Sure for this film's fans it's all good stuff, but for an unprepared first time viewer this completetely ruins the experience.
It doesn't even look like a film anymore, more like a reconstruction of the film, it's something that you put as a "special bonus features" on dvd, but not as a final cut version of the film.
I coudn't watch it after an hour. Going to try again from the beginning next week.
[deleted]
Unless the lost scenes are found, the slide shows remain the best solution to the problem of the sound track being available, but the actual scenes having vanished.
And I would regard the rumors of "somebody having a complete print" with skepticism.You always hear that kind of story with any film that is known to have been severely cut,and they are seldom true. Yes, it can happen,as what happened recently with "Metropolis" shows, but it does not happen very often.
They also used a slide show for the Four hour plus version of "Greed".
Of course the ultimate holy grail for missing scenes for many of remains the "spider pit" segment of the original "King Kong"...
I'll Teach You To Laugh At Something's That's Funny
Homer Simpson
I don't think the slides "ruin" the film. I bought the special edition DVD at Big Lots the other day and, having never seen the film before, I can safely say that their presence didn't ruin anything for me.
Unless you're just completely ignorant of the cuts (and why would you be, the DVD which includes the restored version tells you what's up), I can't see how the experience is ruined. Considering how much was cut, I like the idea that someone took the time to restore the film. It might not be perfect but it's a hell of a lot better than anything I could have come up with.
I just caught this on TCM--first time viewer. I understand the reasons the stills were inserted, but I found them to be ghostly and a little creepy. It made me more aware that the actors have all 'passed on', if that makes sense. And I am not a Gen Xerox or younger--I'm 50.
shareI totally agree!! Just sent the following message to Warner Archive's Facebook page:
Since Warner Archive has made available many movies that are relatively obscure, here's hoping you'll one day release the general-release (154-minute) version of the 1954 "A Star Is Born"--which hasn't seen the light of day in over three decades. The novelty value of the 1983 restoration, with its annoying (at least to some of us) use of still photos, has long since worn off, and those of us who just want to see the movie as it was seen by most audiences upon its original release--as opposed to a patchwork reconstruction of an overlong premiere version that was seen by relatively few people--have been repeatedly denied that option with the release of two VHS editions, two laserdisc editions, two DVD editions, and finally a Blu-ray edition. My fingers are crossed now that there are made-to-order DVDs!
The 1983 Restoration is now the version of record and the 154 minute version is no longer in existence. If you can easily create your own short version. Someone sent me the "reconstruction" of the short version and I only watched it ONCE!
share