Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Four biblical road show movies on Blu-Ray coming

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-20-2011, 09:14 PM:

Fox, Warner and Paramount Home Video will release four theatrical biblical road show movies during the next two weeks. The first one will be out on Tuesday (3/22) and it is John Huston's THE BIBLE-In The Beginning. from Fox. The following week, Fox will also release c/o MGM, THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD. Warner HV will release THE KING OF KINGS starring Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus. Paramount will finally release THE TEN COMMANDMENTS on Blu-Ray and that should be a treat. Three of the films were shown in theatres in 70mm. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was shown in both horizontal VistaVision projection as well as standard 35mm. THE BIBLE was the first of only two movies photographed in Dimension 150. The other one was PATTON. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD was photographed in Ultra Panavision 70 and released as a Cinerama presentation during it's road show engagement. THE KING OF KINGS was photographed in eight sprocket 35mm Technirama. I already have THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD that was restored and released on DVD a few years ago from the original 65mm elements and it looks fantastic. It should look awesome on Blu-Ray. I am not sure if THE BIBLE on Blu Ray was mastered from the original 65mm source but I think it was. THE KING OF KINGS and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS shot in a horizontal eight perforation 35mm film process should look terrific. There will be two versions of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS on Blu-Ray. The first one is the movie only and the other one is the Special edition consisting of six discs including the original 1923 version Cecil Demille directed and several bonus features in high definition that was created especially for the set. In addition to the six discs, there will be the usual hard cover book as well as still photo reproductions of the principle cast members and from the movie. A reproduction of the original souvenir booklet that was sold at the theatre is also included. I really would like to see how they reproduced this booklet because I still have an original copy I bought when I saw the movie during it's road show at the Kuhio Theatre in Honolulu in 1956.

-Claude

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-21-2011, 10:31 AM:

Let's see, if I buy the Blu-Ray of Ten Commandments that'll make the 4th time I've bought it. VHS, original DVD, "special edition" DVD and now this Blu-ray. *Sigh* what's a fan to do?

The one I'd really like to see is Ben-Hur. I've only bought that one once, so far.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-21-2011, 01:00 PM:

Mike,

When I buy THE TEN COMMANDMENTS next week, it will be the 4th time I bought the movie. I bought it on VHS, laserdisc, DVD and now, Blu Ray

I was very impressed with the DVD picture quality on my HDTV but I was told the BD picture quality is much, much better.

I read a review of THE BIBLE-In The Beginning on Blu Ray and it was highly favorable. I looked forward to the release of the movie on DVD many years ago and when it came out, the image quality was so bad I was in no mood to watch it. Many considered it as the worst DVD as far as picture quality was concerned with OUTLAND. I am looking forward to getting THE BIBLE tomorrow.

For your information, BEN-HUR is scheduled to come out on Blu Ray later this year. It is now going through some additional restoration from the work done several years ago on the original 65 mm elements. I am also looking forward to that movie on BD too.

-Claude

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 03-21-2011, 01:19 PM:

I remember the review of The Greatest Story Ever Told in the Washington Post:

[SIC]'The Greatest Story Ever Told' isn't.

IMHO 3 turkeys and 1 winner (10 Commandments).

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 03-21-2011, 02:24 PM:

Even as a kid I thought T10C was laughably hokey. But I loved the music and at one time I owned the LP, albeit in mono. I'd be happy to spend an hour listening to the soundtrack rather than have to endure three hours of all that Technicolor soap opera hystrionics.

Posted by Rick Raskin (Member # 1561) on 03-21-2011, 04:47 PM:

I agree Frank, but that was C. B. DeMille's forte. By today's standards the parting of the Red Sea looks primitive. I'm with you on the music though. Elmer Bernstein's score was top notch and I still have the mono album.

I remember running GSET and seeing people walk out after the scene where the screen lights up with a big cross. They were thinking that it was finally over, but they were about to be rewarded with another 20 minutes or so of really boring stuff.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-21-2011, 07:09 PM:

The original soundtrack of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was released as a two disk monoaural album by Dot Records because stereo long playing albums were not introduced until 1959. The music was recorded in stereo and the album was once again released in that format in the sixties. The sound was remastered many years later and released on a cd and I have it. The stereo sound on the cd is awesome. The late Elmer Bernstein was very young when Cecil Demille selected him to write the music for the film and in my opinion, he wrote some gorgeous music. It was and still is one of my favorite soundtrack album.

