Posts: 2211
From: New York City, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted March 04, 2005 01:25 AM
I just got my copy of Gremlins from Ken Souza! Thanks! The print quality is a little on the warm side but just barely. Most of the scenes are nice and sharp with just a few scenes being a little soft. Compared to todays releases of course! The sound is in Stereo and really sounds nice and rich. To my ears it sounds better than some of the newer release I have heard! Content. I think whomever cut this one did a wonderful job. If you had never seen the complete film you would think that you saw the complete version and not felt that you had missed much. In fact I like the digest much better than the complete version. Most of the dead weight is gone! From the opening of the film where Hoyt Axton goes to the chinese store and finds Gizmo to when he takes it home and then Zach Galligan of course does the 3 things he isn't supposed to do.. this film moves nice and effortlessly. And there are tons of scenes with Gizmo. And as a plus we get to see a young Cory Feldman before he discovered drugs! The new baby Gremlins are being hatched and then one is taken to Zach's professor at school. The scenes as the Gremlins are hatching from the eggs are included and it looks great. The "blender" scene and the Xmas tree scene with Zach's mother is intact as well as all the Gremlins hanging out at the bar. And then it follows to the toy store where we see Gizmo riding around in the Ken and Barbie car. Stripe takes out his chainsaw, fires his gun, and then gets done in. Key Luke, the old chinese man comes to take Gizmo back home and the end shot is with him walking away into the night with the full moon and voice narration. (and gizmo humming along!) Great digest, nice print, fabulous sound loaded onto 2 x 600 ft reels. Great Hobby isn't it? !
posted May 24, 2005 04:44 PM
Chip its very strange you had a mono print as Derann only released it with Stereo. BTW Alan, I think you will find that the thanks for the editing go to none other than Mr K W himself. One of the many side lines that Keith has had over the years
Kev.
-------------------- GS1200 Xenon with Elmo 1.0...great combo along with a 16-CL Xenon for that super bright white light.
Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003
posted May 24, 2005 05:41 PM
I believe this was one of Derann's last actual "digests" released. I have the mono version. The editing is well done and puts the story together very nicely, while giving fan's of the movie most of the classic memorable scenes, including the scene in the movie theater when the gremlins were watching Snow White.
The sound was very good mono. The picture quality was good, while not the best I've seen on a Derann release. My biggest complaint is that reel one is full screen, while reel two is mostly letterboxed. I'm not sure why, but it can be distracting when framing the picture out on the home screen.
posted June 11, 2005 12:16 PM
James, I didnt notice all that on my copy which by the way is in full stereo and scope. I didnt know it had been released in any other formats from Derann. Strange.
Kev.
-------------------- GS1200 Xenon with Elmo 1.0...great combo along with a 16-CL Xenon for that super bright white light.
Posts: 1733
From: Brooksville, FL
Registered: Jun 2003
posted June 11, 2005 07:27 PM
I ran Gremlins as a theater projectionist. Kevin states his copy is scope but I think he means "adapted scope" because the print was indeed flat in 35mm cinema format. Kevin no doubt means letterboxed format. And this was done within the nightclub bar scene (where Phoebe Cates takes the bright light Polaroid images) due to the puppeteer special effects.
Posts: 2211
From: New York City, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted June 12, 2005 12:46 AM
Keith Wilton, editor at large! That is great. A man of many talents. That is a great edited print. I really feel you get everything out of the movie...except for the dead wood. Very nice indeed. And the sound? Very, very good!
Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003
posted June 14, 2005 08:25 AM
Chip- Thanks for the info. It makes sense to me now, as to why those particular scenes were masked out. I just wish they had masked the rest too, just to keep it consistent through out the digest.
posted June 14, 2005 09:39 AM
Lot of confusion here. You are saying that it needs a scope lens chip? The feeling I had from James's item is that it didn't? Have I missed the point here somewhere? Yes mine is probably adapted scope. You then went on to say that I meant letterboxed! So which is it? I thought that after 30yrs in the hobby I understood this but now I question my sanity where all this is concerned.
