Bond dvd's to be fully restored and released in 2005

[Rypro 525]

from thedvdforums.com

"I just found out that MGM will be re-releasing all of its James Bond titles from restored negatives and new 5.1 Dolby digital sound mixes in October 2005.
This gives us about two years to complete the restoration process. Except for "Dr. No," all of the music tracks for the 5.1 are being made from the original studio stereo recordings. Yesterday I got to go to the sound facility to hear the mix of "You Only Live Twice," the first film in the restoration process to be completed. You won't believe how great John Barry's music sounds in stereo surround!


Got this from the Yahoo John Barry discussion group anybody else heard about this?"
I sure hope this isn't true since I am still buying the releases currently.

[Copenhagen]

Enough already....what will that be the third time?

[babka]

Why do studios give such silly dates? Talk about what you can do within the year. 2005 is a LONG time. I'll be into another hobby by then.

[gutwrencher]

Originally posted by babka
2005 is a LONG time. I'll be into another hobby by then.

it is a long time...but for me, my hobby will still be collecting films, regardless of the format. dvds will still be running strong in 2005 . all I want right now is the next 2 box sets which I missed out on last time. where the hell is #2 anyway?

[Rypro 525]

number 2 comes out in july when die another day comes out. No connery movies, just moore's, Dalton's first, and Brosnon's most recent 2.

[gutwrencher]

Originally posted by Rypro PG-13
number 2 comes out in july when die another day comes out. No connery movies, just moore's, Dalton's first, and Brosnon's most recent 2.

Thanks man.....I needed that reminder.:thumbsup:

[jough]

Just a question:

The new boxed sets are mixed-up differently than the original boxed sets, aren't they?

Because the first boxed set that came out a couple of months ago (again) had two titles that were in the previous "Third Wave" boxed set release, which I already have.

Looks like I'll be picking these up piecemeal.

Still, it's nice that they're only $12.99 now, rather than $35 like they were when the SEs were first out.

You people that got into DVD after 1998 are just SPOILED, man.

I remember when the first 2DVD special edition came out and we were all like "Dang, TWO WHOLE DISCS?" and now people are dissapointed if something is ONLY 2 discs, and single disc releases just seem like a rip-off.

-- Jough

[Imhotep]

Originally posted by Rypro PG-13
from thedvdforums.com

"I just found out that MGM will be re-releasing all of its James Bond titles from restored negatives and new 5.1 Dolby digital sound mixes in October 2005.
This gives us about two years to complete the restoration process. Except for "Dr. No," all of the music tracks for the 5.1 are being made from the original studio stereo recordings. Yesterday I got to go to the sound facility to hear the mix of "You Only Live Twice," the first film in the restoration process to be completed. You won't believe how great John Barry's music sounds in stereo surround!

Well this answers it for me. I'm holding off until then. Hell who knows by then that there may be Bond #21 by then.

[danol]

Except for Die Another Day which I have never seen, I have every one of the James Bond DVD with that sexy lady saying push to activate. That recorded lady just can't say *no* oh my sounds like Cherry of Cherry 2000 DVD *personal* robot.


I push the button and for some reason my finger prints have turned into James Bond's and I can view the Jamed Bond DVD. Series which I have grown up with since 1962 Dr. No Sean Connery, Ursula Undress. All time Bond Girl favorite Claudine Auger (awe jhay) as Domino Petuchi in Thunderball 1965. :)

[MasterofDVD]

I'm all for new transfers and sound mixes but I'm honestly happy enough with the DVD as is. If I was a huge Bond fan I'd be getting them but due to the number of films I won't upgrade these films again for a loooooooong time.

[duz]

just a reminder that 2005 is two years away. no reason to not buy the current set of bond movies. that is unless you arn't that big of a fan anyways.

[Drexl]

Originally posted by babka
Why do studios give such silly dates? Talk about what you can do within the year. 2005 is a LONG time. I'll be into another hobby by then.

Hey, at least they'll be out before the next Star Wars DVD.

BTW, in the case of Tomorrow Never Dies, it will be the fifth release if I'm not mistaken.

[Josh Z]

Originally posted by Drexl
BTW, in the case of Tomorrow Never Dies, it will be the fifth release if I'm not mistaken.

