Universal Monsters & Van Helsing News (1 Viewer)

[Joseph S]

Sadly, Ebay is not what it used to be for DVD resale value even on sealed discs. I did fine with the first Dracula, but no one wants a "Dracula Legacy" minus the second disc in a crappy cardboard case. I'm going to just give away the disc and likely toss my old Dracula DVD slip cover into a slim double case. The sad thing is at least the American Pie discs get updated for their monthly re-releases, this will be my third purchase of the exact same DVD.

I like the keepcases so I'm not going to sell off my Monster collection and double features for a bunch of digipaks.

 

[Joseph S]

Sadly, Ebay is not what it used to be for DVD resale value even on sealed discs. I did fine with the first Dracula, but no one wants a "Dracula Legacy" minus the second disc in a crappy cardboard case. I'm going to just give away the disc and likely toss my old Dracula DVD slip cover into a slim double case. The sad thing is at least the American Pie discs get updated for their monthly re-releases, this will be my third purchase of the exact same DVD.

I like the keepcases so I'm not going to sell off my Monster collection and double features for a bunch of digipaks.

 

[Craig Beam]

Joseph, I'm with you. I'm hanging onto my earlier releases, and displaying them alongside the Legacy editions. Those double feature covers are beautiful!

 

[Craig Beam]

Joseph, I'm with you. I'm hanging onto my earlier releases, and displaying them alongside the Legacy editions. Those double feature covers are beautiful!

 

[Jim Peavy]

Before you guys start eBaying away your orig. monster DVDs, be aware that there are some differences between the original DVD releases and new Legacy discs. 'Prolly the biggest are:

1)the groans of Dracula when getting staked and Renfield's screams when D is strangling him, both which were restored for the orig. DVD release, are reportedly missing from Dracula on the Legacy set.

2)the hyper-cleaned up sound on the orig. Frankenstein DVD is gone. On the Legacy version, it's now back to the orig. soundtrack, with "ambient noise" intact.

I have just purchased all 3 sets this evening, 6/24 (after ordering the Gift Set from deepdiscountDVD 5/2 and still not recieving it!), and am just going to dive in tonight. But I've heard the above is true, from reliable sources. So, BE'VARE...!

 

[Jim Peavy]

Before you guys start eBaying away your orig. monster DVDs, be aware that there are some differences between the original DVD releases and new Legacy discs. 'Prolly the biggest are:

1)the groans of Dracula when getting staked and Renfield's screams when D is strangling him, both which were restored for the orig. DVD release, are reportedly missing from Dracula on the Legacy set.

2)the hyper-cleaned up sound on the orig. Frankenstein DVD is gone. On the Legacy version, it's now back to the orig. soundtrack, with "ambient noise" intact.

I have just purchased all 3 sets this evening, 6/24 (after ordering the Gift Set from deepdiscountDVD 5/2 and still not recieving it!), and am just going to dive in tonight. But I've heard the above is true, from reliable sources. So, BE'VARE...!

 

[Dan Hitchman]

Wasn't at least one or two of The Creature From The Black Lagoon features filmed in red/blue 3-D?

Will they be presented that way on DVD with sturdy glasses?

Dan

 

[Ralph Jenkins]

I can't find the Monster Legacy Collection at DeepDiscountDVD anymore (drat, it was there earlier this week), so perhaps they got word it is now on moratorium.

 

[Steve Phillips]

Dan, NO NO NO.

While CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and REVENGE OF THE CREATURE are 3-D movies, they were NOT filmed or originally released in the inferior red/blue anaglyph format.

The 3-D movies in the 1950's were exhibited in a dual projector, dual print format (one for each eye) and clear lenses polarized glasses were used. This goes for color as well as black and white 3-D movies. The system produced fantastic, sharp and clear images, with naturual color or normal black and white. However, it was very expensive and cumbersome for the theatres and often the projectors would get out of sync, causing problems. Theatres also had to install silver screens for 3-D, which are costly and wear out more easily than normal white screens.

It wasn't until 1972 that Universal created downconverted red/blue anaglyph versions of CREATURE for re-issue. The anaglyph format allowed a single print to be used, the theatres didn't have to have a special screen, and no special projection set up was required.

Sounds great, but the effect is awful, filled with ghosting, blurriness, and the color hues are thrown off terribly by the colored glasses. Black and white films such as CREATURE appear "pink" through the glasses. In no way do these hideous abominations resemble the original 3-D versions.

