Season 1 DVDs different editions
Dan Certain
DVD, as soon as it's available. Since I live in England I'd prefer to
buy PAL DVDs for the better picture quality, but I'll take NTSC if I
have to. (Let's not get into a PAL/NTSC discussion... I know there are
different opinions, but I personally prefer PAL).
There's nothing in England -- the series never really took off here --
so I'll have to import from somewhere. In America NTSC versions are
available of the first three series; in Germany there's a PAL version
of the first series for an excellent price at
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000E1ALO/qid=1070202895/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/028-4896986-4649323
But there are differences.
1) The German version has 8 DVDs instead of 9. What's missing?
2) The German version emphasises that the edition is "uncut". Is the
official American release uncut as well? That would be important to
me, because I've heard that some of the steamier scenes were cut out
of the American edition, especially in the first season.
Thanks for any help.
Dan :)
DonnaLetto
My guess would either be that the CD-ROM is not included, because of
translation issues, or that the Watcher Chronicles aren't included on the
individual DVDs (also because of translation issues) and so more episodes could
be compressed onto each disc.
>2) The German version emphasises that the edition is "uncut". Is the
>official American release uncut as well?
That's fascinating, since the version on the German DVDs are in fact not as
long as the version on the English DVDs. I don't know what the official
difference is, I just know I had to go through the German versions and pick all
new chapter break and image timecodes because the Deuche episodes don't time
exactly the same as the English language versions.
Donna
Elisabet
"DonnaLetto" <donna...@aol.combative> wrote in message
news:20031130131340...@mb-m04.aol.com...
> That's fascinating, since the version on the German DVDs are in fact not
as
> long as the version on the English DVDs. I don't know what the official
> difference is, I just know I had to go through the German versions and
pick all
> new chapter break and image timecodes because the Deuche episodes don't
time
> exactly the same as the English language versions.
Could the reason be the normal PAL speed-up? I couldn't find any numbers to
compare but the length of the PAL edition should be 96% of the NTSC
edition..
A couple of questions if anyone knows:
When will the other seasons be released in Germany?
Does the german version have english subtitles as well?
(But then even if it doesn't neither has the english version...)
Are there any other region 2 or perhaps region 4 releases on the way?
I too prefer the increased resolution in PAL compared to NTSC so perhaps it
might be worth waiting for although I doubt I will be patient enough ;).
(I already got seasons 1-3.)
Elisabet
DonnaLetto
>Could the reason be the normal PAL speed-up? I couldn't find any numbers to
>compare but the length of the PAL edition should be 96% of the NTSC
>edition..
Ah! That could very well be. The DVD guy who asked me to get the timecodes
just said "they're edited differently" but he was a DVD guy who didn't know
Duncan MacLeod from Hercules, so anything is possible.
Donna
Marjon
> Ah! That could very well be. The DVD guy who asked me to get the timecodes
> just said "they're edited differently" but he was a DVD guy who didn't know
> Duncan MacLeod from Hercules, so anything is possible.
>
> Donna
The German version has Stan Kirch' audition for the role of RR. I
don't think that this is on any other DVD.
My big question is; why is it that Germany gets the HL DVD's in region
2 and the rest of Europe has to order them overseas and in region 1?
Marjon
DonnaLetto
>My big question is; why is it that Germany gets the HL DVD's in region
>2 and the rest of Europe has to order them overseas and in region 1?
Because there was a German distributor who wanted to market the sets, and so
far that hasn't happened in any other European country.
Donna
Dan Certain
wrote:
>>Marjon
>>My big question is; why is it that Germany gets the HL DVD's in region
>>2 and the rest of Europe has to order them overseas and in region 1?
Okay, so the rest of Europe has to order from abroad, but it doesn't
have to be Region 1... they can order the DVDs from Germany :)
>Because there was a German distributor who wanted to market the sets, and so
>far that hasn't happened in any other European country.
>
>Donna
Who is this German distributor? If you give me a name and address I'll
ask him directly what the differences are between his DVDs and the
American versions.
