"West Side Story" blu-ray Street Date:October 17th (1 Viewer)

[Howard S]

I was surprised to hear that the newly discovered 6-track had not been used for the Blu-ray, as that had been my assumption, but re-reading the article linked, it does mention that during the search for the missing 6-track sound elements, a complete set of 4-track mags was also found in the vaults, which the article says were dated 1962 - the earliest known set. I'd not picked up on this. The article also seems to indicate that this 4-track version was restored alongside the 6-track. Rather than mix down the 6-track for the Blu-ray, it would make sense that they used this newly found and restored 4-track, assuming of course that it offers a better sound quality that other existing 4-track sources.

 

[Howard S]

Screen grabs from the UK Blu-ray have been posted on DVD Beaver, and they describe the audio as incredible. Images look fantastic. Can't wait to get my hands on this disc!

 

[Phoebus]

Also note the region free status of the UK disc is confirmed on DVD Beaver.

 

I'm a little concerned now. Someone on another forum has their copy and says that during the Overture, the screen at one point actually fades to black and then fades back in before the pull back revealing the title. Why would they do this? Seriously!

 

[Paul Rossen]

I'm a little concerned now. Someone on another forum has their copy and says that during the Overture, the screen at one point actually fades to black and then fades back in before the pull back revealing the title. Why would they do this? Seriously!

This is not good for people who remember how this film once looked and sounded.

 

If true, I will not buy it. Needless error...this is one of the most inventive Overtures EVER.

 

[AdrianTurner]

I was so worried about this 'tampering' with the Overture that when my copy arrived ten minutes ago I played the disc immediately. I'm afraid it's true. There is a complete fade-to-black just before the pull-out to reveal the main title. I don't know why, there might be some technical reason for this, but Fox have chosen to alter the film and have ruined this most dramatic moment. It's a total travesty and I don't care what the rest of the Blu-ray looks and sounds like. I think we have a sort of Gladiator moment here - Fox need to withdraw this disc and re-do it. HUGELY DISAPPOINTED!!!! AND ANGRY!!!

 

[Joe Caps]

West Side story has always looked good and very good on dvd. Thelast dvd (the box set) looked great and never sounded better !! The only problem was the sync problem on tonight. The sync problem was not in the original, just that whenthe sound was married tothepicture for that reel, it was not done properly. this Overture thing sucks, I just cancelled my order. Lets see - Scrooge, now West side Story, mono lost Horizon. Dear Vid companies- leave our favorite musicals alone - please dont screw it up for no reason !!!

 

[Charles Smith]

This is sickening news -- unbelievable and incomprehensible.


WTF?

 

[ahollis]

Pre-Order canceled. Will keep the DVD. What is with all the tampering? The Blu-ray should be the mother of all answers. Again, it has to be people in charge that know nothing about what they are working one. You know all the overtures on transfers from all the companies except Fox show a title card in front that says overture, they fade and the movie starts. This sounds exactly like what happened here. Who ever transferred this must have thought it was an overture, while it is, it is one of a few visual overtures and the entire segment needs to be seen for impact. Damn they are just so uninformed. Hire me. I'll do everything I can to make sure it is right.

 

[ahollis]

This is posted on MGM's web site for DVD Customers. I would strongly urge anyone upset concerning the Blu-ray of West Side Story to let them know in a firm but polite manner.


FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS REGARDING MGM DVD RELEASES, CUSTOMERS (IN THE U.S. AND CANADA) MAY CALL 888-223-2369.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I was so worried about this 'tampering' with the Overture that when my copy arrived ten minutes ago I played the disc immediately. I'm afraid it's true. There is a complete fade-to-black just before the pull-out to reveal the main title. I don't know why, there might be some technical reason for this, but Fox have chosen to alter the film and have ruined this most dramatic moment. It's a total travesty and I don't care what the rest of the Blu-ray looks and sounds like. I think we have a sort of Gladiator moment here - Fox need to withdraw this disc and re-do it. HUGELY DISAPPOINTED!!!! AND ANGRY!!!

I'm not clear on what's happening. Is the entire overture playing, than fade to black, then the movie starts? Is this what is happening? It's not clear what "pull-out" means. If it is happening as I guessed at, I don't understand exactly what the problem is. BTW, does the standard edition have all the software goodies of the deluxe and expensive edition?

 

[Charles Smith]

The "pull-out" would be the "zoom-out" in which the abstract pattern of lines gets a little smaller and the title "WEST SIDE STORY" moves up into the bottom part of the screen underneath it.


I'm not clear on exactly what happens with the blackout, either -- or with the music -- since it seems to be described a couple of different ways.


What I DO know is that, whatever the exact nature of the error, I hope a campaign to get it corrected doesn't have to languish at the Customer Service level for long.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Johnny Angell


I'm not clear on what's happening. Is the entire overture playing, than fade to black, then the movie starts? Is this what is happening? It's not clear what "pull-out" means. If it is happening as I guessed at, I don't understand exactly what the problem is.
BTW, does the standard edition have all the software goodies of the deluxe and expensive edition?

Yeah, I don't understand either. Does it fade the black after it changes to blue and zooms out showing the title before the camera shot of Manhatten?

 

[Bob Cashill]

Isn't it best to get the disc first tio confirm what's going on? Then if it's no good, return it. Amazon is pretty lenient about returns.

 

[AdrianTurner]

OK . . . I'll try and explain it better. The Overture plays from the start as it should do and the Blu-ray image is very sharp. At the climax of the Overture, the moment when the music changes tempo and the color should switch to blue and the zoom-out, there is a quick fade to black and a second's silence. Then we get the final section of the music and the blue image. To begin with, this image is very fuzzy indeed and then it clears and becomes sharp with the zoom-out to reveal the title West Side Story. The dissolve from the Saul Bass design to the live shot of New York is just as it should be. I'd like to have RAH's expert opinion on this. I must say I was apprehensive from the start - the artwork on the box isn't right; then there's the Fox logo and I only feel comfortable with a Fox logo on a Fox movie; the menu screen is very smartly designed; then we get the MGM logo on a non-MGM movie and maybe this is part of the problem - the source material which might have had a flawed Overture. And I also suspect the guys who did this Blu-ray didn't know the movie and thought 'This is an Overture and why does it go straight into the main title without a fade, like most movies?' I suppose we must be grateful that they didn't put the word "Overture" across the Saul Bass design. Anyway, my disc is going back to Amazon.co.uk. Roll on My Fair Lady.

 

[Charles Smith]

Oh.
My.
God.


All of that... AND the music is disrupted.


Speechless.

 

[AdrianTurner]

CORRECTION: Just saw this again . . . the music is continuous through the fade, it just seems disrupted because of this bloody fade. Sorry for the confusion here,I like to be accurate.

 

[Mark-P]

I wish somebody would make a short video (even captured by their cell phone from their display) and post it on you-tube so we can see exactly what is happening.

 

Pre-Order Cancelled....call to FOX on Monday. I'm not paying for something that shouldn't have been marred in this fashion.