'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962) announced as Best Buy exclusive for Feb 1rst

[Bruce Morrison]

The Manchurian Candidate Blu-ray

The Manchurian Candidate Blu-ray Review

Here's the Best Buy page:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Manchuri...3594900&loc=01

Presumably it will become generally available at a later point. From previous experience of Best Buy exclusives, what is the usual lag time before this happens?

Anyway, I'm certainly looking forward to owning this classic on Blu.

[Al_The_Strange]

Sweet! It'll be a day-one buy for me, especially for only $17!

It looks to me like most BB exclusives become available everywhere after 6 months or a year.

[octagon]

Yikes, this might actually get me inside a Best Buy.

I thought those days were long gone.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

It looks to me like most BB exclusives become available everywhere after 6 months or a year.

Hope so, although seems like it's the "catalogue" status that's banishing it to the BB-exclusive.
Still one of the coolest/creepiest movies ever made, but hope it does go wider, as I'll just be playing solitaire until I can get my other backed-up list of movies bought.

[bluskies]

I'll get it when it shows up in the store, but won't preorder it (because they will keep recharging your card after the previous charge drops off every week, so your card is minus that money until the day it comes out), nor buy anything from them online again after that 2 for $22.98 fiasco (took awhile to get them to put the money back in the card for the Coraline, Hellboy, Wanted, etc, thing).

[DNinja]

Nice! Day one for me.

[Leonidas King]

Kinda had wished for Paramount to have released the 2004 remake with a new lossless audio track

[PowellPressburger]

It looks like this title has been updated for release Feb 1st! I just noticed when others mentioned it on some other threads!

Feb 1st is so killer for releases I took the day off!

[AintNoSin]

Wow! You can get 18 month financing on a $16.99 movie! Now I can afford it!!!

[Bruce Morrison]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

It looks like this title has been updated for release Feb 1st! I just noticed when others mentioned it on some other threads!

Feb 1st is so killer for releases I took the day off!

I assume this new date is still only for Best Buy?

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

I assume this new date is still only for Best Buy?

Yes, as a Best Buy Exclusive release. I say within a month or so I would imagine it would go wider. I know OUT OF SIGHT is about that length but that is a UNIVERSAL release in the US. (Best Buy is releasing it feb 1 / Everyone else March)

[biglou114]

It's now coming out next week?!?!!? BOOO-YA!!

[cheld]

Best Buy is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful store I've ever shopped in my life.

[beejpowers]

Pre-Order is 9.99 as of this morning 1/30/11
Got mine in!

[ShellOilJunior]

This is certainly a surprise, MGM.

I hope this got a decent transfer.

This is day 1. Fantastic film.

[AintNoSin]

$10 hard to pass up. Preordered for in-store pickup!

[Crimson King]

Angela Lansbury at her absoute finest! She was smokin' hot back in the day!

[Joe Bond]

Got my copy yesterday since it seemed Best Buy broke the release date. I skipped through the film to check the A/V quality and the film grain is present. Detail depends on each shot but there is some good detail in the transfer. There is still the same amount of print damage as the Special Edition DVD since I believe the Blu-ray comes from the same source. The only negative I could find, not negative to me but may be to others, is the fact that the original mono is not an audio option but I found 5.1 was a fine audio track. Some other stats are that its AVC @37 mbps, 5.1 DTS-HD master audio, 50GB disc, and includes all of the bonus features from the Special Edition DVD including the easter eggs.

[Adam_ME]

Originally Posted by Joe Bond

Got my copy yesterday since it seemed Best Buy broke the release date. I skipped through the film to check the A/V quality and the film grain is present. Detail depends on each shot but there is some good detail in the transfer. There is still the same amount of print damage as the Special Edition DVD since I believe the Blu-ray comes from the same source. The only negative I could find, not negative to me but may be to others, is the fact that the original mono is not an audio option but I found 5.1 was a fine audio track. Some other stats are that its AVC @37 mbps, 5.1 DTS-HD master audio, 50GB disc, and includes all of the bonus features from the Special Edition DVD including the easter eggs.

That sucks about the mono track. MGM is usually good about including those.

[Arkadin]

picked this up when the store opened today, as I have been super excited about this release.
I've only been able to watch just a bit of it, but imo it looks very good, and only those people that expect a new transfer from a 4k scan will likely be disappointed.
of course the source is the same as the special edition dvd that shares the same artwork, but fans of the film will be glad to know that the clarity and overall level of detail is pretty dang strong, and that this blu-ray represents a solid upgrade over the special edition dvd, which is not terrible to begin with.
the upgrade over the dvd is apparent right away, as the opening night scenes in Korea--which frankly are very murky on the dvd--look much clearer on this release to the point where you can actually tell what's going on.
From what I have watched I would say that the overall contrast is perhaps not quite as strong as it might have been, but it's certainly possible that the film looked exactly the same in the theater in 1962.
I still have much more to watch, but I am very satisfied with what I have seen so far.
kudos to MGM for a solid effort on a true political classic!