BD 25 Touch of Evil

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tenia
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#101 Post by tenia » Mon Oct 10, 2011 2:09 pm

willoneill wrote:
Duncan Hopper wrote:Anyone who just lives in a normal house with DVDs on a shelf? Without teething animals and half-pipes?
Some people like collector's edition packaging, which steelbooks would be classified as.
Sort of, for me.

felipe
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#102 Post by felipe » Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:41 pm

Is the steelbook available on Eureka's website?

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perkizitore
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#103 Post by perkizitore » Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:45 pm

NO

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eerik
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#104 Post by eerik » Tue Oct 11, 2011 3:38 am

So, who wants to ask the same question for the n+1 time?

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domino harvey
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#105 Post by domino harvey » Tue Oct 11, 2011 6:29 am

I can't wait for Criterion to release Bottle Rocket

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criterionsnob
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#106 Post by criterionsnob » Sun Oct 23, 2011 10:19 pm


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otis
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#107 Post by otis » Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:50 pm


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tenia
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#108 Post by tenia » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:04 pm

Screencaps look absolutely awful on Beaver.
The close up shot of Welles near the end of the review is not really nice to look at.

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perkizitore
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#109 Post by perkizitore » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:10 pm

Should I watch the Preview or the Reconstructed version first? I have only watched the Reconstructed version from the Universal DVD.

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hearthesilence
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#110 Post by hearthesilence » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:27 pm

Reconstruction, definitely.

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stevewhamola
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#111 Post by stevewhamola » Mon Oct 31, 2011 7:44 pm

The very first one I'm going to check out is the Reconstruction 1.37:1 version.

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MichaelB
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#112 Post by MichaelB » Tue Nov 01, 2011 5:13 am

tenia wrote:Screencaps look absolutely awful on Beaver.
Which is presumably why Gary makes a point of saying that:
The static captures probably aren't doing the transfer justice as in-motion it is impressive.
And he's right.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#113 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:49 am

Beaver's BD captures have been screwed up for ages, they're way softer than what's on the disc. To take an earlier example (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), compare the fourth screenshot here to the almost-same-frame grab at the Beaver review. The gap is still substantial even after compressing the AVS Forum PNG to JPG at 90%. The Beaver capture is a P- or B-frame, but that shouldn't account for a difference of that magnitude.

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tojoed
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#114 Post by tojoed » Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:59 am

Nice to see that David Hare receives a credit in the list of acknowledgements
in the MoC booklet. I wish he would come back to us.

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swo17
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#115 Post by swo17 » Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:29 pm

MoC Twitter wrote:Ask the MoC team which is the best version/ratio to start with TOUCH OF EVIL and you'll get completely different answers... We think it plays great in both ratios. The 1.37:1 is a thrill because it's not been seen like that for a while (+ HD = wowser)... All three versions have their strengths, strong reasons, and fans. Some folk swear by the Preview version! Hence us laying it on thick... Personally, I'd go 1.37:1 Reconstructed version first. -Nick Wrigley

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swo17
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#116 Post by swo17 » Thu Nov 17, 2011 12:50 pm

Got my copy in the mail yesterday and couldn't resist the urge to watch it immediately (1.37:1 reconstructed version)--great film, looks fantastic, obviously, but here are my two cents on the preferred aspect ratio: It seemed to be split about 90/10 between shots that clearly had 1.85:1 in mind (characters approaching the foreground and then stopping quite short of where they would need to be to fill the frame, the camera jolting up or down to keep characters not just in the frame but in the center of it--i.e. the first time you see Quinlan coming out of his car) and shots where 1.85:1 seems like it would be a tad cramped, or where seemingly vital information is entirely contained in the very top or bottom of the frame (an envelope being passed between two characters, Menzies' hat forming a "halo"). I don't know that 1.37:1 is inherently better though just because you're always seeing at least as much as you should, because it can be a little distracting in the shots that seem composed for widescreen. It's wonderful though to have the option to watch the film either way. Great work, MoC!

peerpee
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#117 Post by peerpee » Thu Nov 17, 2011 8:08 pm

What's not really that apparent from stills - but became really apparent to me on the fifth or so viewing of each ratio, is that the movement of characters within the frame, and the camera's movement to capture the characters' movements, is all heavily weighted towards keeping everything in the 1.85:1 area.

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tenia
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#118 Post by tenia » Sat Nov 19, 2011 7:38 am

I just received my Touch Of Evil Steelbook, and like other people, unfortunately, one clip maintaining the booklet is broken. :|

Perkins Cobb
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#119 Post by Perkins Cobb » Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:32 am

peerpee wrote:What's not really that apparent from stills - but became really apparent to me on the fifth or so viewing of each ratio, is that the movement of characters within the frame, and the camera's movement to capture the characters' movements, is all heavily weighted towards keeping everything in the 1.85:1 area.
Heresy! By which I mean, sanity at last.

jbaart
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#120 Post by jbaart » Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:34 pm

tenia wrote:I just received my Touch Of Evil Steelbook, and like other people, unfortunately, one clip maintaining the booklet is broken. :|
Call yourself lucky ;) My Metropolis steelbook has two broken clips :(

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vsski
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#121 Post by vsski » Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:00 am

I just spent the better part of the last 3 days watching this marvelous MOC edition – all five version and all four commentaries and have gained an insight into and appreciation for this movie that without this edition wouldn’t have been possible.

