Superman: The Movie 4K UHD (1978)

[Rizor]

Watched the 4K disc yesterday. Looks fine and true to the movie. Just not particularly impressive. There's the odd shot where it looks great, but mostly kinda washed out and hazy. But that's the way the movie has always looked.

[High DeF JeFF]

Hoping someone can help me sort out versions and run times...

I want to re-watch Superman so I pulled the discs out from a binder I keep them in and am having trouble sorting out which versions of the original movie I own. (I don't have the cases, just the discs)

1) A DVD flipper with the movie on Side A and Special Features on Side B. The running time is 2h 31m (151min). The rim of the disc says Expanded Edition.

2) A Blu-Ray that has a picture of Superman and just "Superman The Movie", doesn't say Special Edition or Expanded Edition and the run time is identical to the DVD, 2h31m (151min).

What are the correct run times? I looked up different versions of the movie and this site Movie Censorship, which seems to catalog all the differences, has two running times that don't match what I have.

https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=4281
Directors Cut: 145:12 Min. credits included.
Theatrical Version: 137:14 Min. credits included.

*****
Ultimately, I want to own all 3 cuts of the original movie. The theatrical, which I think is the 4k version. The Special Edition and that crazy TV version.

Thanks!!

[punisher]

wow ..the dvd flipper..I had a few back in the day. My favorite was the Right Stuff flipper.

[OgamiittoMcJ]

Theatrical Cut (143 mins)
Expanded Edition (151 mins)
Extended TV Version (189 mins)

4k is Theatrical

this BD release has the other 2 versions

[Member-222782]

Anyone anticipate this being discounted on Black Friday? $25 is reasonable but I may as well hold out for a lower price if one is forthcoming. Also waiting on the Rambo UHDs to go lower.

[Zimmy]

I think it came out to close to the Black Friday ads being completed (weeks ago).
I don't see it on sale anywhere during BF.
Here is hoping Amazon adds it (along with 2001) to the buy 3 deal for $50.

[cartload]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Anyone anticipate this being discounted on Black Friday? $25 is reasonable but I may as well hold out for a lower price if one is forthcoming. Also waiting on the Rambo UHDs to go lower.

Best Buy will have the Rambo UHDs for $7.99 each according to their BF flyer. I haven’t seen anything about Superman. I assume the best we’ll get in the foreseeable future is if it’s included in one of Amazon’s recurring 3 for $50 sales.

[punisher]

there's always a chance.....

[tyrok]

Originally Posted by cartload

Best Buy will have the Rambo UHDs for $7.99 each according to their BF flyer. I haven’t seen anything about Superman. I assume the best we’ll get in the foreseeable future is if it’s included in one of Amazon’s recurring 3 for $50 sales.

Best Buy's are getting some stock next week but it will be for a promotion the following week. Not Black Friday.

[High DeF JeFF]

Originally Posted by OgamiittoMcJ

Theatrical Cut (143 mins)
Expanded Edition (151 mins)
Extended TV Version (189 mins)

4k is Theatrical

this BD release has the other 2 versions

Thank you!

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by High DeF JeFF

Hoping someone can help me sort out versions and run times...

What are the correct run times? I looked up different versions of the movie and this site Movie Censorship, which seems to catalog all the differences, has two running times that don't match what I have.

https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=4281
Directors Cut: 145:12 Min. credits included.
Theatrical Version: 137:14 Min. credits included.

Movie-censorship.com usually goes by PAL runtimes, so they'll be about 4% shorter than film or NTSC speed.

The UHD and the 2-disc edition OgamiittoMcJ posted about will together give you pretty much everything you could want for the first film.

[Geoff D]

Custom 4K combo with all three of the quoted discs:

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I also made good on my threat and put the proper SE disc and TV cut disc in there:

[punisher]

nice!

[KC-Technerd]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

A lot of it is still to do with how the movie was shot as Geoff Unsworth just didn't go for super sharp photography - this was never gonna look like the Zsigmond-shot CE3K in some respects no matter who handled it

I'm torn between watching the 4k UHD for the 5.1 DD audio, and the theatrical 1080 Blu-ray since I'm watching on a 1080 SDR display anyway. I've only skimmed through the theatrical BD so far (I didn't have it before buying the 4k) but I think the image quality is better than the (Thau) Special Edition. I think at least one possible flaw visible in the Special Edition is cleaned up in the theatrical cut (that being when the exterior of the dome dissolves to the faces of the council projected inside it). It certainly looks better than the 4k HDR squashed down to 1080 SDR, and it bests my memory of watching the Special Edition. I just wish it had the 5.1 DD track (or better yet a lossless version) with it as well.

CE3K makes me think of the air traffic control center scene which has always seemed rather smeared and long from super sharp to me. Probably a compromise due to available lighting particularly if it was shot in a real facility. I can't think of anything in "Superman" that looks as bad as I remember that looking. It's been a while since I've looked at it though.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Custom 4K combo with all three of the quoted discs:

I'd do that but I need to have the collection on the shelf anyway for the sequels, so might as well keep the BDs in there.

[Martoto]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

A lot of it is still to do with how the movie was shot as Geoff Unsworth just didn't go for super sharp photography - this was never gonna look like the Zsigmond-shot CE3K...

Or 2001 : A Space Odyssey for that matter.

[Geoff D]

Yeah but I still don't think he diffused the shit out of that one, that's not how the telling of it goes anyway. They needed more light owing to the slower 65mm glass and lots of diffusion would get in the way of that, some of those lighting setups were also incredibly complex in how to light them in a perfectly uniform way and they didn't want to obfuscate that effect. Unsworth got to break out his stash of stockings for the Star Child stuff though, as previously mentioned. If anything I think the last scintilla of sharpness in the 2001 UHD has been filtered off due to the 4K -> UHD downconversion not being as transparent as it could be re: the ever so slight aliasing that I can see in some shots.

[punisher]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Yeah but I still don't think he diffused the shit out of that one, that's not how the telling of it goes anyway. They needed more light owing to the slower 65mm glass and lots of diffusion would get in the way of that, some of those lighting setups were also incredibly complex in how to light them in a perfectly uniform way and they didn't want to obfuscate that effect. Unsworth got to break out his stash of stockings for the Star Child stuff though, as previously mentioned. If anything I think the last scintilla of sharpness in the 2001 UHD has been filtered off due to the 4K -> UHD downconversion not being as transparent as it could be re: the ever so slight aliasing that I can see in some shots.

wrong thread...

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by cartload

Best Buy will have the Rambo UHDs for $7.99 each according to their BF flyer. I haven’t seen anything about Superman. I assume the best we’ll get in the foreseeable future is if it’s included in one of Amazon’s recurring 3 for $50 sales.

The Rambos will actually be eight bucks a pop on BF? Awesome. I thought that was just people hoping they would be cheaper.

A lot of UHD prices are bottoming out at around ten bucks on average, as seen on the header in the Blu-ray.com UHD page. I'm hoping Supes joins the bandwagon. Not expecting it hit $10 but at least $19.99

[gates70]

Just finished watching this...PQ is fine, nothing special, but the AQ in ATMOS was pretty good!