Saving Private Ryan-on Blu-Ray (1 Viewer)

[UKReb]

Guys

Finally after months of rumour the greatest war film bar none is being released on Blu-ray.

Just had notification from Amazon that it gets released here in the UK April 12th. I have both versions already on DVD but as good as my sound system is it was never able to imitate the sound quality I experienced in the cinema. Can anyone imagine what the assault on Omaha beach and the final fight at the bridge is going to sound like with a DolbyTrueHD lossless soundtrack. The mind boggles and I do believe I will fall out with my neighbours who live 200 yards from my house as soon as Hanks says "I'll see you on the beach"

Oh Yeah! and nobody better tell Rob but "Kelly's Heroes" is also released in HD on June 7th-Another must have

Reb

 

[Rob]

Guys

Finally after months of rumour the greatest war film bar none is being released on Blu-ray.

Just had notification from Amazon that it gets released here in the UK April 12th. I have both versions already on DVD but as good as my sound system is it was never able to imitate the sound quality I experienced in the cinema. Can anyone imagine what the assault on Omaha beach and the final fight at the bridge is going to sound like with a DolbyTrueHD lossless soundtrack. The mind boggles and I do believe I will fall out with my neighbours who live 200 yards from my house as soon as Hanks says "I'll see you on the beach"

Oh Yeah! and nobody better tell Rob but "Kelly's Heroes" is also released in HD on June 7th-Another must have

Reb

Ah heck,who needs neighbours!

I know exactly what you mean mate.When I went to see SPR at the cinema on its release I was almost dodging the bullets in my seat,wonderful film and a tribute to what those young men went through on that beach that day.I'll be getting this and no mistake.

As for Kelly's Heroes,I'm no killjoy so enjoy it guys!

Rob

 

[UKReb]

Ah heck,who needs neighbours!

I know exactly what you mean mate.When I went to see SPR at the cinema on its release I was almost dodging the bullets in my seat,wonderful film and a tribute to what those young men went through on that beach that day.I'll be getting this and no mistake.

As for Kelly's Heroes,I'm no killjoy so enjoy it guys!
Rob

Aw! Come on Rob-stop being a silly PC person-not like you at all-tell 'em what you really think

I might just buy you a copy mate and bring it with me to June's London show

Bob

 

[Rob]

Aw! Come on Rob-stop being a silly PC person-not like you at all-tell 'em what you really think

I might just buy you a copy mate and bring it with me to June's London show

Bob

Ok Bob,its c**p!!

It may convince me mate

Rob

 

[Spitfrnd]

.....

Oh Yeah! and nobody better tell Rob but "Kelly's Heroes" is also released in HD on June 7th-Another must have

Reb

Certainly a must have for me mate; along with Where Eagles Dare , Dune and the Indiana Jones Trilogy, all for 2010.

No question SPR should be excellent on Blu-ray. Let's hope they don't botch the transfer as they did for Gladiator. BTW, Band of Brothers has already been released on BRD and it is great.

 

[Rob]

Actually I love Where Eagles Dare,it was on every Christmas when I was a kid,and although not a historical film its at least set during the war with an exciting mission and no drippy hippy characters,broadsword calling Danny boy!

Dune on the other hand is a pile of....I'm kidding,never seen it!

Rob

 

[Spitfrnd]

Actually I love Where Eagles Dare,it was on every Christmas when I was a kid,and although not a historical film its at least set during the war with an exciting mission and no drippy hippy characters,broadsword calling Danny boy!

Dune on the other hand is a pile of....I'm kidding,never seen it!

Rob

STIFLE!!!! All hail to hippies, then and now.

 

[UKReb]

Certainly a must have for me mate; along with Where Eagles Dare , Dune and the Indiana Jones Trilogy, all for 2010.

No question SPR should be excellent on Blu-ray. Let's hope they don't botch the transfer as they did for Gladiator. BTW, Band of Brothers has already been released on BRD and it is great.

Yeah hear what you say Bill but I think it would be inconceivable that the "Wunderkind" would let his opus be released without satisfying himself that the HD quality in visual and sound was the best and the closest he could get to the cinematic experience-especially as he knows there are legions of fans out there who have been anticipating this release for at least two years.

And as you rightly say Band of Brothers is simply outstanding in Blu-ray-For me watching the series again but in BD format was a whole new experience in fact spell-binding
So I have high hopes for SPR.

Reb

 

[Spitfrnd]

Yeah hear what you say Bill but I think it would be inconceivable that the "Wunderkind" would let his opus be released without satisfying himself that the HD quality in visual and sound was the best and the closest he could get to the cinematic experience-especially as he knows there are legions of fans out there who have been anticipating this release for at least two years.

