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Author Topic: THE LAST EMPEROR sound problem with Blu-Ray & DVD Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-01-2009 09:22 PM                     A good friend was one of the re-recording mixers on that film. He's extremely sound fussy and I remember the original tracks sounded great. If the disk is bad return it. No one is going to come out with a good sounding disk if folks continue to buy the status quo! Mark  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 08-01-2009 09:39 PM                        It is not the disc, Mark. If you read the Blu Ray review that WideScreen Review wrote from the link Scott had posted, it states that the disc has only a front left and front right track and that is exactly how it plays back. It sounds very weird! Because I have no problem with the gorgeous picture and all of the wonderful extra stuff that is on the disc, I will keep the disc. At least the DVD set I also have has a Pro Logic track (Right-Centre Left Surround) so I am happy plus the fact that it includes the TV version that runs about three and a half hours. -Claude  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 08-01-2009 09:57 PM                        I had the letterboxed LaserDisc of Last Emperor. My recollection is the video quality was just ok, not spectacular. Some scenes had kind of a smeared look, which I sure don't remember seeing on the 70mm blowups. The digital audio on LaserDisc was very good though.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-02-2009 09:09 AM                     Yea, it's what ever master they used to do the disk from... probably some old 6 track mag master, obviously it or some equipment in the mix chain was not right. Thats why I said to return it. If everyone accepts the crappy audio they'll just keep on sellin em. Mark  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 08-02-2009 07:33 PM                        Mark, Yes, I agree with you about making a statement about the poor sound quality of THE LAST EMPEROR by returning the disc but when no one has been complaining about it in reviews of the disc and at forums discussing the movie, I feel I am fighting a lost cause if I try. Only negative comments many have expressed about the disc was the stupid 2.00:1 aspect ratio. Dave, I still have the laserdisc of TLE and I believe it is the deluxe edition featuring the longer version. Because my laserdisc player is no longer in use, I cannot compare the picture and sound quality between it and the BD. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-03-2009 07:49 AM                        Wait a minute....they don't need to do some pseudo 5.1 new soundtrack for this - it was never released as a theatrical 2 chn stereo -- it had at the very least a 3 front/1 surround mix even if the 70mm was only 4 tracks as Steve said. So there was an original 4 track master that could have/should have been there for the video release. So someone someplace along the line in producing this BluRay made the conscious decision to do 2 channel stereo track for the disc. I am sure that if that decision was made out of dire necessity like David suggests, possibly because of the audio masters being lost or deteriorated or something like that, Criterion would have been very upfront about that in their promotional material and in the jacket information. They always do explain about anomalies with their releases, even down to frames needing to be cut because of bad scratches or what have you. But this seems like it was done DELIBERATELY! Maybe the senile Storaro had his fat sticky fingers in this decision as well as his insane idea that a pan & scan 2:1 abortion is an authentic representation of what people saw in the theatrical release for which he won an Oscar. This guy needs to 1) have his Oscar immediately revoked (obviously he dupped the Academy by submitted a version to them that was not his "definitive" 2:1ar work and what he "really" intended) and 2) have his gonads pummeled by an couple of angry chimpanzees. And I agree -- return the disc and write to Criterion and tell them that they need to be more proactive in stuff like this. Yah, yah, it's all well and good that they have as their corporate philosophy to release DVDs that conform to the director's and cinematographer's explicit intentions, but NOT when those guys are either senile or freakin insane. People want a BluRay disc that is the best represention of the movie as it was presented in the best format in movie theatres and for which it won the Academy Award. Giving us some pan and scan 2:1 cropped TV shit is a far cry from that and they should be ashamed for not having the balls to tell Stororo to go shove it, that they are not about to release some Italian TV version of this film just cause he's got it into his syphilis-ravaged brain that 2:1 all of a sudden has become the "perfect" aspect ratio.  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 01-27-2019 11:27 PM                 It has been 3464 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Goeldner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1360 From: Washington, District of Columbia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 01-27-2019 11:27 PM                     interestingly for the 3D conversion / presentation at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival they did use the 70mm / 6-track sound elements: "The 3D conversion of nine time Academy Award-winning film The Last Emperor from legendary director Bernardo Bertolucci. 2013 marks the 25th anniversary of the first international release of this masterpiece in 1987. A reel of the film was sent to be screened at the Cannes Opening Ceremony in 1987 as a gift from Bertolucci. A film of unsurpassed splendour, The Last Emperor was beautifully shot with attention to the smallest detail in the production design, costume and cinematography, and the 4K 3D conversion allows an audience to really appreciate the magnificence of this cinematic experience. The sound has also been remastered from the original 6-track to make the most of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s exquisite score." I though have no idea what the aspect ratio was  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-27-2019 05:41 PM                        Ah...for a 3D release on BR with sound that matches the 70mm 6 tracks! Be still my heart! Really?...they did a 3D conversion for this title? It certainly is a favorite of mine and to actually get a 3D version...well it was just my birthday -- turned 78 - 12/25 (they keep putting up these decorated trees and lights on the houses for me every year...it's embarrassing). A 3D version of THE LAST EMPEROR would be a great birthday present that I definitely will get myself if they indeed release it on BR-3D; I hope it's not just something they did to impress the fu-fu elites at Cannes. But then again, NOBODY does any work on old titles unless they see making their money back by releasing it to the masses on DVD & BR. Yah, I know, you're all moaning about converting it to 3D. To all you guys who hate 3D...just let me have this one small pleasure in my dotage.  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 12-27-2019 06:33 PM                        I did not know THE LAST EMPEROR was converted into 3D. Just like Frank, I too love 3D and would very much like to have a copy of the movie in that format on blu ray,  |  IP: Logged

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