reani14

columbia answered my e-mail saying that there any no plnas to re-release this tittle.
oh well.

joliom

Is there a problem with the DVD, or were you just hoping for an even more loaded edition in the future?

asianxcore

the soundtrack is altered on the DVD.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...light=birthday

Seantn

The tittle...tee-hee.

joliom

I guess I just didn't remember the original score that well. I would never have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out. But that still sucks...I hate when they alter the original version of a film in some fundamental way (extended cuts excluded, of course).

bluesparrow

The new score works with the movie, imo. If this were some cheap synth job I'd be annoyed but it's a perfectly good, (generally) period soundtrack...I think the pre-release griping proved unwarranted. The dvd cover does suck though.

TERRORTRAIN

the "griping" isn't "unwarranted" to true fans of this film.

Suppose this was one of your favorite films that you knew backwards and forwards (we all have them) and they altered the score to it. How would you feel?

bluesparrow

I'd wait to see if it was any good, which the Happy Birthday To Me fans didn't do. The controversy started from the first announcement, and I've seen lots of its fans swear off buying it without bothering to listen to it.

And if it turned out to be pretty good, like the HBTM score(IMO, of course)? I admit I'd feel slightly annoyed at the studio for changing it but I'd live with it. If the score was really bad, like the one for NOTLD 30th Anniversary Edition from Anchor Bay, then I'd be pissed.

The new score to HBTM is pretty good(again, IMO) and works for the film, and isn't even really a new alteration, since it's been reported this was a previous version of the score that was replaced by the one all the gripers miss. I didn't find the original score all that memorable anyway.

I'm not the type to act like we should be grateful that the studios put out a dvd of a film at all but to me this controversy seems like a stretch to me. Add to that the fact the controversy started before anyone heard the new score suggests to me it's more of a cranky reaction to change in general than a reasonable reaction to problems with the new score.

salamander2

Originally posted by bluesparrow


And if it turned out to be pretty good, like the HBTM score(IMO, of course)? I admit I'd feel slightly annoyed at the studio for changing it but I'd live with it. If the score was really bad, like the one for NOTLD 30th Anniversary Edition from Anchor Bay, then I'd be pissed. .

what was wrong with NOTLD anchor bay version? Considering it is from AB, I assume it is a top notch presentation?

The new score to HBTM is pretty good(again, IMO) and works for the film,

how can you justify that awful disco song that doesnt even belong in the beginning as workable?

I didn't find the original score all that memorable anyway.

I beg to differ, it is a haunting intrumental of the end credit song, that REALLY sets the mood of the film, so it is NOT forgettable, so I am suprised you found it unmemorable.

Jeff McKay

Why should fans of the film and film purists have to pay $25 to Sony to "listen to it"? It's a hack job by Sony, the announcement warned fans that the film was completely altered, and fans avoiding it because of this makes complete sense. There's absolutely no reason at all that any fan has to 'listen to it' and spend $25 to do so. Word got out that Sony screwed it up and just because one or two people out there "don't care" or "don't even remember the original score so this one sounds OK" has no bearing on what this is all about.

Quote:

And if it turned out to be pretty good, like the HBTM score(IMO, of course)? I admit I'd feel slightly annoyed at the studio for changing it but I'd live with it. If the score was really bad, like the one for NOTLD 30th Anniversary Edition from Anchor Bay, then I'd be pissed.

Oh, so you are the judge of what alteration is good or bad? Thanks for letting us all know when an alteration is acceptable or not. Your reaction to the NOTLD 30th is identical to how a lot of fans feel about HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. I bet there are some people out there that actually LIKE the NOTLD 30th re-vamp. So when they tell you that NOTLD 30th is good and to stop complaining about it because they only added a few new scenes and changed the music a little, what's the big deal? Get over it. And at least the intact NOTLD is available elsewhere on DVD. That is not the case with HBTM.



Great, you didn't like the original score. So let all the studios wipe out soundtracks to films when they put them on DVD because a few fans didn't like the original score anyway. Sounds good to me. Re-do everything. And as far as this new soundtrack being "reported" as being a previous version, no one "reported" this. The DVD-DriveIn reviewer mentioned that it appeared to be an older track just because it sounded like it was from the 70's (disco, period music, etc.). This is probably true and it does sound that way, but there has been no official word or comment to corroborate this statement. So no one 'reported' anything. And Columbia's official statement blames it on (seemingly bogus) legal issues.

