A Few Words About 'While we wait for A few words about...™ Spartacus -- in Blu-ray' (1 Viewer)

[Dr Griffin]

That Dolby SR logo was the best.

 

[john a hunter]

Yes, That confirms what I said that SPARTACUS had a wide reissue in 1970, although I'm sure that most showings throughout the country were on the Rank circuit (especially the 70mm ones). ABC obviously also had selected showings in 35mm in the London suburbs. My memory is that the film was not cut for that reissue.

Yes I saw it at my local ABC in Leyton, London. Obviously 35mm.

 

[Allansfirebird]

DL agreed to the cuts, being told that they were ONLY for a U.S. television sale. There is actually one very inventive cut, which is an interesting dissolve.

RAH

This brings up a question I've had for a while, Robert - was there any consideration ever given to preserving the shorter cut of Lawrence, as nothing more than a curiosity?

 

[Robert Harris]

This brings up a question I've had for a while, Robert - was there any consideration ever given to preserving the shorter cut of Lawrence, as nothing more than a curiosity?

Not certain if it exists outside of a few dye transfer prints. Doubt that there was a 35 IP - don't recall.

Printing matrices would have been produced from the 65 OCN.

The OCN was re-cut for this release. Third time in a decade.

Wonderful article in NY Times when released. As I recall, it was titled "Look what they've done to Lawrence of Arabia now."

 

[RobertSiegel]

Mr. Harris, thank you for this exciting thread and the screen shot preview. Looks fantastic. Not much has been asked of the sound mix. Obviously we don't have the LC and RC in home theaters, so can you give us an idea of how they arrive at 7.1 and what was done to mix that? Did they use the 6 track master tapes?

 

[Robert Harris]

Mr. Harris, thank you for this exciting thread and the screen shot preview. Looks fantastic. Not much has been asked of the sound mix. Obviously we don't have the LC and RC in home theaters, so can you give us an idea of how they arrive at 7.1 and what was done to mix that? Did they use the 6 track master tapes?

Original 6-track full coat 35mm tracks, newly produced dialogue, along with music and fx, as well as 70mm audio was used for the restoration / reconstruction in 1989-90.


Those master tracks were used to create the 7.1, which is basically a 5.1, with the addition of the l and r sides where applicable.


RAH

 

[Mike Boone]

Back in June of 2010, having not heard that Universal had released Spartacus on BD, I encountered the Blu-ray in a northern Ohio Wal-Mart. Seeing its price of $9.96, I said to myself "This is too good to be true." Well, maybe I have plenty of company in life, in too often forgetting that such an initial reaction, so often proves to be right. Never the less, I did manage to maintain a good deal of optimism until getting the disc home, and then checking out a couple minutes from a few chapters.


What a contrast now, where instead of a new Blu-ray catching me unaware, with what turns out to be an unexpected, but ultimately, unpleasant surprise, the discussion on Home Theater Forum has me excitedly anticipating a top notch version of Spartacus that benefits from the kind of meticulous care and attention that all of us fans of the film have always hoped for.


Boy, the combination of revitalized versions of both Spartacus and My Fair Lady, is sure putting me in a great mood for the Fall. As so many have expressed on our forum, I just want to say again how grateful I am to everyone who puts forth their efforts to restore and preserve the beauty of film.

 

[Cineman]

...The scene that makes me cry is when all of Spartacus men stand up, "I'm Spartacus!"

For me it is the scene where Crassus (Olivier) sets up the impromptu fight to the death between Spartacus (Douglas) and Antoninus (Curtis) the night before Spartacus' crucifixion for no other reason but to inflict an added measure of intolerable cruelty to the man he now suspects is indeed Spartacus. Crassus must know Spartacus will win the fight against his former man servant Antoninus and will therefore be required to personally kill one of the men who stood for him. In fact, we and Spartacus all know Antoninus was the first man who stood for him.


The implications and complexities of this dreadful scene are overwhelming, each man trying to kill the other swiftly tonight in order to spare him a much more horrible death tomorrow and in the days that follow. The final words between Spartacus and Antoninus are almost unbearable in their poignancy and sadness.

 

[taylora98]

Any word on whether there will be a UK/Region B release of this restoration? Nothing on Amazon/UK so far.

Thanks.

