_The General_ (1926) -- new transfer?

Last month, Image/Blackhawk released a new double-feature disc of Buster
Keaton's films _The General_ and _Steamboat Bill, Jr._:

<http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=546041>

I'm wondering whether this is a new transfer of _The General_ or whether
it's the same print/tint/transfer used on the 1999 Image/Kino DVD:

<http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=7779>

The only review of the new disc that I've found (by DVD Savant Glenn
Erickson) doesn't compare it to the older disc, so I'm not certain.

Anyone know for sure?

I'm not inclined to pick up the newer disc just for the accompaniment by
the Alloy Orchestra, but if it's a new transfer, I'd be much more tempted.

TIA for any help,

doug

--

---------------Douglas Bailey ()---------------
Something burst, just out of reach...
--Wire

Douglas Bailey

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 19:53:53 -0500, Douglas Bailey
<> wrote:

>Last month, Image/Blackhawk released a new double-feature disc of Buster
>Keaton's films _The General_ and _Steamboat Bill, Jr._:
>
> <http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=546041>
>
>I'm wondering whether this is a new transfer of _The General_ or whether
>it's the same print/tint/transfer used on the 1999 Image/Kino DVD:
>
> <http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=7779>
>
>The only review of the new disc that I've found (by DVD Savant Glenn
>Erickson) doesn't compare it to the older disc, so I'm not certain.
>
>Anyone know for sure?
>
>I'm not inclined to pick up the newer disc just for the accompaniment by
>the Alloy Orchestra, but if it's a new transfer, I'd be much more tempted.

Just for reference, the best-looking transfer of "The General", the
only one done from Camera Negative, was put out by Kino on Image
Laserdisc. Yes they once worked together. The Image DVD is actually
inferior, from my personal viewing of the two, and according to the
reviews at http://www.dvdlaser.com/search/detail.cfm?ID=3109 and
http://www.dvdlaser.com/search/detail.cfm?ID=24722
So picture-wise we still don't have a definitive version, as far as I
can tell, unless the new DVD actually has a fresh master...

. Steve .
>TIA for any help,
>
>doug

Steve(JazzHunter)

"Douglas Bailey" <> wrote in message news:...
> Last month, Image/Blackhawk released a new double-feature disc of Buster
> Keaton's films _The General_ and _Steamboat Bill, Jr._:
>
> <http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=546041>
>
> I'm wondering whether this is a new transfer of _The General_ or whether
> it's the same print/tint/transfer used on the 1999 Image/Kino DVD:
>
> <http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_item.asp?item_id=7779>
>
> The only review of the new disc that I've found (by DVD Savant Glenn
> Erickson) doesn't compare it to the older disc, so I'm not certain.
>
> Anyone know for sure?
>
> I'm not inclined to pick up the newer disc just for the accompaniment by
> the Alloy Orchestra, but if it's a new transfer, I'd be much more tempted.
>
> TIA for any help,
>
> doug
>
> --
>
> ---------------Douglas Bailey ()---------------
> Something burst, just out of reach...
> --Wire

AFAIK it's not a new transfer: only the music is different

: - )

Smiley

Douglas Bailey <> wrote:

> Last month, Image/Blackhawk released a new double-feature
> disc of Buster Keaton's films _The General_ and _Steamboat
> Bill, Jr._:
>
> I'm wondering whether this is a new transfer of _The General_
> or whether it's the same print/tint/transfer used on the 1999
> Image/Kino DVD:

Without having seen it myself, I doubt it. All of Blackhawk's
releases that I've seen have been David Shepard tranfers, and
as far as I've been able to tell from other releases, Kino has
never, ever used one of Shepard's transfers for either LD or DVD.

It might be worth asking in the alt.movies.silent newsgroup.
Someone there will probably tell you more than you'll ever
want to know about the different transfers.

-- jayembee

jayembee

jayembee wrote:
> Douglas Bailey <> wrote:

>> I'm wondering whether this is a new transfer of _The General_
>> or whether it's the same print/tint/transfer used on the 1999
>> Image/Kino DVD:
>
> It might be worth asking in the alt.movies.silent newsgroup.

Thanks for the pointer: I found this article...

<http://google.com/groups?selm=2a0686...posting .goog
le.com>

....which states that "The film material...is derived from the same sources
as the Kino releases but has been remastered and should look a little
better than before."

Hmmmm. Hmmmm hmmmm hmmmmm.

I might just have to pick this up anyway.

doug

--

---------------Douglas Bailey ()---------------
I can't see the lines I used to think I could read between...
--Eno

Douglas Bailey

Douglas Bailey <> wrote in message news:<>...
> jayembee wrote:
> > Douglas Bailey <> wrote:
>
> >> I'm wondering whether this is a new transfer of _The General_
> >> or whether it's the same print/tint/transfer used on the 1999
> >> Image/Kino DVD:
> >
> > It might be worth asking in the alt.movies.silent newsgroup.
>
> Thanks for the pointer: I found this article...
>
> <http://google.com/groups?selm=2a0686...posting .goog
> le.com>
>
> ...which states that "The film material...is derived from the same sources
> as the Kino releases but has been remastered and should look a little
> better than before."
>
> Hmmmm. Hmmmm hmmmm hmmmmm.
>
> I might just have to pick this up anyway.
>


I talked to David Shepard about this and he confirmed that it is a new
transfer; the old one was just a port of the laserdisc so there are a
good many years of technological improvement between the two. Still
waiting on my review copy but Shepard's pretty honest about assessing
his product and have no reason to doubt a quality improvement. I
think there are also a few odds and ends of additional footage but
nothing major.

Mark

gardibolt

On 6 Nov 2003 14:34:04 -0800, (gardibolt) wrote:

>Douglas Bailey <> wrote in message news:<>...
>> jayembee wrote:
>> > Douglas Bailey <> wrote:
>>
>> >> I'm wondering whether this is a new transfer of _The General_
>> >> or whether it's the same print/tint/transfer used on the 1999
>> >> Image/Kino DVD:
>> >
>> > It might be worth asking in the alt.movies.silent newsgroup.
>>
>> Thanks for the pointer: I found this article...
>>
>> <http://google.com/groups?selm=2a0686...posting .goog
>> le.com>
>>
>> ...which states that "The film material...is derived from the same sources
>> as the Kino releases but has been remastered and should look a little
>> better than before."
>>
>> Hmmmm. Hmmmm hmmmm hmmmmm.
>>
>> I might just have to pick this up anyway.
>>
>
>
>I talked to David Shepard about this and he confirmed that it is a new
>transfer; the old one was just a port of the laserdisc so there are a
>good many years of technological improvement between the two. Still
>waiting on my review copy but Shepard's pretty honest about assessing
>his product and have no reason to doubt a quality improvement. I
>think there are also a few odds and ends of additional footage but
>nothing major.
]
Thank you. SInce I implicitly trust Mr. Shepard's judgement on such
matters I will probalby pick this up myself.

. Steve .
>
>Mark

Steve(JazzHunter)