Superman: The Movie 4K UHD (1978)

[captainsolo]

I just literally choked on my coffee.
This is hugely unexpected and absolutely amazing.

It should be an amazing transfer and might mean we finally have a truly good home transfer of this film finally. Balancing the film’s heavy softness and diffusion is very difficult on any format so it will be interesting to see how the 4k turns out.
But please remove the teal of the last go round! All the new transfers done for HD (I and II theatrical and III and IV) were given teal dosages that are really unfortunate.

On the audio side I believe WB will include the original Dolby Stereo and 5.1 remix but I truly hope they include the amazing alternate audio track from the Laserdisc release which I now believe to be from the 70mm release. It has far better channel separation and stereo imaging than the tinny in comparison Dolby stereo which almost sounds mono (I heard the original stereo theatrically a few years ago and talked to the projectionist because he ran it properly with a Dolby unit but it sounded like a mono track with random frequencies pulled into the surround sporadically.) Of course it would be a dream to find the test split surround mix that was unused due to a fear of theaters not being able to handle the mix.
So there are four original mixes which are possible to utilize if available:
Dolby stereo, mono mix, 70mm mix and the 70mm test mix with split surrounds.

The 5.1 remix is all right but it just isn’t the original.


This is such welcome news and if the entire four film Batman series is also to make its 4k debut...those four have needed and cried out for new transfers for ages. The Burton films have been brightened for home video ever since the VHS and LD releases and even the HD master isn’t accurate to the theatrical release. Forever looks very crummy in HD as it’s an older scan and even B&R could look much better.
Again I would hope they include original audio mixes here as ‘89 has a bassier mix on the LD and old DVD, Returns played in Dolby SR in 90% of theaters despite being the ac3 launch title-and Forever has a better mixed track in the 2.0 mix than the 5.1

The thought of these films in fully restored 4k transfers is truly incredible. Even if I’m not at all 4k ready when these are released they are still day one purchases for me. Admittedly I have virtually every other release though.
I still remember spending hard earned allowance and then eventually first job dollars on the successive Batman and Superman releases.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Falaskan

Right, I'm sure you'd be peachy if nothing in 4K was reference quality, and would never care to show anyone if it was. Fyi, I would never think of "keeping score" of reference quality discs (with who? ), and rarely show them off, I just care to have the film as pristine as possible.

For the record we're saying the same thing, but I don't believe for a second you don't care about any of your movies being reference quality. There's already quite a few (older) ones out there that look mind blowingly amazing.

I hate using the word "reference" in general. If it best serves the movie and ends up looking amazeballs, so much the better. If it best serves the movie but doesn't blow anyone else's skirt up apart from my own, it wouldn't be the first time.

[BNex99]

For anyone in the Los Angeles area tomorrow night:

https://www.alextheatre.org/event/al...-the-move-1978

I asked about format and version, and they said it was a 35mm print of the theatrical cut.

[captainsolo]

Nice to see a screening happening somewhere. If it’s at all like the print I saw three years ago expect a lovely LPP print of the theatrical cut so you avoid any fading. It looked very good on the big screen and certainly the best I’ve ever seen it-but the inherent softness and diffusion is still there. And of course the color is lovely with no teal! (I’m such a geek that I took notes)
It should have the same Dolby Stereo as the BD 2.0 unless they somehow got a mono print.

In other words go if you can!

[gates70]

Awesome!!!

[kaden1108]

Well even though Marvel's latest films have been thriving, I think it's even better that DC is putting a focus more on it's classics lately.

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by kaden1108

Well even though Marvel's latest films have been thriving, I think it's even better that DC is putting a focus more on it's classics lately.

What other choice do they have?

[motorheadache95]

Originally Posted by mlabonte21

Second-- (WB will hate this) clean up the lame VFX created for the Donner Cut blu-ray.

I know the market for this is "small", but Youtubers have been doing better effects for years now--surely they can get it done relatively cheap.

If possible, re-cut the Donner Cut with a bit more Lester footage (specifically the ending).

I haven't seen it myself, but apparently the digital HD version of The Donner Cut is significantly extended, even including some of the scenes that were in the extended TV cut. Perhaps this would be the basis for a 4K version they could release.

[Bolty]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

I haven't seen it myself, but apparently the digital HD version of The Donner Cut is significantly extended, even including some of the scenes that were in the extended TV cut. Perhaps this would be the basis for a 4K version they could release.

Yes, I have read that too. They include a fair amount of added Lester material in the streaming version of the Donner Cut. That must mean they legally have the right to make their own version without his consent. That bodes well for a cut that includes the Paris opening and the later "Honeymoon suite" version of the identity reveal.