And as you rightly say Band of Brothers is simply outstanding in Blu-ray-For me watching the series again but in BD format was a whole new experience in fact spell-binding
So I have high hopes for SPR.

Reb

Yes that D Day drop, among several others, is frighteningly real. I hope you are right about the SPR quality, you would think that such a popular and long awaited release would not be an inferior version. But then, that is what happened to Gladiator fans.

 

[Spitfrnd]

Not to alarm but I noticed that this will be another of Paramount's "Sapphire Series", which to date has a somewhat tarnished record. Gladiator had subpar video quality and Forest Gump had disappointing audio. Their ownly success so far has been Braveheart which leaves them at 1 and 2. That is a great batting average in baseball but not so good for a so called "superlative" Blu-ray line. Let's hope they make it to 50%.

 

[Terp152]

Gave a copy of Kelly's Heros to my son at Christmas which he played for his squad in his barracks (101st). These are mostly 20 yr old soldiers who had not seen it before. It was a huge hit.

 

[Spitfrnd]

Turns out there may be more hope that this Saphire Edition will be a decent quality. The inside rumor is that Gladiator is now slated for a brand new cleaned up release after Paramount and Universal realized how bad the first one was. It is supposedly planned for rerelease for late summer or fall, to coincide with either the theatrical or (more probably) the home video release of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, and possibly labeled as a 10th Anniversary Edition.

There is no information as to whether there will be an exchange program for the first edition of this title but since I got mine for $9.00 on Black Friday it doesn't matter much to me. Now those would paid the original $38.00 retail probably will be more interested in that.

 

[UKReb]

Turns out there may be more hope that this Saphire Edition will be a decent quality. The inside rumor is that Gladiator is now slated for a brand new cleaned up release after Paramount and Universal realized how bad the first one was. It is supposedly planned for rerelease for late summer or fall, to coincide with either the theatrical or (more probably) the home video release of Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, and possibly labeled as a 10th Anniversary Edition.

There is no information as to whether there will be an exchange program for the first edition of this title but since I got mine for $9.00 on Black Friday it doesn't matter much to me. Now those would paid the original $38.00 retail probably will be more interested in that.

No doubt the BD version of Gladiator was the biggest disappointment of 2009 releases albeit the soundtrack was decibels better with full 360 effects-Like I said in my original post Bill-I just cannot see Spielberg allowing an inferior release of his opus-however, with the drenched out color pallette he filmed it in I don't expect a richly enhanced "technicolor" release but something on the lines of Band of Brothers would more than suffice plus a full HD Lossless 5.1 soundtrack would make this- for me- a must-have.

But like Gladiator (I borrowed a pal's copy first and decided after viewing it was a no-buy) I shall not jump on this until I have scrutinised a couple of reviews from web-sites I trust-so fingers crossed and I hope your insider knowledge is correct

Reb

 

[Spitfrnd]

...But like Gladiator (I borrowed a pal's copy first and decided after viewing it was a no-buy) I shall not jump on this until I have scrutinized a couple of reviews from web-sites I trust-so fingers crossed and I hope your insider knowledge is correct

Reb

Me too. I always check those first; I like Blu-ray.com and Digitalbits. Even then I often rent a new BD to be sure but I didn't have the Director's Cut, which is much better, so at $9.00 it was an offer I couldn't refuse. I frankly doubt there will be an exchange program, that didn't happen with most major BD disappointments that were re-released, like Fifth Element and Blade Runner, but for both of those I waited for the replacement.

Interestingly, I just watched SPR again last night and it could definitely benefit from some better sharpness and depth, even though the colors are muted. Of course, there are a few scenes, like the early parts of the first one, that I really don't need to see in greater detail.

One interesting thing about this movie is that while I am quite taken by great action, pace, acting, direction, cinematography and its immersive quality, the premise (despite its truthful basis) is most disturbing to me. I would never send nine men to save one, no matter how many brothers he had lost. As one of the characters appropriately notes, they all had mothers too. Of course it is that tension that helps make the movie so powerful.

 

[UKReb]

Me too. I always check those first; I like Blu-ray.com and Digitalbits. Even then I often rent a new BD to be sure but I didn't have the Director's Cut, which is much better, so at $9.00 it was an offer I couldn't refuse. I frankly doubt there will be an exchange program, that didn't happen with most major BD disappointments that were re-released, like Fifth Element and Blade Runner, but for both of those I waited for the replacement.

