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05-05-2001, 12:28 AM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Metropolis
For anyone that's bought the Madacy edition of Fritz Lang's Metropolis: what is the quality of that disc? I hear it's pretty bad, but is it at least better than the VHS version?
Also, does anyone know of any other DVD version of Metropolis that's a better transfer, floating around eBay or something? |
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05-05-2001, 01:28 AM
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#2 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: san antonio
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I haven't seen the vhs version, but the dvd looks like they took a really bad vhs version, then flushed it down a toilet, left it out in the sun for 3 days, and then had some ten year old do the transfer to dvd with instructions to make it look as bad as possible.
Hope this helps.  ------------------ dds #070 |
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05-05-2001, 02:21 AM
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#4 (permalink) |
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Forum Sage
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: NJ
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Prospero, as a rule, stay clear of ANYTIHNG from Madacy. Everything looks like Roger said. Or to be more precise, anything from Madacy looks like they bought an EP-recorded tape of something that's in the public domain and digitized it at a low resolution. No restoration work, every scratch, blemish, tear, and audio pop is preserved for the ages.
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05-05-2001, 01:29 PM
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#5 (permalink) |
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Banned
Join Date: Dec 2000
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I bought it for $4.99 new and it STILL wasn't worth it. Aside from the horrible quality, it's also cropped quite a bit, which shouldn't really be necessary (the freeze-framed opening titles and text introduction don't even fit the screen)
I tried to watch mine and just couldn't. I threw out the disc and kept the case. (At least both my Madacy purchases have come in real Amaray cases). Reefer Madness on the other hand isn't too bad in my opinion..the picture is watchable..the sound is a bit of a problem though..very muddled and distorted. ------------------ Jeff ---- Experience is the toughest teacher. You get the test first and the lesson later. View my incredibly diverse collection |
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05-05-2001, 04:09 PM
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#6 (permalink) |
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite
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There is a version from Xoom software. It has been discontinued, but you might be able to track down a copy. Here are the stats from www.image-entertainmnet.com :
Catalog ID: 100XSIDVD UPC #: 020350115162 Release Date: 3/31/1998 Retail Price: $13.95 Running Time: 95 minutes The site you used to be able to buy it from was www.xoom.com , but I don't know if that's still the case since the title is now discontinued. I have heard from various sources that the transfer is only a marginal improvement over the Madacy version which, like the other posters, I can confirm is horrendous. |
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05-05-2001, 04:23 PM
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#7 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: san antonio
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There's supposed to be a good version somewhere over in Europe, but when it'll make it to dvd, God only knows. The following link might be informative http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s78metro.html .
------------------ dds #070 |
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05-07-2001, 02:35 AM
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#12 (permalink) |
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Digital Jesűs Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Wisconsin
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I've read that the difference in times may be due to the amount of frames shown per second, and some companies just show fewer frames per second, and claim "Wow! Look, our version is longer". Though, i should actually look at the disc before i make such a claim.
------------------ Never rub another man’s rhubarb! |
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05-07-2001, 03:41 PM
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#13 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Mar 2001
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That's true. If I remember correctly, the 90-minute U.S. release that we are familiar with (the one you can buy in the States, not the Giorgio Moroder version) clocked in at 107 minutes when it was shown in theaters because it was run at a slower framerate. But the U.S. version is completely butchered compared to the now-vanished 3-1/2 hour director's cut. I think the version on the region 2 disc linked to above has more frames of film in it than the version on the Madacy disc.
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05-07-2001, 04:54 PM
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#14 (permalink) |
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Moderator Emeritus
Well Worth the Double Dip! 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: 8.4 Miles from the newest Hooters Restaurant
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I bought Metropolis at Suncoast almost 2 years ago for $5.99 shortly after reading an article that quoted G. Lucas as saying C-3PO was based on a Metropolis character.
 This is the picture of mine, looks exactly like this. Is this the one with the bad transfer and all that? I've never watched it. Actually it isn't with my DVD's, it is in with my Star Wars collection. -Flash |
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05-07-2001, 05:01 PM
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#15 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite
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Originally posted by Flash Ahhh:
Is this the one with the bad transfer and all that? As has been previously stated, no good transfer of this film has ever been released on DVD so, yes, your transfer is crap... |
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05-09-2001, 07:13 AM
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#16 (permalink) |
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Cunning Linguist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Parts Unknown
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I can vouch for Madacy's Metropolis sucking eight different types of ass. I received the disc as a gift and I still nearly pitched it. If it hadn't been from my mom (it being one of her favorite movies and all), I would have.
Anyway, she has a VHS version that we have watched many times. We popped the DVD version in and it was just...well, it was just wrong, that's about the best I can put it. The VHS version apparently used a much better print. Plus, the beginnings of the two copies were different (some text was added or deleted from one of them...forget which, it's been too long now), the soundtrack's were different, the framing was different, the hue was different, et cetera. Blah. ------------------ DVDFile.Com Administrator | TheGreatOne@DVDFile.com | My [partial] DVD List You know, I get tired of people telling me that I'm stupid for being a wrestling fan. I've got an IQ well into the double digits. |
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05-09-2001, 07:55 AM
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#17 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Neuenhof, Switzerland
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"As has been previously stated, no good transfer of this film has ever been released on DVD..."