I think the main reason why the DVDs haven't been released in England
is the relative lack of success of the series. I used to live in
America, I loved the Highlander series, and a lot of the people I knew
and worked with loved it as well. I remember how we sat together and
got drunk when Ritchie was killed. (The first broadcast was late at
night in New York, so some of us had missed it. They didn't believe us
when we told them, they thought we were joking).
But I'm getting off the subject. I returned to England. Most people I
spoke to didn't even know there had been a Highlander tv series. Then
I met someone who said "Oh, it was shown at 4 in the morning on Sky
One". I'm not sure exactly what happened, because I was away from
England at the time, but for whatever reason, the series has flopped.
So I doubt there will be DVD sets released in England any time soon.
GHorvath
>timecodes
>> just said "they're edited differently" but he was a DVD guy who didn't know
>> Duncan MacLeod from Hercules, so anything is possible.
>>
>> Donna
>
>The German version has Stan Kirch' audition for the role of RR. I
>don't think that this is on any other DVD.
Cool, they did get in on there!
The US Versions had already been released when we began the bonus footage
project, but the German edition came later. There wasn't much bonus stuff
available for S1, though -- in fact, the SK audition may be it.
GH
Jette Goldie
"Dan Certain" <dance...@dont-email-me.com> wrote in message
news:24jmsv0s4020hna93...@4ax.com...
> On 01 Dec 2003 13:55:04 GMT, donna...@aol.combative (DonnaLetto)
> wrote:
>
> >>Marjon
> >>My big question is; why is it that Germany gets the HL DVD's in region
> >>2 and the rest of Europe has to order them overseas and in region 1?
>
> Okay, so the rest of Europe has to order from abroad, but it doesn't
> have to be Region 1... they can order the DVDs from Germany :)
>
> >Because there was a German distributor who wanted to market the sets, and
so
> >far that hasn't happened in any other European country.
> >
> >Donna
>
> Who is this German distributor? If you give me a name and address I'll
> ask him directly what the differences are between his DVDs and the
> American versions.
>
> I think the main reason why the DVDs haven't been released in England
> is the relative lack of success of the series. I used to live in
> America, I loved the Highlander series, and a lot of the people I knew
> and worked with loved it as well. I remember how we sat together and
> got drunk when Ritchie was killed. (The first broadcast was late at
> night in New York, so some of us had missed it. They didn't believe us
> when we told them, they thought we were joking).
It's very hard for a series to be successful in the UK if it doesn't
get aired on terrestrial tv - more so a few years ago when HL
was current. STV and some other ITV stations took HL for
maybe one or two seasons and showed it in the "snooze zone"
of midnight - 3am (varying that from week to week and sometimes
cancelling it altogether to show snooker). It sure wasn't going to
hook an audience there!
You'll note that Buffy, Angel, ST:TNG etc, got their first run on
Sky, but became really =popular= in the UK after BBC and ITV
picked them up to show in the early evening.
--
Jette
"Work for Peace and remain Fiercely Loving" - Jim Byrnes
je...@blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.jette.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
Ammaletu
This is a question I can answer as I'm from Germany. ;-)
>> 1) The German version has 8 DVDs instead of 9. What's missing? <<
The CD-ROM with all the Scripts is missing. I don't understand why - this
could be a simple extra-value for all English speaking folks and the rest
would simply ignore it. Couldn't possibly be so expensive to include this
CD-ROM.
>> 2) The German version emphasises that the edition is "uncut". Is the
official American release uncut as well? That would be important to
me, because I've heard that some of the steamier scenes were cut out
of the American edition, especially in the first season. <<
I think this is a PAL-NTSC issue, the episodes itself should have no
differences. Maybe it's emphasized on the cover because in German TV the
series was so heavily cut...
> When will the other seasons be released in Germany?
No idea, may depend on how good the first box sells.
> Does the german version have english subtitles as well?
No subtitles, but the RC1-box has none, either.
Other things about the German box:
- It has both the German and the English language version.
- There are no Watcher Chronicles and no commentary by Bill Panzer for the
individual episodes. Again: What was the problem with including them?
Translating the Chronicles wouldn't be that much of an effort. And the Bill
Panzer bits - subtiteling those few minutes... The funny thing is: On the
box itself the interviews with David Panzer are mentioned.
