So I have got three copies of Face to Face now - an old DVD (I think it was the Kino Lorber but I haven’t looked at it recently), the US Blu Ray (also Kino Lorber), and the German Blu Ray 2-disc set from Explosive Media. Curious about some things before I do a full rewatch of this classic. I put in the extended cut from the Explosive Media set today, and while the length of the cut is promising, I noticed immediately that the additional scenes are noticeably poorer quality. I knew in advance that they were upscaled, but they also look basically un-restored, I thought. Also, the English audio track is distractingly off-sync - not the dubbing (that’s par for the course), but gunshots and other Foley work lags well behind the on-screen action. I got about 20 minutes in before I started wondering about this and paused my player.
I guess my first question is, anyone who owns the Explosive Media Blu Ray set, do you experience the same sound sync issues with the English audio track? I didn’t have this with the Kino Lorber theatrical cut, which I’ve watched fairly recently. The quality of the additional scenes is what it is, I suppose, but the audio issue bugs me.
My next question is, I see there’s a really lavish-looking French release (Wild Side) that runs even a bit longer than the EM extended, and also includes English audio. How is that one? Quality of the extra scenes, and how is the English track? And is it region-locked (I know the EM one is region-free)? I don’t know if I need 4 copies of one movie, but if that one improves on the EM release in any way, maybe it’s worth snagging.
Well, I just found a review of the Wild Side set that makes it sound pretty non-promising for English speakers. Too bad! Face to Face Blu-ray - Tomas Milian
I’ve been thinking about the EM one, too. After what you’ve described, I think I’ll just stick with my Kino copy (which includes an uncut SD Italian version with english subs).
For whatever reason - chalk it up to personal failings - I am unable to watch spaghettis in Italian with subs. I don’t have anything against foreign-language movies or reading subtitles, mind you, it just seems weird to watch cowboys in the Old West (albeit a phony one shot in Spain) speaking anything other than English, or occasionally Spanish. I guess of the cuts I own that are in English, the Kino Lorber theatrical cut is the most watchable; just a pity it’s missing so much connective tissue. This movie in particular I think would benefit from more of those scenes, because the original American release really feels abrupt at times, and Fletcher’s transformation is a bit undercooked.
By the way, I thought it was worth re-checking this just in case. I sometimes have minor sync issues with my Blu Ray player (although usually it’s the other way - audio a little ahead of the video). So I played the KL and EM Blu Rays back to back, just the scene where Beauregard first escapes and kidnaps Fletcher. There are two loud sound effects in that scene, a jug being smashed on someone’s head and then immediately after, Beauregard shooting one of his captors. On the KL disc, sync of these two sounds is perfect. On the EM extended cut and theatrical cut with English audio selected, the sound lags behind noticeably. It’s a pity if you prefer the English track. I didn’t check the German or Italian ones (but can if you’re curious).
The latest French BD, at 110 min, seems to be missing up to a couple of minutes from its original Italian version. It’s a pity the Italian version has no known surviving film prints, just the SD transfer. Let’s hope someoone eventually finds a good quality copy
Re the preferred language to watch spaghettis in: I usually go with the original language spoken by the leads during filming.