Columbia Classics

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Maltic
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 1:36 am

Re: Columbia Classics

#501 Post by Maltic » Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:46 am

SET ALSO INCLUDES BLU-RAY & DIGITAL
Hopefully from the 4k remaster as well?

McTiernan has done some good commentaries, btw (in the director nuts-and-bolts genre). I'm not familiar with this one, perhaps they brought him out of the unwanted retirement to record a new one. He could probably use the money.

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: Columbia Classics

#502 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sat Mar 06, 2021 11:55 am

He was pretty open and honest about the experience in this article about the making of it, so perhaps what he says on it will be just as insightful.

User avatar
Clarence
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2016 1:18 am
Location: Orlando, FL

Re: Columbia Classics

#503 Post by Clarence » Fri May 21, 2021 10:23 am

It looks like Sony is starting to break up the first Columbia Classics 4k set, starting with Dr. Strangelove.

User avatar
Maltic
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 1:36 am

Re: Columbia Classics

#504 Post by Maltic » Fri May 21, 2021 1:42 pm

Maltic wrote:
Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:46 am
SET ALSO INCLUDES BLU-RAY & DIGITAL
Hopefully from the 4k remaster as well?
From reviews, it seems this wasn't the case. :(

flyonthewall2983
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:31 pm
Location: Indiana
Contact:

Re: Columbia Classics

#505 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Fri May 21, 2021 8:00 pm

Maltic wrote:
Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:46 am
McTiernan has done some good commentaries, btw (in the director nuts-and-bolts genre). I'm not familiar with this one, perhaps they brought him out of the unwanted retirement to record a new one. He could probably use the money.
According to the Blu-ray.com review, it was recorded in 1993 just as the film was being released.

User avatar
Maltic
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2020 1:36 am

Re: Columbia Classics

#506 Post by Maltic » Sat May 22, 2021 5:35 am

flyonthewall2983 wrote:
Fri May 21, 2021 8:00 pm
Maltic wrote:
Sat Mar 06, 2021 10:46 am
McTiernan has done some good commentaries, btw (in the director nuts-and-bolts genre). I'm not familiar with this one, perhaps they brought him out of the unwanted retirement to record a new one. He could probably use the money.
According to the Blu-ray.com review, it was recorded in 1993 just as the film was being released.
What, for laserdisc?

The Red October commentary was clearly done many years after the first release. You can hear things coming back to him during the recording, and he'll cringe about what he would've done different etc

User avatar
cdnchris
Site Admin
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:45 pm
Location: Washington
Contact:

Re: Columbia Classics

#507 Post by cdnchris » Sat May 22, 2021 11:40 am

I'm pretty sure the LaserDisc didn't have a commentary (I had the disc), and looking up lddb.com doesn't show one, not even on the foreign market. Could have been abandoned, which wasn't unheard of at the time, and since this "underperformed" it's possible they didn't want to go through the trouble of adding the alternate channel.

But I don't even see it on other DVD or Blu-ray releases...

User avatar
eerik
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:53 pm
Location: Estonia

Re: Columbia Classics

#508 Post by eerik » Sat May 22, 2021 12:04 pm

Clarence wrote:
Fri May 21, 2021 10:23 am
It looks like Sony is starting to break up the first Columbia Classics 4k set, starting with Dr. Strangelove.
I must say, Dr. Strangelove is the most impressive 4K Blu-ray I've seen so far. Not necessarily the best, but I was really blown away how the HDR elevated the depth and contrast of the cinematography. Before this I was rather skeptical if 4K UHDs were worth it for black-and-white films, but Strangelove is definitely a level above the other b&w 4K Blu-rays I have watched so far (Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith, Elephant Man, Schindler's List). Plus it ports over all the Criterion special features, highly recommended.

User avatar
Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Re: Columbia Classics

#509 Post by Ribs » Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:08 pm

The second Columbia Classics set will be launching in September, and comprise Anatomy of a Murder, Oliver!, Taxi Driver, Stripes, Sense and Sensibility, and The Social Network.

