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Posted: |
Jun 16, 2007 - 12:13 PM
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By: |
estgrey
(Member)
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John Smiley: Sorry if this has been dealt with before, but how does the new release of The Big Country compare with the previous release (about 10 -15 years ago I think) that had a huge booklet with score analysis. Info on the sound quality as well as booklet info (I'm not talking about the Silva release) would be appreciated.
I have both releases (all three, or actually four, if you include the Silva re-recordings), and I find the sound of the new one only a little improved over the SAE one, not that I would have expected much greater improvement to be possible. The SAE booklet is, of course, much more impressive in terms of content and presentation than the liner notes of the new release, but the limitations of the format make that perhaps inherently unfair.
The one big advantage of the new release is that it is actually available, and the older SAE one is out of print and perhaps not quite so easy to find for the same price.
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For which I already have my ticket.
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And I mine.
I've beeen thinking that, even though I was incredibly lucky enough to buy the SAE original BIG COUNTRY at close-out for $25.00, I will have to acquire the new OST because of the corrected blending/edit of two crucial cues...
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Posted: |
Jun 18, 2007 - 10:24 PM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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.....For those lucky to attend this screening...note the sound and whether the original 4 track stereo sound was restored.....
A wonderful fantasy wish to which we'd all subscribe, but I doubt if the "new" MGM has much interest in, or the cash to "restore" anything, other than making a new print here and there, even if an old intact stereo print could be found to utilize and archive the track.
It's my understanding that other than a few premiere engagements there were next-to-no stereo prints made for general release.
For the most part, MGM/UA has not been particularly noted for its archival/restoration interest or expertise, or preservation of original materials over the years, as evidenced by such films as THE ALAMO, HAWAII, IT'S A MAD WORLD, THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD. SAYONARA, which they currently control, is back to mono sound on the transfers now appearing on TCM, from the previous stereo original which appeared some years ago on video.
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If the new print does turn out to be in stereo, they probably took the mixed soundtrack off an original European print.
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The only thing about the "new" print is that it was mercifully free of scratches. When the color was good (which wasn't often; color often changed from shot to shot), it was great, but most of the print was faded. The fact is that MGM didn't want to spend the money to do a full, proper restoration. We were told that high quality, low-fade protection copies of the negative were made, implying that there would, at least, be no further deterioration of the elements should MGM decide to revisit the matter sometime in the future.
And, no, the print wasn't stereo. No stereo audio elements or prints had been located but, we heard, if one ever turned up, MGM would be happy to make a new print with stereo sound.
Seeing a film on the screen tends to concentrate one's attention in ways that watching at home does not. This was certainly true of THE BIG COUNTRY; I found myself noticing details of performance, story development, and direction that I'd never noticed before. One thing that became apparent before the film was over is this: though Wyler's film is good -- not great -- it's a thousand times better than anything being done nowadays. Sometimes I think that modern civilization would be better served if the whole movie industry just folded up its tent and faded into history.
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I saw THE BIG COUNTRY a couple of times on a big screen just a few years ago (both times when the Cinematheque ran it), and even though it wasn't Technirama, it was great in plain old wide screen. I always see new details in it, not only because of the venue, but because it's a film rich with details to discover. (That's, of course, something else which places it head and saddles above current cinema fare).
One thing that hit me last Friday was the fact that Peck is smooching all over Baker throughout the movie but he ends up with a woman he's never touched except to shake hands. The fact that a deep attachment and relationship has been formed entirely by talking, listening and letting the internal magic happen, without all that demonstrative physical affection the fiances had shared, somehow ties in with the whole theme of Peck's character, who'd rather triumph when only he's around to know it than care what others think. Interestingly, Peck and Simmons on horseback apparently did kiss at the end of the movie as it was originally shot -- a still of it exists in the big SAE liner-notes booklet -- but as the film was finally edited, with a re-shot finale, the two characters only exchange affectionate looks before riding into the sunset.
Sometimes, genius is unconscious, and I guess at some point they realized what a good thing they had going with the restraint between Peck's and Simmons' characters.
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Plus of course it's intelligent, and assumes its audience to be mature adults in not needing mindless violence every few seconds to maintain interest.
The whole point of the story is a condemnation of that very kind of mindless violence, which is surely what attracted William Wyler to the material in the first place (in a sense, the film serves as a companion piece to his previous film, FRIENDLY PERSUASION, though it's a general theme that runs through much of Wyler's work, such as BEN-HUR ["I've spoken against violence, against incidents..." an attitude that earns Judah a trip to the galleys]).
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And of course, it has Jessamyn West at one of the writer's chairs in common with FRIENDLY PERSUASION. She wrote a lovely memoir about the filming of the latter. Seems Coop came to her and asked if he couldn't shoot just one gun just once...
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Score-o can speak for himself, but I have to ask, isn't it conceivable that one can have a low opinion of current cinema culture and still have a good day overall?
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And of course, it has Jessamyn West at one of the writer's chairs in common with FRIENDLY PERSUASION. She wrote a lovely memoir about the filming of the latter. Seems Coop came to her and asked if he couldn't shoot just one gun just once...
Prompting Wyler to tell him that the whole point of the exercise is that Jess Birdwell doesn't get to kick down the door; that the heroism is in not fighting.
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Exactly.
(I assume that's why you're not taking Thor's bait?)
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