Orson Wells and Star Trek: TMP's teaser and TV spots

[Cyberstrike]

I was watching the second disc of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Edition and was watching the Teaser and TV spots and I thought heard Orson Wells' doing the voice over for them.

I'm pretty sure he did them but does anyone know for sure?

This wouldn't really surprise me since Robert Wise, who directed it and who was an editor on Citizen Kane. You can pick up the two disc Director's Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture at Wal-Mart for $7.50.

[RayKelly]

It is Orson Welles doing the narration...a good thing since Wise had little edited footage in hand when it came time to do the trailers. Welles voice carries the otherwise very dull trailers.
I seem to remember an old Trek article where Wise said that he called on Welles to do it as a favor.
BTW, the director's edition of ST:TMP is a vast improvement over the theatrical and TV cuts, but Wise should have still trimmed the V'ger flyover sequence no matter how beautiful the Gopldsmith score is.

[Terry]

That's a tough one. I love those long John Dykstra/Douglas Trumbull effects sequences with their accompanying and quite gorgeous Goldsmith mini-symphonies, but they do kill the pace of the story at those points.

[nextren]

Too bad there won't be a Director's Edition of "Magnificent Ambersons."

[Wich2]

After the long wait, I was rarely as electrified by a trailer ~



~ but then, alas, rarely more disappointed in a film...

[Terry]

At least back then it wasn't just stuff that got blowed up and Spock punching people in the face.

[Wich2]

That's true. I was encouraged by the new cast - but let down by the new movies.

On the other hand, Jim Kirk did plenty of fightin', and (within budget/fx constraints) plenty of stuff blowed up, in the original series too.

But the problem with THE MOTIONLESS PICTURE was The Great Bird's Attempt to out-Kubrick Kubrick. And his flat, misguided "cosmic-ness," and bloated pace and fx, were totally un-TREK.

[Terry]

The Marvel comics adaption did a better job of telling the story. Seriously. I liked the little paperback edition I had of it back then, and Gene Roddenberry's novelization too.

[Wich2]

Haven't read the comic; but I agree that the novelization plays better.

[RayKelly]

Robert Wise was editing the film close to 72 hours before the first showing.
There is a director's edition of ST:TMP, which slightly improves on the earlier cut.
There is so much wrong with the movie... plot, dialogue, costumes....
Thank God for Nicholas Meyer.

[Wich2]

"Ditto" right down the line, Ray.

Meyer (with Harve Bennett) literally saved the franchise.

-Craig

[Terry]

LOL, of all the Trek films, TMP is the only one I truly like. I wish someone would save the franchise today though.

What's Tarantino going to do with the one he's directing, show close-ups of Uhura's feet?

For all the excoriation Rick Berman receives, I really miss him being the showrunner.

[Le Chiffre]

TMP is my favorite Trek film too, but the first time I saw it I was drunk, and hated every minute of it. The second was a couple years later at college; I was stoned and loved every minute of it.

I haven't seen it in many years now. Not sure how it would hold up now, after the perverted "underage" scandals involving Stephen Collins. The bickering between Decker and Kirk was some of my favorite stuff in the film.

[Wich2]

TREK fan since '66 that I am, I give THE MOTIONLESS PICTURE a spin every few years. The Wife and I just did that the other night.

*sigh*

The Director's Edition is marginally better. But the Enterprise Flyby and V'ger Tour are still tedious, and there are still some painfully bad script and acting moments. As far as the overall plot...

WHERE NOMAD HAS GONE BEFORE, indeed (with dashes of THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE and THE IMMUNITY SYNDROME.)

Then, I took a look at a key scenes of WRATH OF KAHN on youtube. Night and day. NIGHT AND DAY.

- Craig

[Wellesnet]

Nice remastering of the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR0R04m ... nBABcPiDKM