ZackR

OK, I was just over at www.dvdcompare.net looking up Superman: The Movie (my all time childhood fav!!).

Apparently, there is an R2 Scandinavian PAL release of S:TM and it is the friggin THEATRICAL RELEASE!!!

OK, so here is what I need to know. First of all, where in the world can I get it???? I want it YESTERDAY!!!

Secondly, I am not multi-region or PAL capable on my standalone DVD player at home (which I need to remedy soon). However, I do have DVD Region Killer on my laptop and I have used it to watch the R3 Eyes Wide Shut and Army of Darkness discs. Will it also allow me to watch S:TM since it is in PAL?? Finally, are there any negatives to me picking this disc up? I mean, I have never watched a PAL formatted movie before. Is there anything that would be lost in the conversion (assuming DVD Region Killer allows me to watch it).

If this is the wrong place, I apologize. I am just so HYPED. I have wanted a theatrical version of Superman ever since the DVD was released and I found out it was modified. I don't know if the sound will be the new *modified* track or not, but either way - I would just be psyched to own the theatrical version.

I would really appreciate any input!

Zack

Fandango

Your laptop will play PAL movies fine. As for PAL there is a speedup associated with it where the voices might seem a higher pitch. There is a FAQ on this in the International forum I think.

ZackR

OK. Thank you for the information. Is there any way to get rid of the speedup or to convert it to NTSC without loss of quality, etc? I am going to buy this thing the SECOND I can find it, and I would love to be able to convert it to NTSC or something like that.

BTW, does anyone know where I could maybe purchase this disc??

Thanks Again!

Zack

ZackR

Also, I can't find the FAQ for PAL/NTSC issues. Can someone give me some general info on the problems with watching the PAL disc over here? I don't want annoying speedup, etc if possible....

Anyways, thanks for any help. I am relatively to new to all this multi-region stuff... but loving it so far.

Zack

elias

I wouldn't worry about the PAL speedup, ZackR. It's a 4% speedup that is usually not noticable. I'm sure you'll enjoy the film just fine.

ZackR

Thanks. That is what I am hearing from others.

Now, does anyone have any idea where I could buy the film? It is listed as being R2/PAL, Scandinavian/Norwegian. I need to try to find a place I can order from. I am in the USA>

I appreciate any information on possible sources.

Thanks!
Zack

feloosa

found it here for $12.19 + sh

it looks like they ship to the US as well

ZackR

Wow, feloosa, I was just about to post that link here. Guess great minds think alike!

Thanks for taking the time to post that. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is actually the theatrical version. . .

Rogue588

hey Zack...be sure to let us know if it IS the theatrical version.

ZackR

Definitely will let everyone know.

digitalfreaknyc

FYI...that's not totally true. Cannot STAND the PAL speed up and refuse to watch movies in PAL. So different strokes...

But a warning...it can be very annoying.

Jah-Wren Ryel

Recent versions of WinDVD have a "PAL TrueSpeed" mode which compensates for the speed-up.

Josh Z

Except for a few overly-sensitive individuals who know who they are, PAL speedup is generally a non-issue.

I would be more concerned about the quality of the transfer on this Scandanavian disc. If this is indeed the original theatrical cut, it means that the releasing studio did not use the Warner Bros restoration print. Who knows what type of source material they may have used? Some dirty and battered old theatrical print, maybe.

digitalfreaknyc

Yes please let us know...

And although some would say you'd have to be overly sensitive...i say you just have to have one ear. Two helps but all you need is one to hear that something is sped up...especially John Williams wonderful score. That should be pleasing to the ear...perhaps a more dulled one like Josh's.

ZackR

I am no expert (by an means) on film restoration, but why couldn't they have used the restored print? I mean, could the theatrical print have not been restored for the SE, then the extra footage was spliced in and the music adjusted? Now, please, don't all the experts flame me. I am completely new to this stuff. Anyways, if the quality is better than the LD, I will be happy.

Peep

Wouldn't "PAL speedup" not be a problem for NTSC masters that have been converted to PAL without any attempt at audio correction? I would assume that PAL masters created from uncorrected NTSC masters would sound weird on PAL systems, but sound correct on NTSC.

Just a theory....

Josh Z

The restoration and the creation of the director's cut were done simultaneously for one completed product. There is no restored version of the original theatrical cut.

