Special Edition Movie DVD's coming in November

[Cantus Rock]

Sometimes such things happen and new looping or other film takes must be substituted for faulty film preservation. This could be a reason some things were cut out of the film. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the cuts were made for completely arbitrary reasons. Maybe even to save a few feet of video tape to make a few extra bucks in the homevid market. Hmmm.

Doesn't all Henson-related material (besides SS) go to storage at the same Henson warehouse? If not masters (which might be controlled by the studio), the definitely worthy first-generation copies, no?

 

[Beauregard]

So, um...we disgused this, but came to no conclusion, what are the chances of hearing the end-credit dialougue on the DVD? I surely hope we can because that looks like one of the funniest Mupept moments in all of Muppet real-life history.

 

[rexcrk]

Yeah, I can BARELY hear what some of them are saying, but I'd like to be able to hear, w/o straining, what they are hearing.

 

[MuppetDanny]

TMM Closing Dialogue

I've managed to create a "Wav" file of the closing dialogue from the "TMM" for everyone to download. It should play on most players ("Winamp", "Real", etc)

Enjoy

DOWNLOAD

right click on the mouse and "save target as...."

 

[Drtooth]

this is indeed confusing, but interresting news. I hope by "Special edition" they mean widescreen and not "Chop and Crop" errr... pan and scan like the last 2 releases.


So, Muppets take manhatten 2 disk? Could that be the reason they released version is put on clearance? HMmmmmmm...

 

[anathema]

Sometimes such things happen and new looping or other film takes must be substituted for faulty film preservation. This could be a reason some things were cut out of the film. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the cuts were made for completely arbitrary reasons. Maybe even to save a few feet of video tape to make a few extra bucks in the homevid market. Hmmm.

If you're talking about TMM, then no, that's not the reason The 97 minute version was probably the original edit of the film; certainly, it's the version released to UK cinemas in 1979. The US and other countries got the 94 minute version around the same time. There is no reason to suppose that the film was damaged that quickly! Besides which, there was certainly a 97 print knocking about as late as 1982, as that's when it first appeared on home video in the UK (oddly, the 94 edit was released in 1980). That specific print was in fairly poor condition - there are around 50 breaks in it, each of which results in the loss of anything from a few frames to a few seconds, and the transfer to video was pretty incompetently done - but again, there's no reason to suppose that it was the only one in existence.

The changes between the two edits vary from trimming a few frames from the beginning/end of shots (presumably to tighten things up) to entire scenes being dropped. There were also a number of soundtrack changes, notably "Never Before, Never Again" - which is a completely different arrangement - and the end credits, which has different music. The 94 minute edit also features an additional shot of Lew Lord pondering whether to give Kermit & co a contract or just have them thrown out



Drtooth: just for the record, the current DVD release of MCC (at least in the UK) is actually an open-matte (albeit one with some rather sloppy framing), so while it certainly isn't being shown the way the director intended, you're not actually missing a huge amount of the original picture.



minor muppetz: I don't actually have the means to view 35mm film, so no :-( Once I get the prints transferred to video, I'll see what I can do.

 

[frogboy4]

American audiences received a clipped print of TMM in 1979? Wow! Never knew that. Why do we always get robbed?

I was only 5 when seeing the film in theaters (do the math - the Frogboy's old). I always remembered the sharp cut in I Hope That Something Better Comes Along. I don't know for certain if it played that way in the theater. Long time ago. However, I do remember my parents correcting me that day when I insisted on calling Kermit's funky collar his "famous".

One thing I am aware of is the poor storage of film prior to the mid-80s. Too many years in film school. Even some of the best films have fallen victim to it. I hope this never happened to any of the Henson films and would like to see a restored version of the picture on DVD. It is one of my all-time favorite movies.

Wish I could remember the initial theatrical cuts, but all old film, like old memories, turns pink and rosy with age.

 

[anathema]

American audiences received a clipped print of TMM in 1979? Wow! Never knew that. Why do we always get robbed?

No! There are two different edits, that's all - it's not that uncommon. Exactly why the second one was prepared, and why a particular country got the edit it did, I do not know. There is no reason not to consider the 94 minute cut the 'official' one - it's quite possible that it was made because the director felt that the longer cut dragged.

On the subject of prints of the Muppet movies...the print of TMM used for the CTHE DVD releases is Ok; there's a fair amount of dirt and scratching, but nothing too serious. The colour is good and it appears to be in fair condition for the age of the movie. The 97 print used for the 80s home video releases appears poor, but telecine technology has come a long way since then so it's not really possible to judge the state of the print from that.

There are at least three different cuts of MCC to my knowledge. There is the theatrical cut, which is the version available on DVD in the UK, and was also released on VHS in Germany around 12 years ago; both are roughly open-matte. Then there is the extended cut, which was the only one available on home video for some time; usually this is open-matte, but there's a letterboxed US laserdisc release as well. And finally there is a print which aired on UK television last Christmas. It's ostensibly the theatrical cut, but there is an extra shot just after Belle leaves Ebeneezer which does not appear in either of the other two prints. This print was aired in anamorphic widescreen, and - apart from some additional dirt and hairs - is vastly superior to the one Disney used for the UK DVD release, which looks 'orrible!

 

[frogboy4]

Well, at least I could use my Rowlf face for something. Never get tired of the smileys.

Seems like yesterday when we all were contemplating the initial DVD releases. I really hope these films get the glossy treatment they so deserve. Heck, The Muppet Movie is one of the few things that set me on the path for my life. I'm sure there are plenty of people around here that feel the same. It deserves the best.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, at least I could use my Rowlf face for something. Never get tired of the smileys.

Well... you DID design them, and did a wonderful job of it, might I add.

I guess different cuts and features always vary depending on when the film was made.... DVD releases of older films usally have less stuff, obviously because no one really cared for them, and they didn't think there was a market for bloopers, deleted scenes...etc. Nowadays, they plan the DVD in advance of the movie (sounds eerily like that scene from Spaceballs when they talk about how the video is released before they finish shooting the movie) which is why crappy films like Cat in the Hat or Dodgeball keep coming out in special editions with 50-90% of the deleted scenes and such.

plus, films are digitally stored now, and old film, as frogboy said, starts to deteriorate. Not to mention that prints do vary from country to country in some cases.