WHV Announcement: Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Fabien Renelli]

I want this one bad. But I am a bit surprised by the price. The UK set is supposed to be much cheaper. Any info on the contenance? Same discs, same program? If so, this is a no brainer for me...


Now I just have to find a way of selling my 14-DVD set and my BDs of the first two movies and Returns at a reasonnable price...

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Originally Posted by Lord Dalek /forum/thread/310181/whv-announcement-superman-the-motion-picture-anthology-blu-ray/30#post_3796893

 

[MattAlbie60]

Originally Posted by AlexS2





Was hoping we could one day see an Extended cut of Returns


But whatever, I was already convinced we might never see teh opening, but its finally here.

I'm afraid that the fact that "Return to Krypton" is getting out there means they're finally giving up on an extended cut of RETURNS. But if we get to see the footage, that's all I really care about I guess. If the script they wrote had made it to theaters, I think that movie would be looked at very differently by a lot of people. But it easily would have pushed three hours with all that deleted material, so I can understand why cuts had to be made. I just wish they hadn't cut out 80% of the emotion.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Originally Posted by Scott Merryfield /forum/thread/310181/whv-announcement-superman-the-motion-picture-anthology-blu-ray/30#post_3796957

 

[Ethan Riley]

Originally Posted by MattAlbie60

I'm afraid that the fact that "Return to Krypton" is getting out there means they're finally giving up on an extended cut of RETURNS. But if we get to see the footage, that's all I really care about I guess. If the script they wrote had made it to theaters, I think that movie would be looked at very differently by a lot of people. But it easily would have pushed three hours with all that deleted material, so I can understand why cuts had to be made. I just wish they hadn't cut out 80% of the emotion.

I just thought they made a poor choice for a lead. He wasn't Superman; he was a stick of mud. And yet--if what you say is true, then maybe his deleted scenes would have added some much-needed depth to his performance.


Or then again, maybe Brandon what'shisname just sucks! And what is he doing now? Guest-starring on "Chuck?"

 

[Chris Farmer]

I'm torn here. On the one hand, Superman is a legit comic book classic. Even if it's a bit hammier than some of the more modern comic book adaptations, that's just a difference in tone, not quality. Superman 2 falls off some, but it's still pretty darn good. 3 and 4, however, are just lousy movies. Returns was disappointingly mediocre. It tired to simultaneously reboot the series while also working as a sequel to Superman 2, and didn't really do very well with either. Singer's more emotionally detached directing style works incredibly well for some movies, but it didn't fit here. And I didn't like how dark the movie was either (figuratively and literally). Superman is the World's Biggest Boy Scout and generally a happy character, even when he faces his limits. He's not someone who whines about what a burden it is. And he's certainly not a deadbeat dad. Plus tons of the movie take place at night or are darkly lit. Again, Metropolis is New York by day, Gotham is New York by night, so why does Superman spend so much time hanging out at night?


So the question is, which side of me wins? The completionist side that likes the Superman character, or the more realistic side that feels the definitive Superman movie has yet to be made? It was a lot easier to pass over the Batman Antholology that was nice enough to come out AFTER Batman Begins, so I already knew what was worth buying.

 

[Rick Thompson]

The problem with Superman IV is very simple: It's a sermon, not a movie -- and like the man said, "If I want a message, I'll call Western Union!"

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Superman Motion Picture Anthology now available

for preorder on Amazon. Please support HTF and

click the button above.

 

[cafink]

The Digital Bits has an update featuring the answers to a lot of the questions that have popped up in this thread. In particular, Superman includes the original sound mix as a DTS-HD MA track, and Superman Returns' "Return to Krypton" sequence is included in HD.

Meanwhile, we have another update for you on Warner's Superman: Motion Picture Anthology Blu-ray release (now available for pre-order on Amazon.com at the link provided), with clarifying details on a few more issues you guys have asked us about. First, The Science of Superman documentary included in the set was a Circuit City-exclusive with the release of Superman Returns, so this is its first wide release and also its first in HD. The Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman is also seeing its first HD release here. Not only are those two in HD, but we've also learned that the never-before-seen Return to Krypton alternate opening scene from Superman Returns will be included in full HD in this set. That's a very cool and appreciated touch. Also, a number of you have asked about the audio for the Superman: The Movie BDs. The 1978 Theatrical Cut Blu-ray will BOTH the 2000 mix in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and also the original theatrical audio in English 2.0 DTS-HD MA. Naturally, the 2000 Expanded Edition Blu-ray will include the 2000 remixed audio in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA. Hope that clarifies things for you. Really, the only disappointing thing about this set is that the Fleischer Superman shorts aren't in full HD. Other than that, all the rest seems pretty great.

 

[Jason_V]

The problems with Superman IV go WAY beyond the story. It's cheesy, but it is also a comic book-type story. Very poor production values and a lot of shoehorned storylines are the primary culprits. I mean, in one of the shots on the "Moon," you can see the PVC pipe holding the top of the flag to simulate no gravity. Come on!

Originally Posted by Rick Thompson

The problem with Superman IV is very simple: It's a sermon, not a movie -- and like the man said, "If I want a message, I'll call Western Union!"

 

[Lord Dalek]

I don't know why they keep relying on the 2000 mix for Superman: The Movie. As I mentioned earlier, the film's original 70mm mix was a 5.1 track so I can't see why WB just doesn't simply remaster that.

