The Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte)

[5th-beatle]

This was released in Germany on 04 November 2011. Is it Region-B locked?

Has it been remastered or is it the same as the US (or Dutch) release?

[5th-beatle]

Hasn't anyone in Germany purchased it?

[bboisvert]

Is there no info out there on this? Pretty surprising, given the number of posters going nutso over the US release and praying for an improved version overseas...

[knifethrower]

While I cant say anything about the picture quality the case indicates B locking.

[Dust Devil]

Here's a review :

http://www.blurayreviews.ch/reviews/...ray-review.htm

[Leslie Dame]

Sadly the German Blu-ray contains the edited International cut (U.S. version) but they managed to keep most of the original score by Klaus Doldinger.
The International version usually comes with Giorgio Moroder score.

[bboisvert]

Originally Posted by Dust Devil

Here's a review :

http://www.blurayreviews.ch/reviews/...ray-review.htm

Thanks! DVD-Basen wasn't bringing up any reviews.

Looks like we're still waiting for a decent version. To me, this sounds *slightly* better than the US edition, but not enough to bother with an import.

Anyway, I'll save everyone the trouble of doing a Google translate:

Blu-ray Review:

Film:
Picture:
Sound:
Extras:


Conclusion:






Blu-ray Specifications:

Size / area code:
Blu-ray
Code B

Video resolution:
Film
--- 1080p AVC MPEG-4
Tools
--- 1080p AVC MPEG-4
--- 576i MPEG-2

Picture format:
2.35:1 (16:9)

Sound formats:
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
--- German
--- English

Subtitle:
German

Extras:
Making-of documentary
Music Video
BD-Live
Misc. Trailer
Wendecover




Directed by:
Wolfgang Petersen

Starring:
Barret Oliver
Noah Hathaway
Tami Stronach
Sydney Bromley
Patricia Hayes
Gerald McRaney

Genre:
Fantasy / Adventure




Review by Thomas Raemy
Turns up at: 15:12:11

Cover artwork and images © and property of Universum Film GmbH




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'The Neverending Story'
(Blu-ray Disc)

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Blu-ray Review:
The Neverending Story




Original title: The Neverending Story
Release date: 4th November 2011
Studio / Distributor: Warner Home Video
Production Year: 1984
Length: 94 min. (Abridged Int. Cut version)
Rating: PG 6 years




Item Jump: Story | image | sound | Tools | Review & Conclusion

The story:
The small Bastian (Barret Oliver) is regularly bullied by his classmates and is hiding on the run from them one day in a secondhand bookstore for books. Although he is warned by the old bookseller before the mysterious book, can not resist and Bastian takes the book with a secret. On the dark attic of the school, he devours page after page and is more and more into the exciting world of fantasies. It is the young hero Atreju (Noah Hathaway) able to rescue the child empress (Tami Stronach) and their world from the destructive power of nothingness?




The picture:
Video Resolution / Coding: 1080p / AVC MPEG-4
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (16:9)

Sharpness:
80%
Contrast:
80%
Detail drawing:
70%
3-D / HD effect:
60%
Compression:
0%


Image-Brief:
+ Positive: - Very solid / good image quality with only a few drawbacks.

- In general, good and consistent sharpness and detail.

- Most good and fairly balanced contrast and black levels.

- Generally good, strong and very natural color reproduction.

- Different views have a very solid plasticity.


- Negative: - Few (effects and matte) Shots seem a bit softer.

- Partial loss of detail in dark scenes easier / areas.

- Continuous easily pronounced, never interfering, grain structure.



In the present version of Wolfgang Petersen's "The Neverending Story ', it may, perhaps, be the six minutes shorter international cut version, but apart from that there's at least on the image quality of the now 27-year-old fantasy film hardly exposing anything. If anything, here are just some of the short-shots-year effect of the frame, which emphasize mainly blue screen and matte painting effects by a stronger blur. Otherwise, convinced the picture with a (very) good and above all quite consistent sharpness and detail, while the contrast is not only quite balanced, but also consistent. The few recordings in which there is a slight loss of detail in dark areas, as hardly worth mentioning. The good and natural color reproduction also has a positive effect on the plasticity and depth, because this falls into different images from very solid.

The generally pretty clean looking picture (only a few dirt particles stick to one eye) also has a slight film grain structure, but only rarely disruptive strikes. All in all, a successful high-def image-conversion!


The Sound:
Tested: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

The tone of 'The Neverending Story' was by the fans of the film in advance massively criticized - rightly as it turned out perfectly, because the universe can film with the present mix at no time really convince. The main problem: 'The Neverending Story' is here, as already mentioned, in the international (abridged) version cut before the fact, no German editor exists - and in addition, a slightly mismatched '80s synth soundtrack by composer Giorgio Moroder is used. Universum Film is the German fans at least insofar as there by showing the film on which the present Blu-ray in the abbreviated version in the original German dubbed version, and also replaces the international soundtrack to that in our part of a much more familiar music by Klaus Doldinger has .