I do not share your negative opinion about the THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD. Please keep in mind TTC was released a little over fifty five years ago and the way the script was written was in keeping with that time period. The special effects was very impressive when I saw the movie for the first time and you cannot compare it to todays digital standards. The only thing I did mot like about THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD was the terrible casting such as John Wayne as a centurion and the use of almost every Hollywood film celebrity. I also felt Max Von Sydow was miscast as Jesus. Otherwise TGSET was a fine film and I enjoyed it when I saw it at the Cinerama Theatre in Honolulu in 70mm.

-Claude

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 03-22-2011, 01:38 AM:

I too am stoked for Ben-Hur. The chariot race in 1080p/24 will rock my socks!

AJG

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-23-2011, 08:40 PM:

I picked up THE BIBLE- In The Beginning yesterday with the double feature consisting of the two movies about Queen Elizabeth 1st on Blu-Ray and watched the biblical movie last night. Unlike the DVD I bought several years ago of THE BIBLE that had dreadful picture quality, The BD of the movie was excellent! I was expecting Fox to use the 65mm elements of this film but unfortunately 35mm separation elements were used because the end credits only mentioned Deluxe Color. This is a common thing Fox did with 35mm prints of movies shot in 65mm. In the 35mm version of SOUTH PACIFIC of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, there is no mention of Todd-AO in the credits. The Todd AO logo is there on the credits in the 70mm version of both movies. Dimension 150 is listed in the credits of PATTON on the Blu-Ray of the movie and I believe the source was 65mm because it looked like it was. It was too bad extensive DNR was used when Fox mastered the BD of that movie but it still looked fantastic on my HDTV screen.

Getting back to THE BIBLE, I do not know why I enjoyed the film when I saw it in 70mm at the Varsity in Honolulu when along with the Kuhio and the Cinerama, Consolidated converted this once neighborhood theatre into a Road Show venue by installing 70mm, a new screen and a new sound system. Unfortunately the screen was not a D-150 screen but a standard wide screen that was much larger than the previous one that was in the auditorium. Although I enjoyed the movie in a theatre, I found the movie very boring and could not keep my eyes open when I saw it last night.

-Claude

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-27-2011, 07:01 PM:

THE BIBLE was a big disappointment both as a movie and the use of 35mm instead of the original 65mm elements but I already know from highly favorable reviews of the Blu-Ray of THE COMMANDMENTS, I will not be disappointed with that movie when the BD is released on Tuesday. There will be two versions in Blu-Ray and the price difference is staggering. Costco will be selling a two disc set of only the 1956 version of the movie with a few bonus features for about $18.00. There will also be a deluxe six disc set consisting both the original 1923 and 1956 versions along with a full length documentary on the making of TTC and other bonus features. The three additional discs are DVDs of the same program materials as the BD. The set will also come with a hard cover book, photos and a reproduction of the souvenir booklet. The MSRP is almost $80.00 and I am not sure if Costco will have it at a much lower price along with the two disc version but if they do not, Best Buy will have it for $59.95. Although I already have both the 1923 and the 1956 versions on DVD, the making of TTC documentary as well as several other new bonus features in high definition is making me lean in favor of getting the deluxe edition.

THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD and THE KING OF KINGS will also come out on Tuesday and I already know TGSET will be from the recently restored 65mm elements that was used when the deluxe DVD set was released a few years ago . I am hoping the eight perforation Technirama elements will be used for the KING OF KINGS. Because Technirama was a 35mm film format, I am hoping three strip elements in 8 perf was made and used in making TKK Blu-Ray.

-Claude

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 03-30-2011, 05:09 PM:

I picked up the three remaining biblical movies yesterday and all of them far exceeded my expectations. First of all, THE KING of KINGS was created from the original Technirama elements and it says so on the jacket. I was away at school in Santa Barbara at the time the movie was first released and I saw it in 35mm and mono at the State Theatre. I wish I could have seen it in 70mm but watching bits and pieces of the movie last night on Blu Ray was the next best thing because the image and color was very sharp and beautiful. It looked like I was seeing it in the large format with it's glorius stereo soundtrack. THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD on Blu-Ray was created from the same restored 65mm elements that was used on the two disc special edition DVD that came out almost two years ago and when I compared the picture quality of the BD and the DVD last night, the high definition of the Blu-ray also made me feel I was watching it in 70mm. The movie was photographed in Ultra Panavision 70 and the movie on the BD is in the aspect ratio of that film format.

