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Author
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Topic: Alien - 1 x 400ft Digest
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Mike Peckham
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1461
From: West Sussex, UK.
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted March 05, 2005 03:53 PM
ALIEN - 18 Minutes - Super 8 Colour/Sound. Originally distributed by Mountain Films LTD for RRP £42 [ Discount £29 ].
quote:
… the years most bizarre movie is now available for your home cinema. The editor is to be congratulated for capturing the menace of the feature and retaining all of the notorious shock effects - face hugger, chest burster and startling destruction of the humanoid. Excellent print and sound complete this, my joint ’Pick of the Month’. But remember, it is very much ’X’ certificate land and care should be taken where young or nervy audiences are concerned. It is a ’must’ - don’t miss it!
Bill Davison - Movie Maker. January 1980
All these years on Alien still has the potential to shock, I have just sat and watched this in the safety of my own dining room but still had to cover my eyes when the big scary monster was about to appear in the ventilation shaft ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) .
The editing is well done and the story flows well, the print has stood the test of time. I was trying to determine whether or not there was a hint of red showing through, I don’t think there was as the scenes in the white interiors were very white and crisp and there was still plenty of blue. I would certainly recommend this 400fter as a must have!
Mike ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
[ April 18, 2005, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Mike Peckham ]
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Auntie Em must have stopped wondering where I am by now...
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Adrian Winchester
Film God
Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted March 16, 2005 03:51 PM
Mike,
I think the feature was withdrawn some time ago, but I'll offer a quick review. I can't go into a lot of detail, though, as it's a few years since I ran it and it might be a while before I do again. The print is pretty sharp but the colour and contrast could perhaps be marginally better - perhaps it was derived from a 35mm print. I recall initially being slightly disappointed because I'd heard it was excellent and I was perhaps expecting a print up to the standard of 'Aliens' - which is one of my most prized films on Super 8. However, if you had no such expectations, and wanted the film, you would almost certainly be perfectly happy with it. The mono sound is fine but again not quite in the 'Aliens' class.
Adrian
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Adrian Winchester
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Adrian Winchester
Film God
Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted March 17, 2005 03:40 PM
Mark,
As you will know, prints on Super 8 can be inconsistent, so I can't guarantee that one bought now would be as good as mine, especially as I got mine within about six months of it being released, back in the days of Kodak pre-striped stock, when the labs were pretty much at the peak of print quality. Also, Derann sold a lot of copies of this feature, so if you buy a new print, the negative might show some signs of wear over the last 18 years or so.
However, my print is really excellent - I was delighted with it. It's a while since I've seen any Die Hard clips, but I'd say the quality is superior to Grease as it does not have the slightly high contrast look that comes from Grease being derived from a 35mm print. I remember reading about how a suitable negative was discovered for Aliens. All the dark scenes are fine. Also, the ratio is almost perfect, with masking at the top and bottom.
It was something of a milestone for me when I screened it for an audience, as for the first time (in my house) it gave you a sense that you were watching 'the film', rather than a 8mm print of the film.
Adrian
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Adrian Winchester
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James N. Savage 3
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted March 23, 2005 09:38 AM
John- I also have both features (Alien & Aliens), and both purchased about a year after thier initial release from Derann. I agree that the "Alien" print (scope) is slightly superior to "Aliens" (flat). While both are definately top-notch, I only noticed minor flaws.
In the "Alien" feature print, the picture was very clear and bright, but in the all-white computer room where "Mother" was located, the room had a slightly darker, reddish-brown look. I can't understand this, because all of the other scenes, even the scenes that, on a super 8 print, would usually be dark, come out beautifully.
In "Aliens", the quality is also very good, but seems to vary in some of the original reels of the negative. For instance, in the last reel (#5), the picture starts off very clear and bright, up to the scene right after the four survivors escape and the planet explodes. Then, you see the original circle "cues" in the upper right hand corner of the picture, and where the last reel of the negative splices in, the picture becomes slightly darker, with a little grain as well. It remains this way throughout the last 15 minutes or so of the movie, making the final battle between Ripley and the queen alien a little hard to see.
In spite of this minor flaw, I give both of these features my highest recommendation, especially Aliens, due to its repeatability factor.
As for the 400 foot "Alien", of course I also own one of these (like every teenage boy back when it was released in 1980). The picture was very good, maybe a little grainy. The sound was fine. I can say that this was one of the most well edited digests ever released on super 8. I'm sure that if super 8 had prospered for another year or so, we would have seen a second extract reel containing the true ending.
Nick.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted August 06, 2005 03:03 PM
I have the scope feature "Alien" as well, but mine appear to be in stereo. I guess they released both versions. Understandable.
I agree with the first posts that Alien was a great 400 digest. In fact, in my opinion, the best 400ft. digest ever. I was amazed that they were able to make a somewhat slow moving film, (nice deliberate pacing) film work so well in a 17 minute time span. I noted the the editor had the cuts moving at a quicker and quicker pace as the reel goes on. Though it doesn't have the actual ending. If one had never seen the full feature, they would feel that the ending was excellent. though i bought the feature, i was actually kind of sad after I let this print go, and it had no a spot of fad to it!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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