 American re-release, featuring Christopher Lee and director Robin Hardy talking all about the film. The quality is very poor, but the interview most certainly is not! This is accessible from the Extras menu, and is so easy to find, I think let you all find out for yourselves.
The second disc contains the paydirt - the full-length 99-minute director's cut. This is curious, as it has always been quoted as 102 minutes, but as far as I could see, it was totally complete, with full-length songs, and every single difference that was detailed Link Removed , with the exception of one title card that credits the band that played the score, which, I suspect, was left as it was in the 87-minute version for legal reasons.
The quality is exactly what you would expect - exactly the same for the majority of the film as the theatrical version, but AB had to use a 1" analog videotape master for the previously missing scenes. There is a shift in quality that doesn't exactly need a carefully trained eye, but it's all fairly painless and exactly what should have been with Manhunter. Basically, the colours shift, grain is upped and detail is very poor, but since the film needs the scenes, I have no qualms.
The only downside to the release are the menus on the first disc (Theatrical Version) for reasons I shan't go into here.
I will recommend however going directly to Title #8 on the first disc containing the Theatrical Version and Title #1 on the second disc containing the Extended Version as soon as the Anchor Bay copyright warnings and logos come up (you can skip these by pressing Stop).
The film itself is a glorious masterpiece - witty, erotic, chilling and with an atmosphere quite unlike any other film of the time, with a twist ending that is truly a stroke of genius.
It's also not a strict horror film, but a genre-less classic, spellbinding from the word go. Part horror, part fantasy, part musical, part melodrama. These are not the words of a deranged fanboy - it was voted #96 in the top 100 British films of all time, and I am certain, had the full-length director's cut been in circulation all these years, would have been much higher up in that list.
This set is as the best way to get into the film as possible - just make sure you get the limited edition. The extended version is the correct version of the film, not the shamefully abridged 87-minute cut.
If it were not for a certain Orson Welles film coming my way, this would undoubtedly be my favourite disc of the year. My highest recommendations.
[Edited last by Jon Robertson on August 20, 2001 at 07:18 PM]
The box is a stunner - the front and side artwork literally burned in to the wood. The wood itself is balsa (I think), and it has a brass catch on the side.
Opening reveals two postcards of the original poster artwork, with chapter listings for both versions printed on the reverse. The discs are held in a 2-disc jewel case, encased in a see-through plastic holder, that keeps it securely in place.
The video quality of the theatrical version is beautifully sharp; the colours are correct, there is terrific detail and contrast, barely any print damage and grain only rears its ugly head during night-time sequences. Flesh-tones often appear slightly pink, but that's probably due to the freezing conditions the film was made under!
The 5.1 sound is very effective, clear and sharp, while not a sonic whirlpool sounds splendid, considering the source material.
The extras include an absolutely fantastic 35-minute documentary which covers every single base I could think of, in regards to the film, it's reputation and troubled past, with an incredible array of interviewees. This is one of the best documentaries I've seen on a DVD for a very long time, despite its relatively short running time.
Also included is a theatrical trailer of very good anamorphic quality, almost as good as the feature itself, a poor quality TV spot which is pretty bad, four one-minute radio spots and ten 30-second radio spots, excellent talent biographies and a rather surprising hidden feature - a 25-minute episode of a syndicated (?) TV show "Critic's Choice" from, I would guess, the 1977 American re-release, featuring Christopher Lee and director Robin Hardy talking all about the film. The quality is very poor, but the interview most certainly is not! This is accessible from the Extras menu, and is so easy to find, I think let you all find out for yourselves.
The second disc contains the paydirt - the full-length 99-minute director's cut. This is curious, as it has always been quoted as 102 minutes, but as far as I could see, it was totally complete, with full-length songs, and every single difference that was detailed Link Removed , with the exception of one title card that credits the band that played the score, which, I suspect, was left as it was in the 87-minute version for legal reasons.
The quality is exactly what you would expect - exactly the same for the majority of the film as the theatrical version, but AB had to use a 1" analog videotape master for the previously missing scenes. There is a shift in quality that doesn't exactly need a carefully trained eye, but it's all fairly painless and exactly what should have been with Manhunter. Basically, the colours shift, grain is upped and detail is very poor, but since the film needs the scenes, I have no qualms.
The only downside to the release are the menus on the first disc (Theatrical Version) for reasons I shan't go into here.
I will recommend however going directly to Title #8 on the first disc containing the Theatrical Version and Title #1 on the second disc containing the Extended Version as soon as the Anchor Bay copyright warnings and logos come up (you can skip these by pressing Stop).
The film itself is a glorious masterpiece - witty, erotic, chilling and with an atmosphere quite unlike any other film of the time, with a twist ending that is truly a stroke of genius.
It's also not a strict horror film, but a genre-less classic, spellbinding from the word go. Part horror, part fantasy, part musical, part melodrama. These are not the words of a deranged fanboy - it was voted #96 in the top 100 British films of all time, and I am certain, had the full-length director's cut been in circulation all these years, would have been much higher up in that list.
This set is as the best way to get into the film as possible - just make sure you get the limited edition. The extended version is the correct version of the film, not the shamefully abridged 87-minute cut.
If it were not for a certain Orson Welles film coming my way, this would undoubtedly be my favourite disc of the year. My highest recommendations.
[Edited last by Jon Robertson on August 20, 2001 at 07:18 PM]
