Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[Worship.my.wreck]

I don't get it...

If SF licensed this from whoever owns it internationally, then doesent that mean they would only be able to distribute it in that territory and not available in the US?
If not, then what's stopping SF or any other label from doing the same with titles from studios like Warner and Paramount who don't license out their titles?

[NeMo_ET]

I opened this thread and saw someone post about a deal with Sony before reading anything else and I got real excited for a bit. Now I'm sad.

[therealjondoe]

Piranha 2 ! That's awesome

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by Cinema74

Yeah but isn't it a shorter cut? In an ideal world we'd get both cuts but if I had to choose, I'd pick the cut that wasn't re-edited after the fact.

I would pick the cut that was supervised by the director over the one that was supervised by the guy who fired the director, both as a general rule and especially given the specific people involved here. (And, also, it does float around on-line, and is definitely a better cut.)

[deltatauhobbit]

Originally Posted by Worship.my.wreck

I don't get it...

If SF licensed this from whoever owns it internationally, then doesent that mean they would only be able to distribute it in that territory and not available in the US?
If not, then what's stopping SF or any other label from doing the same with titles from studios like Warner and Paramount who don't license out their titles?

Maybe this is a special case where Sony has rights to the shorter cut but the longer uncut version is controlled by the international entities? Either way, interesting turn of events. Would be the coolest thing to get Cameron to interview about it but I doubt he wants to take the time for this film haha.

[thatguamguy]

That wouldn't be it either, Sony released the producer's cut on DVD. (I'm not clear on whether the initial US theatrical release was cut down or not, but I believe that the producer's cut was what was released theatrically everywhere; if not, it was the starting point from which further cuts were made.)

[captainron_howdy]

October 9th scream factory shoctober sale!

[BarnDoor]

Another title for January: Dance Macabre



https://www.shoutfactory.com/product...roduct_id=6517

[Puffy]

Never seen Dance Macabre. Opinions? Sounds entertaining.

[LeeFanatic007]

Never seen this but I'm always interested in Robert Englund catalog titles.

[Richard Graham]

Shakedown.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

What annoys me is that my understanding of it is that Sony has the rights to James Cameron's cut of the film. Not including that drastically reduces my interest in this title.

I predict a "Nightbreed" type of arrangement if Sony gives the ok. I'm sure Shout Factory has reached out to Sony asking if they can include their version of the film with the international version and that if Sony agree's that will be a part of the special features announcement. Even if Sony declines to play nice, I'm still very happy with this announcement as it's exactly the kind of schlock that I like to see released from Scream Factory.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

I predict a "Nightbreed" type of arrangement if Sony gives the ok. I'm sure Shout Factory has reached out to Sony asking if they can include their version of the film with the international version and that if Sony agree's that will be a part of the special features announcement. Even if Sony declines to play nice, I'm still very happy with this announcement as it's exactly the kind of schlock that I like to see released from Scream Factory.

On Facebook, somebody asked:
"Any chance of having the unofficial James Cameron cut (the one that he broke into the studio to do) as well?"
And Scream answered:
"No chance."

Technically, the question refers to a cut which (if it isn't apocryphal) was never completed and never released, but I think they would've answered differently if thought they'd have the laserdisc cut. (I really hope I'm wrong, though, getting both cuts in HD and proper aspect ratio is the kind of release I like to see Scream give to this sort of schlock.)

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

On Facebook, somebody asked:
"Any chance of having the unofficial James Cameron cut (the one that he broke into the studio to do) as well?"
And Scream answered:
"No chance."

Technically, the question refers to a cut which (if it isn't apocryphal) was never completed and never released, but I think they would've answered differently if thought they'd have the laserdisc cut. (I really hope I'm wrong, though, getting both cuts in HD and proper aspect ratio is the kind of release I like to see Scream give to this sort of schlock.)

That sounds pretty definitive. It would have been nice to include both cuts for sure, but I'm content with what they have.

[brettxwt]

I'm definitely game for Piranha II, sign me up

[C.mcbraggins]

Reguarding Piranha II, Sony did indeed have US rights inherited from the video days, even though Columbia didn't initially distribute it in the states (but more on that later). Also, Shout! has worked with Sony before for their TV catalog and have tried to get Sony to licence films for the Scream Factory line, but Sony's legal department were very tight with approving newly produced extras in addition to wanting way too much for the titles SF were interested in (I heard Christine and Fright Night were the ones they wanted, but Twilight Time was able to get them because they were willing to pay Sony more as their 3000 units model with a LE price tag would make up the costs).

