Welcome to the new 8mm Forum!
The forum you are looking at is entirely new software. Because there was no good way to import all of the old archived data from the last 20 years on the old software, everyone will need to register for a new account to participate.
To access the original forums from 2003-2019 which are now a "read only" status, click on the "FORUM ARCHIVE" link above.
Please remember registering with your first and last REAL name is mandatory. This forum is for professionals and fake names are not permitted. To get to the registration page click here.
Once the registration has been approved, you will be able to login via the link in the upper right corner of this page.
Also, please remember while it is highly encouraged to upload an avatar image to your profile, is not a requirement. If you choose to upload an avatar image, please remember that it IS a requirement that the image must be a clear photo of your face.
Thank you!
...One of the first full features I bought when I re-entered the hobby. Quite right, this is a rare one on S8 and most likely a dupe. It is the full feature and my print arrived on 5X400' reels as well. Quite good but some scenes suffer from soft focus. An excellent film that I just had to have on Super 8! ​
Burton ... I wonder if that softness of focus could have been in the original print source? I have the special edition of this on laserdisc, and there are some portions where it goes from a very sharp image to a very soft image. My guess is that most of the print was 35mm, but there might have been damage to the 35mm, and they substituted 16mm for those sections? It's fairly obvious.
The one from the auction looks like it was released by a distributor, Matching reels and boxes etc. Mine came on 6X400' now that I have re-visited it, mixed generic 400' plastic reels in metal film cans. Close-ups are quite sharp but wide-angle scenes are softer. A few scenes have audio wow. Leaders give no indication of a lab or company of origin. A fellow Hobbyist has since informed me that his friend won the auction and that the print has very good sharpness and contrast...Pretty sure mine is a dupe.
All I can add is 40+ years ago i watched a Std 8 film and it was oh so poor quality. As was common in the 70's many 8mm prints were printed up to S8 making matters even worse. Probably one of those so not really Super 8 as far as origination goes.
Thanks Lee, that would explain a great many things...No pun intended. Further evidence then that my print and perhaps the recent auction print are dupes but from different source prints.
one being a 5 reel version and one on 6. Mine could be a Std. 8 to Super 8 copy. In the end it would be nice to know as this is a sci-fi classic.
I can state for a fact that The Thing was indeed made on Super 8 : Red Fox manufactured the complete feature (B/W stock of course) decades ago! It's a top quality film print albeit rare that is definitely not a dupe and most likely made using the original negative. I do have this print so just want to confirm it's existence.
Thanks Zachary! I am well aware of Red Fox prints and their excellent quality so you have a rare print indeed! Did your print come mounted on 5X400' as did the one in the eBay auction?
Any chance you have the Red Fox Original boxes? It would be appreciated if you could post more details about this print!
Red Fox Films didn't release THE THING, but did sell it in a deal with Nostalgia Merchant, as well as several R.K.O. super 8 features. This is from one of my Red Fox catalogues.
Thanks Joe! You have done it again! I didn't want to hijack this thread but I couldn't find ANYTHING about a full feature regarding The Original Classic version on Super 8. I remember Nostalgia Merchant. Now the only question left unanswered is was this originally a 5X400' release? Thanks to all members for their input.
Comment