8mm Forum: Beatles Come To Town

This is topic Beatles Come To Town - Scope in forum 8mm Print Reviews at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on October 25, 2019, 05:28 AM:

After recently obtaining my own copy of this scope film, and after a long hard think, I decided this version warranted a separate review to the flat version so excellently reviewed by Steve Klare. I recommend you read his superb review as to its contents as it goes into great detail.

However, in a nutshell, it is coverage of the build up to their 1963 concert in Ardwick, Manchester, together with performances of She Loves You and Twist and Shout.

I am now the lucky owner of the PM Films scope version that also complements the flat copy I bought as new from Uncle Derek.

The first obvious difference is that they were taken from two different masters, which they would be with Derann and PM being competing companies. The scope master being the inferior, particularly in the opening credit sequence containing heavy transfer scratches. However, this clears up very quickly and the rest of the film is much better. The scope print has a couple of jump cuts that the flat version does not.
On the positive side, the scope version, by the fact that is IS scope, contains far more information in certain sequences that the flat version does not. The flat version could have included a lot of the missing info if it had been scanned a lot better than it was in places. For example, the scene where the boys pose for photographers holding a teddy bear. The flat version shows two Beatles and a teddy on the right of the screen, with a few photographers on the left. The scope shows all 4 Beatles and a lot more photographers. My argument is that that the flat version should have included all 4 Beatles because, after all, that's what we want isn't it? We could have done without the photographers.
Then to the performance. Flat version : Was worried at the start if John was there? Aaah yes! There he is!.....well.....half of him on the right. Even with the shot focusing on Paul and George, if the frame had been scanned a little further to the right, all three of them would have been in it.
Scope version : No problem. All present and accounted for! It becomes apparent watching the scope that John was totally left out of other shots, too.

My print.

I had read elsewhere on this forum that the colour does not hold up well on the scope copy as it does with the flat one. Just as well, as I was then not too disappointed that it has faded quite a lot. A bit of colour was still there but with a pink hue to it all. The focus was average.... not as good as the flat. The sound was good throughout.

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Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on October 25, 2019, 06:39 AM:

Melvin, thanks for the review, we had this one for a number of years and i sold my scope copy last year as we continue to sell off fading or faded films.
However, this is a great little reel and as you say the scope screen helps this along perfectly especially reading your comparison to the flat version. The actual footage of the Beatles on the stage performing would be greatly reduced on the flat version i would think. Such a shame Deranns re release with great colours wasn't in scope as well.
I did enjoy this reel very much but the poor colour simply meant it wasn't a long term keeper for us.

This week however, i did receive the Derann 200ft release of Let it Be. It does have some fade, (as advertised) however, we will be hanging onto it for a while. I will do a separate review later [Wink]

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on October 25, 2019, 08:22 AM:

Thanks Melvin!

I agree, the scope print deserves a separate review. Yes, it's the same film, but it's a different print.

What's interesting is my flat print contains some negative scratching near the beginning too.

I love to use this film as a "newsreel" at the beginning of the show. There's this subliminal message: "Look what 8mm film can do!". (-just in case they were expecting silent footage of kid's birthday parties!)

Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on October 25, 2019, 11:41 AM:

Yes,Steve. The flat print does not escape from negative scratches either. But on a scale of 1 to 10, the scope would rate 9/10 whereas the flat possibly 4/10, but either way, they disappear on both prints before the important bit starts!

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