...erm... ...an 'as-good-as-it'll-ever-get' version was released a couple of years ago, on a French R2 DVD... http://www.dvdfr.com/dvd/fiche.php3?id=959 -> -> -> Quoted from the disc's Credits: Rekonstruktion: Münchner Stadtmuseum/Filmmuseum unterstützt durch Bundesarchiv/Filmarchiv (Koblenz) La Cinémathèque Française (Paris) Deutsches Institut für Filmkunde (Wiesbaden) Gosfilmafond (Moskau) The Museum of Modern Art/Dept. Of Film (New York) National Film and Sound Archive (Canberra) National Film Archive (London) Staatliches Filmarchiv der DDR (Berlin) Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin) Reconstruction: Munich City Museum/Film Museum supported by Federal Archives/Film Archives (Koblenz) La Cinémathèque Française (Paris) German Institute for Film (Wiesbaden) ‘Gosfilmafond’ (Moscow) The Museum of Modern Art/Dept. Of Film (New York) National Film and Sound Archive (Canberra) National Film Archive (London) State Film Archives of the German Democratic Republic (Berlin) German ‘Kinemathek’ Foundation (Berlin) Original film length: 4'189 meters The movie subsequently was cut down to various lengths No complete copy [of the original] exists Playing length of the DVD: 115 minutes (including opening and end credits) Reconstruction supervised by Enno Patalas Musical score composed by Galeshka Moriavoff -> <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- ...oh, I almost forgot: the flip side of the disc contains some 100+ minutes of 16mm home movies Fritz Lang made during trips through the USA in the late 'Thirties and early Forties... ...just thought I'd let you know... . . . [This message has been edited by Hendrik (edited 05-09-2001).] |
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05-09-2001, 07:39 PM
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#18 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Lawrenceville, GA
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I have been contemplating picking this up myself, but it sounds like none of the transers are even worth penny, since barely a penny went into making a release. I guess the only thing we can do is hope that someone like Criterion, Anchor Bay, or even Fox Lorber(whom I have started to hate less now) and take the film out of the hell that is public domain. Then we can get a real restoration and maybe the frame rate will more appropiate relfect how the film was orginally shown. I hope at least Criterion is listening. They did well on M, I think they can do some similar magic on Metropolis.
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05-09-2001, 11:26 PM
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#19 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Neuenhof, Switzerland
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"...Then we can get a real restoration and maybe the frame rate will more appropiate[sic] relfect[sic] how the film was orginally shown...."
...you mean Criterion can do more than all the combined film organizations mentioned in my post?... ...I'd say you shouldn't hold your breath... . . . [This message has been edited by Hendrik (edited 05-09-2001).] |
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05-10-2001, 05:42 PM
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#22 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite
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Originally posted by Hendrik:
...erm... ...an 'as-good-as-it'll-ever-get' version was released a couple of years ago, on a French R2 DVD... Hendrik, from this point forward, please realize that any and all comments I make regarding DVDs are exclusively in reference to Region 1 titles. I do not have the capability to play titles from other Regions, and am not interested in rigging my player to do otherwise. Titles not released in Region 1 might as well be released on another planet for all the good they'll do me, so please take that in to account when reading my posts. P.S. Judging by egman's post, I would hazard that I'm not a minority in this. You might want to reconsider that the amount of Americans/Canadians who have access to non-Region 1 playback are few and far between. |
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05-10-2001, 10:41 PM
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#23 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Neuenhof, Switzerland
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QUOTE Originally posted by Flash Ahhh: Is this the one with the bad transfer and all that? Reply by Filmmaker: As has been previously stated, no good transfer of this film has ever been released on DVD [in Region 1] so, yes, your transfer is crap... END OF QUOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If your comment had included the qualifier that I added above, I would never have even bothered to enter my original post... And, anyway, what harm is there in letting people in North America know what's available elsewhere? You may not be interested, but others are, or may be... . . . |
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05-11-2001, 05:05 PM
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#24 (permalink) |
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite
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Originally posted by Hendrik:
If your comment had included the qualifier that I added above, I would never have even bothered to enter my original post... Fair enough, but the fact that I have no interest in and scant knowledge of non-Region 1 releases means it never occurs to me to make such a qualifier. Besides, his picture was of the horrible Region 1 release, so I still answered the core of his concern. And, anyway, what harm is there in letting people in North America know what's available elsewhere? You may not be interested, but others are, or may be... Quite true and I would never attempt to dissuade anyone from bringing this information to others. What I am vehemently opposed to is your constant use of phrases like "...erm..." and "...I'd say you shouldn't hold your breath..." in this and many other threads, which make you sound condescending and holier-than-thou, as well as what I perceive as an (voluntary?) ignorance of the fact that the majority (if not all) of the posters in this thread are obviously referring exclusively to Region 1 releases. It's one thing to offer up potentially helpful information once to those who can use it--it's quite another to keep harping on and on about a product that it's obvious no one posting has any concern with or interest in... I'm not trying to be hostile, it's just that your posts tend to always have a "Hello people!" or "Whatever...!" tone to them that I've grown weary of... |
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05-16-2001, 11:37 PM
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#26 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Paris, France
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Prospero... region free dvd players exist... otherwise, how could I watch all the region 1 marvellous editions...
BTW, more and more are really good region 2 editions released with care of transfer, menus, supplements... pilauh from France |
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05-17-2001, 02:11 AM
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#27 (permalink) |
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Actor
Join Date: Mar 2001
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I'm aware of the availability of slightly illegal region-free players (and incidentally, I'm quite jealous of the region 2 edition of Raging Bull). Unfortunately for me, I have a region 1 player, and I'm not about to go out and buy another in the near future. By the way, the bottom of each and every forum page on this site says "This site is a Region 1 resource only," which is why those of us in North America feel justified in making certain assumptions that others may find incorrect or improper when we discuss the availability of certain films.
[This message has been edited by Prospero (edited 05-16-2001).] |
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