There was:
1) the original movie-only disc
2) the silver-packaged SE
3) the reissued SE, same disc in different packaging.

I was under the impression that the disc recently issued was a re-release of #3. No?

[bboisvert]

Originally posted by Josh Z
I was under the impression that the disc recently issued was a re-release of #3. No?

Correct. All of the 2002 Bond wave (and, presumably, the 2 waves this year) are identical to the last release -- same disc, transfer, extras, packaging, UPC code, etc.

[Wormwood]

I'll buy the current re-releases. If the 2005 editions are much better, then I'll just sell the current sets and buy those.

[Pants]

1. I broke this story more than a year ago.

2. If there are more suplements on these new releases I don't care, I've got all the suplements I could ever watch on the current ones, I don't want to know more about Bond.

3. The only title I would buy again is OHMSS, but only if they fix the missing bits of footage.

4. For the early films (you know, the good ones) these 5.1's will just make the music sound better.

5. They better include original mono, because I'm an OSM (original sound mix) man.

6. I'd only buy the first 3 if the picture is significantly improved. All the others look good enough for me.

[ctyankee]

Originally posted by Copenhagen
Enough already....what will that be the third time?


Mono audio turned into 5.1 tracks .. you bet

DTS audio (used for some of the later Bond movie releases but not given to us on the DVD) provided when they could have done it the first time ... no brainer ..

"Restored" (whatever that means to the marketing people) from negatives - improving video image .. a natural

Do it once again when some new audio or video technique - such as an Enhanced DVD format ... count on it

That that will end it and ya'll be happy campers? ... please ...

If they bet on this in Las Vegas. The bet being what would come first you're death (sorry for the morbid thought) or the end of all re-releases of the Connery Bond films - what do you think the odds would be?

[Julie Walker]

Well just in case the 5.1's do sound inferior & artificial. They better include the original soundtracks as well!


I don't have any of the films yet. Though whenever i can afford it. I may start buying some.


Though one question. Are the commentaries on some of the films new or previously recorded?

Just curious since i hear Criterion released about 3 Bond films on LD years ago. Yet the commentaries got them into some legal trouble since they were unPC or something..& thus have never been released since. What was so bad about the Criterion commentaries?

[JaxComet]

I would hope we'd be into High Def DVD by then..........

[PatrickMcCart]

This is good news to me.

I have the Goldfinger SE, which is nice, but the picture quality is kind of so-so. It looks wonderful in most spots, but has plenty of bad parts as well.

[DarthMaul420]

If this is true then MGM has plenty of time to do this without screwups this time around.


1. Actor's Commentary is a must to me as a Bond Fanatic!
2. Region 1 Box Set with a free space or two. Don't go el cheapo on us b/c we will be buying 20 dvds.
3. Original Cover Art! Most of the current ones don't bother me but the cover to For Your Eyes Only was butchered.

[Drexl]

Originally posted by Josh Z
I was under the impression that the disc recently issued was a re-release of #3. No?

Yes, that's what I mean when I say the 2005 edition will be the fifth release (counting the reissues as releases). Of course, we may just get another reissue then.

BTW, will we really get all of them at once? I think they may want to spread them out, so we may be looking at 2006 for some of them.

[pro-bassoonist]

....and in 2029 they will have DTS.

as it was said above...ENOUGH! Dig up the catalog titles!

[JoeyOhhhh]

Only way I would rebuy these if they:

Kept original sound mix.
Remixed to a Great (i.e. not total screw up) 5.1 soundtrack.
Put DTS tracks onto the films that had a DTS track.
Remastered the video to look better than it does now.
Toss all the extras onto a second disc to utilize the first disc's space totally to the movie.

Sure it would end up with a 40 disc set, but that'd be the only way I'm rebuying these babies. I'd also welcome a re-issue of the Criterion's LDs just for the commentaries.

[Fok]

I'll can wait for the new sets, no surprise that these films are being re-released. In fact I beleive that all movies will eventually be re-released, regardless of how many times they've been released before.