 

[Geoff_D]

I should think that the disc will be region free (if not a single 'one size' release for all regions) and will be soon be available to import for peanuts if Universal's remastered Apollo 13 and Breakfast club were anything to go by.

 

[Mike Boone]

Great scene all of Spartacus, men are loyal to him and won't sell him out. Brings me to tears.

That famous scene of the men refusing to identify the actual Spartacus, had special meaning for the man who wrote it, Dalton Trumbo,

because he had refused to identify any fellow members of the Hollywood community who might have ever been members of the communist party, during testimony that Trumbo was compelled to give to the so called House Un-American Activities Committee of the U.S. Congress.


For being convicted of contempt of Congress, Trumbo, in 1950, served 11 months in the federal penitentiary in Ashland, Kentucky. He was one of 10 men who became known as The Hollywood Ten for refusing to name names to the committee, and were ultimately imprisoned and blacklisted. These men all contended that it violated their constitutional rights to force them to identify people who might have been members of the communist party, because even back at that time, it was not illegal to be a member of the communist party. Like me, most of my fellow HTF members who had American History class in high school, probably remember learning about Congress investigating Hollywood as part of what was referred to as The McCarthy Era witch hunts.


Anyway, in considering Spartacus, with its theme of standing up for freedom, it can be seen as appropriate, that producer/star Kirk Douglas, by insisting that Dalton Trumbo's real name appear in the film's credits, was justified in saying that he was doing his bit to stand for freedom by moving against the blacklist that had forced people like Trumbo to write under phony names, if producers dared to hire them at all.


And, BTW, with this post simply presenting events as described in the history books, while carefully keeping my own opinion out of it, I sincerely hope that I have not violated Home Theater Forum's understandable rules concerning the importance of keeping political controversy out of the forum.

 

[Robert Harris]

That famous scene of the men refusing to identify the actual Spartacus, had special meaning for the man who wrote it, Dalton Trumbo,

because he had refused to identify any fellow members of the Hollywood community who might have ever been members of the communist party, during testimony that Trumbo was compelled to give to the so called House Un-American Activities Committee of the U.S. Congress.


For being convicted of contempt of Congress, Trumbo, in 1950, served 11 months in the federal penitentiary in Ashland, Kentucky. He was one of 10 men who became known as The Hollywood Ten for refusing to name names to the committee, and were ultimately imprisoned and blacklisted. These men all contended that it violated their constitutional rights to force them to identify people who might have been members of the communist party, because even back at that time, it was not illegal to be a member of the communist party. Like me, most of my fellow HTF members who had American History class in high school, probably remember learning about Congress investigating Hollywood as part of what was referred to as The McCarthy Era witch hunts.


Anyway, in considering Spartacus, with its theme of standing up for freedom, it can be seen as appropriate, that producer/star Kirk Douglas, by insisting that Dalton Trumbo's real name appear in the film's credits, was justified in saying that he was doing his bit to stand for freedom by moving against the blacklist that had forced people like Trumbo to write under phony names, if producers dared to hire them at all.


And, BTW, with this post simply presenting events as described in the history books, while carefully keeping my own opinion out of it, I sincerely hope that I have not violated Home Theater Forum's understandable rules concerning the importance of keeping political controversy out of the forum.

It's even a bit deeper than that.


Howard Fast, who wrote the novel Spartacus, was also brought before McCarthy, as he'd been a supporter of the communists in Spain in the 1930s. He told those involved to go **** themselves, and was also sent to prison. Where the warden asked if he'd edit the prison paper. He declined.


He wrote a superb book on the subject, Being Red. A nice play on words.


RAH

 

[Mike Boone]

It's even a bit deeper than that.


Howard Fast, who wrote the novel Spartacus, was also brought before McCarthy, as he'd been a supporter of the communists in Spain in the 1930s. He told those involved to go **** themselves, and was also sent to prison. Where the warden asked if he'd edit the prison paper. He declined.


He wrote a superb book on the subject, Being Red. A nice play on words.


RAH

Thank you, RAH. Fascinating stuff. And that sounds like a book well worth searching for.

 

[Robert Harris]

Thank you, RAH. Fascinating stuff. And that sounds like a book well worth searching for.

http://www.amazon.com/BEING-RED-Howard-M-Fast/dp/0395551307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440433565&sr=8-1&keywords=being+red

 

[Robin9]

http://www.amazon.com/BEING-RED-Howard-M-Fast/dp/0395551307/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440433565&sr=8-1&keywords=being+red

Thank you for that. I've just placed my order. I had never heard of this book before.