Interestingly, I just watched SPR again last night and it could definitely benefit from some better sharpness and depth, even though the colors are muted. Of course, there are a few scenes, like the early parts of the first one, that I really don't need to see in greater detail.

One interesting thing about this movie is that while I am quite taken by great action, pace, acting, direction, cinematography and its immerse quality, the premise (despite its truthful basis) is most disturbing to me. I would never send nine men to save one, no matter how many brothers he had lost. As one of the characters appropriately notes, they all had mothers too. Of course it is that tension that helps make the movie so powerful.

Absolutely agree Bill-but if not for that we wouldn't have a story

As an aside I still cannot watch the scene of the German knifing Pvt Mellish whilst Upham is frozen on the stairwell-far too harrowing for me.

 

[Spitfrnd]

[/B]

Absolutely agree Bill-but if not for that we wouldn't have a story

As an aside I still cannot watch the scene of the German knifing Pvt Mellish whilst Upham is frozen on the stairwell-far too harrowing for me.

Yes that is a tough one. I have the same problem with some of the cuts in the first few minutes of the landing scene.

 

[UKReb]

Bill

As it appeared "surprisingly" from this thread you and me were practically the only froggers really interested in SPR Bluray release thought I would update you as it was released officially today in the UK (I actually got my copy from Amazon last Saturday).

Your fears of another Paramount release disaster like Gladiator are thankfully unfounded this BR is simply phenomenal even with the original washed out color that wunderkind filmed it in. The picture on this disc is stunningly sharp with I would say a little more color-so much so you can almost watch another film we have never seen before going on in the background as the longshot vistas are just breathtaking and amazing considering how many times I have watched this movie. One or two scenes are just a little on the softness side of the gauge but it makes perfect sense when you watch them as both scenes are seeped in poignancy making me think wunderkind did this deliberately in the original but I just didn't notice it at the time. The second disc is jam-packed with extras as per the D-Day release from some years ago except quite a few of them are now in HD

And as I expected the HD Lossless sound is..............well..... Bill just get some ear defenders for the dogs and sticky tabs to tape down any clocks; wine glasses or crockery if they are anywhere near your TV.......better still empty the room because at half full volume you are going to be shot to pieces from 360 degrees-after the first 30 minutes of the movie my ears reminded me of leaving a Led Zep concert.

Bill-Trust me an absolute must buy as soon as it's released Stateside-two weeks time I believe-Thoroughly recommended.

Bob

 

[Rob]

[/B]

Absolutely agree Bill-but if not for that we wouldn't have a story

As an aside I still cannot watch the scene of the German knifing Pvt Mellish whilst Upham is frozen on the stairwell-far too harrowing for me.

Hard watching indeed,but its that hardness that makes this film a classic.The first time you see the same German digging his own grave is also very moving and you kind of want them to let him go (which of course they do),at least he got his in the end.

Rob

 

[Spitfrnd]

Bill

As it appeared "surprisingly" from this thread you and me were practically the only froggers really interested in SPR Bluray release thought I would update you as it was released officially today in the UK (I actually got my copy from Amazon last Saturday).

Your fears of another Paramount release disaster like Gladiator are thankfully unfounded this BR is simply phenomenal even with the original washed out color that wunderkind filmed it in. The picture on this disc is stunningly sharp with I would say a little more color-so much so you can almost watch another film we have never seen before going on in the background as the longshot vistas are just breathtaking and amazing considering how many times I have watched this movie. One or two scenes are just a little on the softness side of the gauge but it makes perfect sense when you watch them as both scenes are seeped in poignancy making me think wunderkind did this deliberately in the original but I just didn't notice it at the time. The second disc is jam-packed with extras as per the D-Day release from some years ago except quite a few of them are now in HD

And as I expected the HD Lossless sound is..............well..... Bill just get some ear defenders for the dogs and sticky tabs to tape down any clocks; wine glasses or crockery if they are anywhere near your TV.......better still empty the room because at half full volume you are going to be shot to pieces from 360 degrees-after the first 30 minutes of the movie my ears reminded me of leaving a Led Zep concert.

Bill-Trust me an absolute must buy as soon as it's released Stateside-two weeks time I believe-Thoroughly recommended.

Bob

Thanks much Bob, that is good to know and it sounds like a certain buy. Since the pricing of BRDs is so volatile, I have taken to watching and grabbing most in their moments of decline. I also buy a number from the UK since on some the prices are better and many of the Region B disks can be confirmed in advance to play in Region A. The UK releases are also better at excluding the preview crap that we "pay" to see on the US versions. So I will likely wait a bit since I just watched this one recently. I may rent it before then though based on your sterling recommendation.