New 007 DVDs: Fantastic!

[Eric Paddon]

One question I'd like to know is if the "Thunderball" supplements this time includes the "Incredible World Of 007" documentary that was part of the LD set but not the first DVD release?

I also will always be holding onto my Criterion CAV LDs of the first three films since those supplements will never be found anywhere else!

[AndyDursin]

Yes, that special IS included here!

Wow, Eric, you have those? A friend of mine brought DR NO and FROM RUSSIA over years ago and I made a vhs of the DR NO commentary. If you ever put those on DVD let me know! (Or if you make tapes of those supplements).

[Eric Paddon]

Well, I haven't got an LD to DVD capability but I can always do VHS transfers of the other films with their commentaries and supplements if I ever get the machine hooked up again (which I might give a try around Christmas when I have some extra time to kill).

I think the reason why Goldfinger was pulled out of circulation so fast was because Bruce Eder's liner notes made some really cheap shots at Roger Moore that I think may have been part of the reason why Broccoli demanded their withdrawal.

[Eric Paddon]

Well, on the basis of your gushing review Andy, plus the discount at Best Buy where each box was only $50 I got them. (I could use the distraction tonight anyway).

[AndyDursin]

Well, on the basis of your gushing review Andy, plus the discount at Best Buy where each box was only $50 I got them. (I could use the distraction tonight anyway).

I don't think you'll be disappointed Eric. A lot of other reviews I've seen have echoed my sentiments. As I wrote in my review I do believe SPY WHO LOVED ME is probably the weakest transfer, and I wonder if it's because of the film stock (which resulted in a number of lousy looking movies back in the mid to late '70s!). Either way that probably has the least impressive upgrade...but GOLDFINGER looks great!

[Eric Paddon]

Seeing the 20th Century Fox logo on this set of DVDs in a sense brings the saga of Bond movies on video full-circle because the very first VHS releases I remember were done by CBS/Fox video and they used some transfers that were PAL sped-up in a number of cases to get the running time that was 123 minutes or so under two hours (Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker I know did this because the music was in a higher pitch that always threw me off whenever I'd get the soundtracks and hear it in the lower pitch which I kept thinking was wrong because of my exposure to the sped-up video).

[AndyDursin]

Seeing the 20th Century Fox logo on this set of DVDs in a sense brings the saga of Bond movies on video full-circle because the very first VHS releases I remember were done by CBS/Fox video and they used some transfers that were PAL sped-up in a number of cases to get the running time that was 123 minutes or so under two hours (Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker I know did this because the music was in a higher pitch that always threw me off whenever I'd get the soundtracks and hear it in the lower pitch which I kept thinking was wrong because of my exposure to the sped-up video).

I remember those fondly as well -- and how about Magnetic Video which preceded even CBS/Fox? That horrible music with the narrator who'd say "The Following United Artists Feature Is Brought To You By Magnetic Video"!

Aah the good old days of renting out tapes...seems like so long ago (and it was!). I do miss the communal part of that. Good times.

[Eric Paddon]

Ah yes, Magnetic Video. I always hated them because those tapes were the only ones I could never get a clean duplication of (yes, I confess, in those days when a movie cost $80 a friend and I would hook our machines together and dub all the rentals we could, but Magnetic tapes never played back on my VCR after dubbing.)

Can any of us remember how incredible the feeling was in the early 80s to actually be able to see a movie at your own leisure and not be beholden to when it appeared on television? And then to OWN a copy???

[Carlson2005]

Can any of us remember how incredible the feeling was in the early 80s to actually be able to see a movie at your own leisure and not be beholden to when it appeared on television? And then to OWN a copy???

As a super 8mm collector, I remember that excitement all too well. How jaded we've all become. I was in a store today looking over the new contents of the upgraded Man With the Golden Gun thinking that since they still hadn't included the deleted Molotov cocktail scene that featured so heavily in the trailers that I'd wait until the price dropped further rather than go for the buy-one-get-one-free offer over here. And yet once upon a time the whole notion of getting a panned-and-scanned version of a film for twice the price was too good an offer to refuse...

[MarkB]

Can any of us remember how incredible the feeling was in the early 80s to actually be able to see a movie at your own leisure and not be beholden to when it appeared on television? And then to OWN a copy???

As a super 8mm collector, I remember that excitement all too well. How jaded we've all become. I was in a store today looking over the new contents of the upgraded Man With the Golden Gun thinking that since they still hadn't included the deleted Molotov cocktail scene that featured so heavily in the trailers that I'd wait until the price dropped further rather than go for the buy-one-get-one-free offer over here. And yet once upon a time the whole notion of getting a panned-and-scanned version of a film for twice the price was too good an offer to refuse...

I remember Mag Video very well. One of the first videotapes I bought, back in '83, was their version of THE STUNT MAN.

I'm fortunate in that I didn't get too deeply in Super 8 before videotapes came along. Still, I spent quite a bit of money on the edited Super 8 versions of movies. I had two-reel versions of STAR WARS and EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (about 35-40 minutes total for each film), and a great three-reel version of STAR TREK-TMP. ST-TMP ran just under an hour and was a superior cut to the theatrical version, IMHO. It cut out all of the boring parts and ended up playing like a great TV episode.

I had gotten so used to settling for edited versions of movies that when RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was announced on tape (I already had the shortened Super 8 edition), I actually asked a videostore clerk if it was going to be the ENTIRE movie. He looked at me like I was nuts before answering, "Yes."

My friends also thought I was crazy for spending $300 on a complete Super 8 copy of 2001. That would have been around 1982. It was pan-and-scanned, but it was still cool to see the entire movie projected on a large screen at home, with the sound running through my stereo system.

We are indeed spoiled these days.

Mark

[Eric Paddon]

I got Volumes 3 and 4 today at the discounted rate ($100 for both), and now I can get rid of all the remaining old DVDs except for the original "Tomorrow Never Dies" release which had an isolated score track.

This is the LAST time I ever pay for a Bond film for at least the next decade or two!

[AndyDursin]

Excellent work Eric! I'm just thumbing through the Vols. 3 and 4 sets now. I love the James Brolin tests on OCTOPUSSY -- we never knew how close we really came...to an American 007! I actually liked Brolin's attitude, seems as if Cubby would've gone with him IF they ever had an American Bond, but was always reluctant to do so.

Someone mentioned deleted scenes being left off DIE ANOTHER DAY but other than that and the isolated score you mentioned, everything else is here.

[Eric Paddon]

LOL, I didn't know that about Die Another Day which I already tossed out! I needed the two disc case for something else anyway.

Selling stuff off I don't do unless there's something unique about them (the X-Files stuff having bonus discs not in the current releases), and these items would only attract a tiny pittance on e-bay not worth going through the hassle of shipment for.

[Eric Paddon]

There is one supplement I would have liked to have seen in this set that is sadly not available, and I wonder if they even know of its existence, and that's the 1983 special "James Bond-The First 21 Years" that aired in syndicated markets at the time of "Octopussy's" release and had some great moments including giving Paul McCartney a chance to respond to the "Goldfinger" scene of Bond expressing his disdain for the Beatles.

[Carlson2005]

Is that the one which had Ronald Reagan talking about how you could always rely on Bond to watch your back despite the fact that Bond's sidekicks (and half the girls) always end up dead?