Sort of, for me.willoneill wrote:Some people like collector's edition packaging, which steelbooks would be classified as.Duncan Hopper wrote:Anyone who just lives in a normal house with DVDs on a shelf? Without teething animals and half-pipes?
BD 25 Touch of Evil
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
-
- Joined: Wed May 05, 2010 11:06 pm
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
Is the steelbook available on Eureka's website?
- perkizitore
- Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
- Location: OOP is the only answer
- eerik
- Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:53 pm
- Location: Estonia
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
So, who wants to ask the same question for the n+1 time?
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
I can't wait for Criterion to release Bottle Rocket
- criterionsnob
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:23 am
- Location: Canada
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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.
The close up shot of Welles near the end of the review is not really nice to look at.
- perkizitore
- Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
- Location: OOP is the only answer
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
Should I watch the Preview or the Reconstructed version first? I have only watched the Reconstructed version from the Universal DVD.
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
Reconstruction, definitely.
- stevewhamola
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 7:20 pm
- Location: NWT, Canada
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
The very first one I'm going to check out is the Reconstruction 1.37:1 version.
- MichaelB
- Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
- Location: Worthing
- Contact:
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
Which is presumably why Gary makes a point of saying that:tenia wrote:Screencaps look absolutely awful on Beaver.
And he's right.The static captures probably aren't doing the transfer justice as in-motion it is impressive.
- The Fanciful Norwegian
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Teegeeack
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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.
- tojoed
- Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:47 am
- Location: Cambridge, England
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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.
in the MoC booklet. I wish he would come back to us.
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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!
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
I just received my Touch Of Evil Steelbook, and like other people, unfortunately, one clip maintaining the booklet is broken.
-
- Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:49 pm
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
Heresy! By which I mean, sanity at last.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.
-
- Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2010 7:16 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
Call yourself lucky My Metropolis steelbook has two broken clipstenia wrote:I just received my Touch Of Evil Steelbook, and like other people, unfortunately, one clip maintaining the booklet is broken.
- vsski
- Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:47 pm
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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!
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!
- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
- Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
From Wellesnet's Facebook:
New footage? No blu-ray? This seems odd."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.
- Ashirg
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:10 am
- Location: Atlanta
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
This is just a repackage of 2000 disc. The blurb was the same on that release.
- Roger Ryan
- Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
- Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
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.Ashirg wrote:This is just a repackage of 2000 disc. The blurb was the same on that release.
- manicsounds
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
- Location: Tokyo, Japan
Re: BD 25 Touch of Evil
Something I couldn't find, does the MoC disc have the Welles 56 page memo included on the Universal DVD?