Let's be honest -- if you change the opening to include Paris and add back in the Niagara Falls Lester stuff and mix it into the Donner Cut (minus the repeat time reversal) -- you have the ultimate version of the movie.


We're probably just wasting our time dreaming of that.

And legally speaking.... all the movie needs to "bill" Donner as the director is 51% of the footage. Even adding back in the Paris and Niagara stuff wouldn't bring the Donner cut to anywhere near 50% Lester. There are websites that show what was shot by whom and the Lester material from the Donner is less than 15% -- adding Paris and Niagara and other tiny bits wouldn't come close.

[mlabonte21]

Originally Posted by motorheadache95

I haven't seen it myself, but apparently the digital HD version of The Donner Cut is significantly extended, even including some of the scenes that were in the extended TV cut. Perhaps this would be the basis for a 4K version they could release.

You maybe onto something...

I just checked my iTunes copy, which is 116 minutes (same as the disc).

Movies Anywhere has it at 115 minutes (maybe clipped credits or something)

But VUDU's version's runtime is 121 minutes

I may have to give that a run through....

[Falaskan]

Originally Posted by mlabonte21

You maybe onto something...

I just checked my iTunes copy, which is 116 minutes (same as the disc).

Movies Anywhere has it at 115 minutes (maybe clipped credits or something)

But VUDU's version's runtime is 121 minutes

I may have to give that a run through....

Interesting and my Vudu says 122. Which is it? 115, 116, 121, or 122?

[mlabonte21]

Originally Posted by Falaskan

Interesting and my Vudu says 122. Which is it? 115, 116, 121, or 122?

Mine is 122 as well-- I mistyped

[Bourne1886]

I want this so much.

[eddievanhalen]

Originally Posted by LordCrumb

I'll wait for a US release on this one, although I can't imagine it looking too good. The whole movie had kind of a soft focus to it.

I agree with you. It was the fashion of the time, using difussion filters to get a soft looking picture.
I doubt Superman The Movie would benefit much from a 4K or higher scan and released on UHD BD on HDR, the only thing, in my opinion, that will make UHD BD things look better will be Wide Color Gamut and because of its higher resolution film grain will be better rendered, but that's it.
A good Dolby Atmos or DTS: X mix may get the UHD BD more worthwhile.

[Agent Kay]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

Except for the Nolan stuff (because Nolan has no idea what good audio is) and some more dialog driven catalog titles, Warner has added DTS: X or Dolby Atmos on their big stuff. If they don't consider it a big seller, then they seemingly won't take the time or make the effort.

Yes, sure.
I don't rate most of his mixes, but is It because he doesn't make films for your sound system does not make them automatically bad.

[MisterXDTV]

Originally Posted by Zimmy

The real question is, what has WB done so far?
Was the last Blu-Ray release from a 4k remaster (which they will just re-purpose) or have they gone back and remastered again?

It's a new remaster for sure....

2011 Blu-ray (Theatrical) was sourced from a 2K IP Scan

http://www.capedwonder.com/mpi/

Pat Miller: The home video people didn’t use the original negatives, but over the years had protection interpositives {IPs} made, so we used interpositives for all four movies. They were scanned on the Spirit DataCine, the 4K machines, but were actually scanned to 2K

They will use the OCN for the first time for this release

[Geoff D]

Oh yes indeedy, and for that reason alone I think people need to holster their disappointment at it not looking "reference quality" until they've actually seen it. We should get a cleaner, more stable scan with finer detail & grain and for that alone I'm VERY excited, and getting a servicable HDR rendering on top will be the icing on the cake.

[MisterXDTV]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Oh yes indeedy, and for that reason alone I think people need to holster their disappointment at it not looking "reference quality" until they've actually seen it. We should get a cleaner, more stable scan with finer detail & grain and for that alone I'm VERY excited, and getting a servicable HDR rendering on top will be the icing on the cake.

To be honest that Blu-ray disc from 2011 is very good quality, maybe the compression is not the best but the quality of the source is very good...

[Bolty]

On another site -- old Robert Harris seriously doubts UHD will add much of anything to this movie. He says due to the way it was filmed it has 1.8K resolution tops.

Doesn't matter to me, I love the version in the Anthology box set.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Bolty

On another site -- old Robert Harris seriously doubts UHD will add much of anything to this movie. He says due to the way it was filmed it has 1.8K resolution tops.

Tsk tsk. Robert Harris should certainly know that UHD is good for more than just spatial resolution.