In theory, someone could take the director's cut and splice out the new footage, but this would likely be pretty jarring as some of the new insertions were added in with optical dissolves, and also the soundtrack was reworked to cover the new footage (music extending over the whole scene, etc.).

More likely, one of two things happened:
1) The Scandanavian disc was mastered from an old theatrical print.
OR
2) The DVD is in fact the director's cut, just mislabeled.

Josh Z

The difference in pitch and speed is not severe enough to be distracting to the vast majority of viewers, except those who have watched a particular movie a hundred times at a different speed and are intimately familiar with how it sounds.

Your brain should adapt to the changes and set its relative levels for what is "correct" accordingly.

Think of it this way: Suppose you are watching a movie on a television that cannot display a pure color red. Instead, all reds look a little orange. After a while, once you've seen a bunch of stop signs and traffic lights in the movie, your brain compensates and tells you that those things are red, because it expects them to be red.

This is what happens in normal people. If the PAL speedup is that terribly distracting to you, it is because you have it set in your mind that it is wrong and cannot hear anything else.

digitalfreaknyc

Has nothing to do with it. Has to do with how the DVD is recorded/encoded i believe? It's encoded as PAL and is thus, sped up. I've noticed it on every single PAL disc I've ever owned...and annoyed me just as much. I'd take the NTSC directors cut over the PAL original cut any day but that's my preference.

I hope the original poster is happy about his choice and that the master isn't too horrible.

As a side note, a theater here in NYC is showing that brand new print of the extended cut that came here last year. Can't wait to see Superman on the big screen again

Numanoid

Based on the running time (223 minutes), this is clearly the Special Edition.

Edit: Well, wait. They have the wrong running time listed under the "Special Edition" version (159 minutes), so it's possible they simply mixed them up between the two pages.

Let us know.

digitalfreaknyc

No....it SOUNDS weird. Before I even KNEW about PAL speedup...i knew something was wrong. The Making of Evita on the laserdisc was mastered from PAL and I knew it sounded wrong. It just sounds like everyone is on helium no matter what it is.

And FYI...u're not going to change my mind about this. I'd prefer NOT to watch that particular TV if it couldn't display red. The same way that I refuse to watch sometihng if it's not in widescreen. It's just wrong and NOT the way it was meant to be seen. Same with PAL speed up.
There's too many arguments about this. It's not worth fighting over.

Again...best wishes with the DVD.

Hemulen

Never Twice the Same Colour

ZackR

THIS IS THE THEATRICAL CUT!!!

CHECK THIS LINK:

http://pub1.ezboard.com/fsupermancin...cID=9478.topic

I AM SO HAPPY.

Sorry for my jubilance. I am thrilled!

Numanoid

So ZackR, are you telling me that once you acquire this on DVD, you will actually prefer to sit down and watch the theatrical cut with the poor transfer and missing coolness (Lex Luthor's gauntlet is awesome) rather than the Special Edition, which is one of the best DVDs ever made? The enthusiasm you are expressing over the original cut is the same enthusiasm I expressed over the Director's Cut. I actually spent $50 to buy a crap VHS tape of the original ABC broadcast a few years ago, just to get those extra scenes. The theatrical cut has been widely available for 25 years, on VHS and laserdisc...so why is acquiring this such a big deal? Just because it's DVD?

Sorry, I'm not trying to deflate you, but from one Superman: The Movie die-hard fan to another, what exactly are you gaining here?

Josh Z

I don't expect to change your mind on this. But it should be noted that yours is an extreme reaction that is not indicative of most viewers. Your constant wailing about how awful PAL speedup is has no doubt frightened away many people who would otherwise not notice the difference without it being pointed out to them.

The pitch shift in PAL is barely anymore severe than the tone differences you are likely to experience by changing your brand of speakers or adding a new subwoofer. Audio quality is an entirely subjective phenomenon. You are never going to hear exactly what the studio engineers heard in the mixing room unless you can duplicate their exact equipment specs and room acoustics. Anything else is just an approximation.

And, what's more, many PAL DVDs are pitch-corrected to compensate for the speedup.

I'm just trying to be a voice of reason to balance out your negativity.

Maybe he's a Superman completist and wants both versions?