I first saw the theatrical and preview versions of the movie many many years ago in a local repertoire theater and then on TV and the image of Marlene Dietrich in a black wig as a gypsy prostitute left an indelible impression on a teenage boy. But this is the very best I have ever seen this movie look. And while I always liked the movie, it is really through these two BR discs that I truly learned to love it.

What I find fascinating about this edition is that it works on so many levels. It’s a film school course in editing and use of music, and I wish when I took courses at my university we would have had the possibility of these comparisons – it replaces many weeks and countless lessons on two discs. It also allows people to make up their mind which version they prefer and in what aspect ratio. While I can fully understand that some will always favor the version they grew up with and some will never want to watch all versions, at least every one has the option to do as they please.

And the various commentaries offer additional insights that add a lot to the appreciation and explanation of the multiple versions. Although I also have to say that at least two of the commentaries, the Schmidlin and Feeney one contradict each other in two points. Schmidlin states that the scene in the basement between the Menzies / Calleia and Vargas / Heston characters among the file cabinets was shot at Universal as part of their the accounting department, while Feeney claims it was the basement of the same hotel where the later scene between the same two characters was filmed when Menzies reveals to Vargas Quinlan’s cane.
Also, Feeney says that when Tana / Dietrich gets a phone call and is shown with a hat hanging next to her that resembles Quinlan’s that we can hear Welles’ voice in the background when in reality it is Grandi’s / Tamiroff’s voice. Schmidlin acknowledges Tamiroff’s voice but claims that the film doesn’t explain it, as it wasn’t something that the film wanted to explore further. While I tend to believe Schmidlin who through his restoration work has seen the film probably more often than anyone else, it is interesting (although at least to me not all that surprising) that acknowledged scholars don’t always agree.

As to the picture quality of the three / five versions, I have to say that I find both the reconstruction and theatrical version a notch above the preview version especially in terms of sharpness – most noticeably for me when Quinlan and Menzies stand on the Venice canal bridge in the end, where at least to my eyes the preview version is on occasion lacking focus.

There is one technical issue though that I don’t know how to explain. In all versions of the film during the night scenes when Vargas / Heston confronts the motel nightman / Weaver and later when Vargas trails Quinlan and Menzies with the bugging device, there is on the very left side of the frame a somewhat distracting flickering sensation against the black night sky, as if a flickering light source existed outside the frame. Nothing in the film would indicate that a natural light source exists outside the frame and since it’s in all versions I also find it hard to believe that it’s the master, since if I read the this correctly several masters were used on account of the differently cut version and different aspect ratios. This would indicate that this happened during filming or processing and is part of the original negative, but I have no idea what would cause it. None of the reviews I have read picked up on it and I’m wondering if anyone has an explanation.

Overall I have to say this disc is a real treat and for me easily one of the best BR on the market so far.
Thank you MOC!

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Drucker
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#122 Post by Drucker » Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:52 am

From Wellesnet's Facebook:
"Experience Orson Welles' timeless masterpiece, TOUCH OF EVIL, complete and uncut with restored footage for the first time ever!"

Universal will release a DVD of TOUCH OF EVIL with "new collectible O-card packaging" on January 10, 2012 as part of a year long celebration of Universal Studios 100th Anniversary.

From the official press release:

Universal 100th Anniversary Editions: New Packaging

Release Date: 1/10/2012

TOUCH OF EVIL - Theatrical Release: 4/23/1958

SYNOPSIS: Experience Orson Welles' timeless masterpiece, TOUCH OF EVIL, complete and uncut with restored footage for the first time ever!

This exceptional film noir portrait of corruption and morally-compromised obsessions stars Welles as Hank Quinlan, a crooked police chief who frames a Mexican youth as part of an intricate criminal plot.

Charlton Heston plays an honorable Mexican narcotics investigator who clashes with the bigoted Quinlan after probing into his dark past. A memorable supporting cast including Janet Leigh as Heston's inquisitive wife, Akim Tamiroff as a seedy underworld leader, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Marlene Dietrich as an enigmatic gypsy complete this fascinating drama engulfed in haunting cinematography and a magnificently eerie score by Henry Mancini.
New footage? No blu-ray? This seems odd.

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Ashirg
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#123 Post by Ashirg » Thu Dec 01, 2011 10:08 am

This is just a repackage of 2000 disc. The blurb was the same on that release.

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Roger Ryan
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#124 Post by Roger Ryan » Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:22 pm

Ashirg wrote:This is just a repackage of 2000 disc. The blurb was the same on that release.
Well, it should be a repackage of the 2008 release I would hope...or maybe the "Theatrical Cut" and "Preview Cut" are being dumped for this issue? Recycling info that is 12 years old in a cut-and-paste press release is pretty sad.

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manicsounds
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Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil

#125 Post by manicsounds » Sat Dec 03, 2011 7:45 pm

Something I couldn't find, does the MoC disc have the Welles 56 page memo included on the Universal DVD?

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