It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
If only I had a VHS player to check with my older VHS releases!
The Blu-ray improvements doesn't surprise me. I really don't like the blue filter they've used. Why did they decide that was a good idea?
Edit: Here's a comparison I found online:
It was an odd choice to give that scene a blue filter. The car kicking scene in FYEO is also different in the various transfers. The early '80's CBS/Fox Home Video edition is brighter and it looks early morning. I think that might have been closer to the cinematic prints. The Blu-ray is very dark. I saw the film screened back in 2000 and remember it looking closer to the CBS/Fox version.
The 1992 "Digitally Remastered" MGM/UA Home Video VHS edition of TSWLM gave the Nile River scene the same bluish hue as in the PTS of OHMSS. Gone was that beautiful golden sunset.
The clips in the HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 007 special seemed to use CBS/Fox prints, and I thought most of those looked more true to the colors in the cinema.
As far as I can remember, I've only watched the early 90's (92/93?) VHS editions, and the Ultimate DVD Collector's Set (Ultimate Edition), and no other releases. Makes me wonder how far from the original films the editions I've seen actually are.
The 1999/2000 SE DVDs looked closer in colors and framing to the cinematic films, IMO. I should really track down copies those : OHMSS, LALD, AVTAK, TLD and GE to name a few. I traded my entire collection for the UE DVDs back when CR came out.
I might have a couple 1999/2000 SE DVD's. Incredible I can't know for sure, but I've put a good amount of stuff in boxes the last few years. Will have a look.
How does the recent Blu-ray releases compare with those releases you mentioned - overall picture quality aside?
The 1999/2000 SE DVD of TLD looks far more like the cinematic print than either the UE DVD or the Blu-ray. As sharp as the Blu-ray is, the colors are more subdued.
The Lowery LALD Blu-ray improves vastly on the 2006 UE DVD in which the gun barrel blood and titles were over saturated to the point it looked like one's color level on the television was set to the maximum.
Also during the Crocodile farm escape, the music was remixed losing that funky bass guitar hook. I believe the Blu ray has it on the mono track.
Some of the Connery Bonds on Blu-ray don't look like the cinematic versions. The colors on YOLT are subdued on the Blu-ray. I saw a 35mm print of YOLT screened a few years back, (old style UA logo included), and the flesh tones were rich. The colors vibrant and deep.
The colors on the 1999/2000 GOLDENEYE do look more like the film version, except it was timed considerably brighter. No home video version of GE has gotten the gunbarrel right, which had incredibly darker blood n the theater. Almost maroon.
As far as I remember the YOLT DVD (it's been a while since I watched this film), the colours were alright. Would have expected the Blu-ray to be just as vibrant - if not more! Looks like the Blu-ray collection improves the films in some areas, and make them look worse in others…
Interesting. Only seen GE on VHS/DVD myself, so the gubarrel done right is something I've yet to see.
Why wouldn't the people behind the restorations and DVD/Blu-ray transfers want to keep the films as close to the originals as possible? Why this need to mess with movie history?
The other Brosnan gunbarrels had slightly brighter blood, which is pretty much how they all look on DVD and Blu-ray. Only in the cinema did GE's blood look so dark, almost like the same shade as the CR gunbarrel blood.
I think as the films get older, it must be more difficult to try and restore the films to their original glory. Apparently, the original negative for DR NO was in pretty good shape, hence the Blu-ray of that film does look pretty faithful to the cinematic prints I've seen.
Interestingly, the 1992 MGM/UA Home Video "remastered version" changed the titles a bit. The "starring Sean Connery" title card changed those circled 007's from red to green. Some of the colorful dots were changed in that version as well.
As far as sound remixing, the digital audio tracks have substantial differences: the door opening as Largo enters the Spectre meeting was added, diminishing his footsteps. the cat's meow in the DAF PTS is different. The music re-mix after Bond leaps over the crocodiles in LALD. There's probably more.
I believe there is an interview somewhere with Norman Wanstall where he lamented the changes for the UE DVD's. Graham Rye also had an article for 007 magazine describing the changes. I imagine it might still be on that website somewhere.
Good to see they didn't change all of them (too much)! I've always liked the GE gunbarrel (music aside), and it would be interesting to see a version that's closer to the cinema release.
