Excellent! Glad I bought my first DVD player at the end of last year.

When the Godfather movies are released with their original soundtracks I will buy them.

You ought to take your own advice. You should be ashamed of yourself.

I just spoke with a lady at Lowry Digital by phone and she confirmed that Lowry Digital has, in fact, ALREADY restored "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part 2." Mr. Blythe said no Lowry work was being done. Maybe Paramount isn't using what Lowry has done, but Mr. Blythe also said, they "talked" about Lowry doing digital cleanup, but it never got out of the discussion stage. That is clearly not true.

Hi Admiral... could you please email me the telephone number?

[email protected]

Sure, WillyShatsWig, check your e-mail.

Admiral7, I saw your posts on HTF; the respondants treated you very rudely when you were asking legitimate questions. Those guys at HTF are a bunch of poseurs and sycophants.

You should stay here at DVD Talk Forum...we're nicer.

By the way, good job on calling Lowry and getting the details.

I also just read that thread at HTF. You argued rationally and asked incisive questions. I was amazed at the worship lavished on a Paramount executive because he is a Paramount executive. I have nothing against Martin Blythe, and my comments are in no way directed toward him at this time. However, I am astonished that there are people who act as if working for a studio deifies someone. Keep asking tough questions and making rational arguments, Mike.

By the way, with regard to the gentleman from the Minneapolis Star and his example, he is wrong. 20th Century Fox was both a production company and a distributor of Braveheart. So, I would take anything he says with a grain of salt.

Sounds good.

Since these upcoming re-releases do not have new transfers, presumably there is no sleazy business practice at work here.

I'm sure you'll find another angle to whine and swear about it, anyway, though.

DJ

I would surely be wary to receive a compliment on rationality from someone who gets banned from forums for non-stop inane homophobic trolling.

I also find it odd that while Mr. Blythe is being doubted, an unnamed receptionist is being taken for an unquestionably accurate font of information.

DJ

Lowry did an interview with Post magazine about restoring the first two Godfather films - he mentions them in his resume on the Lowry web site - there have been many interviews with Mr. Lowry about his process and the work he has done. It's a done deal.

The Paramount rep who posted here is either misinformed or intentionally trying to mislead. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's in marketing and isn't always privy to technical decisions.

Wannabe and EPKJ, I appreciate the support. Do those guys at HTF not realize that you can present arguments without being argumentative? I'm all for having studio execs peruse these discussion forums, but not just so we can kiss their behinds. They complain about studios all the time and the decisions they make, but that particular studio exec seems automatically infallible and everyone else (the NY Times, a receptionist at Lowry Digital and I) are automatically condemned as liars!?!

I believe I will hang here much more, not because I don't like a difference of opinion, but because no one at HTF has managed to legitimately answer a single question I've raised over there. They would rather attack me than answer a question.

Now they're saying that whoever answered the phone at Lowry Digital couldn't have known what she was talking about, but none of them bothered to simply pick up the phone and call Lowry Digital themselves. They are exhausting!

Admiral,I know what you mean. I am a former HTF member who was banned since I asked questions like you did,which is a no no over there. The mods & everyone prefer you to kiss ass 100% at all costs,never disagree with anyone on anything,always have the same opinion...or face being banned!

You can see the ass kissing conformity in every thread,where they all side with each other at all costs. It is pathetic I think & less productive in terms of finding out legit information about concerns over certain releases & such.

Well, I was banned from HTF yesterday for backing Admiral/Mike on the Godfather DVD debacle. He was being rational and was merely seeking the truth. The guy was being pressured into apologizing to Mr Blythe - who is a fine individual, but the some people at HTF treat him like he's a 5-star god - it gets a bit sickly over there on occassion - like the sycophantic worshipping that Robert A. Harris gets and to be sure, Harris a nice guy and a hero of film restoration, but some people go way over the top.

I basically said that Admiral/Mike was being "witch-hunted" and HTF moderators wield their power to strongly and that Mike owned no one an apology. That REALLY pissed someone off. Then I get an email saying I've been locked out of the golden palace and if I want to discuss it, I have to email them. Madness. I've never 'misbehaved' on a website in all my 8 years online and to be banned for basically speaking the truth and going against the grain - against the "slave morality" as Nietzsche would say is utter yarbles.

