Well doesn’t the Japanese DVD have the complete track? The quality just isn’t very good but I assume they can use that track only for the scenes missing from the shorter version? I can of course send a copy of the disc if needed (or maybe you/they should get a cinemageddon account and download it from there ). I don’t think it exists in any better quality as far as home video goes.
If the original material is in fact in too poor shape, a better quality (than the one on DVD) track might exist on some Scandinavian print (The Danish Film Institute might for example have one, as they even have the complete English track for the Specialist). Then again the audio tracks on those prints might be in even worse shape and I assume Explosive won’t go hunting for a print from archives.
Ahr, good dvd material combined with HD can’t be that bad. I’ve seen mixed source releases that looked pretty respectable. Just as an option mind you. Who wants to watch a cut version of Face to Face?
It takes some work of course and I understand that it is easier not to present it as an option.
Well presented with not watching an HD version of it at all… it’s probably the lesser of all evils, but granted, I do wish someone would unearth a high quality transfer somewhere…
The Extended Director’s Cut of Once Upon a Time in America on Blu-ray is an example of good quality HD material mixed in with poor quality SD material. I would suggest they either use seamless branching on one BD or provide 2 BDs including one cut version only in HD and one uncut version with additional SD scenes.
How is the English audio on that one? Is it better than the Japanese DVD? If so, Explosive Media need a copy!
Better than the Japanese dvd. The audio is clear with no dropouts. My dvd recorder is broke, but by all means if Explosive Media want to buy me a new dvd recorder they can have a copy of my vhs
I would assume that’s just too expensive considering EM isn’t too much more than a one man operation with contractors doing the authoring of the discs from material they acquire… EM isn’t Paramount
But who wants to buy such an expensive Blu if it only contains a cut version? Especially as all the potential buyers have already spent some money on the earlier DVD versions, which are uncut and in good quality.
I have the one in the Sollima Box, and I’m not very interested in buying it again. And maybe in a few years an uncut Blu will be released.
When the Blu Ray is released a fan based uncut composite version would probably be done based on the Blu Ray, which will just mean even more lost sales for the company.
Furthermore, the US release is basically identical to what Explosive Media are planning to release. So all those people who already have the US release are definitely going to have no reason to buy this one. More lost sales…
Actually, thinking about it, if Explosive Media keep the English track on the uncut DVD then that will give them a significant benefit over the US release which only contains Italian audio for the uncut version.
However, since their current DVD release already has English audio with some Italian sections, if they want people to “double-dip” then it sounds like they really need to hook up with Ennioo
The problem I have is I have no means of making a copy from my vhs as my dvd recorder is broken, and I am based in the UK. Just to confirm the english audio sounds very clear with no dropouts with minimal hiss for vhs standards, and is an improvement compared to the full english audio on the old Japanese dvd which is very muffled and bad in sections.
). I don’t think it exists in any better quality as far as home video goes.
