DVD Quality Review Wanted ~ Gone With The Wind
07-31-02, 08:35 PM
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DVD Quality Review Wanted ~ Gone With The Wind
Believe it or not I just bought Gone with the Wind (1939).....I can't believe it took me this long. Anyway, since it's 233 minutes long I will not be watching it until Friday (if then). Since I bought it already I guess it doesn't matter how the quality is, as I will find out. I'm just curious to know what to expect.
07-31-02, 09:13 PM
#2
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here's the dvdfile.com review
Video
The video on this film is from the restored version that was released theatrically in June 1998. The image is much clearer than any other previous versions of the film. Formerly, two MGM LaserDisc versions existed, a CLV version ($49.98) and a CAV version ($99.95). The CLV version was spanned across four sides, and the CAV version, a whopping nine sides. Both were from the 25th anniversary print and no where near the quality of the DVD release. The previous VHS version also retailed at over $89.00 and was spread over two cassettes. Looking back at the previous versions, the video is the best it has ever been and there is a lot less work needed to watch it.
The colors are very good for a film of this age, and some scenes are absolutely stunning to look at. The black levels and the contrast levels are very good. Some film grain is present, but not very much and scratches and dirt are hard to find as well. Granted, the film is not as sharp as the newer releases, but for a film of this age, it is amazing how good it truly does look. A handful of scenes stand out as being aged, but do not detract from the overall quality of the disc.
There was not much activity in the area of digital artifacts, but there were some. These occurred mainly in the opening titles and some of the scene banners. The opening title was by far the worst, but quickly forgotten once the movie began. Occasionally, there would be some strange background behavior, but this is suspected to be from the original film elements and the matte photography and/or paintings not holding very stable. All in all, the print was very clean and seemed to have been compressed very well. A good mark on the quality of the film for MGM.
Sound
Gone with the Wind is presented with the new Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC-3) channel surround mix and its original mono mix. Most of the audible action comes through the center channel. The AC-3 track is very reserved and uses the rear channel's sparingly. They are used mainly for musical imagery and very rare explosions. The front channels (left and right) are used on occasion to bring about position to explosions and crowds. They are again, used for giving better imagery and feel to the musical numbers. The dialogue comes predominantly through the center channel and does not use the front channels to place voices with screen positions.
The range of the AC-3 mix is not very good. There is no true bass to be heard, and the louder explosions barely waken the subwoofer. The range of the source material is the culprit to this, but the AC-3 is much clearer and does sound very good for a film of this age. The high ranges are pretty good, but not as sharp as today's soundtracks. The music and the clarity of the dialogue receives the most benefit from the new soundtrack.
The audio mix is very good and sounds very refined as well. The dialogue is not nearly as clear in the mono version, and the music poor compared to the AC-3 mix. MGM should be given points for including the original soundtrack, if not for comparison reasons, but for those of preservation. When watching the movie, the AC-3 track is the recommended track to listen to, and is also the default audio track for the disc.
The Dolby Pro Logic downmix is pretty good for this movie and does not seem too terribly different from the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Most of this reason is the lack of activity in the Dolby Digital track. However, the musical scenes do possess a little more life to them than their Dolby Pro Logic counterparts. But for those without the ability to play the 5.1 sound, the Pro Logic sound is good and superior to the original mono track.
The stereo downmix sounded as if it had the most sound to it, but this was because of all the dialogue being sent to two speakers instead of one. The mix sounded very much "stereo" and made the dialogue less enjoyable than the surround or mono tracks. The music and explosions fared well with the stereo track, but it was noticeably inferior to the surround soundtracks. Not a recommendation on a stereo system, but very livable for television only sound.
Video
The video on this film is from the restored version that was released theatrically in June 1998. The image is much clearer than any other previous versions of the film. Formerly, two MGM LaserDisc versions existed, a CLV version ($49.98) and a CAV version ($99.95). The CLV version was spanned across four sides, and the CAV version, a whopping nine sides. Both were from the 25th anniversary print and no where near the quality of the DVD release. The previous VHS version also retailed at over $89.00 and was spread over two cassettes. Looking back at the previous versions, the video is the best it has ever been and there is a lot less work needed to watch it.