User avatar
andyli
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:46 pm

Re: Columbia Classics

#510 Post by andyli » Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:47 pm

I presume you mean a 4K set? Anatomy of a Murder on 4K is pretty big.

EDIT: saw the specs on bluray dot com. Great news indeed for Anatomy of a Murder.

4K Blu-ray

Feature presented in 4K resolution with HDR10, restored from the original camera negative
Dolby Atmos English audio
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio

Blu-ray:

Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master
5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Mono DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features:

NEW: Commentary with Film Historian Foster Hirsch
Gary Giddins Interview
Pat Kirkham Interview
Foster Hirsch Interview
Excerpt from Firing Line Featuring Otto Preminger
Theatrical Trailer

User avatar
hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Columbia Classics

#511 Post by hearthesilence » Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:21 am

Ribs wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 1:08 pm
The second Columbia Classics set will be launching in September, and comprise Anatomy of a Murder, Oliver!, Taxi Driver, Stripes, Sense and Sensibility, and The Social Network.
Given its age, I double-checked and found out The Social Network was promoted by RED as the first feature film to be shot and projected in 4K, which lines up with my memory of its release. But someone just informed me that the film was actually edited or worked on at lower resolution (probably 2.8K) before it was processed into a 2K DI. The UHD should still be an improvement (even without HDR, it will have the full 2K image rather than a slight downconversion into HD), but it totally passed me by that Fincher would want to shoot in 4K for the additional freedom that comes with having more image to manipulate. That is, if he suddenly wanted to "zoom in" on a shot or re-frame it, he'd have the additional imagery to do so without needing any extrapolation or upconverting. (And of course working in 4K would have dramatically slowed their workflow to a crawl.)

User avatar
PfR73
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:07 pm

Re: Columbia Classics

#512 Post by PfR73 » Mon Dec 27, 2021 2:46 pm

Jonathan S wrote:
Fri Aug 13, 2010 4:20 am
souvenir wrote:Bell, Book and Candle (102 mins.)
Is that definitely the timing on the new set? If so, it appears to be the same length as my UK DVD which (after PAL speed-up) is 98 minutes. However, I've read that is a cut version and that the previous R1 edition is 106 minutes - the length also given by Amazon and imdb.
Found this post while trying to verify this claim on IMDb: "The 1999 U.S. DVD release includes both the original theatrical version (as seen in theaters and on VHS) and an extended version (which is obviously not labeled as such). The theatrical version runs for 102 minutes, while the extended version is approximately 4 minutes longer at a runtime of 106 minutes. The theatrical version is presented in 4:3 full screen, while the extended version is presented in 16:9 widescreen."

I own the Kim Novak Collection DVD and the Twilight Time Blu-ray and both are 102 minutes. I've never owned the original flipper DVD. Is there any truth to this 106 minute runtime?

britcom68

Re: Columbia Classics

#513 Post by britcom68 » Mon Dec 27, 2021 4:03 pm

Hi there, I just popped in my ancient flipper dvd to verify the times as follows:
dvd/case itself lists time as "approximate 103 minutes"
The counter for the widescreen version is: One hour and 42minutes, 21secs. The counter for the full-screen version identical to widescreen.

(minor miracle that this dvd is still working, almost makes up for imdb having incorrect listings)

User avatar
Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: Columbia Classics

#514 Post by Finch » Tue Mar 01, 2022 11:45 am

Lawrence of Arabia 4k is getting a stand-alone release on June 7th as a steelbook (ditto River Kwai).

User avatar
therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: Columbia Classics

#515 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Mar 01, 2022 12:10 pm

Excellent news, keep breaking up those enormous Oscar sets

User avatar
swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Columbia Classics

#516 Post by swo17 » Tue Mar 01, 2022 12:30 pm

Except ugh steelbooks

User avatar
hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Columbia Classics

#517 Post by hearthesilence » Tue Mar 01, 2022 4:05 pm

Has there ever been a steelbook worth getting simply for the steelbook?