I saved the best for last. All of the Blu-Ray reviews of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was highly praised for it's picture and sound and I totally concur. It is the best it ever looked and I consider it among the best Blu Ray transfers up there with BARAKA. I thought the picture quality from the the special edition DVD I have in my collection looked fantastic when it was up converted on my HDTV but is very pale in comparison with the new BD. I bought the special edition of TTC and I am very pleased with it EXCEPT the stupid disc carrier that holds the six discs. While it is pretty easy to remove disc one and two of the BDs, removing the others was a challenge. If one does not know how or does not have the patience to carefully remove the remaining discs from the carrier, he risks cracking them. THe discs are housed in what appears to be the two tablets Moses received with the inscription of the Ten Commandments and looks like a clam shell. It was cheaply made and look awful. In my opinion, I consider the discs carrier for TTC as the very worst I had ever seen. That is very unfortunate because all of the extra stuff in Blu Ray is fantastic especially the seventy three minute 'making off' documentary.

-Claude

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-03-2011, 04:00 PM:

I saw the 70mm print of a restoration that TCF did at Bradford a couple of years ago, and agree that it's pretty ponderous. The build up to the final sacrifice scene does generate a little bit of tension, but that's really about all that can be said for it. However, Lot's escape from Sodom really does stick in my mind, because I suspect the scenes in which he's walking through the darkened passages on his way out must have been shot day-for-night and, for this modern re-release, inadvertently timed rather lighter than they were originally meant to be seen: the reason being that the residents of Sodom doing, erm, what you'd expect to be going on in Sodom are clearly visible in the background and leave very little to the imagination!

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-06-2011, 05:51 PM:

I got my copy of the Ten Commandments 6-disk package today and I agree with Claude -- the carrier for the disks is awful. The package itself is fine -- A nice array of extra goodies for the price. I think the "tablets" thing looks cool, but the chintzy cheap rubbery "holders" for disks 3-4-5-6 are ridiculous. One of the disks actually fell out the first time I opened it up.

The only other complaint I have is the box that holds the whole set. Instead of opening like a book, you have to stand it up and pull it apart (like parting the Red Sea, get it?) and the contents "lift" out. It's impressive to look at, but ponderous. And it won't fit on any standard shelf either.

But the movie transfer looks AMAZING.

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 04-06-2011, 06:16 PM:

Is the making of Ten Commandments on the 2 disc set, or is it on the 3rd disc with the 1923 version? I wish they'd have released a 3 disc version without the boxset contents like WB did with GWTW and Oz.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 04-06-2011, 06:38 PM:

Mike,

The 'Making of TTC documentary is sadly on the 3rd disc. The only thing the two disc set has is the movie, the excellent running commentary, newsreel footage of the movie premiere in N.Y & L..A and trailers. When GONE WITH THE WIND was also released on Blu-Ray in two versions. Like TTC, all the good stuff was also on the 3rd disc. If one wanted them, he would have had to buy the special edition like I did. I wish I had not done that because Costco offered all three discs of GWTW in a standard BD case for $12.98 last Christmas. It would be nice if Paramount did the same but there is no guarantee they will offer a three disc set in a standard BD case at a reduced special price.

-Claude

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-06-2011, 11:30 PM:

One thing that really irritated me is that nowhere (that I've seen yet, anyway) in the TTC set is a frickin' list of what's on what disk. The disks themselves only say the feature name and "special features," but they don't tell what features are where. There's plenty of room on the box for that info.

That's one kudo I'll give to Disney, their disks always come with a VERY detailed map of the disk's menu and such. I guess that's what makes it "Disney Blu-Ray" or whatever.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-08-2011, 11:26 PM:

quote: Rick Raskin
By today's standards the parting of the Red Sea looks primitive.

I agree it looks primitive but it's still pretty cool when considering when it was done. The "making of" documentary shows exactly how they did it, with shots of each of the elements of the scene. There are at least 4 elements "stacked" in some of those scenes. To me the "walls" of water are the most impressive-looking.