/thread

From Blu-ray.com - Now I'm definitely in.

EDIT: I just noticed it says Halloween 2010. That's a bummer.

Good news, but we're not out of the woods yet. I think you could argue that avoiding the process that TFC went through is just as important as, if not more important than, including the original cut.

I mean, look at how many people complained about Do the Right Thing, and what they did with that just made the movie look natural instead of "hot." DTRT didn't end up looking like a Ted Turner colorized movie, but with worse color bleeding.

Ahh . . . now the question is, which version does the "restoration" apply to? Will Friedkin have gotten his filthy hands all over both cuts?

The Exorcist: The Version I Don't Give A Shit About

Hopefully, the theatrical will be cleaned up and not fucked with AT ALL.

Yeah, I hope Warner is maybe sort of quietly sneaking this one past Friedkin. They tell him he can do whatever he wants to The Version You've Never Seen and then slip a restored but otherwise unaltered theatrical version into the set as well.

I'm glad that both versions are being included, I just hope they keep the color timing correct...

Bump to add the news snippet over at blu-ray.com - sounds like Friedkin is exerting full control - but didn't he have the same with French Connection? Look at how that turned out. And I guess it's nice to know we won't see a 3D re-release....I mean seriously....


Friedkin Flaunts Control over Exorcist Blu-ray, Says No to 3D

Warner Bros. In a recent interview, William Friedkin was asked about the possibility that Warner Brothers decided to convert The Exorcist to 3D. Friedkin said that would never happen, "providing I'm still alive." He stated that he has control "over every single frame of film" when converting it to Blu-ray. "If I want a scene bluer, I get that scene bluer," he added.

Friedkin confirmed that the Blu-ray of The Exorcist is coming out this fall. A rerelease in IMAX theaters is also being considered, although "nothing is certain yet."

Yikes. I'm holding onto my 25th Anniversary DVD no matter what, if only for the amazing documentary, but this is making me very nervous (and I'm one who doesn't mind the changes to The Version You've Never Seen).

Oh fuck.

Sigh. Friedkin has no clue what he's doing anymore.

I don't mind the changes in TVYNS, just as I don't mind some of the changes to the Star Wars trilogy. I just think the original, unaltered versions should be available as well with the same quality as the altered versions.

What's making people nervous about what he said? He didn't say anything about changing it again. Just because he said something about if he wants a scene bluer he gets it?

I'm glad to hear no 3D, what purpose would that serve? Also a re-release to IMAX screens might be cool to go see, I haven't seen it in theaters since The Version You've Never Seen back in 2000.

There was a magazine article about a year ago where he actually stated that he was doing the same thing to The Exorcist that he did to The French Connection.

Because many people believe he ruined the new transfer made for The French Connection, which resulted in an awful-looking Blu-ray.

Oh, I didn't know anything about The French Connection.

Yes, he literally tinted the entire movie purple for no reason whatsoever. It looks terrible.

Let's be fair to the man. Not only did he have a reason, but he provided it to the public, which he was under no obligation to do.

But wasn't his claim to do the tinting was because it would make it more like his vision? Wasn't the ability to tint like that already available when he made it?

Actually, what he did was take the restored version, created a black and white, high-contrast version, and then bled the colors into it, and tweaked tint as well. The movie looks kind of sicky, and colors bleed wildly, but for me, the benefits of the original restoration were still noticeable, even if he ruined it.

Allow me to clarify. I should have said no rational reason whatsoever.

Yes, he claims that it was always his intention to give the movie "pastel" colors. Which the movie's cinematographer has called total bullshit. If Friedkin always wanted the movie to look purple, he never said anything about it at the time to the person who would have been responsible for actually doing it.

Thank you.

I can't remember if I heard it on the commentary or read it someplace but didn't Friedkin state that The Version You've Never Seen is his preferred version? I know for years until the box set came out it was hard to find the original version with the Fear of God doc. I hope that the blu ray has both versions and Friedkin doesn't just release the second version.

Wait...are you serious he tinted The French Connection purplish? *looks at DVDbeaver review* Well I be damned. I never noticed that. I just...thought it was kind of...bleedish in colors. Fuck, man. WTF is wrong w/ Friedkin?