I've got to see this
Sounds like a great one.
shareYes I'd say it's a British Classic alright and is both harrowing and bleak at the same time.
"You're Only Supposed To Blow The Bloody Doors Off!"
MovieChat Forums > The Offence (1973) Discussion > I've got to see this
What are you waiting for? I've got it on DVD. A classic...
shareDear andy-1047: A rather atypical Sean Connery movie. Miles away from James Bond, to be sure. Connery gives a convincing performance -- which is why the movie works.
I have a 1986 Warner Home Video UK/PAL release with the little red "18" on the box art and tape label.
I also have a MGM pre-record from the U.S.A. (which is where I live).
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I've always thought those old Warner clamshells were fun to own. Collectible, too. Something you can show off to PALs (friends). They do obviously take up (much) more space than DVD's and even the later video releases in the smaller boxes. But none of those things are collectible. How many old copies of THE OFFENCE in the old Warner clamshell are still floating around? My guess is not so many anymore.
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I noted that a Region 2 DVD of "The Offence" has been released. I reckon I'll never know if the picture quality is much better than the old Warner UK pre-record because I don't own any kind of DVD player.
>>> Even if you have the Region 2 MGM DVD of THE OFFENCE you owe it to yourself to find the 1986 Warner release with the mighty "18" on the box (if you don't have already). I mean, let's face it -- 5 or 10 years down the road no one's going to give a hoot in hell about any DVD or any later videocassette release of THE OFFENCE. But I'd bet the old clamshell would still fetch several pounds, esp. if it's in good shape. Trust me. <<<
(I reckon I ought to note that I watched my PAL of THE OFFENCE recently. Played fine. Picture quality and sound weren't bad so I have no complaints).
-CG, the mAD mAD pAL hUNTER fROM tHE uSA
The DVD version is top quality which you expect of something from the digital age.
It will also have a considerably longer shelf life than any video tape, which will deteriorate and rot whether you watch it repeatedly or not.
"You're Only Supposed To Blow The Bloody Doors Off!"
Dear t_t:
*** THE OFFENCE is not from the "digital age". It's from 1972.
Good luck if your DVD is still working in 22 years (the age of the very durable Maxell videocassette I watched). Those old Maxell tapes are heavy buggers.
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I'd bet that right now a person could make more money selling that 1986 UK pre-record of THE OFFENCE on Ebay in the old Warner clamshell than they could selling a Brand New DVD.
A sidenote: I noted the UK DVD was re-rated "15". The Warner video has the little red "18" on the insert artwork and the cassette labels. I guess the BBFC reduced the rating when the film was submitted again (by MGM this time) for the DVD release.
THE OFFENCE is Mighty in a Warner clamshell.
First of all, The Offence desperately needs a proper DVD release. But having said that, the picture quality on the R2 DVD will always be superior to any on VHS, even brand new. The picture quality on VHS tapes degrades with time and viewings, due to wearing out the actual tape inside the cassette. A DVD has digital elements encoded on it that will outlast a human being by several decades (it's estimated to be at least 150 years before physical degradation of the actual disc). Even if the picture was ripped directly from a VHS master (which it wasn't) it will remain that way until the disc breaks down.
It's 2008. DVD players are cheap now, they have been around for a decade. Buy a player and some well-transferred discs and then tell me if a VHS tape could outperform it.
That being said, the mighty '18' certificate does loom powerfully on whatever film it touches.
Dear sg7326: Yo. I don't think you're understanding what I mean. I'm not disputing the fact a PAL DVD has more lines of resolution than a PAL videocassette tape -AND- having some 3,300 VHS videos in my collection [Breakdown: 2,700 NTSC; 600 PALs] I am quite fully aware of the notion that the picture quality is supposed to markedly deteriorate upon repeat viewing of a videocassette. That can be true, but I only agree with that to a point. The better equipment one uses the less you notice of any kind of "deterioration" of picture and sound.
There's no way in Hell a DVD will last 150 years. It will cease to play properly long before a century-and-a-half. Do you really think a 2008-manufacture DVD with a cold-pressed movie on it will still be able to be "read" by the laser in 2158? Surely you jest.
Also -- any Maxell VHS cassette shell will last damn near forever. I agree the magnetic tape won't last 150 years and still be playable but I'll bet my tape of THE OFFENCE from 1986, which is now 22 years old, will still be playable for years longer. So we shall see if a Region 2 DVD bought in 2007 will still be playable in 2029 when it is 22 -- and if it does then we can proceed from there.
Perhaps there will be a Region 1 DVD release of THE OFFENCE sometime . . . I reckon ya never know.
Even if there is, however, it'll never be collectible in any sort of way.
I say stick with the "18" certificate 1986 Warner clamshell release for collectibility. It'll always be worth something.
-CG
Well I just picked up the R2 DVD from HMV while in the UK (for all of £7 VAT included) ...so in 2029 we'll compare notes.
And yeah, I think the DVD will still be playable...and at least Ireland still has the '18' (although that isn't saying much, as Ireland is stil conservative as hell when it comes to film).
Yeah, but an "18" from Ireland is no fun . . .
Perhaps the disk will still be playable in 2029. We shall see.
If I'm still alive in 2029 I'll drag out the notepad.
>>> What does 'HMV' stand for? I know that 'VAT' stands for 'Value Added Tax' but I don't know what the 'HMV' means.
Here's another British movie that's on VHS only here in the USA -- but is now on DVD over in England (there never was a UK VHS release of this) >>>
BLACK WINDMILL, The (1974) Michael Caine, Donald Pleasance, John Vernon.
Anyway, good luck playing your new DVD acquisition of THE OFFENCE.
-CG
i'll be the impartial mediator. see you in 2029!
shareHMV is a music and movie shop in the UK. It originally stood for "His Majesty's Voice", but it now obviously stands for "Her Majesty's Voice".
The disc plays fine although I haven't viewed it since I left the UK.
And guess what we might never have on DVD (officially)? Ken Russell's ORIGINAL CUT of The Devils.
I've never seen The Black Windmill...I will have to look into that one, but Sleuth, another Caine film from 1972, is OOP on US DVD, and it wasn't even re-released on DVD to coincide with the 2007 remake.
And the Jack Nicholson film Ironweed is only on DVD in Sweden(WHAT?).