I think that’s a Decker line and no, it’s not in the DE.
TMP-DE fully restored in 4K…it’s about time!
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
No, it's not in there. I didn't understand the cut back in 2001 and I still don't like it now. To me, it was a key line for the story (and directly linked to the original "In Thy Image" script from Phase 2).
Still, it is what it is, and I still love this version of TMP. But, if I could have ONE line back from the SLV....it would be this.
I can see how the line is kind of on-the-nose, but, as I was shocked to find out reading “Return to Tomorrow,” that’s also why Spock’s tear wasn’t in the movie, since the scene doesn’t really say anything that wasn’t in the sickbay scene just before it.
I think TMP is a movie that sort of counts on reiteration (except for that damn new red alert siren that never shuts up). To coin a phrase, it’s like poetry, it rhymes. Or maybe…
I think TMP is a movie that sort of counts on reiteration (except for that damn new red alert siren that never shuts up). To coin a phrase, it’s like poetry, it rhymes. Or maybe…
Well, in 2001, yes, but in 1979, no, at least not initially. Given the rationale presented at the time, I doubt that it actually would've made it into the hypothetical 1980s director's cut re-release that the DE strives to bring to life, since it probably never would've been added into any test-screenings the way it was to pad out the TV version, at which point audience reaction showed that explicitly putting a button on Spock's self-actualization was worth the fact that, on paper, it seems to just be a different run at the same idea as the "This Simple Feeling" moment and you don't need both.
I just skimmed over the book trying to find the exact quote, but I didn't track it down.
This is a carry-over from another forum but I really wanted to share it here.
After watching the new Director's Edition over and over and combing a lot of details with a fine brush, I decided to pop in the 2009 blu-ray disc of the theatrical version to see how it compared. David C. Fein talked a lot about the new color grading of the film with quotes like,
Take this sequence of the final Klingon Battle Cruiser getting vaporized. Here's two 4-frame GIFs to help illustrate what I'm talking about.
'2009 Theatrical'
'2022 Director's Edition
You see how the color and brightness levels are a lot more consistent in the Theatrical version? In the shot where the Klingon Cruiser is slowly being consumed, everything goes incredibly dark and the lightning effects go from blue to a more purplish color. Not how the cloud in the background looks like someone turned it's lights off while it's still lit in the theatrical version. And when the Cruiser is completely engulfed, the silhouette effect is a completely different shade. And yet, the effect reverts to normal after the quick shot of the Klingon Bridge.
This doesn't look right. Why would this middle shot look so different from the previous and subsequent shots? It doesn't make any sense. And the bad news is that there are other shots that don't look right either. Much of it stems from what looks to be dialing the saturation up quite a bit. A lot of sharp details on computer screens now come off as fuzzy and blurred.
I'm going to go through other instances and see if I can't find any more examples. I just can't see how more time color correcting a film like TMP would result in certain areas looking worse.
After watching the new Director's Edition over and over and combing a lot of details with a fine brush, I decided to pop in the 2009 blu-ray disc of the theatrical version to see how it compared. David C. Fein talked a lot about the new color grading of the film with quotes like,
"All the color grading for the theatrical was done in four days, which is not a lot of time! We were able to bring a little bit closer to what it should be when we did the original director’s edition."
"Any other film has the ability of going to any format in the future and not have that same problem. The color grading in this new edition of the movie is specific, and is different than what everybody has seen for all those years because it wasn’t finished at the time."
This is definitely the kind of news I was hoping for after the 4K UHD of the theatrical cut. But after watching some of the 2009 footage, I find myself at a loss. Some of these shots in the new Director's Edition don't look good at all.
Take this sequence of the final Klingon Battle Cruiser getting vaporized. Here's two 4-frame GIFs to help illustrate what I'm talking about.
'2009 Theatrical'
'2022 Director's Edition
You see how the color and brightness levels are a lot more consistent in the Theatrical version? In the shot where the Klingon Cruiser is slowly being consumed, everything goes incredibly dark and the lightning effects go from blue to a more purplish color. Not how the cloud in the background looks like someone turned it's lights off while it's still lit in the theatrical version. And when the Cruiser is completely engulfed, the silhouette effect is a completely different shade. And yet, the effect reverts to normal after the quick shot of the Klingon Bridge.
This doesn't look right. Why would this middle shot look so different from the previous and subsequent shots? It doesn't make any sense. And the bad news is that there are other shots that don't look right either. Much of it stems from what looks to be dialing the saturation up quite a bit. A lot of sharp details on computer screens now come off as fuzzy and blurred.
