Picnic at Hanging Rock - 8/2/14 - both cuts

[James Luckard]

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%C3%A3%C6%92...t+hanging+rock

This BD includes BOTH cuts, according to the Amazon.co.jp product description, via Google Translate:

DISC-1: this story DISC (Blu-ray)
· (4:3 standard size / about 116 minutes) the original version this story # 1
· (16:9 Vista Size / about 111 minutes) the original version this story # 2
Original trailer

DISC-2: Benefits DISC (DVD)
· "A Dream Within A Dream" (Making of video)
· "1900: Memories of Hanging Rock" (interview documentary)
· Joan Lindsay (original author) Interview
· Karen Robsun telephone interview
· "Then and Now" (landscape shooting location location)
· "St. Valentine's Day" (short film of the original work's first novel was produced in 1969)
· Scenes that were deleted from the Director's Cut version
· Photo Gallery

It appears to EXACTLY duplicate the UK 3-disc DVD, including BOTH cuts of the film and the exact same mix of bonus features, almost all of which were left off the Criterion BD. In fact, most of the bonus features on the American Criterion appear to be edited down from the features on this set, except for the short film Homesdale, which is available on an Aussie DVD of Weir short films. http://www.amazon.com/Short-Films-Pe.../dp/B000GWHI9I

The long original version of the film appears to be an SD extra on the BD, as it's 4:3 (The UK set had the original cut anamorphic, but it was from a very old source they found and was presumably PAL, this one is presumably 4:3 letterboxed in NTSC).

I know Criterion always tries to present the films exactly as the directors wish. However, as with their release of The Last Emperor, this film is now going to be available in a better, less altered version from Japan.

[PGW]

The Japanese laserdisc is 4:3 and contains more image on the top and bottom than the widescreen version of the original cut found on the U.K. DVD.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by PGW

The Japanese laserdisc is 4:3 and contains more image on the top and bottom than the widescreen version of the original cut found on the U.K. DVD.

Ah, thanks for solving this mystery! It's probably an open-matte version, I guess that's the transfer we'll get on this BD. As it'll be NTSC, I would rather have this than a widescreen version with PAL-speedup.

[James Luckard]

Does anyone have the Japanese disc pre-ordered? I'm waiting to order it until I hear from someone that it has no major issues. Avoided the Criterion so far, hoping the Japanese will be a largely definitive edition.

[Helikaon]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

Does anyone have the Japanese disc pre-ordered? I'm waiting to order it until I hear from someone that it has no major issues. Avoided the Criterion so far, hoping the Japanese will be a largely definitive edition.

What are the "major issues" of the Criterion release? I can't see any..

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

What are the "major issues" of the Criterion release? I can't see any..

Criterion only included the shorter director's cut. They left off the original theatrical cut because Peter Weir no longer wants it seen. The Japanese disc includes both the shorter and the longer cuts, though it's not clear yet if the longer cut is HD or OAR.

Criterion also left off the feature-length documentary, possibly because it has segments criticizing the shorter director's cut. They replaced it with their own new, much shorter doc, apparently using interview footage shot for the longer one.

[Mansinthe]

dunno about you people, but there are many directors cuts that are made years later that i myself do prefer alot over the theatrical release.
same for some color corrections and stuff on later releases of movies.

like removing all these filters from breaking the waves that made it look like VHS.

but im not all that crazy to have everything about the movie that was ever avaible in SD... but thats just me !


its nice that the japanese release will have the first cut as well for everyone that wants it
but the criterion release with the book and the directors approved cut already is plenty for me.

[PGW]

I loved it when Anne-Louise Lambert expressed her opinion that Weir had no right to cut the film after so many decades, since the film belongs to us now, not to him.

Of course, Weir had the last word. Not only is the longer cut not on the Criterion disc, but the cut scenes aren't even on there as extras, nor are the missing 7 minutes or so mentioned anywhere in the documentary. As far as I recall, the disc doesn't even say "director's cut" anymore.

Longer version? WHAT longer version?

P.S. - My copy shipped from Amazon Japan. I'll be happy to report on it once it arrives, if no one beats me to it.

[Helikaon]

Originally Posted by PGW

I loved it when Anne-Louise Lambert expressed her opinion that Weir had no right to cut the film after so many decades, since the film belongs to us now, not to him.

Of course, Weir had the last word. Not only is the longer cut not on the Criterion disc, but the cut scenes aren't even on there as extras, nor are the missing 7 minutes or so mentioned anywhere in the documentary. As far as I recall, the disc doesn't even say "director's cut" anymore.

Longer version? WHAT longer version?

P.S. - My copy shipped from Amazon Japan. I'll be happy to report on it once it arrives, if no one beats me to it.

This could definitely be argued for. I know I wish the likes of George Lucas would respect this argument. With Picnic at Hanging Rock, however, it affects me less because I only discovered the film a few years ago and probably have only ever seen the director's cut. If I had grown up with it, so to speak, I would probably be just as outraged.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by PGW

P.S. - My copy shipped from Amazon Japan. I'll be happy to report on it once it arrives, if no one beats me to it.

Excellent, thanks for being the group guinea pig I've been there before myself. Looking forward to hearing how it stacks up to the Criterion.

[PGW]

Okay!

