Warner Bros has done it again! they removed the orginal WB logo for the new more updated version that does NOT match the film at all. It looks way too clean. It should contain the original one that fits the film much more.
shareI really hate it when Warner Bros. does this. I expected them to have replaced the MGM logo at the beginning of their new DVD for Poltergeist as well (thankfully, they didn't)!
shareAnother odd thing about the DVD is that I'm convinced the last shot, after Mick has been hit by Lindsay Anderson, is about 3 seconds shorter than the version I have on video from 20 years ago. The result is that you don't really quite see Mick smile: missing that rather spoils the sequence, which to me is Mick finally accepting his subjugated lot. Maybe I'm imagining it: I'll have to play the old vhs video again to check!
Still, a good quality WS print unlike my 4:3 tape, except for the salvation army sequence where the negative was apparently lost and a print duplicate was used.
It's a pity Michael Medwin isn't on the commentary to describe the funding tribulations...
I must admit that although pretty good - my expectations of the DVD release were higher in that it didn't impress me as much as the laserDisc release when I first saw that - it's almost looks as though it came from the same source (e.g. the aftermath of the military compound explosion was incredibly grainy).
Also after the credits have finished, in the laserDisc version I'm sure it went to black, where as the DVD version have the credit "Exit Music" (or something like this) - was this assuming that the audience wouldn't understand why the music was still playing even when it had finished (like at the end of Kubrick's "2001")?
I can't really complain though - thankfully it's been release after all these years (along with Criterion's fantastic release of "If....") - I did like the Audio Commentary though - thx to all concerned for that.
Yes, it's annoying when WB "changes history" by putting their new logo instead of just letting the original display. Another thing I notice they do (although I don't know if they did it to this disc or not) is with their older movies, they change some of the sound effects like door slams, gun shots, tire screeches, etc. wish they wouldn't do that either. It's one thing if they gave you the choice of audio tracks but they don't. Oh well.
share