8mm Forum: Universal 8 Entertainment

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Topic: Universal 8 Entertainment

Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 18, 2008 10:59 PM

Remember those?

George C Scott was good in this one, masked print with actual newsreel footage,

Corny but fun, my print is a bit faded, popular in its day.

Another masked print I always thought this was a good digest

and lastly who can forget this one

Well there you have it, a very small sample of the films available from Universal 8 how has your prints faired over the years?

Graham.

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 19, 2008 12:18 AM

I have all 3 "Dracula" digests. the 13-minute one was very good. My print is actually not bad. The intro by Walter Mirisch is a bit on the brown side, but the remainder is quite alright. I actually have yet to view the other 2 parts. i won them on EBAY not long ago and actually forgot I had them. Does anybody recollect how good they were? I keep holding out for the 2-parter of "Jaws". People say the 12-minute digest is pretty good, but I'd rather have the 2-parter.

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John Clancy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1954
From: Cornwall
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 19, 2008 05:15 AM

It's a 10 minute digest and yes, in terms of editing it is superior to the 32 minute cut.

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British Film Collectors Convention home page www.bfcc.biz. The site is for the whole of the film collecting hobby and not just the BFCC.

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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator

Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 19, 2008 10:22 AM

Brad,

The two part "Dracula" is very well done. If you liked the film, you'll like the digest. Also, if you're so inclined, you can insert quite a few scenes from the promo reel into the 2 parter.
The 2x400' "Jaws" is fine, but you have to marvel at how good the edit job is on the 200 footer. Get both!

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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James N. Savage 3
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003

posted January 19, 2008 03:13 PM

Both "Jaws" digests, the 10 minute/200 foot, and the 2x400 foot, were two of the most skillfully edited digests ever put out on super 8.

But as Doug said, to be able to edit a 2 hour movie down to 10 minutes, retaining the suspence and atmosphere of the full movie, while telling a complete story, is quite an achivement.

Note: The 200 foot is full frame, while the 2x400 is letterboxed.

James.

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Trevor Adams
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 763
From: Auckland,New Zealand
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 19, 2008 05:17 PM

My Hindenburg has faded and Mr Rogers has gone pink(well he should,with all those corny jokes).I binned Jaws (letterboxed)ages ago. Universals are not great stayers in fact I'd nominate Jaws as the "fastest fading film ever [Smile]

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Trevor

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 20, 2008 12:40 AM

Were all "Universal 8" prints imported to the UK from the US?, just wondering, as "Disney" also used Buck film laboratories for there work, it would be interesting to note the condition of fade on Universal prints, might help those that are looking at buying them on second hand lists etc.

Graham.

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David Kilderry
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 963
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 20, 2008 03:54 AM

Interesting about Jaws fading fast; in the early 1980's we ran a revival of Jaws on 35mm and it had started to fede after only 7 years! It had started to look grey instead of those deep blues originally.

Many at that time blamed bleaching caused by powerful drive-in theatre lamphouses, but it's a fair bet that good old Eastman was just as much if not more to blame!

I will have to run my Jaws 200ft and see how the colour is, I don't think I have run it for years. I remember seeing both Buck Rodgers and various Battlestar Galactica (the first in Sennsurround) films at the cinema and loving them at the time. Shortly after both TV shows were on here.

David

David

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted January 20, 2008 01:41 PM

My print of "Battlestar Galactica" (2x400) is on Kodak SP, and there is absolutely no fade whatsoever.

My Universal 8 print of "High Plains drifter" is fading, still has decent color, but brown blacks, (eastman print)

The same is true of my Buck Rogers 200ft. I used to have a print of Hindenburg (2X400), but it faded a long time ago. But then, I bought all of these used.

Interestingly though, my Battlestar was bought from a UK seller, and it is the only Universal 8 that is on Kodak SP.

Most of my Universal 8 cartoons (Woody's and such are on SP though, and have kept most of thier color.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 20, 2008 03:33 PM

That's funny.....My cartoons from U/8 and Castle and Ken have all faded horribly. I have two prints of "Yukon Have It" in 8 and 16 and both have "warbly" sound - which I thought was odd since it's two different formats. Anyone else have this toon with the same issue or is it just me?

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Douglas Meltzer
Moderator

Posts: 4554
From: New York, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 20, 2008 04:12 PM

Color fade seems like such a haphazard occurrence. Although lab, storage, and climate are all factors, sometimes it's hard to find a pattern. I've had U-8's that were bought from the same store in the late 70's, lived next to each other for years, and some have fade while others look fine. Later releases also vary. "Hindenburg", both "Dracula"s and the 200' Jaws are all looking good. "Nude Bomb", the "Galactica" trilogy (well, one's from Piccolo), "Blues Brothers", the four Richard Pryor parts, "The Jerk", among others still have very nice color. "Coal Miner's Daughter", "The Sting", and "Animal House" are completely red.

Doug

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I think there's room for just one more film.....

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted January 21, 2008 10:28 PM

Brad,

The bonly answer that makes sense for "Yukon have it" having the same "warble" sound is that the original negative used for the 16MM AND Super 8mm negative, must have had the sound imperfection on it to begin with.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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Alan Rik
Film God

Posts: 2211
From: New York City, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 21, 2008 11:03 PM

I had 2 of the Jaws 2 x 400fters. The one I kept had great color the one I sold had some fade. The Coal Miner's daughter has a little fade but still pretty good colors. The Dracula 2x400 is still very good on my copy. The Blues Brothers print I have still looks very good as well. The 200fter of Buck Rogers looks good as well. It is strange!

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005

posted January 21, 2008 11:19 PM

I would be curious to know how the films were stored. Even subpar early 80's Eastman prints can still maintain thier color
IF stored properly.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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