Gregory wrote:The same is true of Son of Frankenstein, as far as I can tell. I wonder if there's any chance of that one being re-released in the Legacy Series like Dracula and Frankenstein.
Let's hope so.
filmnoir1 wrote:The documentary included that is narrated by Branaugh, is it the Kevin Brownlow documentary?
Does the release of Dracula also have a new transfer of the Spanish version of the film? I don't care much for the Tod Browning one.
I will probably buy Frankenstein at some time. But right now I am doing pretty well regarding the Universal horror films. I was so lucky to get the complete Monster Legacy Collection (the one with the bonus discs of Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Mummy etc. and the hand-painted busts) new for only $16 recently when a local retailer sold the last of the stock.
Ah, right you are. I sometimes have a habit of not scrolling to the bottom of Gary's comparisons.
I recieved Frankenstein today, though I have yet to play the discs, but the packaging is stunning; I wish that this type of packaging was used more often.
Perhaps I'm missing something.....I haven't scoured every post, but Gary's comparison is between the old single disc versions, so I'm curious if there's any comparison between the "new" transfers (are they new?) and the "Legacy Collection" sets of several years ago, which had improved audio on Frankenstein, and better framing on The Bride of Frankenstein, but an audio mistake (is that right?) on Dracula, etc. Pardon me if this has been covered.
According to reviews the 75th anniversary discs are aurally and visually improved from the previous discs, and restores the missing audio.
Universal will rerelease the Monster Legacy set with the Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolfman collections with the 3 minibusts for a lower price at $49.95 on October 31st.
manicsounds wrote:Universal will rerelease the Monster Legacy set with the Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolfman collections with the 3 minibusts for a lower price at $49.95 on October 31st.
Probably not the 75th anniversary transfers
I am SO in. I"m bummed about missing them the first time around.
Watching the Brownlow UNIVERSAL HORROR documentary on the new DRACULA 75th Anniversary DVD, I noticed that the clips from THE OLD DARK HOUSE had much superior image quality to that on the Kino DVD. I understood that the film had been salvaged from a battered old 16mm print, but these clips suggest there is a better quality master.
Also, has anyone seen the new R2 Network DVD of THE OLD DARK HOUSE with the Kim Newman commentary? Is the image quality on that similar to the Kino, or better?
There's a discussion or two of this topic lurking somewhere on this site, one of them started by me I believe, but for some reason I'm not able to search the site right now.
But for years the only print supposedly in existence was the Harrington 16mm which toured the arthouses, and was worked on a bit and released on the Kino disc. For years we simply had to enjoy those fuzzed out visuals & gloomily vague audio as all that was available.. and simply be glad we were able to watch what was debatably Whale's best film...
It turns out that there are two gorgeous 35mm prints floating around: one in the Library of Congress & another at Geo. Eastman House. I was confused that the Eastman house would hold back from Kino who back inna day were the only ones interested enough in the flick to put it out on VHS, then DVD... as they have worked with them before, most recently on the mindblowing BLUE BIRD, by Maurice Tourneur. Yet it turns out, via a source on the inside who may or may not want to reveal himself here, that the House will not license it out for DVD for some reason.
Let us know what that disc in R2 looks like-- in 35mm this disc is a no brainer. I found out about the existence looking at my Film Forum calender one day, and I cursed myself for missing this while making it's rounds as I hadn't seen it in the cinema in at least 10 yrs... then I nearly jumped out the window when I read underneath BRAND NEW 35 MM PRINT COURTESY THE US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS!!
Definitely due out on an updated DVD... and I certainly hate the fact that, as it will probably not be Kino that puts it out, when I do finally upgrade to disc on this that I'll be missing the two commentaries on the Kino DVD (one by Gloria Staurt for crissakes!)... as I have the Kino VHS on this (one of my oldest, heavily battered VHS's in my collection) which is the same print as the Disc.
Thanks for that, HerrSchreck. After a bit of Googling around, I found a review of the Network DVD (with screenshots) here - and sad to say, it seems to be the same print as used on the Kino. They haven't carried over the Gloria Stuart commentary either, so I will definitely pass. Such a shame - now that Universal have sorted out their presentations of DRACULA, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE INVISIBLE MAN, this fabulous film is the only major Universal horror left in substandard condition.
I too, am hesitant. I have the last collections they put out. Tooze's compares the older releases before the legacy collections to the new releases, but how does this compare to the mini-bust editions?
Gordon McMurphy wrote:I recieved Frankenstein today, though I have yet to play the discs, but the packaging is stunning; I wish that this type of packaging was used more often.
The packaging is of an unusual kind: it is book-like case that clasps shut with transparent inner hubs; the outer covering is of a high-quality faux 'leather-bound' paper with gold embossing.
Incidentally, I rented the Bride of Frankenstein DVD last week and by Christ, it's off the wall! I hadn't seen it in years and had forgotten how outrageous Ernest Thesiger was. But campness aside, it's actually one of the most humane and moving films ever made - the scenes with O.P. Heggie and Karloff are wonderful. A crying shame that 12 minutes were cut, but truly, it is one of the great films of American Cinema.
Uni seems to be going in this "hardcover book" design directions for some of their hardcore classics. DOUBLE INDEMNITY is like that.
Gordo, I'm shocked & a little jealous you're just seeing BRIDE for the first time.. I can still remember how much I loved it when seeing it for the first time.
Along the Whale/Thesiger lines-- have you seen OLD DARK HOUSE yet? If not, run, don't walk!!!!!!
Gordon McMurphy wrote:The packaging is of an unusual kind: it is book-like case that clasps shut with transparent inner hubs; the outer covering is of a high-quality faux 'leather-bound' paper with gold embossing.
All the "Legacy Series" come in packaging like this. Deer Hunter, The Sting, Double Indemnity, and To Kill a Mockingbird (though slightly different as it's a bit bigger a package) all use this. I must say I like it.
I have the Kino release and I wouldn't mind one made from a better original, though this R2 release sounds interesting for me if only to hear Kim Newman and Stephen Jones' commentary complement what I heard from Gloria Stuart, James Curtis and Curtis Harrington in the Zone 1 release.
i wasn't sold on this packaging when i first saw it on double indemnity. i think digipaks, however flimsy, look a lot better. i purchased dracula as a gift for my special lady and the clear inner part of the case which holds the disc is separated from the outer cover. i have yet to apply glue to fix it but this sort of thing annoys me.
mezcla wrote:the clear inner part of the case which holds the disc is separated from the outer cover.
That is annoying. Of course this sort of thing is just as likely to happen with standard digipacks. For what it's worth, I have all six of the Universal Legacy discs and Classic Media's Gojira packaged this way and haven't had a problem with any of them. Sony's special editions of Labyrinth and Lawrence of Arabia use variations of this packaging too. Again, no problems with those. Hopefully what happened to your lady friend's disc is just an anomoly. Overall, I think that these cases are great. They have the same practical problems as digipacks and boxed set slipcases in that they are easily damaged, but not easily replaced. I still think that they are the most attractive and elegant cases.
Sounds excellent, although it's been quite a pain in the ass to get these types of exclusives at the Best Buys near me (I had to get my Classic Sci-Fi Collection secondhand, and I drove to 3 stores to find the Paul Naschy double pack).
Now if Warner Bros. would just reveal their Halloween releases!
Exactly! When I first read the news, I almost thought I was reading Island of Lost Souls was somewhere in there, what with all the titles being king of similar to each other. But no, I was wrpng.
I wonder if they will release it in their Cinema Classics line instead? Let's hope so.
