|
Author
|
Topic: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1X400)
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted April 06, 2007 05:00 PM
This is a review of the 1X400 Marketing version of the classic feature. This has been, of course, released as a scope feature on Super 8, bujt this was a very popular release on Super 8, as well as one of Marketing Films last digests, (it might have been the last, in fact.
The digest begins with some very abbreviated credits, which is to be expected, which brings us to entering the cave, insearch of the golden idol. There's the wonderful gory shot of Indy putting up his hand into the shaft of light, which reveals the boobytrap and the last person to try to get thru.
We then go to the main temple, where Indy tests the floor, a well directed arrow hitting Indy's test stick.
"Stay here."
"If you insist senor!"
He grabs the idol, but accidentily sets off the bobbytrap. he dodges arrows to get out. he gets to the trench, where his partner screws him over, but not for long, as his partner is caught in the earlier boobytrap. Indy is then chased by the infamous giant boulder, but to only fall into Belloqes trap.
He does escape that sucessfully.
We switch to Indy's college, where he explains what the ark is and finds out that the Hitler is after the ark and that they've found the town where the ark was hidden, but they haven't found the actual arks site.
Indy is on the trail! We jump to the scene where Marion is kidnapped by the German, (as well as the classic Sword vs. Gun scene, priceless, worth the price of the digest itself!), oh, by the way, Indy wins, (duh). This scene ends with Indy thinking Marion has been killed in the exploding truck.
This has an incredibly well done edit where Indy accidentally walks into a tent to find Marion alive and tied up in a tent, fade out. We immediately are brought to the scene where Salla informs Indy, (within the tent, but much later in the film, another great peace of editing!) that the ark has been put on a truck.
This leads to the wonderful scene of Indy chasing after the ark in the truck, first horse, then on the truck. Indy gets the ark, for the moment ...
This now leads to the scene where the germans get back the ark on the boat and arrive at thier Island destination, where the german official makes known his displeasure with the Jewish ceremony to open it the ark.
Belloqe "Would you rather open the ark before your Fufher, only then knowing if you have the one, true ark?"
This leads to almost the whole last special effects scene, Indy capturesd and tied to the same pole as Marion. They open the ark, the amazing circling spirits killing left and right, the lightning/fire killing every German in site and the wonderful melting heads and bursting skulls! (TOTALLY COOL!!!!!) The scene ends with the two of them (Indy and Marion) realizing that thier ropes/bonds have been burned away and that they are still alive. They look at the ark, hand in hand and thus ends the digest. It ends with a short end title.
This was an EXTREMELY well edited digest and certianly ranks with the best edited digests. Every great scene, (except the brawl in Marions bar) is here, and yet the flow of this digest is so good. I was EXTREMELY impressed as to how they combined the Marion killed scene/Indy walking into the tent and finding Marion alive/Salla, Indy and Marion in another tent and having the explanation of the ark all cemented together, which works PERFECTLY! HELL!! I'd love to meet the man who edited this digest!!
This digest was "marketed" on Agfa stock, and the colour is completely perfect, not a shred of colour loss! The sound is also incredibly good.
If I remember correctly, the package design won awards, and it's easy to see why, a very attractive box with a great painted image of Indy and Marion, (or is it Marian?), with great images on the back as well, but then Marketing films were always very good about thier boxes.
It is also of note that this is in Letterbox/adapted scope, and though letterbox, the print is very sharp, not Derann sharp, but still right up there. It's not the full scope width, but fine as it is.
This digest is a winner in every aspect and well worth picking up, even if you have the scope feature.
LONG LIVE INDY!!!
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Keith Ashfield
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 997
From: U.K.
Registered: Dec 2006
|
posted April 08, 2007 03:14 AM
I have a tale about "Raiders of the Lost Ark". When it was originally brought into the UK by Derann, I had it pre-orderd. I received a phone call from Derek on the Friday afternoon to tell me that they arrived, so I immediatley went to collect it. When I arrived at the shop, Derek opened the carton of 50 films, in front of me, and said "Take one" - I didn't take one from the top, but one from the second layer down". I then "hot footed" home and after the evening meal put it on the GS800. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
IT WAS OUT OF SYNC BIG TIME!!!!. ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
I returned to the shop at 9.00am the following Saturday morning, to be told that all of that consignment had been sold and despatched, due to pre-orders. Derek didn't even retain one for their lending library, otherwise he would have re-recorded it for me, from that.
