Horror of Dracula (Dracula 1958)

[cannon1]

Originally Posted by AJAX

Are you sure the Studio Hamburg blu ray is region free? It stated region b on Amazon. Is this the preferred edition of this film (compared to WAC)?

He said the WAC color is the best, but he personally finds the black crush of it unwatchable. Decided I'm going to give the WAC another watch tonight to see how I feel on a new viewing since the crush didn't bother me before and I liked the color. Don't really need another superfluous copy.... since I have the UK restoration too..the least favorite.

[pitchman]

How does the Studio Hamburg release differ from the 3-disc Lionsgate?

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dracula-Blu-ray/37216/

That's the one I have and they appear to be very similar. The restorations sound like they are identical. BTW, the Blu in this set is definitely region B. Perhaps the Studio Hamburg is region free? That could be the difference.

[cannon1]

Originally Posted by pitchman

How does the Studio Hamburg release differ from the 3-disc Lionsgate?

It sounds like there's an HD scan prior to the WAC issue and the restoration, that's comparable in color to the earlier Warner DVD, which is the closest to the 1964 dye transfer Technicolor print he saw (but not to the preferred 1958 Technicolor print he saw also) recently, but suffering none of the black crush of the WAC. This HD scan/version is included with the Hamburg along with the Lionsgate-lost footage restoration.

[SMOOT]

Originally Posted by AJAX

Are you sure the Studio Hamburg blu ray is region free? It stated region b on Amazon. Is this the preferred edition of this film (compared to WAC)?

Definitely Region Free, at least as far as the USA goes.

I do not have an All Region player,
and
I have 3 Region A only players --
Samsung
Sony (their first Blu-ray player from 2006 and it still works unlike anything else that old)
LG 4K player

You can buy unafraid. Of course, you will have to select English from the menu or your remote as German is the default language.

Make sure that it is the Sept 2019 Studio Hamburg Blu-ray release which says 1080P on front and 1080P 23.97fps on back,
as there seems to have been an earlier release that was 1080i and likely 25fps.

[SMOOT]

Originally Posted by cannon1

It sounds like there's an HD scan prior to the WAC issue and the restoration, that's comparable in color to the earlier Warner DVD, which is the closest to the 1964 dye transfer Technicolor print he saw (but not to the preferred 1958 Technicolor print he saw also) recently, but suffering none of black crush of the WAC. This HD scan/version is included with the Hamburg along with the Lionsgate-lost footage restoration.

Yes, you are correct.
Thanks for saying, as I often wonder if I communicated something properly.

[SMOOT]

Originally Posted by pitchman

How does the Studio Hamburg release differ from the 3-disc Lionsgate?

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dracula-Blu-ray/37216/

That's the one I have and they appear to be very similar. The restorations sound like they are identical. BTW, the Blu in this set is definitely region B. Perhaps the Studio Hamburg is region free? That could be the difference.

I think 2 of the discs on the 3-disc Lionsgate are DVDs and not Blu-rays.

A friend of mine loaned me his self-burned copy of the Blu-ray
(that he keeps as his personal backup as he also ports his entire library to hard drive files for personal instant access in his home theater -- he’s pretty tech savvy)
from his legitimate purchase of the 3-disc Lionsgate set.

The Lionsgate that I have seen has the 2007 BFI “restoration” (which does not have the Japanese inserts) plus the 2012 BFI “restoration” (which does have some of the Japanese inserts -- Which are painfully obvious and of much lower quality).
The Lionsgate Blu-ray does not have the older Warner HD transfer as found on the Studio Hamburg Blu-ray.

The Studio Hamburg Blu-ray has the older Warner HD transfer (and not the newer overly black-crushed USA Warner release) plus the 2012 BFI “restoration” (which has some of the Japanese print inserts).

It would be nice if the Studio Hamburg had a separate Blu-ray disc with the 2007 BFI “restoration”
(which I prefer as I do not like the lower quality Japanese inserts --
The only shot that I care for in the Japanese inserts is that shot of Dracula pulling off the flesh from his face. It just seems like that shot was originally intended to be in the film.
To me, the other shots,
especially the one with Dracula making out with Mina,
add nothing --
Other people will feel different.
Ask any two people and you will get 3 to 10 opinions. Different strokes for . . .)

[DrEricVornoff]

Originally Posted by SMOOT

The Studio Hamburg Blu-ray has the older Warner HD transfer (and not the newer overly black-crushed USA Warner release) plus the 2012 BFI “restoration” (which has some of the Japanese print inserts)...

...the only shot that I care for in the Japanese inserts is that shot of Dracula pulling off the flesh from his face. It just seems like that shot was originally intended to be in the film.
To me, the other shots,
especially the one with Dracula making out with Mina,
add nothing --

Smoot, thank you for the clarifying PM you sent me regarding this WAC release!