What are you talking about? The very first report of this issue was from someone who actually saw the disc and reported about it here. After that, fans who don't want to waste $25 on a butcher job is totally warranted. There are countless DVD's coming out weekly that it is not necessary to spend hard-earned $$$ on a messed up product and there's absolutely no reason to reward a studio for releasing such a product. No one has to listen to it. The reviews are in. That's what reviews are for. Let people know that something has been changed or ruined and to let the readers spend their money accordingly. If you like the new soundtrack, fine. You probably like the new STAR WARS re-vamps as well. Cool. Enjoy them. But there's no reason any true fan of HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME has to accept this soundtrack re-vamp and there's no reason they have to listen to it personally to decide if it's OK or not. Sony should have just made sure they had the correct print and done things the right way from the start. Then there would be no problem. Their generic e-mail responses to the situation just makes them look even more idiotic and should make fans stay away from this title even moreso. "We'll notify marketing". Hahahaha!

Adam Tyner

While it does have a dated sound to it, the impression I got from listening to it is that someone at Sony raided a couple of CDs of stock music and used those in the place of the original score. The music used throughout is so generic sounding that it doesn't seem like it was geared towards anything in particular.

bluesparrow

Blockbuster, netflix.com, etc.

IMO means In My Opinion. You disagree with me, which is YOUR opinion. Merely expressing my informed opinion doesn't drown out your own, or anyone else's.

Except that I actually took the trouble to listen to the NOTLD 30th score before I condemned it.

David Hasselhoff's music has fans too. But I've never met one of them. Same with NOTLD 30th.



That'd be their right.



Never said that, just that I didn't remember it. I'm sure it was a decent score.



Who told you to buy it? I was just complaining about people having a kneejerk reaction to the score change before they heard it.



Yeah, they don't have to accept it. But without listening to it they have no opinion of their own, just something they regurgitated from somewhere else.



Ah finally a real point. Yeah, that is a problem. I recommend you write a similarly shrill email to Sony's customer service about it. Tell them what the "true fans" think.

Oh I see you already did.



The picture quality was quite nice, but there was an added synth score throughout the entire movie done by the producer's buddy. The music, besides being awful, didn't even match the action. Also there were frequent synth sound effects added at inappropriate intervals(such as thunder rumbling in the distance-I don't remember any storms in the film, do you?).

That's in addition to the other version included in the set that added new scenes that make no sense and are horribly shot and acted(ed wood caliber material). Actually, the composer is one of the actors in a new scene at the end(that involves none of the previous characters).

I recommend renting it just to see how bad it is. It's actually quite funny how bad the changes are. Here's what George Romero had to say about the NOTLD 30th: "Those guys are still friends of mine, and I said to them that I'm not going to put a heavy slam on it. So, I won't. As far as I'll go is to say that I certainly didn't like it."

I recall reading at the time that Anchor Bay didn't produce the disc, they just agreed to put it out for a fee.



Fair enough. I can only operate off the several times I saw the film previous to this dvd. Also, thank you for being the only person so far in this thread to actually say what they liked about the original score.



Basically, guys, here's my deal: In an ideal world there'd be the two versions to compare and contrast. And for that lack I agree Sony made a mistake. But criticizing the change without hearing it first smacks of fanaticism, not an honest appraisal. And if you expect Sony to fix a score without the fans taking the time to actually listen to the new version, then you're going to be waiting a long, long time.

Jeff McKay

OK, so you pay Blockbuster instead. Either way, it's money wasted.

Quote:

Except that I actually took the trouble to listen to the NOTLD 30th score before I condemned it.

Ya, but you didn't buy it, right? Just like hundreds of other fans, you probably read the early reviews on it describing how bad it was. I did the same thing. I refused to purchase NOTLD 30th and ended up just renting it to see for myself what a travesty it was. I think it was a wasted $3 or whatever I paid to rent it, but being a huge NOTLD fan, I had to see it at least once. The reviews prevented me from wasting my money on a purchase of it. That's exactly what's going on with the HBTM situation. The reviews are in saying that the score has been changed. Fans of the film like the original score. They want the film the way they've been watching it for 20+ years. It's as simple as that. Blasting fans because they are complaining about the score being changed is ridiculous. Fans have every right to b*tch about it, sight unseen. Even if the new score is OK, it's still not the film that was released theatrically back in 1981 and on videotape thereafter. If for film purist reasons alone, this soundtrack change is defintely reason for complaint.