Sadly, the anaglyph version of CREATURE and a few other mostly B/W 3-D movies were released for midnight showings, college campus screenings, even 16mm and 8mm home digest prints were marketed. Worse yet, really bad anaglyph versions were broadcast on TV in the 1980's.

Luckily, I was able to see both of the CREATURE films in the original dual projector polarized 3-D last year at the World 3-D Film Expo on LA. The quality was astonishing, and we were seeing 50 year old prints! If you ever get the chance, seek a screening out, because if you've only seen the red/blue versions, you really haven't seen the films in 3-D at all. Flat prints are a better choice.

COULD Universal release good quality 3-D versions of these on DVD? Sure, but they won't. Expect to make due with the flat prints only.

They could create new red/blue prints that would likely be much better than the old ones, but still, what is the point?

Field Sequential 3-D versions would be much closer to re-creating the original polarized 3-D experience at home, but since special equipment is required, they don't want to do it,even though the required LCD shutter glasses are down to as little as $29 now.

 

[Ruz-El]

My dad saw this in the 50's this way, when the Jasper cinema in town was out fitted for it. He still talks about how incrediable it was.

The Jasper is now an abandend shell, the cinimascope screen was cut in half to make 2 theaters in the 70's, it turned into a grind house in the eighties, closed it's doors finally in 1999 after being a weekend Ballywood show house. It's so sad how some of the great theaters of the past turn out. There really isn't a great screen in town anymore :frowning:

sorry for the nostalgia, I can't wait to get all the creatures and invisable man movies, as I've never seen any of the sequels. Hopefully Invisable woman well be on the set!

 

[Jim Peavy]

Yeah, gotta' agree. Saw a red/blue version of the orig. Creature at a convention recently and was underwhelmed. The process gives the whole film a sickly yellow color, and the 3D doesn't work all that well anyway. Would much rather watch the flat, but beautiful, DVD.

BTW, kinda' OT, but isn't there a way to show polarized 3D with only one strip of film? I remember seeing some of the 3D films in the early 80's mini-3D boom (e.g., Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone) at local googaplexes. I doubt seriously any of these low budget flicks needed a complicated 2 projector setup for the 3D.

 

[EricSchulz]

Yeah, I remember that one and some really awful Spaghetti Western (with little to no dialogue, IIRC) around that time...

 

[Steve Phillips]

Sure, there are single strip 3-D systems.

In the 50's the studios toyed around with them, and a few films were offered in single strip format, but most theatres that ran 3-D versions went the dual projector route since they were already set up for it. It was a case of too little, too late.

The most common single strip set up is called over/under; the left and right eye images are stacked in a single 35mm film frame. The aspect ratio is 2:35 to 1. Developed in the 1960's, over/under is simpler to project but the quality of the image is reduced to 16mm level, and brightness is also affected. That's why the 3-D movies of the 1970's and 80's, though shown in polarized format, looked darker and fuzzier than the ones shown decades before.

SPACEHUNTER, JAWS 3-D, FRIDAY THE 13TH, AMITYVILLE, COMIN' AT YA! and many others were all shown this way.

Warner even re-issued HOUSE OF WAX and DIAL M FOR MURDER in a single strip polarized system which was similiar, this time having the images side-by-side in a frame (squeezed) which when projected were unsqueeezed into 1:33 to 1 3-D. It worked OK, but the dual projector prints are far superior. Still, better than horrible anaglyph.

 

[Jim Peavy]

Thanks, Steve. Yeah, I can still remember watching Spacehunter all those years ago and wondering why it was so dark and grainy...!

As far as I know, each of the 2 film images must be projected through a polarized filter; so they must use a special lense to project the "over/under" print...?

 

[jimbo w]

Got mine at wherehouse for 74.99 and a 20.00 mail in rebate. Check your local FYE/Coconut/Wherehouse/? chain for this deal as I think it is still going.

 

[John Hodson]

DVD Times has the official release on the next wave of Universal Classic Monsters here

 

[Ocean Phoenix]

Is there a "special edition" version of "Bride Of Frankenstein" on DVD? What is the best version of it on DVD, if any?

 

[Greg_S_H]

The version of Bride included with the Frankenstein Legacy set is the one you want. Besides being an incredible deal--five movies for $22--Bride has been framed correctly, unlike on the old disc.

Comparisons:

http://www.shillpages.com/uscmc/lcc-...ankenstein.htm

After checking that out, I recommend you hit the Main Page link at the bottom of that page. It's an invaluable site for these titles.