Just a shame that the end result can convince no time. So it does not need a trained ear to hear about the qualitative deficiencies, and you have no long-time fan to be noted that the film does not sound like it, he should listen to. Striking are the only even partially acting abruptly fades the music, which can sneak in some scenes, even a slight asynchrony that affects not only the ambient noise but also the dialogues. Ever been to fall in the first scene, that the dialogues are not restricted to the center channel, but also from the right front speaker sound - an issue that strikes often disturbing. Is added, that as good as any surround atmosphere and that the mix, the sound elements were actually in pretty good condition, also has virtually no bass.

Finally, an all too obvious compromise solution which is perhaps well intentioned, but is more perceived as a nuisance. This shows very clearly that it would have on the German Cinema version cut to fall back!

Also included on this Blu-ray following tracks:
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1: English








The Extras:
The extras of 'The Neverending Story' Blu-ray may be anything but failed numerous, but this is one here which featured SWR documentation '60 million for fantasies' offered (approx. 43 min.) - Which, like all film-related features The disc is presented in standard resolution (576i, MPEG-2). Although the TV documentary takes a while to come to something in the gears has to offer but then some excellent behind-the-scenes insights that show in detail how the movie was implemented - and moreover, also comments by author Michael Ende's not lacking in where he speaks anything but flattering about the cinematic portrayal of his bestseller. Besides an almost horrible-cheesy and cheap-looking '80s music video by Limahl's soundtrack song 'The Neverending Story' (about 4 min.) Is (about 2 min.) Also have the original 'movie trailer' by 'The Neverending Story 'selected. After the cut scenes of German theatrical version you are looking for here, unfortunately in vain.

The 'BD-Live widget integration contains no other film-related material and comes with four additional trailers have made some self-promotion, but there is more pleasing that we have chosen a cover without turning FSC logo.


Review & Our conclusion:
Interesting that it has apparently played no role in that author Michael has publicly distanced himself from the end of the film adaptation of his 1984 filmed fantasy bestseller - because even after almost 30 years seems the popularity of 'The Neverending Story' to be unbroken. This is in Wolfgang Petersen's film, with a production budget of about DM 50 million to become one of the most expensive postwar productions, the film adaptation of the first half of the original book - which should prove to be only for connoisseurs of the original book as a disadvantage. The high budget of the German / American co-production provides at least ensure that the film is primarily managed on a purely visual special and that the numerous animatronic effects look even today surprisingly well, despite the obvious technical limitations of the time an unmistakable radiate charm.

Of course it helps if you have a certain nostalgic connection to the film brings - because it can be a little easier to overlook some of the existing content and directorial weaknesses that make themselves felt here soon.

What is all the more for 'The Neverending Story' speaks of is his gloomy mood. Scenes such as the death of almost disturbingly acting Atreyus's horse in the swamp of sadness one would get to see in this style in a contemporary fantasy / family-hardly more production. And otherwise we can not shy away from agreeing on the ugly side of growing up. Of embellishment can be no question when the kingdom of childhood Empress is coming to reason - and yet it is the solid-characterized (albeit typical clichéd) and imaginatively designed characters that breathe life into the movie not only lives, but it varied mainly very . make Full of imagination and elaborate German Cinema was never any case, therefore - and therefore it is understandable why an entire generation to this day raves about 'The Neverending Story'.

Very unfortunate, then, that the film now on Blu-ray does not get to see it in its original German theatrical version, because supposedly because the original master has been lost (which is due to the importance of the film virtually unimaginable), published Universum Film's Fantasy classic on the high-definition home theater format only in the 6 minute shorter international cut version - which in this version, some of whole sequences or omits much shortened, and some of the other existing timing problems of the film will be more evident. Will act 'The Neverending Story' in the short cut version clearly harried, with various scene transitions or cuts can assume an almost amateurish acting character and thus affect the overall impression of even otherwise not perfect, but at least coherent acting film extremely negative.

Is added, that exists for the international cut version no German editor and universe for this Blu-ray Disc has made a custom sound-mix. At least gratifying that this now includes the music of Klaus Doldinger instead of the synth soundtrack by Giorgio Moroder, but it revealed some problems in technical terms which include poor dialogue reproduction, barely existing space and dynamics are still fewer. Audio engineering a flop - but it fits on the disc itself, which relies on a master U.S. distributor of Warner, purely image-wise can see all the more confident and with a frame where there is only little to criticize. Moreover, it has a nice making of it onto the disc - something with it the dubious nature of this
Title fits perfectly, that the cut scenes are not the theatrical version is available.

This way it stays at a track where you have to take too many compromises. That leaves only hope that the original master still sometime miraculously emerges somewhere ... a second time and you will have to pay!




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Note: Screen shots are saved as a full-HD sources (1920x1080 pixels) and are introduced to improve the Internet presentation has been scaled down to 1280x720 pixels (including a slight JPEG compression). There were no changes in sharpness, contrast and the colors made.

[5th-beatle]

Sounds interesting, too bad it's Region-B locked.