News Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Cut is being restored in 4K, launching first on Paramount+

I understand all of that.

The SLV is coming on 4K? Because that’s what we were discussing.

 

For me, my biggest concern for this 'Director's Edition' 4K release will depend on how much of the elements have survived. Shades of 'lost footage' from the TNG blu-ray sets and all those SHOUT! Factory releases that have their extended editions presented in 'HD with SD Inserts'.

>.<

Looking back at the original Director's Edition DVD, the source used for that version was definitely not in the best of shape. I wonder sometimes if the real reason why the blu-ray was never made was because presenting the whole film in Standard Definition was the only way to watch the film with consistent quality (i.e. All Standard Definition).

This is all speculation of course. I have no idea what condition the elements are in or if this will truly be a native 4K release with all the footage and effects properly scanned and rendered in 4K. And it's not like the SLV was all the new live action footage that the team used. They had access to footage that we have NEVER SEEN that was incorporated into the Director's Edition (Ilia running from her station to tend to Chekov, extended 'The medics are coming' shot now clearly showing Ilia running to Chekov's side, Ilia being given her headband, Kirk and company walking towards V'Ger as seen from a below angle), so hopefully everything is in good shape.

 

Oliver Harper re-edited and re-uploaded his review video for TMP.

 

Where did you get that image of the model that's being used in the new 4k version of the movie? It looks great!

 

Thank you for doing that.

If I were Bezos I’d build that huge physical model Trumbull would have wanted.

 

Let's be honest -- it's actually more surprising that the special longer version was ever released officially by Paramount in the first place -- than the lack of a high-definition release up till now (or ever).
It was released on VHS and LaserDisc --what? -- over a quarter of a century ago and not been Revisited in an official capacity since by Paramount.
The good thing for talented do-it-yourselfers is that between the theatrical and the director's edition coming out in 4k there only remains six minutes or so, of footage that was in the special longer version that won't have been restored in 4K resolution. So somebody probably can upscale those six minutes which can be found in widescreen on the director's cut DVD or the theatrical cut Blu-ray. Heck there's even a guy who using CGI created the rest of the matte painting for the scene where Kirk exits the airlock.
I'm trying to think how many TV Cuts where they threw in everything but the kitchen sink have been officially released on Blu-ray. I think the only two are the Superman TV cut which is amazing curiosity but actually a horrible way to watch the movie and the 1976 King Kong is also coming out on Blu-ray with the TV version included.
Hey I found the clip where the guy created a matte painting for the deleted scene of Kurt exiting the airlock.

 

Daren Dochterman put it up as his Facebook header when the 4K DE was announced.

 

Upscaling can only provide so much improvements. The documentary on the restoration of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' made this point perfectly clear. The upscaling they could do on the standard definition video simply couldn't provide the detail that a native High Definition scan would, and that was just for high definition. This is 4K resolution! Such an up conversion would likely make the film look even more artificial than the DNR that was applied to the original Blu-ray.

 

What I was talking about was somebody doing it on their own if Paramount refused to release the special longer version in high definition.
Nobody is under any illusion upscaling looks anything like a true restoration. What I had said was if the theatrical is restored and the director's is restored then the only thing that's left is the six minutes from the special longer version that wasn't included in the director's addition.
But thanks for the heads up that upscaling is not the same as true restoration

 

Ok. When I read that I thought you were saying that this 'someone' was on the DE team upscaling SD footage for the Director's Edition 4K.

 

Looks lovely

 

It might be interesting to see the SLV elements included as an 'additional scenes' feature possibly. I'm not sure Paramount will go to the trouble of including a full length SLV on 4K or Blu-Ray. That doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar at Paramount from what I've read.

I remember when the 'director's cut' of Alien came out. I remember Ridley Scott saying while he didn't mind the expanded version being released, he didn't really consider that a director's cut. He noted that the theatrical version is the version he intended on releasing, that was in fact what he considered the director's cut.

So sometimes the theatrical cut is the 'final cut'--though from comments made by Wise it sounds like he would consider the DE closer to his original vision for the film. But I never heard that he considered the SLV a definitive version of TMP.

Perhaps another reason I enjoy the DE best of all--it appears to be closest to the original intent of Wise of the 3 versions. I know he always considered the theatrical version not quite finished.

 

I would guess that Wise was not even involved in the SLV, since television cuts are done as deals between producers and TV networks. And at the time, the networks paid for the movie content by the minute, so more footage meant more money, whether it makes for a better story or not. A similar example would be the ABC TV cut of Superman: The Movie which stuffed in an extra thirty minutes of footage.

Kor

 

Yeah, I imagine that was the case. I was just making the point that sometimes scenes are cut for a reason.

Not to say there aren't some scenes from the SLV that might have some value, but I never felt all the scenes were necessary. Just the ones that added to the overall narrative.

 

The stuff on the SLV I remember that was really good and definitely improved/added to the story, tone or characters:

• The self-destruct gambit
• Spock's tears
• The version of the argument Kirk and McCoy have after Decker leaves
• Decker's line about "we all create God in our own image"
• The extended/alternate conversation with the Probe in Ilia's quarters
• The "he wanted her back...he got her" extended scene
• The little snippet of Sulu catching Ilia distracted after Decker leaves the bridge to get yelled at by Kirk
• Ilia helping Chekov after the first V'ger attack
• The full conversation in the Officer's Lounge after Spock leaves "Jim...if this super intelligence...."

The stuff that I could do without (I don't dislike it per se, but it doesn't add much and/or is just choppy/awkward):

• Decker running around the bridge randomly during the tractor beam scene, looking intense
• The slow pan across the bridge, background chatter taking place, while the Enterprise is slowly drawn into the inner V'ger chamber
• The "Kirk is in the wrong spacesuit" stuff (I don't want him stopped / I have him in sight)
• McCoy randomly showing up on the Bridge to make a joke about the size of V'ger's crew.
• Sulu acting like an idiot in front of Ilia before they leave drydock

 

Well I guess Robert Wise agreed with you because five of nine that you wanted left in we're put into the director's Edition and none of the ones that you could do without were put into the director's Edition