Kev
-------------------- GS1200 Xenon with Elmo 1.0...great combo along with a 16-CL Xenon for that super bright white light.
posted June 14, 2005 06:29 PM
I think what Chip was saying was that the original 35mm print of Gremlins was in adapted scope (the top and bottom were masked during projection to achieve a widescreen image), and the super-8 print made from this film is letterboxed (the masking bars are part of the super-8 frame so it's a widescreen image within a fullscreen frame).
I think.
-------------------- Call me Phoenix. *dusts off the ashes*
Posts: 1733
From: Brooksville, FL
Registered: Jun 2003
posted June 14, 2005 07:55 PM
Virtually all movies in theaters (35mm) are filmed 1:85 widescreen. Some of us collectors refer to this as widescreen, adapted scope, or letterboxed. I think Jan is right on this one. Let's leave it right there so nobody else gets confused....like ME LOL
posted June 15, 2005 12:15 AM
Well, wait - now I'm confused. Are you saying that virtually all 35mm films are shot with anamorphic lenses, or that they're exposed as a standard full frame, then masked to letterboxed widescreen during printing or projection?
-------------------- Call me Phoenix. *dusts off the ashes*
Posts: 2211
From: New York City, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted June 15, 2005 01:49 AM
I have noticed when I was a projectionist that the majority of films are filmed in full screen and then masked to give a Widescreen image. In other words if you were to roll the frameline up or down you might see the bottom of a boom mic if you weren't carefull! When I was working as a projectionist the only film that I had screened that was in true cinemascope was "The Hunger" with David Bowie. I actually had to place a scope lens in front of the main lens and the focusing was a pain! All the other films were flat and masked.
Posts: 1733
From: Brooksville, FL
Registered: Jun 2003
posted June 15, 2005 11:41 PM
Okay guys, here's more fuel to the fire...
A film can be filmed FLAT as 1:85 letterboxed.
A film can be filmed SUPER 35 for flat release on video, and be 35mm scope in theaters. This from what I heard avoids the dreaded pan and scan video copies.
And a film can be filmed cinemascope (panavision) for scope in theaters, and scope effect as letterboxed on video releases.
I'm not sure when 133 (like a TV screen changed in theaters to 1.85 (after the invention of cinemascope, that is).
Gremlins was filmed flat, and remains flat, no scope lens is required to show the print. Whether they letterboxed it during shooting or afterwards I really don't know.
posted June 19, 2005 05:53 PM
I spoke to Chip this afternoon on the phone and have now at his request checked my print of Gremlins. He's right it is not scope but letterboxed. Sorry Chip, that's what time does for you. But it is in full stereo sound.
Kev.
-------------------- GS1200 Xenon with Elmo 1.0...great combo along with a 16-CL Xenon for that super bright white light.
posted June 19, 2005 06:05 PM
And I, too, have been enlightened during a recent online chat with Chip as to the subtle differences between such terms as "scope," "letterboxed," "widescreen" and so on. Whew.
-------------------- Call me Phoenix. *dusts off the ashes*
Posts: 784
From: dundonald,belfast,co.antrim,northern ireland.
Registered: Jan 2006
posted April 15, 2006 03:53 AM
i too have the first part of this movie and i have to agree with other members views.its beauifully edited with good print and mono sound.there is one thing does anyone one notice that the titles and writing ie the name of billys school is back to front.neverless its a excellent 24minute digest.i would now like to get part two but i dont think derann do it anymore.andy.p.s ive just noticed that on the box it says print reversed.do any other members have prints like mine.
[ April 15, 2006, 05:36 AM: Message edited by: Andrew Wilson ]
I have the Derann 1990 catalogue. "Gremlins" was available in stereo and mono version from Derann (Order # AFS1028 for stereo, AF1027 for mono). The stereo version cost 13 pounds more than the mono version).