The Beatles "Help!" (1965) 2-disc DVD + Deluxe Edition - Nov. 6, 2007
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The Beatles "Help!" (1965) 2-disc DVD + Deluxe Edition - Nov. 6, 2007
From: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/articl...-to-deluxe-dvd
The release date has been delayed to November 6, 2007, however:
From: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/...l?200710150740
Regular Edition:
Deluxe Edition:
Amazon.com lists the aspect ratio at 1.75:1. We must presume "anamorphic". The previous editions were 1.33:1 uncropped.
Official un-updated trailer: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permali...314820-8127105
There will be a steep $ 80 price difference between the Standard edition (around $20) and the Deluxe Edition (around $100).
A Lord of the Rings for the moptop set, the Beatles' lovably corny 1965 film Help! will soon blow up DVD players across the nation in expanded digital video disc format.
The Richard Lester-directed film, digitally restored and boasting a new 5.1 surround sound soundtrack, occupies the first of the two DVDs in this deluxe set, which Apple Corps Ltd drops on the masses October 30. (See below)
Disc two, meanwhile, includes the usual bonus goodies, including a documentary featurette on the making of the film, a missing scene, trailers, radio spots, a bit on the restoration process, and memories from the cast and crew.
Those who wish to go all out can score a doubly deluxe version of Help! in a boxed set that also includes Lester's annotated script, eight lobby cards, a poster, and an 60-page booked packed with rare photos and production notes. Or settle for the regular version, which still gets you a pair of DVDs and a booklet with words from Lester and Mr. Martin Scorsese.
The Richard Lester-directed film, digitally restored and boasting a new 5.1 surround sound soundtrack, occupies the first of the two DVDs in this deluxe set, which Apple Corps Ltd drops on the masses October 30. (See below)
Disc two, meanwhile, includes the usual bonus goodies, including a documentary featurette on the making of the film, a missing scene, trailers, radio spots, a bit on the restoration process, and memories from the cast and crew.
Those who wish to go all out can score a doubly deluxe version of Help! in a boxed set that also includes Lester's annotated script, eight lobby cards, a poster, and an 60-page booked packed with rare photos and production notes. Or settle for the regular version, which still gets you a pair of DVDs and a booklet with words from Lester and Mr. Martin Scorsese.
The release date has been delayed to November 6, 2007, however:
From: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/...l?200710150740
The DVD release of The Beatles' second feature film 'Help!' has been rescheduled to November 6, 2007, which will be marketed and distributed by EMI Music.
Deluxe Edition:
Amazon.com lists the aspect ratio at 1.75:1. We must presume "anamorphic". The previous editions were 1.33:1 uncropped.
Official un-updated trailer: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permali...314820-8127105
There will be a steep $ 80 price difference between the Standard edition (around $20) and the Deluxe Edition (around $100).
Last edited by baracine; 10-24-07 at 02:01 PM.
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This is one of my all-time favorite movies and actually what got me hooked on the Beatles. So, I'm hoping to be able to shell out for the deluxe set.
1.75:1 is correct for Help!
I thought the MPI DVD was unmatted, but it does crop a lot of image off the sides compared to this new transfer while opening up some of the top and bottom.
1.75:1 is correct for Help!
I thought the MPI DVD was unmatted, but it does crop a lot of image off the sides compared to this new transfer while opening up some of the top and bottom.
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Anywho, the other available version (although out of print) - besides a Korean one, is this one:
which is still a very good deal since it contains the "uncropped" Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, You Can't Do That (the making of A Hard Day's Night documentary never included with any DVD version of AHDN) and The Beatles' First U.S. Visit by the Maysles Brothers, some rearranged footage of which found its way into The Beatles Anthology and which is partly responsible for the semi-documentary style Richard Lester adopted in A Hard Day's Night.
which is still a very good deal since it contains the "uncropped" Help!, Magical Mystery Tour, You Can't Do That (the making of A Hard Day's Night documentary never included with any DVD version of AHDN) and The Beatles' First U.S. Visit by the Maysles Brothers, some rearranged footage of which found its way into The Beatles Anthology and which is partly responsible for the semi-documentary style Richard Lester adopted in A Hard Day's Night.
Last edited by baracine; 10-24-07 at 12:56 PM.
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Originally Posted by rwp2084
The deluxe edition is way overpriced for me. I'm getting the regular edition.
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Originally Posted by baracine
How did you do that?
By the way, I got $150 for the MPI 4-disc set a few years ago. Originally got it as a freebie when I bought the Anthology CDs. I'm hoping that Magical Mystery Tour eventually gets a new DVD... MPI's disc is terrible. Interlaced, grainy, lifeless color, and very dirty. The clips in "The Beatles Anthology" look fantastic, though.