True, I agree with you on this one. But the one difference between NOTLD 30th and HBTM is that NOTLD was altered intentionally to create a "new version" of the film so that Russo and company could copyright it and make money off of it. HBTM was either accidentally released in a pre-finished state with a temp score or some other alternate score, or it was actually changed by Sony for music rights clearances (unlikely based on what we know).

Quote:

Who told you to buy it? I was just complaining about people having a kneejerk reaction to the score change before they heard it.

Kneejerk reaction? People have every right to complain. Once again, even if they rented it and thought the score was OK or even good, it's STILL not the CORRECT film. That's reason to complain. I don't see anyone going ballistic about it. People are upset that a film they were waiting for for years has been released in an incorrect version. Sight unseen, they have every right not to buy it. They also have every right not to rent it. They also have every right to express their feelings of disappointment about it SIGHT UNSEEN. The entire score of the film has been changed. Good new score or bad new score, the film is INCORRECT. I don't know how much more clear I can be.

Quote:

Yeah, they don't have to accept it. But without listening to it they have no opinion of their own, just something they regurgitated from somewhere else.

I haven't seen anyone express a direct opinion on the new score who hasn't actually watched it. Many who haven't seen the new version have expressed disappointment that the original score has been changed based on the reviews only. They have every right to do this. It's not an opinion on the new score, it's an opinion on the DELETION of the score they know and love.

Quote:

Oh I see you already did.

Nope. The Sony e-mail replies were posted on these forums by other members. I recall one of them saying "We'll notify our marketing department about this issue" or something to that nature.


Once again, I haven't heard anybody saying the new score was BAD except from people who HAVE seen it. The complaints from people who refuse to buy it or even rent it are simply because it's an altered version. No more, no less. They are expressing their feelings about the MISSING original score. You might like the new score and others who have complained may be able to live with it if they decide to rent it someday, but that doesn't change the fact that it's not the correct film. Good or bad, the new version is an anomaly and does not represent the authentic film everyone remembers. You call it fanaticism that fans want the original version of a film they love and grew up with???? Go check out some of those STAR WARS threads someday.

Steve Phillips

The new music sucks. Yes, I heard it.

The DVD looks great, but I'm glad I still have the old LD version with the original score.

bluesparrow

Jeff,

My complaint is with the many people who criticized it prior to it's release. Check this board plus any horror board online for examples of this. I have no problem with people criticizing it after they have heard it. That's just a matter of taste. Prior to that, it's just senseless bitching. You may disagree with that assertion, but I prefer to react to something based on direct contact, not rumors and reviews.

I have, and had the same objection to posters who react before they've seen it. Didn't participate then, because I didn't get my copy of the SW Trilogy dvd till some time after release. I didn't participate, because I usually don't until I have a real opinion to contribute, not just a reaction to the very concept of changes being made. Why? Because I don't think changes are inherently bad. I'm quite fond of the changes made to Touch of Evil, for example. The circumstances behind those changes were certainly different, but for all the "true HBTM fans" knew, the new HBTM dvd score would be better than the original.

Also, comparing the people who criticized the HBTM score change to Star Wars fans doesn't exactly disprove my "fanaticism" comment.



If you want to complain, take the effort to actually find out if you even have a complaint. If they were really fans of the film, wouldn't they try to find out for themselves if the score is any good? I did, and I guess I would call myself a casual fan(apparantly I don't qualify as a True Fan since I didn't mind the change).

I don't count a review as a substitute for personal experience. Reading a bad review for a movie doesn't make me say it's a bad movie, seeing the movie and disliking it does. I wonder how many bad reviews the film got upon initial release. Did that prevent these fans from seeing the movie then?



People do have a right to complain. And I have a right to complain about them complaining. It's an endless circle of bitching

Listen, it's pretty apparant that you're not one of the people I was criticizing. You made the effort to hear the new score and decide for yourself whether you liked it or not, and I respect your opinion of it due to that. We have a fundamental difference of opinion of whether the mere presence of change is a valid cause for criticism, and that may be an intractable one. Neither of us have to be wrong, it's just our opinions.

Jeff McKay

Sparrow:

That's cool.... we can agree to disagree.

I do still stand by my assertion, though, that people have every right to complain about a soundtrack being wiped out without actually having to hear the change for themselves. This isn't about 'film reviewing' or 'film criticism' where one would have to watch a film for themselves to form an opinion. This is strictly about film alteration - simple as that.

