Once Upon a Time in the West 4K UHD (1968) (Paramount Presents #44)

[Stanshall]

Originally Posted by brian9229

The 4K dv version is available on Vudu, I own it.

Do you have impressions to share? Cheers.

[Surge92]

Originally Posted by brian9229

The 4K dv version is available on Vudu, I own it.

How's the compression on Vudu?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by AnimalCMan

No release date yet, but given the UHD version is available digitally already on places like Vudu, that’s a promising sign.

Then again, Paramount has had other classics like Chinatown available in 4K digitally for several years now… still waiting on a physical release of that.

I will say, Kino rarely confirms when a studio are releasing something themselves. They will usually be more vague with their wording, and say the studio or another label may release it. In this case, they tried to get it, and couldn't, and flat-out said Paramount are releasing it themselves. Combine that with it being the 55th anniversary, and it being in 4K DV digitally, and I think it's pretty much a certainty. The person that I mentioned that watched/rated the movie recently on Letterboxd works specifically in the Paramount Presents department I believe, so I think it'll likely come through that line as well.

[tama]

Plz plz plz Paramount don't **** up the compression.

[brian9229]

Originally Posted by Surge92

How's the compression on Vudu?

Its not bad actually, for streaming. It has a nice layer of fine grain, and lovely color depth, especially in all the dark burnished hues, I just cant wait for the disc. Edit: Oh and the detail is incredible.

[Mosley likes BFDI]

Thank god Paramount is releasing this movie on 4K instead of Kino Lorber!

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by Mosley likes BFDI

Thank god Paramount is releasing this movie on 4K instead of Kino Lorber!

Kino's compression record is better than Paramount's... but hopefully this one will be done well

[TK_171]

My favourite western and one of my most wanted 4K releases. Please don't mess this up Paramount I beg ye

[Arch Stanton]

Thank god. This has been my all time UHD dream title

[sultanofcinema]

I saw this film when it opened in 1969. I saw the restoration at the Film Forum in 1980/1981 (thanks to Martin Scorsese). It is quite simply, a masterpiece. Interesting that Leone wanted Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach to be the three at the train station in the opening waiting for Charles Bronson. Wallach and Van Cleef were on board but Eastwood was not. The restoration has been running on the Criterion Channel for some time and it is beautiful. Lets also move ahead with The Adventurers (1970), Goodbye Columbus (1969) and Chinatown.

[Winslow Leach]

OUATITW is coming? Seriously? This is one of my favorite westerns of all time! Another title to cross off my want list!

[JohnCarpenterLives]

I'm holding on to my blu until the PQ/AQ is confirmed top notch and that John Carpenter's commentary is ported over.

.....very exciting!

Originally Posted by sultanofcinema

Leone wanted Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach to be the three at the train station in the opening waiting for Charles Bronson.

This would have absolutely ruined one of the greatest film openings of all time.

[Bostonyte]

Originally Posted by JohnCarpenterLives

This would have absolutely ruined one of the greatest film openings of all time.

Agree! WTF was he thinking?

[bytor]

Amazing news. Now hopefully we get Rio Bravo next year too since there will be a new 4K restoration.

[SpacemanDoug]

So here's how I see it going down considering it's Paramount, so here are the options:

-little DNR/sh-t encode/remix only
-moderate DNR/sh-t encode/remix only or mono downmix
-moderate DNR/good encode/remix only or mono downmix
-heavy DNR/good encode/remix only

either way, this is the pattern I've noticed with Paramount releases and it will likely continue with this release, it's one of these four options I see going on and there's nothing anyone can do about it unfortunately, there is no win/win with Paramount

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Another for the "upgrade before ever getting around to watching the Blu-ray I bought" pile, huh?

After going to 2K screenings of Once Upon a Time in the West, Juice and Carrie, maybe I should stop going to cinema screenings of classics! Thankfully I dodged a bullet by skipping Dazed and Confused.

Upgrading unwatched discs to 4K is the fate of a lot of my collection: In Bruges, The Piano, Dead Heat, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Freeway.

[happydood]

Originally Posted by sultanofcinema

I saw this film when it opened in 1969. I saw the restoration at the Film Forum in 1980/1981 (thanks to Martin Scorsese). It is quite simply, a masterpiece. Interesting that Leone wanted Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach to be the three at the train station in the opening waiting for Charles Bronson. Wallach and Van Cleef were on board but Eastwood was not. The restoration has been running on the Criterion Channel for some time and it is beautiful. Lets also move ahead with The Adventurers (1970), Goodbye Columbus (1969) and Chinatown.

I'd never heard that, but I'm not sure it's true. I thought it went that Leone wanted Eastwood for the Bronson role, but he turned it down due to not liking how the character played...

Dunno how reliable this source is, but it and others cite the book The Clint Eastwood Westerns:

https://www.thedigitalfix.com/clint-...-leone-western

Also... I'd read (and now I can't find it) that Leone kinda started belittling Eastwood's contribution to the trilogy and that that was the main reason they stopped working together....

[KubrickKurasawa]

Pay and Benefits/Percentages haven't any of you ever worked in the real world that's why you part ways.

[captainsolo]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

oooh Spencer gonna have a field day

You know me too well...I just captured the pan and scan LD analog mono to check out...

Originally Posted by Macatouille

Hell yes.
(Please God, don’t let Paramount screw this up.)

True, but it actually has been screwed up slightly ever since the 80's US reconstruction of the 165m cut. The end credits have completely wrong music.
That's the one error I keep hoping they'll fix and what should be done by Paramount this time around. But I'm sure they didn't and have no knowledge of this. Just like I'm sure it'll be the same lossy and somewhat noisy copy of the LD mono they've ported over to the DVD and BD. And like I'm sure there will be no sign of the alternate Italian cut that has never been released here.


With Kino handling this release I feel better than if Paramount was doing it themselves. Fingers crossed they didn't fubar the master before handing it off.

[Mosin-Nagant]

Originally Posted by sultanofcinema

Leone wanted Eastwood, Van Cleef and Wallach to be the three at the train station in the opening waiting for Charles Bronson. Wallach and Van Cleef were on board but Eastwood was not.

Well, I think that was a brilliant idea. An ironic wink to the spectators who expected to see the same team of actors again. The twist would have been comparable to the one revealing Frank to us for the first time: Oh my God, this is Henry Fonda! In this case, we would have had reactions like: Oh my God, it's the beginning of the film and they're all already dead!