- There is a photo gallery on the first DVD, and the bloopers are included.
As far as I have understood it (doesn't own this box myself) the "Behind the
Scenes" feature is different (it's longer and more recent).
- The design of the box and the DVD menues resembles the second season
RC1-box (animated menues etc.). Btw: I would really like to know who had
this idea! :-)
Bye,
Johannes
Dan Certain
wrote:
Thanks for the answer, Johannes.
I guess that omitting the CD Rom isn't a big saving, but it is a
saving, and probably one of the reasons that the German box set is a
few dollars/euros cheaper than the American box set.
What was cut in the German television version? Just one example would
be enough. I have the impression that most of the cuts made in
American screenings of television series are due to longer commercials
rather than censorship. In America an hour long broadcast can only
last 44 minutes, whereas an English programme shown on ITV lasts
between 47 and 50 minutes.
Certain television series have been filmed in two versions, one with
nudity and the other without nudity, for European and American
audiences respectively. This was the case for "First Wave" and "Lexx".
Not censorship, completely different scenes. I wonder if the DVD sets
contain both versions? Probably.
Johannes, since you evidently own the German Highlander box set
yourself, could you please post the name and address of the
distributor? Then I'll write to him and ask when the other seasons are
going to be released.
Happy Dan :)
GHorvath
>be enough.
I know this one: Vi-o-lence.
One specific example: In Comes A Horseman, when Kronos stabs Methos, the shot
of Methos with the knife in his chest (thwok!) does not appear in the German
broadcast version. Of course, this means that when Kronos is twisting the
knife and Methos is reacting, it looks like Kronos' off-screen hand is
twisting... something else.
Highlander, by the way, did not have "more nudity" version.
GH
Dianne
"GHorvath" wrote
> Highlander, by the way, did not have "more nudity" >version.
*sigh* What might have been.......
--
Dianne
One of the Four Horsewomen of the ATH Gutter
Ammaletu
> What was cut in the German television version? Just one example would
> be enough.
I think most of the cuts are due to longer commercials. It was getting worse
with every re-run. :-/
Examples...
I personally taped a version of "Promises" were we don't see what Duncan
does to the President at the end. Just a few seconds are missing but it's
kinda weird to cut the end of the episode.
Then there is "Something Wicked". What is one of the defining moments of
this episode? The battle between Richie and Duncan! In the version on my
tape the fight scene is about one fourth of the original length, after the
first few words they just cut and suddenly Richie is on his knees and we see
Joe with the pistol. The really funny thing here was: At the beginning of
"Deliverance" a summary of the previous episode was shown and there the
fight scene was even longer than in the episode itself.
Or "Chivalry": Kristin finally attacks Richie and stabs him. I always
wondered why she didn't just took his head, but apparently Richie jumped out
of the window of her bureau. This detail was never shown in the German
version, as far as I know.
> Johannes, since you evidently own the German Highlander box set
> yourself,
I don't, and you didn't read my entire posting, did you?! ;-)
Sorry, but what I know about the box I heard from others. I bought the RC1
box some time ago and am still not sure if I should buy the RC2 box, too. So
I don't have a name or adress of the distributor.
Bye,
Johannes
Susan Stansfield
In article <adnpsv4ttdo4noue6...@4ax.com>, Dan Certain
<dance...@dont-email-me.com> wrote:
>I have the impression that most of the cuts made in
>American screenings of television series are due to longer commercials
>rather than censorship.
As far as I know, that's true.
Susan
Darth Maul's Highlander Site:
http://pub54.ezboard.com/fdarthscommunityfrm20
Dave Cooper
The series did much better than that.
The late night-early morning showings came a years or more after SKYs
first airings of the show which were prime time 8pm on Sky One.
I agree that PAL for us here in England would be better - even if they
did the same as some other series produce Region 2 + 4 discs ie. that
work here and in Australia.
I bought my first DVD player as 'multi-region' to get Highlander:Endgame
which seemed to also be only available in Region 1 - then six months
later HMV (Record Shops) had an exclusive Region 2 copy for sale.
So there may still be a chance for Region 2.
Regards, Dave C.