Back to Piranha II, it's rumored that Ovidio G. Assonitis and whatever remains of the original producers have reclaimed not only the international rights from Sony (where Columbia did indeed distribute in those territories), but may now have US rights in addition, very well explaining the bit about SF "licensing from the international distributors" when they don't know they have US rights as well.

In the US, a small indie label called Saturn International was the original 1982 distributor of the R-rated cut version, while Columbia-Warner Distributors (an overseas joint venture between Columbia and Warner Bros.) released the longer cut in various international territories (some English tiles probably went by just "The Spawning"). In the mid/late-80s, Embassy Home Video (which ironically, was just absorbed into Columbia/Coca Cola at the time) obtained US video rights but decided to cash in on James Cameron's rising success by having him come in and reedit the film to improve what was wrong with the 1982 theatrical release. This cut was only released on Laserdisc and VHS once and was never seen again, most likely due to some legal issue with the producers, Cameron wanting too much money, or he wasn't very willing to re-revisit a film he was initially displeased with. The 2002 Sony DVDs (both region 1/2 Japan 4:3 and region 2-4 letterbox) are of the longer international cut and is likely what Shout was only able to get from the current licencor (It's possible that Sony now only owns James Cameron's 1987 cut and TV rights from the Embassy acquirement with Sony possibly doing something on it with Cameron in the future, which is also why SF chose not to pursue getting this version to avoid legal quicksand).

However, I could see SF throwing in the shorter R-rated US cut (through editing the IC master or somehow obtaining a 35mm print) since that one wasn't ever released on video and should be easier to work with the current owners to get it.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by C.mcbraggins

In the mid/late-80s, Embassy Home Video (which ironically, was just absorbed into Columbia/Coca Cola at the time) obtained US video rights but decided to cash in on James Cameron's rising success by having him come in and reedit the film to improve what was wrong with the 1982 theatrical release. This cut was only released on Laserdisc and VHS once and was never seen again,

Since you seem pretty in-the-know on this one, I have one question. Am I right that the film was recut with the released cut as the source? He didn't have access to any outtake footage, right?

Regarding the R-rated cut, I could see them doing that, but in this case it would kind of come off like trolling us

[C.mcbraggins]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

Since you seem pretty in-the-know on this one, I have one question. Am I right that the film was recut with the released cut as the source? He didn't have access to any outtake footage, right?

Regarding the R-rated cut, I could see them doing that, but in this case it would kind of come off like trolling us

According to my research, IMDB says "The original, 1988 laserdisc (*and VHS, both by Embassy HE) featured James Cameron's much better "director's cut", missing nearly 20 minutes of footage, and having many scene re-edited and reordered." I hear stories that James Cameron broke into the editing room at one of the studios and assembled this cut using used whatever elements they had (which I assume was the longer international version since nothing is said about the R-rated cut as a source and the former had the most footage available). Its also rumored that Cameron's cut was edited/done on SD 480i, which could be one of the reasons Sony didn't use it for their DVD (which was a film transfer of the IC and could also be why it's the most currently offered version).

[C.mcbraggins]

Also with the R-rated cut, that version hasn't been seen for 35 years nor has it been released on video AT ALL. Even though it would kinda be trolling, I do see Shout including that version (if they are able to find 35mm elements for it or correctly reconstruct it using the IC) since it would be easy for them to satisfy the die hards and make it a 2 disc set than attempt to work with Sony/Cameron and get into more of a mess than the producers did.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by C.mcbraggins

I hear stories that James Cameron broke into the editing room at one of the studios and assembled this cut using used whatever elements they had (which I assume was the longer international version since nothing is said about the R-rated cut as a source and the former had the most footage available).

He has told two different stories that I think are two different occasions, not just a story evolving over time (like the ever-changing number of days he actually directed). There's one story about him breaking in to the edit suite in Europe during the period when the producer was still editing. I kind of think that is apocryphal or at least exaggerated, but either way, he was caught and kicked out. When he prepared his cut, it was in America, after the fact [though I saw one quote where he seemed to say that he had recut the film for the theatrical release, which maybe would give the R-rated version *some* value, but I suspect it was a bad quote]. I assume since Cameron had fought with the producers that they wouldn't have sent the outtakes over to America, so my guess is that he could only cut based on the released version, but I haven't seen anybody who's enough of a super-fan to sit and compare them to make sure.