I'm going to go through other instances and see if I can't find any more examples. I just can't see how more time color correcting a film like TMP would result in certain areas looking worse.
The split diopter shots are a deliberate artistic choice and not a flaw.
Yeah. It can seem strange because it's not something you see often in film, but it's always been a part of TMP and has nothing to do with the remaster.
That scene was originally overuled by Paramount. It had come to the script very late, after much banter about how to end the movie between Nimoy, Shatner, Wise and Livingston (Roddenberry had been shunted off to complete his novelization). So it wasn't even in the version of the script that Paramount had approved. The shooting script had, for its last Act, the ending of "In Thy Image", with Xon's lines given to Spock.
Paramount was insistent that as much of the expensive SPFX work with V'ger be used as possible in December 1979, especially paying out all the overtime to get the FX done. So "extraneous" scenes, such as the Rhaandarite ending getting reprimanded by Uhura, and Spock's tears, went unused (until the "Special Longer Version" premiered on ABC-TV). As fan reaction to that SLV proved, some of the dropped scenes were deemed to be worth revisiting because they added some humanity.
They also imitated (used? I don't know if you can do this with picture cameras too) this effect in some of the promotional material:
I always liked it! Because it's so rarely used, I felt it gave the movie a bit of an off-worldly look.
Ok question.
Is the Director's Edition also going to be out on just plain old Blu-Ray? I don't have a 4K player (and honestly I'm not a huge fan when I see 4K movies--for whatever reason whenever I see something on 4K it looks almost like a daytime soap opera
).
I love TMP and the DE is my absolute favorite version. But I can't seem to find anywhere whether Paramount is going to also release a standalone Blu-Ray version of it.
Is the Director's Edition also going to be out on just plain old Blu-Ray? I don't have a 4K player (and honestly I'm not a huge fan when I see 4K movies--for whatever reason whenever I see something on 4K it looks almost like a daytime soap opera
). I love TMP and the DE is my absolute favorite version. But I can't seem to find anywhere whether Paramount is going to also release a standalone Blu-Ray version of it.
Ok question.
Is the Director's Edition also going to be out on just plain old Blu-Ray? I don't have a 4K player (and honestly I'm not a huge fan when I see 4K movies--for whatever reason whenever I see something on 4K it looks almost like a daytime soap opera
Check your TV and/or player settings and turn off any motion smoothing. It's usually the culprit and makes films look awful. Apparently manufacturers think consumers like the video look.
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/motion-smoothing-how-to-shut-off-1235176633/
Well, I don't have a 4K player myself. I'm just going by demos I see at stores and the one or two times I saw someone play something in 4K at their house. It always looks like it was recorded with a camcorder to me.
And honestly, I'm happy with Blu-Ray. I find it's plenty clear for my tastes and don't feel any great need to upgrade further.
I hope so. I made the mistake of buying what I thought was a DE on Blu-Ray, but apparently Amazon likes to combine reviews. The first couple of reviews went out of their way to say this was the DE, but it wasn't (of course now I know it's not actually coming out for a few months yet so that's my bad for not checking on that at least). So I shipped it back.
I do have the DE on DVD, and with progressive scanning on my DVD player it does look about as good as a DVD can look. The quality is definitely there. But I'd love to get my hands on a Blu-Ray of the DE if one is released.
And honestly, I'm happy with Blu-Ray. I find it's plenty clear for my tastes and don't feel any great need to upgrade further.
I hope so. I made the mistake of buying what I thought was a DE on Blu-Ray, but apparently Amazon likes to combine reviews. The first couple of reviews went out of their way to say this was the DE, but it wasn't (of course now I know it's not actually coming out for a few months yet so that's my bad for not checking on that at least). So I shipped it back.
I do have the DE on DVD, and with progressive scanning on my DVD player it does look about as good as a DVD can look. The quality is definitely there. But I'd love to get my hands on a Blu-Ray of the DE if one is released.
Yeah that's nothing to do with 4K - plenty of demos for Blu-ray back in the day had exactly the same thing because for some reason they really wanted to push the motion smoothing thing. I never got it and it's the first thing I turn off when I get a new TV.
Yeah, it looks awful IMO. I still want my movies to 'look' like movies. I don't need to feel like I'm watching "Days of Our Star Trek" LOL
