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

[Josh Steinberg]

I don't see the harm in it coming out now and I suspect the studio feels the same. The theatrical version and the Donner version are out already (for both I and II actually), and in waiting about a decade from the original BD release to now, it's clear which is the director's preferred version and which is the curiousity.

About ten years ago, an HTF member loaned me his VHS copy of the tv version so I could check it out and make a copy. I'll be happy to be able to retire those discs, I never thought I'd get that chance.

 

[deepscan]

They don't really need his permission, but yes, he hates it.

It's not that Donner openly hates this cut...I believe it was in the contract he signed when he agreed to do Superman I & II that he would have editorial control only on what was theatrically released (and the Salkinds would have to agree to it), which is the main reason why he did what should have been his final theatrical cut in 2000, and conversely the Salkinds would have final cut for any version beyond theatrical release, and Donner would have to agree to that (in short, "so say one, so say us all"). Otherwise we certainly would have had Allen Smithee credited as director today.

 

[WillG]

They don't really need his permission, but yes, he hates it.

True, but seeing how he's had a half century relationship with Warners you'd think they'd get his ok.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I think the dirty little secret here is that physical media sales, especially for catalog titles, are dying, and all labels need all the sales they can get. For a small investment, this one might get an unusually large (for 2017) return, and Warner Archive probably needs every dollar they can get - especially, as their own unit within the company, if they're expected to be profitable.

 

[WillG]

Those of us old enough to remember the 188 minute cut probably all agree it's a mixed bag. Apparently, the film was pumped up with every scrap they had lying around to get a longer and longer running time, because they were being paid by the minute. The longer version had some very good stuff in there, but also a lot of absolute junk. There's an endless silent scene with Lana pouting in the car while Brad drives away. There's a ridiculous scene with the earthquake/flood causing water to flow into an impoverished Mexican village while the townspeople dance away at their good fortune. (You would assume this happy moment was erased when Superman turned back time).

There's a much longer scene in Luthor's lair, with Miss Teschmacher continuing her grumbling about living underground. This is in between the theatrical cut scene and leads into Ned Beatty's "Feed the Babies" scene which is on the dvd. There's more with Miss Teschmacher and Larry Hagman, there's a bit with Otis having trouble steering the remote control car. There's extended scenes here, there and everywhere.

Yeah. No offense to Donner but you can kind of get an idea why the Salkinds were frustrated with him. He seemed to shoot a lot of unnecessary material. Some material that shouldn't have even made it into a shooting script (the subplot about the Indian village and the drought comes to mind). It does have its share of somewhat neat stuff. There's some extra dialogue between Clark and Lana that's nice. I liked the shot of the glow of Kal-El's ship fading as the Kents drive away from it (I wonder why Donner felt compelled to cut that). I even in some ways prefer the extended destruction of Krypton sequence better. It's longer, but it defiantly feels more horrific.

I wonder if this sells ok we'll get the extended editions of the rest of the movies

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

If the longer version was cut on film, they can just rescan that element. It wouldn't have been edited on tape back in the day.

My guess is that it was. Back then they'd even make prints of shows that were shot on videotape, because of all the different television standards out there. It would have been easier for these foreign stations to take a film print and telecine it into their local broadcast formats than try to convert from NTSC. If they made an element of this everything-and-the-kitchen-sink cut and then ran off a dozen or so prints to ship around the world, and haven't touched it since, it might still be in pretty good shape. Probably a generation or two further removed than the elements used for the Donner cut, but still good enough to resolve a decent HD image.

 

[WillG]

So, do we have a release date?

 

[Allansfirebird]

Just confirmed with Warner Archive on Twitter - the extended cut will be in anamorphic widescreen!

 

[TonyD]

I don't see the harm in it coming out now and I suspect the studio feels the same. The theatrical version and the Donner version are out already (for both I and II actually), and in waiting about a decade from the original BD release to now, it's clear which is the director's preferred version and which is the curiousity.

About ten years ago, an HTF member loaned me his VHS copy of the tv version so I could check it out and make a copy. I'll be happy to be able to retire those discs, I never thought I'd get that chance.

Well it looks like I posted after a stroke jeez my laptop went nuts on me.

Anyway Josh that was me.
I still have the tapes and the dvds around in a box somewhere.

 

[Mark-P]

I wonder if Donner gave his blessing for this. I seem to recall that he objected to that cut being out there.

Well they are including his cut as part of the package. The real reason Warner is releasing this is because it is one of their most highly requested titles. There are lots of fans who first saw Superman on network television and to them this is the "true" cut of the movie. Obviously it's not, but Warner is giving fans what they want and you have to give them credit for that.

 

[WillG]

Just confirmed with Warner Archive on Twitter - the extended cut will be in anamorphic widescreen!

Well, call me shocked then (and quite pleased to be wrong). I'm all in for this.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Yes! And thank you so much for that loan! I had grown up with those cuts since those are the versions I had grown up with as my parents had taped them off tv. Those copies were long gone before the DVD ever came out. It was really a wonderful bit of nostalgia to see them again.

HTF is the best - where else would someone loan you a VHS tape of an obscure version of an old movie?

 

[Tino]

Just confirmed with Warner Archive on Twitter - the extended cut will be in anamorphic widescreen!

Are there non anamorphic widescreen films on Blu-ray?

 

[TonyD]

I doubt it. Not sure why someone is discussing this as if it was a DVD

 

[Allansfirebird]

Are there non anamorphic widescreen films on Blu-ray?

The extended edition of Hawaii (1966) is available only in a letterboxed version on Twilight Time’s BRD release, as that was the only master they had for that cut.

I doubt it. Not sure why someone is discussing this as if it was a DVD

I wanted to verify not only was the new release was in widescreen, but that the master wasn’t just letterboxed in a 1.33:1 frame, ala Hawaii.

 

[Mark Booth]

IMDB has some information (albeit somewhat confusing) about the different versions of Superman The Movie.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078346/alternateversions

This extended news cut is all well and good but I'd MUCH rather hear about a fully restored director's cut in 4K HDR. I'd pay $40 for that!

Mark

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I have no doubt that will come at a future time. Superman is usually a good seller for them

 

[Lord Dalek]

Honestly with all the fog and diffusion filters in the film, there might not actually be 4k worth of information there.