 

[Fabien Renelli]

Originally Posted by Lord Dalek

I don't know why they keep relying on the 2000 mix for Superman: The Movie. As I mentioned earlier, the film's original 70mm mix was a 5.1 track so I can't see why WB just doesn't simply remaster that.

Wasn't it a 6-track surround stereo mix? If so, it can be matriced in a DTS MA 2.0 mix, no?

 

[Jim_E]

Originally Posted by Lord Dalek

I don't know why they keep relying on the 2000 mix for Superman: The Movie. As I mentioned earlier, the film's original 70mm mix was a 5.1 track so I can't see why WB just doesn't simply remaster that.

I believe the following originates from DVDfile (I borrowed it from another forum). It's from an interview they did with Michael Thau who worked on the restoration with Donner. I can't find a link to the original piece - this bit is just about the audio on Superman, but there was lots of other information on the restoration if anyone has a link to the original piece.


Going back to the original mix, we were shocked when we heard it. We grabbed the original 70mm full-coat that actually had the label from the Pinewood stage on it; it had a date of November 1978. We put it up in a dubbing stage. We had Dolby down there a couple times verifying that the set up on the Dolby units, the decoding, was correct. Superman was the first film that was originally recorded in a 70mm 6-track split surround but here's the rub that no one knows about but it's the truth. They mixed in split surrounds but they did not use the surrounds very much, especially in a stereo way because it was very new and they were very scared of it. At the last second, here in America, they brought it over to do some final mastering on the 70mm and they chickened out and the film was only released with mono surround in the 70mm format. So they mixed it for stereo surround, but it was never released that way and the fact is that there wasn't much difference anyway.

In 1978, Dolby was just beginning to become prominent and on their recording dubber they could put a 6-track head up, a 4-track head up, a 3-track head or a 1-track. The 4-track would be for the standard Dolby mix: left, center, right, surround and the Dolby system had an crossover, where anything below a certain frequency would go to a subwoofer. The 6-track would be the same except they would have two added channels of baby-boom (low frequency bass) with more volume. The 3-track would be for the mono stems: dialog, music and effects, and the single-track would be for the mono mix. But they didn't have three recorders; they only had one at the time, the same here in the U.S. as well. So they could not record simultaneous 4-track dialog, music and sound effects stems (left, center, right, and surround.) You do a whole mix, and then you do another mix. They recorded first, the 6-track mix, then the four, then the mono mix, then the mono stems. They tried to make them one after another so they would sound the same. There really isn't much of a difference in the 6-track or 4, except in volume and bass. But you weren't preserving your stereo stems at that point. So, what came off the stage was the full mix or mono stems, which is one reason why we couldn't even reconstruct anything. We only had the mono stems. With dialog it doesn't really matter that much because you normally put the dialog down in the center channel anyway. Superman was different; they actually draped it across the whole front three speakers, which really prevented us from using any of the original mix. It doesn't work that well and sounds strange. Stereo was kind of a new gadget and I think they were just playing with the new toy. Dialog is best kept in the center channel for clarity.

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Jason_V

The problems with Superman IV go WAY beyond the story. It's cheesy, but it is also a comic book-type story. Very poor production values and a lot of shoehorned storylines are the primary culprits. I mean, in one of the shots on the "Moon," you can see the PVC pipe holding the top of the flag to simulate no gravity. Come on!

It's indeed like those one-shot comic issues that dealt with drugs or racism or whatever. Most of those had good intentions, but were ultimately flawed in their execution.

 

[robbbb1138]

Originally Posted by Jason_V

The problems with Superman IV go WAY beyond the story. It's cheesy, but it is also a comic book-type story. Very poor production values and a lot of shoehorned storylines are the primary culprits. I mean, in one of the shots on the "Moon," you can see the PVC pipe holding the top of the flag to simulate no gravity. Come on!

The biggest problem to me, and why I still consider 3 leaps and bounds better than 4, is the look of the movie. Whether you want to completely call the production values or say some of it's the cinematography, it's clear as day to me that pretty much none of the behind the scenes people that were there for 1 thru 3 were involved in 4.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Originally Posted by Brian Borst

It's indeed like those one-shot comic issues that dealt with drugs or racism or whatever. Most of those had good intentions, but were ultimately flawed in their execution.

I'm a big comics fan and know exactly what you're talking about. It's like that 80s one-shot "Heroes for Hunger" in which Superman tries to re-seed the Gobi Desert so it could grow crops, or whatever he was trying to do. This movie was just a huge embarrassment for everyone involved; it remains embarrassing to this day. And yet, I keep hearing that if the film were released in its original director-cut length that it would have been improved a hundredfold. (I doubt it, but it would be nice to see them try to do anything to save this movie from the "worst films of all time" list).

 

[MattAlbie60]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethan Riley


And yet, I keep hearing that if the film were released in its original director-cut length that it would have been improved a hundredfold.

0 multiplied by 100 is still 0.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Fabien Renelli

The only thing I worry about in regard to the UK set is that the dvds might be locked while the Blu-rays are all region.









Crawdaddy

 

[cafink]

What DVDs? All 8 discs in this set are Blu-rays, right? Discs 1-7 obviously are, since they contain the movies themselves. And disc 8 contains "Look, Up in the Sky!" in HD, so it must be a Blu-ray, as well.

 

[John Sparks]

The 40's cartoons and the Superman and the Mole Men are SD, from what is reported on other sites. No one knows yet if they are an upgrade from the Season 1 TV show and the latest box set of the cartoons.