[ckolchak]

Hi Def DVD by 2005?
not likely.

however if MGM were wise ( not a given) the discs due in 2005 would be downconversions from newly minted HD masters which can then be used a few years later for the HD DVDs.

right now, apart from the Brosnan ones ( which i could care less about) most of the discs are NOT up to the current standards of this format.
some, like LTK, are absolutely bottom of the barrel as far as anamorphic transfers go.

and if you look at Goldfinger- the clip used in one of the docs looks absolutely pristine, while the same scene in the actual film has so much grain it looks like a 3rd generation dupe.

glad to hear they will see another, hopefully improved, dvd release.
they are probably going to start to restore/transfer these soon.
2 years seems like a long time, but it really isn't considering the work some of these will need in preperation for (i hope) hd masters

[Josh Z]

Originally posted by ctyankee
DTS audio (used for some of the later Bond movie releases but not given to us on the DVD) provided when they could have done it the first time ... no brainer ..

Not this again!

A theatrical DTS track is not the same thing as a home video DTS track. This has been explained to you before, ctyankee. Please stop making this argument.

[Josh Z]

Originally posted by Julie Walker
Though one question. Are the commentaries on some of the films new or previously recorded?

Just curious since i hear Criterion released about 3 Bond films on LD years ago. Yet the commentaries got them into some legal trouble since they were unPC or something..& thus have never been released since. What was so bad about the Criterion commentaries?

Criterion released the first three Bond films on laserdisc with commentary tracks. One of the franchise producers objected to something that was said (or perhaps just the general tone), and Criterion was forced to reissue the discs without the commentaries. However, a good number of the original copies made it to market. Those commentaries will never make it to DVD.

Later on, MGM re-released several of the Bond films themselves on laserdisc. Goldfinger and Thunderball had new commentary tracks prepared. These are the same ones that made it to the DVD releases for those films. All of the other commentaries are new and exclusive to DVD.

As far as what was so objectionable about the Criterion commentaries, there has been much speculation but no one is entirely sure. A few un-PC things were said about the Jamaican people and a couple of the Bond Girl actresses, Peter Hunt makes an insulting comment about Harry Salzman, and Sean Connery is made to sound like a womanizing cad. However, most of these things were said in a joking manner and there is really nothing too scandalous in there.

The most convincing argument that I've heard is that the EON people disliked the way that all of the commentators continually refer to Connery as "the best Bond", when they were at the time trying to promote Timothy Dalton in the role and felt that these commentaries might negatively affect the new franchise movies.

[Steve Phillips]

They'll be reissued in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011.......

[Kube]

I thought they fixed the dialogue on OHMSS. Am I wrong?

Did Pierce Bronsan say anything interesting on the Die Another Day commentary?

[Kal-El]

Originally posted by Kube
I thought they fixed the dialogue on OHMSS. Am I wrong?

Did Pierce Bronsan say anything interesting on the Die Another Day commentary?

I haven't listened to all of it, but what I heard was hilarious! He's like, "hello, this is Pierce Brosnan. Should I give away all the secrets already? ok. this shot? NOT Taiwan. Hawaii. That's me on the surfboard there"

And he was really laughing when they showed the bad guy going crazy on the punching bag that apparently had a real person inside it.

[CrumpsBrother]

Originally posted by ckolchak
however if MGM were wise ( not a given) the discs due in 2005 would be downconversions from newly minted HD masters which can then be used a few years later for the HD DVDs.

Bingo! That's exactly what the people at MGM have said that they are doing. I think the news got misconstrued as it's been passed from person to person.

Plus, it's been leaked that MGM is doing 5.1 re-mixes for all Bond flicks not currently in 5.1 and they are doing a digital clean-up, much like what Paramount just did for SUNSET BLVD. and ROMAN HOLIDAY.

[jedidiah]

I don't understand what the point of rereleasing the bonds with new transfers would be (besides the obvious double dipping). The existing transfers look great. Adding 5.1 sound off a mono soundtrack is a lousy idea 'cause they seldom sound good and besides, just like OAR, I prefer the original soundtrack to begin with. I'm quite happy with the existing 20 DVDs sitting on my shelf. :)

[danol]

Will the 2005 restoration be red or blue violet laser?

[Kube]

Bronsan does have a funny comment on the audio commentary.

When Bond gets his watch, Q says something like: I think that's your 20th. Bond makes some quip back.

Bronsan says: That's the first time i got that joke. 20th watch. 20th Bond film. yes, I did read the script.

Funny that he missed the joke.