A week later, I exchanged my "faulty" copy for one out of the next batch. When I asked Derek "how many faulty films he had received back - he said "NON AT ALL!!"
How about that for bad luck? My choice of film - a one in fifty choice and I pick the "faulty" one. ![[Confused]](confused.gif) Just shows my luck!!
SUPERB DIGEST NEVERTHELESS. Happy Easter All
--------------------
"We'll find 'em in the end, I promise you. We'll find 'em. Just as sure as a turnin' of the earth".
| IP: Logged
|
|
Mike Peckham
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1461
From: West Sussex, UK.
Registered: Jun 2003
|
posted April 08, 2007 04:27 AM
Osi
Great review!
It inspired me to check out the reviews in “Movie Maker” and “Super Eight Film Collector” from when it was first released. It seems that both the editing and the packaging were debated then too.
Keith Wilton in Super Eight Film Collector:
quote:
The editing on this release is rumoured to have been taken over by either Lucas or Spielburg, they were supposed to have been unhappy with the editing done in Germany, I don’t know if it is true or not…
Bill Davison in Movie Maker, October 1982:
quote:
…the Lucas Organisation were said to be first unhappy with the packaging artwork, then the editing of the condensation itself. The former I find odd because Marketings presentation in my opinion has always been exemplary; the latter I can understand, as their editing has often been crude to say the least. So after all these hold-ups, the film has eventually arrived – and it’s a corker! Well worth the wait and possibly the best release ever to come from Marketing…
…all in all it is tremendous 17 minutes of superb entertainment; certainly the best 400ft condensation I have viewed in ages!
I have to say, being a lover of packaging I think it’s probably the best looking box on the shelf, the film itself is great – and very re-watchable!
Mike ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
--------------------
Auntie Em must have stopped wondering where I am by now...
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted April 08, 2007 03:03 PM
Yeah, but what an end to an era. It wasn't the complete end, however.
After all, Disney would continue to release super 8 for the early 80's. It's not sure, but Blackhawk was releasing product at least thru the mid-80's albeit, in a more limited manner.
I think that when we speak of the "end of an era" would have to be limited to non U.K. countries, as I believe Derann, as well as other companies in the U.K. continued to release new product all along, which could be verified by our friends over on the U.K. side of the pond.
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted April 09, 2007 10:59 AM
Sorry to hear that your print was defective, or just a bad batch, as my print has a pretty good focus and stunning colour, as well as pretty decent contrast. I wouldn't mind getting a new copy of this print as , while mine is in good shape, it came to me with two splices at the beginning of the print.
The only irritating thing to the print, (and this was also a problem with Universal 8 prints as well) is that, in order to show most of the beginning credits, they have to cut and cut and cut, which means the action behind the credits looks very jerky and is quite annoying. This was also a fault with Universal 8. I would much rather see a fade in/out of the main title, the digest, and then during whatever end credits, place them there.
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Adrian Winchester
Film God
Posts: 2941
From: Croydon, London, UK
Registered: Aug 2004
|
posted April 09, 2007 03:52 PM
Osi,
I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost certain that 'Raiders' appeared after the final Disney release. 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' must have either been the last, or very close to their last, and I recall buying this, in 1981 at the latest, some time before 'Raiders' appeared. (I'd only started collecting a few months previously, so it was my first 'full price' one reeler).
When I say "the end of an era", I mean the era of mass-market 400' digests that offer an edited version of a complete feature. Although digests later returned, mostly in the form of 600' Derann releases, I think it would be true to say that no distributor has attempted to broadly tell the story of a feature in a 400' release since 'Raiders'.
--------------------
Adrian Winchester
| IP: Logged
|
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted April 09, 2007 04:08 PM
I agree Adrian, it was an end of an era, speaking in that nature.
When did Disneys "Masterworks" come out? I always thought that these were the last. I'm assuming this only because I bought them in a San Francisco department store in 1984, but they may have been sitting around for a long time, for all I know.
I believe that there were three titles in this series:
The Old Mill
The band Concert
The Ugly Duckling
These were noticeable in that they were the original FULL LENGTH
shorts, which ran 8.75 minutes up over 9 minutes, (in the case of "The band Concert"), and the colour on these have held up really well.
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