That's true of course. Interesting that the negative of the oldest of the films was in such good shape! Do you know if there were any negatives that weren't as good?
This seems like a very unnecessary thing to do! Can't see why changing the colours would be a good idea at all, really.
This is just incredible. Can't say I've noticed this, but knowing now that they've altered on so much, It'll be difficult to see the films in the same way!
The Lowery restoration feature on the DN Blu-ray seems to mention the quality of DN specifically. Some of the other films were more difficult to restore, but I don't believe they specified.
I've also noticed on YOLT, as Bond is about to exit M's office he says "Yes, Sir" twice. His inflection is different both times in the original mono track. In the remastered digital audio, they simply repeat his first reading of the line. Odd.
Thanks for the info! Maybe one day we'll hear more about this.
Very odd, indeed! Something EON wanted them to do, perhaps?
OHMSS
Popping it in......................
Early '80's UA logo with the music.
Gun barrel is squeezed....blood is a bit scarlet.
Okay................Portugal beach scene looks like sunrise. More golden than that awful blue.
Pan and scan
Overall the scene is brighter than the 2006 UE DVD.
My television is calibrated to "STANDARD". The "MOVIES" setting is my other go -to. The temperature on that setting is warm.
Great PTS, BTW. One of my favorites.
Lazenby is the man.
Diana Rigg is in my top 5 fave Bond girls.
I've been practicing my Bondian entrance whenever I go somewhere; work, shopping, etc I base it on George here.
There is a softness to this VHS version also an even quality. The colors are natural and look like film compared to an overly digital transfer. The sound is excellent.
If this version had the sharpness of a Blu-ray, and were anamorphic wide-screen we'd have something here.
The gun-barrel blood did look a bit too scarlet, though. On the big screen in 35mm, the blood is rich, thick and undeniably RED. All the Binder gunbarrels had that redness to the blood. Even with the crappiest of prints, the gun barrel blood looked impressive in 35 mm. I once saw a pretty beat up print of THUNDERBALL screened, and the gunbarrel blood still looked beautiful.
One of the reasons I'm watching this version is TODAY, September 1st, is the 33rd anniversary of the very first time I saw OHMSS.
ABC airing Sunday Night September 1st, 1985.
Raymond Benson's JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION got me more than interested in this classic Bond film that had eluded me. I was not disappointed. I loved OHMSS from the start. Great Bond film!
The CBS/Fox edition looks a bit more like the ABC copy.
It wasn't the infamous re-edit though.
I agree. A shame really because so many modern films look dull in the color department, often given a bluish hue throughout.
Classic Technicolor is quite striking. GOLDFINGER looks amazing in 35mm on the big screen. The greens Stoke Poges really pop, and the flesh tones are extremely life-like.
That's a huge safe-cracker device he uses here.
Great Barry score- I tend to hum it a lot when I'm walking around.
Good point. It's a shame they feel the need to do so. If a film is from the 80's I want it to look like a film from that period, not something else.
Hell yes! That often also means downscaling the format or cheaper paper, etc.
Love that scene. Everything about it is perfect.
Funny that some tv channels (not here in Norway AFAIK) have cut that scene to make room for more ads.
Have they?!
Long time since I watched OHMSS on TV, so I don't know what's common practice here. Have they cut out other scenes from other films here in Norway?
I have never noticed, but read on this board that the Gumbold office scene has been deleted on tv in the USA.
The end credits have been cut out here to make room for announcements of upcoming shows. Not equally insane, but I don t like that, either.
American channels and their ads… I've heard there's much more ads on American TV than here.
Yeah, I don't like the end credits being cut, but that's a whole lot better than removing scenes in the middle of the film.
PTS: in the top five or six. The camera captures the obstacles and everything moves forward to Bond’s assassination.
Title credits: lovely and tells Bond’s story... love it...
After titles: things are allowed to breathe. The obituary. The rain. The next day being called to the Headmaster’s study so we can meet Mallory...
The story moves forward.
M gets her dressing down. But she’s defiant.
Very sophisticated film with characters (you’re firing me)...
Every time I watch M say she will leave when the job’s done, she there, always reminds me of Bond. He will never leave until it’s done.
Silva’s first attack... M’s impatient... explosion... something she’s never dealt with... she’s at a loss...
He sees the attack on his home and begins his ascent...