Two DVD Versions?


I noticed that Amazon has two different DVD listings for Jeremiah Johnson, one apparently released in 1997:

http://www.amazon.com/Jeremiah-Johnson-Robert-Redford/dp/6304696531/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1219555992&sr=8-1

and one apparently released in 2007:

http://www.amazon.com/Jeremiah-Johnson-Robert-Redford/dp/B000W1SZBS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1219555992&sr=8-2


Now, from reading the reviews of the first link, some people claimed the video quality of the DVD transfer was quite poor. Can anyone confirm whether this is true? If so, does the second DVD (released in 2007) have better video quality?

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I have the 1997 DVD, and I have no complaints about the quality of the video or audio. It's world's better than the old VHS I have and that's pretty much all I care about. Maybe I'm more forgiving than some viewers.

A customer review of the 2007 edition states the following:

"...For those of you wanting the "real" dirt--what is the difference between this version and the "cheaper" version--it is the casing that the DVD comes in! The cheap one is in the older cardboard type box, this one is in a hard plastic box. Unfortunately, the disc is still double sided (full and wide screen versions), and the "bonus" features are the same. (Yes, I have both versions.) More important to me is that any hopes of a "directors" cut seem to have been lost, since Sydney Pollack has recently passed away. The fake intro and intermission--that were not part of any of the theatrical showings I attended--had given me some hope that there might be some additional scenes, but that was not the case. I am not even sure that I can truly tell the difference between the DVD and VHS versions I have, other than the tape is getting old...."

Maybe someone who has both DVD editions can compare them and enlighten us, but as far as I can see, the only important difference is the 3 or 4 dollars in price.


~~"Lucas, you and I were just friends."~~

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There is now a Blu-Ray edition available, released in 2012. Warner seems to be in rough straits these days, and often re-masters older films directly from its laserdisc editions. For what it's worth, this doesn't look like one of those, nor does it look like a digitally-sharpened version of the DVD edition. Picture is very well stabilized and free from frame artifacts, and care has been taken to produce naturalistic flesh and grey tones.

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