As I had supposed, the 4:3 version is the same as the unmatted Japanese laserdisc - except you can remove the Japanese subtitles here. The print is fairly worn, and this is not hi-def by any means, so some of you might be disappointed if you're watching this for the picture quality.

There seems to be a widescreen version of the long version on here as well (I didn't spend much time with it) that looks like it's an up-convert from the U.K. DVD. This looks even worse than the 4:3 copy. It looks like a blown-up videotape and the sound seems to be running fast, perhaps because it was sourced from PAL without slowing it down.

The 16:9 hi-def version looks fine, but my first impression is that it's not as steady and clean as the Criterion (again, I just threw it on to check out the picture quality - I didn't actually watch the film).

I haven't checked out the extras, which all look like they're ported from the U.K. set.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by PGW

Okay!

As I had supposed, the 4:3 version is the same as the unmatted Japanese laserdisc - except you can remove the Japanese subtitles here. The print is fairly worn, and this is not hi-def by any means, so some of you might be disappointed if you're watching this for the picture quality.

There seems to be a widescreen version of the long version on here as well (I didn't spend much time with it) that looks like it's an up-convert from the U.K. DVD. This looks even worse than the 4:3 copy. It looks like a blown-up videotape and the sound seems to be running fast, perhaps because it was sourced from PAL without slowing it down.

The 16:9 hi-def version looks fine, but my first impression is that it's not as steady and clean as the Criterion (again, I just threw it on to check out the picture quality - I didn't actually watch the film).

I haven't checked out the extras, which all look like they're ported from the U.K. set.

Interesting, so there are three separate versions of the film?

short version - HD
long version (4:3, open matte) - SD
long version (16:9, from a PAL-spedup master) - SD

Is that correct?

[thebard]

Thanks for those helpful comments, pgw.

Still on the fence on this one. In your opinion, if I already have the criterion, as well as the 3-disc dvd with both cuts & the same features, is it worth a purchase?

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by thebard

Thanks for those helpful comments, pgw.

Still on the fence on this one. In your opinion, if I already have the criterion, as well as the 3-disc dvd with both cuts & the same features, is it worth a purchase?

It sounds like the one thing you'd gain is the original cut at normal speed (although open matte). I find PAL-speedup so distracting that it would make a huge difference to me, but some people don't notice it...

I'm waiting on screen caps comparing the two HD versions though. If the Japanese is noticeably inferior, I 'll be torn.

[PGW]

Nice package, with a black case. I prefer it to Criterion's digipack package. It's nice to have the book, but it's even nicer at this point to have shelf space .

The "third" version on the blu-ray is 111 minutes. It's NOT the director's cut, though, but the same widescreen version seen on the U.K. DVD - the shorter running time is because of the PAL speed-up.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by PGW

Nice package, with a black case. I prefer it to Criterion's digipack package. It's nice to have the book, but it's even nicer at this point to have shelf space .

The "third" version on the blu-ray is 111 minutes. It's NOT the director's cut, though, but the same widescreen version seen on the U.K. DVD - the shorter running time is because of the PAL speed-up.

Just to be clear, does disc 1 just contain the HD short director's cut of the film? And the 2 SD versions of the long theatrical cut, each flawed in a different way, are on the second disc?

[PGW]

No, all three versions of the feature are on the blu-ray. The 2nd disc is a DVD with all of the extras.

[thebard]

Originally Posted by PGW

No, all three versions of the feature are on the blu-ray. The 2nd disc is a DVD with all of the extras.

Do both transfers of the theatrical cut suffer from the PAL speedup?

If the PQ is subpar for these two, and the extras are on DVD, the only reason for me to purchase would be if the pitch issue were corrected.

[PGW]

The 4:3 version is the same as the NTSC Japanese laser, and doesn't suffer from the PAL speedup. It's also open matte, so you see significantly more image - even though it's nowhere near as sharp as the 16:9 "director's cut."

For some people, that won't matter at all - nor will the additional 6 minutes or so that's in the film. In that case, you're probably better off with the Criterion blu-ray. For someone who really loves the film and wants to see the original version in the best quality we're ever likely to have it, this is the best choice, since I think it looks better than the widescreen version of the non-director's cut on the U.K. DVD (and, as I said, isn't sped up).

[moviemaker]

According to my Blu-ray menu this is what the Japanese version offers:

Blu ray
3 Versions of the film
1) Director’s Cut Remastered in HD (1:47:03)
2) Theatrical Cut (1:55:41)
3) Home Video/Laserdisc Version (1:50:41) ***
4) Trailer (4:52)

***NOTE: The description on the box does not include this 3rd version but the running times are different

DVD

1) A Dream Within a Dream: The Making of Picnic at Hanging Rock” FULL VERSION (1:53:18)
2) A Recollection – Hanging Rock 1900 (25:56)
3) Interview with Joan Lindsay (15:01)
4) Hanging Rock: Then and Now (5:43)
5) The Day of Saint Valentine by Anthony S. Ingram (3:45)
6) Excerpt of Hanging Rock Read by Helen Morse w/Stills (7:29)
7) Interview w/Karen Robson (14:55)
8) Deleted Scenes from Director’s Cut (8:25)

All Japanese Subtitles are Removable.

An amazing collection that I think rivals the Criterion Blu-ray Version which I also own. I actually prefer the Japanese Blu-ray over the Criterion.