Couldn't perform any miracles, but here's my attempt at improving that awful Education 2000 release. I went through the painful process of syncing superior audio from one of the fullscreen editions. Turns out, the Education 2000 version is a slightly longer cut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4lYLrmmj9Y
It's a better version than any I've seen. Good work!
(Just between you and me, though - the two brief 4:3 sections - Herb's "Bottle Tree" and the police escort run to Texarkana - are less about deficiencies in the material and more about to be able to identify your work, should any jackass decide to run with it and sell copies of it on Ebay, right? If so, I can't say I blame you. )
Turns out, the Education 2000 version is a slightly longer cut.
Glad you enjoyed it! Surprisingly, I didn't use the 4:3 video to help identify my version, but now that you mention it, I'm glad it has that benefit. I did, however, include non-obtrusive identifying markers throughout the film.
I actually used those sections of the fullscreen version because the widescreen was cut at those points. The Herb's Bottle Tree shot has a longer beginning in the full-screen version and the police escort run shot had a large chunk of missing frames in the widescreen that messed up the audio sync.
I also used the fullscreen version a few times around 23:32 because you could actually see what was going on in the darkness. I used a resize method that attempted to preserve the middle of the image while stretching the left and right sides. It worked well in these particular dark shots, but would not be good for the whole movie.
As for the Cinema Shares International Distribution logo, I'll have to add it to the movie if I ever do a torrent release. I didn't grow up with it, but no doubt it is a part of the movie's nostalgic identity for many - which I completely understand and appreciate. ;)
I mentioned this in the comments at Youtube, but have you considered trying to reach out to Quentin Tarantino about possibly digitally restoring his print, and releasing it? It would be even more fantastic if the score could be isolated, or released as a separate soundtrack, including the library cues that Jaime Mendoza-Nava composed for other films, but which were borrowed for 'Boggy Creek.'
§« https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhG6uc7fN0o »§
I would love for that to happen. I really don't know where to begin on reaching out to Quentin Tarantino, though I imagine he would been keen on the idea. Any suggestions?
shareHmmm... Facebook might be a start.
https://www.facebook.com/QuentinTarantinoDirector/
(I myself cannot: I do not use social media sites; the IMDb and Youtube are as close as I come.)
Perhaps chosen feedback offered to El Rey Network. Or a petition circulated on Facebook, seeking support/publicity for the request. I'll also ask some actor/director friends for some suggestions, but I have little to no pull myself.
§« https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhG6uc7fN0o »§
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Any remake would be an improvement.
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It was alright for the time but the monkey suite, oil painting and lack of dialoug for the narrator didn't do it justice.
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This is, without any hesitation, the best-looking print of this film I have ever seen. I have to agree that I kind of miss the pre-credits Cinema Releasing logo, but the improvement in sound and picture more than makes up for the loss of such a non-essential bit of the film.
Your efforts at stabilizing the widescreen aspects and re-adusting the color and contrast are far superior to anything out there.
I too, would love to hear an isolated version of the musical score. The Boggy Creek Theme and Hey Travis Crabtree are two of my fondest memories from seeing this upon its original release in 1972.
A long-shot would be the possibility of tracking down a foreign release print, wherein the music and effects tracks are isolated from the dialogue tracks to allow for either foreign language dubbing or subtitling as they choose. Very often such foreign release prints are the only extant source for original soundtrack recordings (Quo Vadis and Magic Fire come immediately to mind).
Somebody somewhere has either the original negatives, first-generation prints or at least a fine-grain 35mm master release print. If anyone generates a Kickstarter to produce a restoration of this film I will immediately sign up for it.
As it is, until something better comes along, I will strenuously refer people to your rerstoration as being definitive.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS!
"If you don't know the answer -change the question."