Anyway. Paramount probably made high-def Lowry-refurbished video masters of Parts I & II for future high-def television broadcasts and HD-DVD, etc, as the Zoetrope transfers were standard-def. Paramount and/or Coppola probably had discussions on whether to release down-converted editions of these transfers to individual releases of Part I and Part II, but decided not to for, A: It would piss off fans, and B: They simply decided to wait until HD-DVD and hush up the Lowry refurbishment story. Nothing wrong with that - that's the way Business is, folks.

So keep and eye out for future TV showings of the films and check to see if they are devoid of dirt, scratches - and check the colour against the current DVDs.

Welcome, Gordon McMurphy. I saw your post yesterday, right before they deleted it. That deletion was unwarranted censorship. Seriously, I was outraged...your post was thoughtful, well-reasoned, and nonoffensive. The groupthink, bullying, and sycophancy at HTF is truly nauseating. I'm sure you'll find that the DVD Talk Forum is full of the differing opinions and lively debate that is so pittifully absent at HTF.

Well I would also love for a Godfather release to include the amazing original mono soundmix. That is the main reason I have not purchased the set yet,as from what I have heard with my own ears. The 5.1s were pretty bad.


As for HTF,I bet they are spieing on this forum as we speak. The reason I was banned,was someone got banned for speaking the truth of HTF on another forum about how controlling it was etc etc. HTF mods demanded an 'apology',person asked them why since he did nothing wrong,nor was 'out of line',he was being honest,polite & asking questions...yet was nowhere being 'rude' &" out of line'. So the person was banned like that,we were told if we dared mentioned the persons name on the almighty forum. We would be banned as well. So I asked them why the person was banned so unfairly & a few people backed me up(also banned)...I was immediately banned as well.

So really,I ignore that place now,it is no fun to chat & find out information at all. To conformist & oppressive for my tastes. It is not the 'almighty' dvd site they once claimed it was. Many of the studio excecs who posted there have left & I can see why

That may be why they cling so highly to Martin & Robert at all costs. They are desparate to keep them there & pretend the site is still the #1 all time dvdinfo site on the net.

I actually use my time to view DVDTalk and HTF is viewed while I'm at work for "research" purposes. So I hope that shows which I prefer.
Anyway, I would like to see the transfers on the GF series but wouldn't mind the chronological Godfather legacy or something like that I picked up on laser years ago.

Gordon,

I have read many of your posts over at HTF and I have never read anything from you that warranted a ban. I have thought your posts offered good discussion. Yes, the ass kissing on that forum turns my stomach. The moderators force the users to write the "company line." If not, they will delete your posts and/or ban you. I too like reading posts from people in the field such as Blythe and Harris. However, I will still THINK FOR MYSELF and make my own judgments.

I think this thread is sycophantic. you sycophants.

Off Topic:

I've done a LOT of reading and some posting over at HTF and I'm surprised as all heck that you were banned, Gordon. From the posts that you've written a person could tell you are a true film fan and NOT a disruptive, insensitive jerk. I always enjoyed reading your posts. Banning you was HTF's loss.

(HTF seeking donations to keep their site going should tell people how much they've gone down in prestige and popularity.)

I'm not the least bit surprised. Certain studios and people are sacrosanct at HTF. That is the party line. Dare to deviate and you will quickly find out.

Gordon and Julie,

I'm very sorry to hear that you were banned from HTF, especially for supporting the same ideas I was trying to express. Isn't it interesting that they not only banned you, but also deleted your post before too many people got to read it. That leaves the impression that I'm the lone wolf out there, simply stirring up trouble and running off studio execs. Of course, I knew there must have been other students of film and fans of DVD who shared similar views as I do, but wondered why they were strangley silent. As it turned out they were being silenced by the moderators.

That is a real shame, but I am thrilled to know there are alternative forums to HTF such as DVDTalk, where people can express their opinions about movies, DVDs, etc., and just share in lively, respectful, but varied debate.

Yep,from time to time I do read some posts over at HTF,but am quickly bored with the bland replies & obvious censorship going on. Since you will find many posts with 'edited by moderator,do not write this again,you have been warned...please contact us through email to discuss reasoning" seems more like a communist board than anything else where freedom of expression is surpressed at all costs.

+ yes you will see plenty of posts 'mysteriouslly' vanish or with the immortal "post deleted by moderate...do not...." & attempt to make it look like no one has ever disagreed,or was banned unjustly.

They really run the site like a police state & it is no fun at all to discuss anything.

Must watch movie.