User avatar
stevewhamola
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 7:20 pm
Location: NWT, Canada

Re: Columbia Classics

#518 Post by stevewhamola » Tue Mar 01, 2022 7:32 pm

hearthesilence wrote:
Tue Mar 01, 2022 4:05 pm
Has there ever been a steelbook worth getting simply for the steelbook?
I can only imagine the thunderous pearl-clutching this comment would spark on another forum...

User avatar
Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

Columbia Classics

#519 Post by Matt » Tue Mar 01, 2022 8:22 pm

hearthesilence wrote:Has there ever been a steelbook worth getting simply for the steelbook?
Well, I suppose “worth” would be entirely subjective, but I’m quite fond of my Blood and Black Lace, Fall of the House of Usher, and Passion of Joan of Arc steelbooks. All three are favorite films in beautifully designed packages from boutique labels I want to support, so they were “worth getting” to me. I personally wouldn’t see the point in collecting steelbooks (particularly these ugly cash grabs from major studios), but better that than crypto or NFTs I guess.

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Columbia Classics

#520 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Mar 01, 2022 8:33 pm

I did go the steelbook route with Master of Cinema's Metropolis and Dr Caligari, but I believe they added extra supplements to those editions that were not on the original releases. Those are the only two. They are good looking packages for whatever that's worth.

User avatar
ianthemovie
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 10:51 am
Location: Boston, MA
Contact:

Re: Columbia Classics

#521 Post by ianthemovie » Tue Mar 01, 2022 9:58 pm

Is this version of Bridge on the River Kwai any different from the previous standalone 4K release?

User avatar
bad future
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 6:16 pm

Re: Columbia Classics

#522 Post by bad future » Tue Mar 01, 2022 10:19 pm

ianthemovie wrote:
Tue Mar 01, 2022 9:58 pm
Is this version of Bridge on the River Kwai any different from the previous standalone 4K release?
I don't know about the new steelbook, but if anyone got it when first released in the US, I do know they quietly added the original mono on later pressings. I'm not sure if the US packaging was ever revised to reflect the addition; I imported the UK 2019 update, which does list mono on the back, before it was clear that the US discs had or would be adding it. So if they aren't changing the discs again, I would expect this to at least be a good way to ensure getting a later pressing, though it's been long enough at this point that I don't know if many of the earlier version are likely to still be in stock anyway.

User avatar
Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Re: Columbia Classics

#523 Post by Ribs » Tue Mar 01, 2022 10:43 pm

Sony has slowly and quietly been doing new discs with Dolby Vision for older discs, which they’ve done for Ghostbusters and Karate Kid in their recent box sets and Labyrinth in its anniversary special edition last year. This continues that trend and adds Dolby Vision where there wasn’t one in the past. I don’t have a DV capable TV so I’m not even sure if there is any possibility it would constitute any comprehensible difference when viewed in HDR10.

User avatar
EddieLarkin
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:25 am

Re: Columbia Classics

#524 Post by EddieLarkin » Wed Mar 02, 2022 5:37 am

They've been re-encoding them too, with a higher bit rate and thus better grain compression. So you'd get that from the HDR10 base (since Sony do not use DV FEL the two "layers" are identical, except for the DV tone mapping metadata obviously). But the difference is going to be very difficult to see or appreciate unless you're a major pixel peeper.

Those who can use DV though should definitely opt for these new discs over the old ones, as essentially no TVs are capable of tone mapping early Sony HDR10 discs properly.

User avatar
tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: Columbia Classics

#525 Post by tenia » Wed Mar 02, 2022 8:20 am

Stuff like Kwai is a bit silly though : a first release, then a quiet re-pressing adding the original mono track, and now a disc with both the mono track and DV. This looks like a AAA video game roll-out with humpteen non-free DLC until finally you get it all.

Post Reply