Official Macbeth R1 DVD coming!

[Jay]

While researching something else, I stumbled across the fact that the Olive Films distribution company, who lately has been licensing many Paramount and Republic films for DVD release, has licensed Macbeth for a 2012 release. Olive has an excellent track record of high-quality releases, unlike other junk peddlers like Alpha Video. So if this release does happen, the DVD transfer will probably look and sound excellent.

You can find this information under the "company credits" portion of the film's IMDb listing: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040558/companycredits

Just don't get too excited about the fact that it says "DVD and Blu-ray." Olive has yet to issue any of these classics on Blu-ray; it will probably only be a DVD release.

[Roger Ryan]

I don't think there are any firm plans in place for Olive to release MACBETH this year; only that they have acquired significant portions of the Republic library for potential release. For the last few years, the Republic library has been owned by Lions Gate who did next to nothing with the films. Olive has a much better reputation for issuing older films, but they still have been slow in getting them on the market.

All the same, thank you for bringing the news to this board.

[atcolomb]

I don't think there are any firm plans in place for Olive to release MACBETH this year; only that they have acquired significant portions of the Republic library for potential release. For the last few years, the Republic library has been owned by Lions Gate who did next to nothing with the films. Olive has a much better reputation for issuing older films, but they still have been slow in getting them on the market.

All the same, thank you for bringing the news to this board.

One good example of a Republic movie i want to see remastered and on blu-ray is John Ford's "The Quiet Man (1952). The least that could be done is remaster this classic by going back to the three-strip Technicolor negatives, and then scan each one, realigning them to prevent the fuzziness seen in all laserdisc and DVD copies, and do some color correction. Think of how great “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Gone with the Wind,” and “The African Queen” all look, and they were all shot using the same color process.

[Roger Ryan]

I'm pleased to eat my own words and note that MACBETH will indeed be released this year by Olive Films on September 18th! Mastered in HD from a nitrate fine grain print, the film is being issued on both DVD and Blu-ray. It looks like the disc will only include the 107 min. edit, but since this is Welles' original cut I see no reason to complain.

Olive Films appears to have significantly ramped up their release schedule since acquiring the Republic library and there have been some very intriguing releases this year from the company.

[Le Chiffre]

Great news again. MACBETH and THE TRIAL on BluRay both in the same month? Amazing! Now I just have to finally get a player!

[Jay]

Olive Films appears to have significantly ramped up their release schedule since acquiring the Republic library and there have been some very intriguing releases this year from the company.

It seems as if they were working the kinks out of their system and are now firing on all cylinders, because you're right -- their release schedule has definitely filled out. No complaints here, as they're releasing a lot of noirs in quality blu/DVD transfers that I've wanted to see for a while. The only area where they can improve is special features, since all of their releases include only the feature film. However, I never thought I'd see the day when many of their releases would see a quality DVD (let alone blu-ray) release, so it's not like it's a make-or-break issue, at least for me.

[Dark Horse 77]

It's getting closer!

http://www.amazon.com/Macbeth-Orson-Wel ... ds=macbeth

[A Sled in Flames]

Great news again. MACBETH and THE TRIAL on BluRay both in the same month? Amazing! Now I just have to finally get a player!

It'll be a very interesting time to be an Orson Welles fan with a Blu-Ray player. I can't wait to see both; their not my favorites, but it's good to have some Welles stuff available. Does anyone have any idea if there will be special features on the Macbeth BD? If so, what will there be?

[Roger Ryan]

Great news again. MACBETH and THE TRIAL on BluRay both in the same month? Amazing! Now I just have to finally get a player!

It'll be a very interesting time to be an Orson Welles fan with a Blu-Ray player. I can't wait to see both; their not my favorites, but it's good to have some Welles stuff available. Does anyone have any idea if there will be special features on the Macbeth BD? If so, what will there be?

Olive Films does not normally include any bonus features on its releases. While this has been a disappointment to fans who are used to releases from labels like Criterion, it helps keep the costs down so Olive can afford to issue its films on Blu-ray. Given that MACBETH has never seen a Region 1 DVD release, I'm okay with getting just the film (as long as its Welles' initial edit which I believe it is).

[atcolomb]

Here is the review of the blu-ray version from Blu-ray.com. Too bad no extras on it

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Macbeth-B ... 12/#Review

[Roger Ryan]

Here is the review of the blu-ray version from Blu-ray.com. Too bad no extras on it

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Macbeth-B ... 12/#Review

The trade-off for a small label like Olive to release so many archive films is that they never include extras. It would have been nice to have both extant versions of MACBETH on this release, but at least they went with Welles' original cut.

"But like so many of Welles' films, even the meddling influence of studio executives couldn't completely diminish the inherent genius that was at least sporadically on display throughout the enterprise." - Blu-ray.com review

This line makes it sound like the reviewer is not aware that this version is, in fact, Welles' unadulterated vision. Apart from the poverty row budget he had to work with, there was no studio meddling during the initial assembly of the film. The re-editing that resulted in the subsequent shorter version was still under Welles' control (most likely due to Richard Wilson's pleading that Welles stay involved after submitting the initial edit). I guess it's automatically assumed that some meddling had to be involved with every film Welles directed after KANE!

[atcolomb]

Here is the DVD BEAVER review. Lets hope "Othello" will get the blu-ray treatment soon...if Beatrice Welles-Smith will get her act together.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews39/macbeth.htm

[atcolomb]

Just received the dvd today and kinda skipped thru the movie and have to say the image is poor in many spots with lines and dirt and junk on the image but other scenes look very sharp and clean....very puzzled and it looks like diffrent prints were used to make the dvd? The sound is excellent and clear with very little hiss so a mixed bag with this dvd and for a movie made in 1948 it could have looked much better but happy it was released at all.

[Roger Ryan]

Just received the dvd today and kinda skipped thru the movie and have to say the image is poor in many spots with lines and dirt and junk on the image but other scenes look very sharp and clean....very puzzled and it looks like diffrent prints were used to make the dvd?...

I believe different prints were used to reconstruct Welles' original long cut back in the early 80s (the long cut being the only version on the new release). I suspect that the flaws in the various elements weren't as apparent on VHS as they would be on a newly remastered DVD or Blu-ray. As part of their business model, Olive Films work with existing masters and do not do any additional clean-up or restoration for their releases.

[Jay]

As part of their business model, Olive Films work with existing masters and do not do any additional clean-up or restoration for their releases.

That's actually only partially true. In a recent interview, Frank Tarzi (Olive's head of acquisitions) stated that, when an HD master is already available, they use it. However, if it doesn't, they do their own scans (which are often done at 4K resolution). For all of their 2010 and 2011 releases, they made their own HD masters. I'm not sure if an HD master of Macbeth was available or if they did their own.

You can read the full interview with Tarzi here: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=9202