 

[PaulaJ]

Kirk Douglas is a mensch.


http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-kirk-anne-douglas-are-815957


I am looking forward so much to the remastered version of Spartacus. I remember seeing it in the theater after it was restored and my friend sobbing her heart out at the end for five minutes (it brought up some sad feelings about things going on in her own life).

 

[marsnkc]

That famous scene of the men refusing to identify the actual Spartacus, had special meaning for the man who wrote it, Dalton Trumbo,

because he had refused to identify any fellow members of the Hollywood community who might have ever been members of the communist party, during testimony that Trumbo was compelled to give to the so called House Un-American Activities Committee of the U.S. Congress.


For being convicted of contempt of Congress, Trumbo, in 1950, served 11 months in the federal penitentiary in Ashland, Kentucky. He was one of 10 men who became known as The Hollywood Ten for refusing to name names to the committee, and were ultimately imprisoned and blacklisted. These men all contended that it violated their constitutional rights to force them to identify people who might have been members of the communist party, because even back at that time, it was not illegal to be a member of the communist party. Like me, most of my fellow HTF members who had American History class in high school, probably remember learning about Congress investigating Hollywood as part of what was referred to as The McCarthy Era witch hunts.


Anyway, in considering Spartacus, with its theme of standing up for freedom, it can be seen as appropriate, that producer/star Kirk Douglas, by insisting that Dalton Trumbo's real name appear in the film's credits, was justified in saying that he was doing his bit to stand for freedom by moving against the blacklist that had forced people like Trumbo to write under phony names, if producers dared to hire them at all.


And, BTW, with this post simply presenting events as described in the history books, while carefully keeping my own opinion out of it, I sincerely hope that I have not violated Home Theater Forum's understandable rules concerning the importance of keeping political controversy out of the forum.

The reason I'm most proud to have met Gene Kelly was for what Jules Dassin had to say about him.

In his interview on the Criterion Rififi, Dassin recalls the time at a Cannes Festival when he spotted Kelly and, eager not to embarrass him, hid around a corner. He thought he was safe when he felt "...this strong grip on my arm." Kelly asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, and proceeded to lead him into the party where most of the Americans were hanging out.

And so with Kirk Douglas. By recognizing Trumbo, he embodied the principles espoused by his movie character.

The politics of the matter aside, it takes guts to stand by the ostracized.

 

[Alan Tully]

Yes, the new stuff looks a wee bit cool. I think I'd prefer something midway between the two, after all, it is set in Italy.

Still looking forward to seeing it, & the old one did come over on the telly as looking very orange.

I looked at the caps about ten days ago & thought they looked great. I thought the caps must have been changed & re-posted, it took a couple of days for the penny to drop, I was looking at them on my tablet, they have the same cool look on my laptop. I was at work today (which doesn't happen that often these days!) & had a look on one of their computers, & again they looked fine, so I think my laptop is speaking to me with fork tongue.

 

[David_B_K]

And, BTW, with this post simply presenting events as described in the history books, while carefully keeping my own opinion out of it, I sincerely hope that I have not violated Home Theater Forum's understandable rules concerning the importance of keeping political controversy out of the forum.

The only problem I have with the post (and others that have replied) is the frequent use of the name McCarthy. Unless I am mistaken, the problems encountered by author Howard Fast, and screenwiter Dalton Trumbo (and the rest of the Hollywood 10, et al) were with the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC). Joseph McCarthy was a senator, and was in no way involved with HUAC, as senators are not members of the House of Representatives. The events described in these posts are all about events that occurred before McCarthy ever arrived on the national scene. McCarthy's allegations of communism involved for the most part the State Department, which he felt was rife with communists. I know we like to call the period the McCarthy Era, or McCarthyism; but the Hollywood blacklistings, hearings, "naming names" stuff , was part of the HUAC. McCarthy was not involved in the Hollywood stuff.


I'm not defending anyone in this. As a history buff, I just like to keep things factual.

 

[Craig S]

Fans of Spartacus & Dalton Trumbo will be interested in this:

http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/#!trumbo/cowx

The trailer has me excited for this one. It's certainly a great cast, led by Bryan Cranston as Trumbo.