The colors are very good for a film of this age, and some scenes are absolutely stunning to look at. The black levels and the contrast levels are very good. Some film grain is present, but not very much and scratches and dirt are hard to find as well. Granted, the film is not as sharp as the newer releases, but for a film of this age, it is amazing how good it truly does look. A handful of scenes stand out as being aged, but do not detract from the overall quality of the disc.
There was not much activity in the area of digital artifacts, but there were some. These occurred mainly in the opening titles and some of the scene banners. The opening title was by far the worst, but quickly forgotten once the movie began. Occasionally, there would be some strange background behavior, but this is suspected to be from the original film elements and the matte photography and/or paintings not holding very stable. All in all, the print was very clean and seemed to have been compressed very well. A good mark on the quality of the film for MGM.
Sound
Gone with the Wind is presented with the new Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC-3) channel surround mix and its original mono mix. Most of the audible action comes through the center channel. The AC-3 track is very reserved and uses the rear channel's sparingly. They are used mainly for musical imagery and very rare explosions. The front channels (left and right) are used on occasion to bring about position to explosions and crowds. They are again, used for giving better imagery and feel to the musical numbers. The dialogue comes predominantly through the center channel and does not use the front channels to place voices with screen positions.
The range of the AC-3 mix is not very good. There is no true bass to be heard, and the louder explosions barely waken the subwoofer. The range of the source material is the culprit to this, but the AC-3 is much clearer and does sound very good for a film of this age. The high ranges are pretty good, but not as sharp as today's soundtracks. The music and the clarity of the dialogue receives the most benefit from the new soundtrack.
The audio mix is very good and sounds very refined as well. The dialogue is not nearly as clear in the mono version, and the music poor compared to the AC-3 mix. MGM should be given points for including the original soundtrack, if not for comparison reasons, but for those of preservation. When watching the movie, the AC-3 track is the recommended track to listen to, and is also the default audio track for the disc.
The Dolby Pro Logic downmix is pretty good for this movie and does not seem too terribly different from the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Most of this reason is the lack of activity in the Dolby Digital track. However, the musical scenes do possess a little more life to them than their Dolby Pro Logic counterparts. But for those without the ability to play the 5.1 sound, the Pro Logic sound is good and superior to the original mono track.
The stereo downmix sounded as if it had the most sound to it, but this was because of all the dialogue being sent to two speakers instead of one. The mix sounded very much "stereo" and made the dialogue less enjoyable than the surround or mono tracks. The music and explosions fared well with the stereo track, but it was noticeably inferior to the surround soundtracks. Not a recommendation on a stereo system, but very livable for television only sound.
08-01-02, 12:34 AM
#3
DVD Talk Limited Edition
This was one of the 1st DVDs my wife and I bought.
The video quality is fantasic on my 27 inch tv. I seen the movie in the theater, VHS and TV, by far the DVD beats them all by miles.
The sound in 2.0 stereo is very good for a 60 year old movie.
If you love the movie, you will love this DVD. It was one of the easy DVD buys I have ever done.
The video quality is fantasic on my 27 inch tv. I seen the movie in the theater, VHS and TV, by far the DVD beats them all by miles.
The sound in 2.0 stereo is very good for a 60 year old movie.
If you love the movie, you will love this DVD. It was one of the easy DVD buys I have ever done.
08-01-02, 07:40 AM
#4
DVD Talk Legend
I rented it from the library a little over a year ago and I found it immensely watchable. Many old movies get poor DVDs, but the video quality on GWtW was dapper, and the audio was decent.
Thanks for the info. eveyone 
(And that isn't bad at all)
08-03-02, 11:37 AM
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Even though I'm collecting the AFI 100, this is one of the VERY few movies I've waited on getting.
Somehow, I thought that a SE for this would come out, with the making of documentary, etc. etc.
This may be a great rendition, but it is somewhat bare boned for a movie of this caliber.
But, as time goes on, I'm starting to think I was totally wrong, and this is all there is to get.
Somehow, I thought that a SE for this would come out, with the making of documentary, etc. etc.
This may be a great rendition, but it is somewhat bare boned for a movie of this caliber.
But, as time goes on, I'm starting to think I was totally wrong, and this is all there is to get.
