MovieChat Forums > White Zombie (1932) Discussion > Which DVD is the best version?

Which DVD is the best version?

posted 15 years ago by concentricx
13 replies | jump to latest

Which DVD has the best print? I have seen Alpha's disc (too dark) and Mill Creek's 50-pack disc (pixellated).

Is the UK Redemption DVD any good?

Thanks for your help

[–] RevFelixTheBlackCat 15 years ago

I think the Roan Group's restoration is the best DVD of this movie. It even includes extras such as the trailer, a couple Lugosi interviews, and a commentary track by the author of an extensive book about this movie.
http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies/w_zombie.htm
http://www.roangroup.com/

[–] jorget22 15 years ago

I should be getting the Roan Group's DVD tomorrow. From what I've read its a pretty good improvement over the others. Very underrated horror flick IMO. Love finding these gems from the 30's and 40's.

[–] RevFelixTheBlackCat 15 years ago

Also, this version at Internet Archive (free to watch or download) is quite good:
http://www.archive.org/details/WhiteZombie

[–] indigol 15 years ago

I echo that Roan Group's version is the best I've encountered so far.

.

[–] robotrix 15 years ago

Another vote for the Roan Group version.

And the archive.org one is good for a freebie.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last night, I was lying back looking at the stars and I thought...where the *beep* is my ceiling???

[–] billyzoom666 14 years ago

I'm not sure what version it is, but the version that Netflix streams is of a pretty good quality.

[–] UndeadTerror 14 years ago

You have to put into account though, the running time of the movie is 69 minutes, but the Roan print only runs 67. That's two minutes missing. It might be a trade-off. Just stay away from the Canadian prints, which only run 65, missing a total of 4 minutes.

SID TERROR
Editor-In-Chief
TheHorrorDrunx.com Online Magazine

[–] le_chiffre-1 14 years ago

Is it possible that the different running times aren't the result of missing footage but of different running speeds in the sources?

[–] le_chiffre-1 14 years ago

I've done a quick comparison between the Alpha and the restored Roan version, since I own both.

The running time on the Roan is 1:06:52 versus 1:06:40 for the Alpha. The Alpha is grey and fuzzy; the Roan is sharp with good contrast. On the Alpha, there's a lot of hiss and noticeable electronic hum in some parts; the Roan is quiet, with little hiss and no hum, but almost sounds a bit muffled.

By all objective criteria, the Roan is the winner, but strange as it may sound, I may actually prefer the "dirtier" Alpha version. I think Roan may have sucked some of the life out of the audio when they noise-filtered it.

[–] bok602 13 years ago

I cpmpletely agree. The sound on the Roan restoration is distractingly dull and muffled.
I much prefer the Alpha disc for the audio. Although I'm sure some might complain that the sound may seem "brittle" with all the hiss, crackle and high sharps; it has more presence and clarity that the Roan transfer, which drains almost all treble and buries it in a wash of muffled bass. Surely the people at Roan could have cleaned up the sound some other way than drowning it in bass. This is one instance where noise reduction has actually harmed the audio track.

"If you don't know the answer -change the question."

[–] bluesguy 12 years ago

I have the Vina Entertainment version out of California and it is a really nice transfer. It looks really good and I paid $.99 + $3 shipping on Ebay for this and 5 other Zombie movies on a 2-disc set.....

I TRULY MISS STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN!

[–] goodellaa 11 years ago

Hold out for the new restored version. Nice sharp images, good sounding soundtrack.

[–] jhtsosa 8 years ago

http://www.deep13movies.com/white-zombie-dvd