All those pre-release complaints were just as valid as anyone complaining about an upcoming P&S release of a film. Should everyone have to watch a P&S version of a DVD to see if the P&S looks OK or not? I don't think so. I avoid buying P&S DVD's all the time and countless others do the same. People rightfully complain about upcoming P&S releases all the time on these forums, sight unseen. A film's score being totally wiped out and replaced is even a bigger issue with me than a P&S presentation. That's my opinion. I won't budge. You may think differently and that's fine, but I think you are unfairly slamming all of those fans who complained. They simply want the film the way it's supposed to be and always has been. It doesn't matter one bit what the new score is - it's not the original. We're not talking film reviews here, we're talking about preserving film history (God - I never thought I'd say that in the same paragraph with HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!). Remember, this may be the last presentation of this film we ever get and it may be the only way future generations will ever get to see the film. The VHS editions and laserdisc are long out-of-print and pretty hard to come by even today. Lucas and Spielberg are already guilty of going back and forever damaging perfect films (SW, CE3K) and now the studios are joining in on the travesty. HBTM is not that important of a film in the big picture, but it could be a disturbing trend.

Anyway, with me it's strictly a purist issue and no matter how the new soundtrack sounded, it would never be acceptable - period. End of story. That's my opinion on film alteration. Other people may feel differently, as you do, and that's cool. But when studios and directors start tinkering and tampering with finished artists' work years after the fact, there's a scary future ahead for cinema preservation. So don't beat up on the people who speak out and complain to try to stop film alteration - they're the ones that love the films they are defending. They may sound bitchy and whatnot, but they're the only ones out there that want to keep these movies intact. Columbia obviously doesn't care. They've proven that in this case.

RickB

I agree with you 150%. Films are historic and should NEVER be changed. We take these movies to heart. We grow up on them. For every film I ever saw in my life I can name the exact theater I saw it in,who I was with,the music,the scenes,the funny parts,scary parts. Special things like seeing a film with a old friend you lost touch with. Seeing Star Wars with your mom that is now dead (in my case anyway) the biggest memory I have with my cousin is seeing the first two Muppet movies in the theaters together. Each film has history. They become more then just entertainment to us. There is an old saying don't fix something that isn't broken. Star Wars didn't needing fixing. HBTM was better with the old soundtrack. Whats next for these studios? Are they gonna re-release the original Friday the 13th and cut out Jason's mother and making it look like Jason was ALWAYS the killler? I mean really,nothing would surprise me anymore.

bluesparrow

Fair enough.

salamander2

Odd columbia listened to the fans for CASTLE KEEP, a film that has much less fan base than a HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, so hopefully they will reconsider and fix the music issue.

gutwrencher

agreed. yup...my mum took me the first 17 times I saw it in the theater....then she got sick of taking me and turned me loose on my own for the next 40.

if she were alive today....I'm sure she would be disapointed in what happened to the original.

reanii14

just wondering if theres any info on the region 2 uk being sold at amazon uk. it does have a diffrent artwork..
any help would be appreacited
thanks!

LikeMiamiVice

im sure Sony didnt do this on purpose,i mean like WHY would they rescore an 80s slasher flick that only a handful of people are going to buy?the score on the dvd seems to match the action and doesnt suit the film that bad at all..,ive read in many places that this was the ORIGINAL score to the movie before Sony bought if off of some Canadian company and changed the score,so techinally,Sony is giving us the original presentation..im not on anybody's side but dam..i even think that disco song in the begining of the movie sets the 'fun' mood of the flick the whole way around..cause face it'last house on the left'this aint,this movie was obviously meant to be a fun horror movie to be taken seriously..im mad that the american theatrical score isnt present but then again,i had only seen this flick a few times and i dont remember the score at all apart from the end credits song...if you guys want to bitch about an altered score,the go watch the dvd of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART 2,cause we surely got screwed NOW THAT IS UNWATCHABLE..at least the original track is on the french audio track but its a bitch to have to be switiching back and forth audio tracks to hear that beloved score..

joliom

I agree with you that this alternate (or possibly original?) score is not that distracting or out-of-step with the film. Still, it would have been great if they could have given us both...

TERRORTRAIN

To LikeMiamiVice,

I STRONGLY disagree with you! The way you feel about Return Of The Living Dead 2 being unwatchable because of the new score is EXACTLY how I and others feel about HBTM.

We have a right to "bitch" about it.

Ian_H

NOTLD 30th was so bad someone had to pay Anchor Bay to put it out.

I quess that about sums it up.


--Ian