It's all good in the hood G

I can see how you may have read it that way. I just meant I didn't live in the era they came out, so I like to get perspective.

No, the LE of "Bridge on the River Kwai" is pretty good. The only complaint most people had was the layer change, which wasn't the standard "reverse-spiral" design that allows for a quick change. Instead, the laser has to travel all the way back to the center hub to begin playing the second layer, making for a jarringly long layer change.

It's a relatively minor complaint, though.

not that i know of... but on my system, it looks like it got some edge enhancement.... dunno probably just on my system. the others (members) might be able to help you better...
but overall, it looks good.. Lawrence LE also looks ok on my system, but Superbit does look (& Sound) GREAT

i think (just from my personal point of view) that you're going from the right angle... you start with Lean's famous titles...
i'm not a classic movie fan by any mean, i just like some of them... the rest, i have no clue. so i started with the famous one (citizen kane, lawrence, river kwai, zhivago, ben-hur & so on)

$$$ also a problem on my case, just can't spend on titles i'm not sure of... the same thing with other directors (or movies). i better off start with the famous one & graduately build the collection 9if i like his/hers style). best example would be Tarantino... started out with Pulp, then to Reservoir, then jackie brown...
the same case with David Lean; lawrence, zhivago, bridge river kwai... the rest just have to wait till i got enough $$$

just my $2 million

Where exactly did you get that image? It's a wee bit too neat imho . . .

PEACH

another vote for the SB, although I've got both through Columbia House for ~$7.50 each, which may be a route if you don't mind the hassle

Josh, don't be pressured by people who urge you to buy both copies. There's a tendency on this forum to treat DVD ownership as some sort of a competition. That is what Collectors do, and unless you are a Collector yourself, I'd just get what will make you happy and tune out the pissing contest altogether.

I'm getting the LE of Lawrence of Arabia because, frankly, if I found myself sitting there rating the color of (any) DVD, then the story wasn't apparently good enough to hold my transfixed attention. This story is just an absolutely fantastic story, that I am happy to say held me captive even when it last aired on TV some years ago, and I watched it on my tiny 16" Kitchen television while I was peeling potatoes. It's politically incorrect to say that on this forum, but the story is just that good. I could see it in black and white and it would still hold my attention.

The quality of the color of a painting in an art gallery could reasonably get my attention (along with its texture), but a movie isn't an image first, it's a story. Get what will make you happy and don't let anyone pressure you into buying more than will make you happy.

PEACH

FYI, the French version has one doc which isn't available elsewhere, and it's in French with no English subtitles. And then it has an 80 minute doc about the locations of the movie.

I actually expect we've yet to get the definitive release of this film.

If you can get the LE cheap enough, the packaging is pretty sweet, and the extras are definitely good (though if you're going for extras, you might as well just buy the French one, which has all the extras plus one or two).

Excellent advice! I wasn't going to buy both copies, but that's between you and I . I think that most of these people are right - the better version to OWN would probably be the Superbit. I definitely want to see the extras, so I can see myself renting the LE at the same time for that. In fact, that's what I'll do!

MISS PEACH - That's a fine arguement... However, concerning this particular film... When Robert Harris, the man who did the restoration work on Lawrence Of Arabia (among others), tells you that the transfer used for the LE is flawed and is not the way that David Lean intended Lawrence to look... Well, should you not listen? Mr. Harris was also personally involved with the - corrected - color timing on the Lawrence Of Arabia Superbit. There's no doubt that Lawrence is an amazing film, no one will argue that... But if you truly love LOA, why would you not want to see it as it was intended (or as close to as possible)? The transfer on the LE is flawed, plain and simple.

What pissing contest? Everyone here has been offering some pretty good and heart-felt advice to help Josh decide what the best decision is for him.

OK. But the thing is, "Lawrence of Arabia" is regarded as one of the most visually stunning films ever made. The quality of the image is an important consideration in this particular case.

If you can't afford both, get the SB. The movie is the one that you'll keep on watching time after time, and you probably watch the extras few times at most.

Alright guys, thanks for all the advice. I'm going with the SB version to buy and I'm going to rent the LE version for the extra to watch at the same time. I appreciate all the advice!

I've watched LoA at least a dozen times on DVD. I watched the documentary once.

Go for the Superbit, and give the LE a rental to catch the extras. Unless you're the kind to re-watch a documentary over and over and over again.

But the picture quality of the LE is really not very good at ALL. If you haven't seen the film before, it would be a shame to see it that way first.

I've read your post. I see your arguement and I respect your opnion, but let's just say that I fundamentally disagree with your assessment.

I feel that first and formost a movie is an "image" and that the most important elements of story are communicated through its image.

Thank you

End of manifesto

Yeah get the Bridge on the River Kwai LE...its worth every penny!

I would tend to agree. That's what sets this medium apart from books or other forms of storytelling. I love good stories, but it's the stunning, breathtaking, and compelling visuals in cinema that draw me in over and over again. I think it was John Ford who said something like, "The great movies are the ones that can do it with the least amount of dialogue." I just watched Once Upon a Time in the West, and I'm reminded of that sentiment.

The Superbit is definitely the way to go... if not for the corrected picture, then for the aforementioned Mr. Harris being recognized for all his hard work and dedication by Columbia/TriStar on the back cover as "Robert Harns."

i said that before & i'll say that again...
this movie deserve the BEST treatment....

so far Superbit were able to provide that

so, i got the superbit

IMO, there's a tendency on this forum to own the BEST quality DVDs in existence. People have spent $40+ on 3 or 4-disc sets of their favorite (or even not-so-favorite) films. You can own the LE and SB of Lawrence of Arabia for around that same price. And as you know, both of these titles are available for enrollment through Columbia House... and thus, can be had (on average) for under $8 each. If you truly enjoy the film, why not splurge and get both? Heck, the LE (if it really is limited) might even go UP in value!

I have the LE and mine does not look like that. I am always wary of online still comparisons. They always make the DVD look much worse than is actually the case. I honestly see no problem with the LE. I am sure that the SB improves something, but I doubt the improvement is even noticeable by most viewers when actually watching the DVD. I certainly am not going to buy a SB version which lacks the specials for a quality upgrade which I wouldn't even notice.

Robert Harris is not the issue. The issue is whether or not an average viewer would notice the difference. I don't doubt that Robert Harris is correct in his evaluation. I know that I cannot tell the difference, so it does not matter to me. I enjoy special features, so since I can't tell the difference I will stick with the LE.
I would advise anyone else who thinks the LE looks fine to do the same. Now, if if one can see a difference and it matters to one, then by all means buy the SB. My problem with some posts in this thread is their assertion that collectors should always upgrade for minor quality differences. I don't agree with that. After all, I don't recall anyone screaming that the Lawrence LE was a piece of crap when it came out. It seems that most supporters of the SB only noticed the "horrible" quality of the LE when they were told it was done wrong. Until then, it was just fine.

You can't tell the difference? How do you know? You don't own the Superbit disc for comparison.

DJ

I never cared for SB versions of any movie but after seeing that comparison pic it has really opened my eyes.

I have watched the SB version with a friend, and I could not tell the difference. Neither could most people. Most people rate quality as either good enough or not good enough. They don't make minute differentiations. Also, most people don't waste their time doing side by side comparisons. That is not why they collect DVD's.

Don't make decisions based on still pictures on the internet. They never accurately reflect what a moving picture looks like. That picture makes the LE look like crap. It isn't crap. It is a beautiful transfer.