If you find a sale, $95 isn't terribly overpriced for the deluxe set, but it's not exactly justified. If they included the soundtrack (both the album and the complete Ken Thorne score), maybe.
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I have the Korean DVD of this, I assume taken from the earlier release. It doesn't look bad. This is the movie that got me interested in the Beatles, after seeing it on TV as a kid. But my interest has waned over the years (I just unloaded "Anthology" on Half the other day). I'll wait for the reviews to see if it's worth buying or renting.
I've been reading about plans to release "Let It Be" for a couple of years now, but that hasn't happened. I'm not sure why Apple and the remaining people in the Beatles/spouses take such a haphazard approach to releasing their material.
I've been reading about plans to release "Let It Be" for a couple of years now, but that hasn't happened. I'm not sure why Apple and the remaining people in the Beatles/spouses take such a haphazard approach to releasing their material.
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Originally Posted by Breton
I have the Korean DVD of this, I assume taken from the earlier release. It doesn't look bad. This is the movie that got me interested in the Beatles, after seeing it on TV as a kid. But my interest has waned over the years (I just unloaded "Anthology" on Half the other day). I'll wait for the reviews to see if it's worth buying or renting.
I've been reading about plans to release "Let It Be" for a couple of years now, but that hasn't happened. I'm not sure why Apple and the remaining people in the Beatles/spouses take such a haphazard approach to releasing their material.
I've been reading about plans to release "Let It Be" for a couple of years now, but that hasn't happened. I'm not sure why Apple and the remaining people in the Beatles/spouses take such a haphazard approach to releasing their material.
The old MPI DVD for Help! is surprisingly good. While it doesn't have the best black levels and there's some dot crawl at points, it's progressive and has really nice image quality. A lot of it is owed to Paul Rutan's restoration, which was further improved for the newer restoration (which uses pristine interpositive instead of duplicate negative for unusable shots on the negative).
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Let It Be was created to fulfill their contract for feature films. They had hoped Yellow Submarine would be their last film but they were informed that a cartoon did not qualify according to the contract. Michael Lindsay-Hogg did a good job directing considering the state the band was in during filming(both Harrison and Starr had quit and returned). The use of Twickenham Film Studios only made matters worse. In the end they wanted to wash their hands of the whole ordeal. Tragically it was not released prior to Abbey Road.
One of the interesting things is that only the arguments between McCartney and Harrison made it into the film. Issues between Lennon and Harrison either were not captured on film or were omitted. The compact disc Let It Be ... Naked clearly shows that McCartney has issues with the original album and film.
Personally I would like to see the film released on DVD in its original form, if they want to create an extended version in addition that would be great. If McCartney and Starr want to make a disclaimer before the film explaining the circumstances, so be it. Sugar coating the truth is never going to work due to the attacks made on solo records towards each other.
As in the Yellow Submarine, the Beatles cartoon used voice actors which makes it more of a curiosity than a must release.
A DVD of the Beatles Promotional films is something that truly needs addressing. The partial clips in the Anthology set leads me to believe that they will be released at some time.
Sadly their original fans are getting older, it would be nice to see the Beatles entire film works be released before too many of these fans are dead.
One of the interesting things is that only the arguments between McCartney and Harrison made it into the film. Issues between Lennon and Harrison either were not captured on film or were omitted. The compact disc Let It Be ... Naked clearly shows that McCartney has issues with the original album and film.
Personally I would like to see the film released on DVD in its original form, if they want to create an extended version in addition that would be great. If McCartney and Starr want to make a disclaimer before the film explaining the circumstances, so be it. Sugar coating the truth is never going to work due to the attacks made on solo records towards each other.
As in the Yellow Submarine, the Beatles cartoon used voice actors which makes it more of a curiosity than a must release.
A DVD of the Beatles Promotional films is something that truly needs addressing. The partial clips in the Anthology set leads me to believe that they will be released at some time.
Sadly their original fans are getting older, it would be nice to see the Beatles entire film works be released before too many of these fans are dead.
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I remember the general feeling of depression that Let It Be (the film) caused in fans when it first came out. Not that it was a bad film or badly put together. Quite the contrary, it was well made but was far from being a feel-good film. It made the fans realize that the Beatles were starting to split at the seams, just from the tidbits of the quarrel that were apparent and the general feeling of anomie on the "set". I think the film was truthful in that sense. As we soon learned from the media that the album itself was a major bone of contention between Paul and John (John resenting the takeover of Apple business by Paul's in-laws and Paul resenting the overproduction of the "Let It Be" album by John's external business manager - Thank God I forgot the name of that galoot*), the album itself became sort of "tainted" in the eyes of the fans, like the unhappy child in a messy divorce. Why do you think the Beatles bootlegs business started to boom at that time? Because fans wanted to recapture the joyous "raw" experience of the music itself, untrammelled by lawyers and producers.
As an unconditional fan, I of course prefer the way the episode is treated in the Anthology (both the TV series - which is brutally honest as well as balanced** - and the CDs, which were a kind of official answer to the bootlegs) and I think the Naked album is also a valid statement in its own way.
If footage exists documenting even more of the tensions, tamper tantrums, false starts, sulking bouts, resentment, slow burns, walk-outs, isolation, nose-twiddling and boredom of those recording sessions, frankly, I don't want to see it either. There are far more interesting - and happier - nuggets in the Beatles' closets.
If a new, improved, longer, exhaustive Let It Be (the film) is ever put together, it won't be for the fans, it will be for the historians, completists and for young people who want to document an era they never knew.
* Allen Klein (hiss! boo!), who brought in Phil Spector, with John's accord, to "finish" the album. The "Let It Be" album production job may be a fond memory for Phil Spector (see: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/...is_to_love_him ) but not for the fans.
** When you consider that we live in an imperfect world, you come to realize that the Anthology is a wonderful work of art in itself and an incredibly honest piece of work, and that it carries a lot of truth, every statement in it having been filtered and approved - or at at least tolerated - by both Yoko and Paul, not to mention George, Ringo and George Martin. Peace out!
As an unconditional fan, I of course prefer the way the episode is treated in the Anthology (both the TV series - which is brutally honest as well as balanced** - and the CDs, which were a kind of official answer to the bootlegs) and I think the Naked album is also a valid statement in its own way.
If footage exists documenting even more of the tensions, tamper tantrums, false starts, sulking bouts, resentment, slow burns, walk-outs, isolation, nose-twiddling and boredom of those recording sessions, frankly, I don't want to see it either. There are far more interesting - and happier - nuggets in the Beatles' closets.
If a new, improved, longer, exhaustive Let It Be (the film) is ever put together, it won't be for the fans, it will be for the historians, completists and for young people who want to document an era they never knew.
* Allen Klein (hiss! boo!), who brought in Phil Spector, with John's accord, to "finish" the album. The "Let It Be" album production job may be a fond memory for Phil Spector (see: http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/...is_to_love_him ) but not for the fans.
** When you consider that we live in an imperfect world, you come to realize that the Anthology is a wonderful work of art in itself and an incredibly honest piece of work, and that it carries a lot of truth, every statement in it having been filtered and approved - or at at least tolerated - by both Yoko and Paul, not to mention George, Ringo and George Martin. Peace out!
Last edited by baracine; 10-27-07 at 06:24 AM.
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Originally Posted by wm lopez
The Beatles sure don't take advantage on the money they could be making .
Last edited by Decker; 11-04-07 at 11:21 PM.
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I can second those specs - it's very near 1.75:1 anamorphic widescreen and the DTS track is phenomenal ... not to mention the visual restoration -- it's flat-out amazing. This, for me, is on a par with the James Bond spruce-ups from last year. Great looking (and sounding) set.
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Originally Posted by soonercineaste
I can second those specs - it's very near 1.75:1 anamorphic widescreen and the DTS track is phenomenal ... not to mention the visual restoration -- it's flat-out amazing. This, for me, is on a par with the James Bond spruce-ups from last year. Great looking (and sounding) set.
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Originally Posted by baracine
Oh, please don't say that.... According to DVD Savant, those James Bond restorations had the colours all wrong!!!
And didn't one of them have the wrong aspect ratio?
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Originally Posted by baracine
Oh, please don't say that.... According to DVD Savant, those James Bond restorations had the colours all wrong!!!
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Originally Posted by Peep
Dude, why do you care so much when they mess with the colors? I like seeing films with the colours changed. It lets you enjoy the film all over again, almost like it's a new movie.
According to me, the New Dracula transfer has lost all shadow detail. The trademark colours blue and orange of the film have been obscured. Lucy's orange dress, which made its designer so proud in the extras, is now China red. A lot of superimposed in-camera special effects are now invisible.
And you know what happened to Peter Pan... Compared to those abominations, the colourization of B&W films is a very minor misdemeanour.
Let's all hope "they" (i.e. the know-nothing computer nerds) didn't alter Help! too much...
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Originally Posted by baracine
Let's all hope "they" (i.e. the know-nothing computer nerds) didn't alter Help! too much...