Luriden

Forgive me if this has been discussed before.

I recently just got on another James Bond kick and realized I didn't have any Bond movies... So now I'm trying to get all of them. I'd like to get the Blu Ray releases of whatever is available on Blu Ray, but that's only about half of the series. There's many Bond movies still on DVD with no date set on a Blu Ray release, and I'd like to get the best rendition of those movies available on DVD until a Blu Ray release comes out.

I picked up the two-disc ultimate edition of Octopussy with a gold cover and the orange, firey cover version of Tomorrow Never Dies Special edition for $5 each today. I can't post pictures so you'll have to take my word for it.

With those being special edition versions, especially with Octopussy being a 2-disc set, I thought those were the definitive versions to have for now, but I'm seeing many other versions on Amazon. For some of the Bond flicks, I'm seeing three or four different DVD releases, and I'm completely confused.

Should I be looking for the releases with the black stripes on top and bottom instead? They seem to be the newest releases, as that's what pops up first when I search for them on Amazon, but I'm not seeing many details on Amazon that compare them to the older versions. I know at times companies will double-dip certain movies just to make a buck when a new sequel comes out, which is why I want to make sure if I pick up the newer, black cover version of Octopussy for instance, I'm not actually downgrading instead of upgrading.

Sorry I have OCD when it comes to DVD/Blu Rays, I'm hoping I'm not alone. If someone who's fluent with the Bond series releases could point me in the right direction, I'd be very grateful.

And I don't have any interest in picking up the box sets, as they have a mix of movies that are already on Blu Ray and I'm only looking for the DVD-only films on DVD.

manicsounds

All the "Ultimate Editions" are the restored versions, available on single disc or 2 disc. Get the 2-disc versions for all the extras. Although some of the titles like "Die Another Day" don't carry all the "Special Edition" extras...

The Big, 42 disc Ultimate Edition has all 20 Bonds between Connery to Brosnan films in 2 disc special editions, plus "Casino Royale" 2 disc, which is a bit out of place....

Luriden

Unfortunately, as much as I want the extras, it looks like the 2-disc Ultimate Editions are only available in the box sets. There's some being sold individually on Amazon from various sellers, but they noted that they're in slimline cases, so they're most likely just taken right out of the box set and being resold. And some of the Bond films are up towards $30 for the slimline 2-disc Ultimate Edition.

Do the single disc versions have a nice selection of extras or did they save everything for the 2nd disc, which isn't included outside of the box sets?

rider555

I am not sure..I think the earlier Special OO7 Editions,have more extras than the later Ultimates do.

manicsounds

Check here for a list of extras breakdowns. The 2 disc Ultimate Editions have lots more extras than the Special Editions. The Single-Disc UE only has commentaries as extras.

Luriden

Thanks for the link. That certainly helps straighten out what's included on each version.

One last question. Is the quality on the UE single-disc versions any better than the original SE releases? I may just stick with the single-disc UE releases if the video/audio quality is better (I have a 1080p LCD, I'm picky about quality) until they're out on Blu Ray. I'd like to pick up the box sets to have the extras, but the price is too steep considering I'm picking up half of those movies on Blu Ray and they won't even leave the box set after that...

bsmith

You want the UE's since they are from the same transfers made for the Blu-ray releases (just down converted). Especially for the earlier films (e.g., Connery, Lazemby, Moore, and Dalton). Eventually, all will be out on Blu-ray and you can catch up on the extra's then (I assume they are all on the Blu-ray releases). Big difference in quality between the SE's and UE's.

Travis McClain

Double dipping is always frustrating, but I have to give them credit for the Bond movies. With very few exceptions, they've retained--and then added to--the bonus content from previous editions each time out. There are some minor bonus features on the original DVD release of Die Another Day that, for whatever reason, weren't carried over and there were on-screen text bios in the very first releases that I think were abandoned. Otherwise, the Ultimated Editions should have you nicely covered.

I remember reading some nitpicks about the A/V quality in the UE releases about specific scenes; I can't say now which they were, but you should be able to find that information easily enough. I'd be lying if I said I noticed any problems with them, though. One nice thing only available on the UE/Blu-ray releases: Roger Moore commentary tracks on his seven movies! They're more stream-of-consciousness than scene-specific, and often aren't even about the movie, but it amounts to spending about 14 hours with Moore recalling anecdotes from his life and career. His monotone narration aside, he shares a lot of gems.

TheBang

I wouldn't exactly call a feature-length, 80-minute, making-of documentary by Charles de Lauzirika a "minor bonus feature."

This thread has a full list of Die Another Day features that weren't carried over to the UE. (The Blu-ray has the same list of features as the UE.) I kept my second DVD disc from the original DaD because of this and put it in a 2-disc Blu-ray case, along with the Blu-ray.

Travis McClain

Oh. Yeah. That.

Well, when you overlook the aforementioned 80-minute making-of (like I somehow managed to do), you're left with:

Madonna's "Die Another Day" Music Video
Making of Madonna's "Die Another Day" Music Video
Making of 007 Nightfire
Trailers
TV Spots
Scene Evolutions (Storyboard Comparisons)
Inter-Action Sequences (Multi-Angle Explorations)
Title Design (Opening Credits Breakdown)
Digital Grading (Effects Featurette)
Equipment Briefing (Gadgets Featurette)

I'd call most of those "minor" (though obviously welcome) bonus features. But, yeah, a completist should be aware that the original DVD release of Die Another Day is (so far) the only real offender for bonus content not being carried forward.

Also of note: Best Buy had an exclusive DVD release of the Bond Girls Are Forever documentary. This was expanded and updated for 2006 and included as a bonus feature on the Casino Royale DVD. In addition to the documentary, though, the original Best Buy release included:

Bond Girls Photo Gallery
Bond Girls Timeline
The James Bond Special Edition DVD Catalog Trailer
"James Bond Theme" (Bond vs. Oakenfold) Music Video

I turned up a copy of this used at a Half Price Books for $2.00 a couple years ago, and chances are good you can find one nice and cheap, too. It's not mandatory viewing for Bond fans, but there are worse ways to spend your time and money.

rw2516

Are there framing issues with any of the latest releases? I remember reading something about older version(s) of Goldeneye having more picture/information on the sides than the recent release.

Superdaddy

I believe A View to a Kill also loses some picture info in the Ultimate Edition release.