I gotta say I feel really cheated by WAC as this was a DAY 1 order for me... and based on their press release I was convinced this release would have the extra footage (when they stated it was BFI restored version). To be honest with you...this sat on my shelf unwatched until I came across this thread last week and was unfortunately made aware of this situation.

I agree with you 100% - the only extra footage I care about is the extended Dracula disintegration footage. I could care less about the extra scene with Mina.

I just really wish we could get a domestic release of the fully restored version (with extra footage)! I am aware that I can order the German blu which supposedly (from what you say) is actually region free - which from Amazon UK with conversion/shipping would come out to about $40 (and I may entertain that idea at some point). But... I just wish WAC would have gone the extra mile on this

[filmlover22]

Is this the UK version everyone has been talking about? Description says it is the 2007 BFI restoration plus the 2012 Hammer restoration, which adds additional footage that has been unavailable for decades.

https://www.base.com/buy/product/dra...-lgb95006a.htm

[The Batman Professor]

Yes, that’s the one

[cakefactory]

The extra scene with Mina actually adds something IMO, it makes the scene a lot more sensuous instead of just your garden-variety old vampire movie scene. Obviously the censors did not like that one bit. It's certainly far more interesting than the material in some other recently-surfaced "uncut" classics like Psycho or whatever.

[SMOOT]

Originally Posted by filmlover22

Is this the UK version everyone has been talking about? Description says it is the 2007 BFI restoration plus the 2012 Hammer restoration, which adds additional footage that has been unavailable for decades.

https://www.base.com/buy/product/dra...-lgb95006a.htm

Yes, it is the UK version.
It is not the German Studio Hamburg version.

[IdeaOfEvil]

So, if the German Studio Hamburg version is the one to get, is it OOP or is there a link to a a good webstore buy it from?

[cannon1]

Originally Posted by IdeaOfEvil

So, if the German Studio Hamburg version is the one to get, is it OOP or is there a link to a a good webstore buy it from?

This is the listing I bought it from with the best price I found: (Amazon Global Store UK) https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...&condition=new

[WaverBoy]

The Anolis is still the best version IMO as it contains the most restored footage, including the closeup of Dracula’s anguished face at the end. I’ll be sticking with that.

[cannon1]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

The Anolis is still the best version IMO as it contains the most restored footage, including the closeup of Dracula’s anguished face at the end. I’ll be sticking with that.

Trouble is it's at least 6 times the price of this one today, for us budget conscious folks

[DrEricVornoff]

Originally Posted by SMOOT

Definitely Region Free, at least as far as the USA goes.

I do not have an All Region player,
and
I have 3 Region A only players --
Samsung
Sony (their first Blu-ray player from 2006 and it still works unlike anything else that old)
LG 4K player

You can buy unafraid. Of course, you will have to select English from the menu or your remote as German is the default language.

Make sure that it is the Sept 2019 Studio Hamburg Blu-ray release which says 1080P on front and 1080P 23.97fps on back,
as there seems to have been an earlier release that was 1080i and likely 25fps.

Well Smoot, I took the plunge. I got the Studio Hamburg BLU from Amazon Global Store UK. I noticed on the box images there is no indication of region (which does suggest you are right) despite Amazon listing it as Region B/2. I scored it for a little over $25. Hopefully it works!

[jdw89]

What are the chances of Shout! or even another studio getting the Hammer releases that Warner has put out so far?

[AllAboutMatt]

Originally Posted by jdw89

What are the chances of Shout! or even another studio getting the Hammer releases that Warner has put out so far?

Probably not likely, since the WAC blu-ray is a fairly recent release, but it could happen.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

The extra scene with Mina actually adds something IMO, it makes the scene a lot more sensuous instead of just your garden-variety old vampire movie scene. Obviously the censors did not like that one bit. It's certainly far more interesting than the material in some other recently-surfaced "uncut" classics like Psycho or whatever.

This! The Mina scene definitely makes a difference. It amplifies Dracula's seductive skills, in my opinion (which is presumably why it was removed originally - too hot for the BBFC).

[Mikezilla3k]

Originally Posted by SMOOT

Definitely Region Free, at least as far as the USA goes.

I do not have an All Region player,
and
I have 3 Region A only players --
Samsung
Sony (their first Blu-ray player from 2006 and it still works unlike anything else that old)
LG 4K player

You can buy unafraid. Of course, you will have to select English from the menu or your remote as German is the default language.

Make sure that it is the Sept 2019 Studio Hamburg Blu-ray release which says 1080P on front and 1080P 23.97fps on back,
as there seems to have been an earlier release that was 1080i and likely 25fps.

Is this the release you're talking about?: