Duff DVDs

[smudge]

Somewhat akin to DB7's topic on the advent of High Quality DVD, and something the wife and I were discussing the other night.

I was wondering if a thread like this would be useful as a DVD buying guide, in that if we get a duff one, we post it here. I know some poor unfortunate would have to buy it in the first place, but it would be 'community spirited' if we could warn others before parting with their own hard earned...

The definition of duff is down to yourselves, but I was thinking more quality than content, as most people already know the plots of what they're going to buy.

The disc that prompted the topic here was an awful copy of GOLD, a real bare bones release whose print was appalling - but she wanted to see Tony Beckley in it ! :)

SMUDGE

[DB7]

You bought Gold on DVD?

hysteric

[DAVID RAYNER]

Although not a British film, the UK Region 2 DVD of North to Alaska, which I had bought me as a birthday present, has no sound on the sound trailer. The actors are talking away and the trailer is completely mute. I know someone else who has this DVD and his copy is the same. Anyone thinking of buying this DVD especially for the trailer should buy the American Region 1 version.

[smudge]

</div><div class='quotemain'> You bought Gold on DVD? [/b]

</div><div class='quotemain'> but she wanted to see Tony Beckley in it ! [/b]

Even a clown like me distances himself from this one...

Trouble is the wife (women, bless 'em...) clap has fads 'n' fancies. Yours Truly ends up getting them from Ebay and then filling in all the facts about the films for her ; such as why they got made in the first place.

Case in point DIAGNOSIS MURDER - this one has Tony Beckley AND Jon Finch in it ; so this keeps her doubly happy. Also Christopher Lee, but she agrees that it's hardly an earth shatterer

Originally made as a TV movie - and it shows but, if the lady wants the entire Tony Beckley back catalogue, then she shall have it wink

It's a political theory known as Marriage - And How To Survive it ! neener

SMUDGE

[The_Late_Peter_Cook]

A couple of Bob Hope DVD's gets my vote as my worst purchases. My ROAD TO BALI/MY FAVOURITE BRUNETTE double bill had painful picture quality (at least BRUNETTE had, I didn't have enough nerve to give BALI a watch) but admittedly it was cheap (around £6)

THE CAT AND CANARY didn't have that excuse, for around £10-£12 I had a DVD whose picture quality was much worse than a copy taped off the tv would have been. frown

[DAVID RAYNER]

Have you noticed that there is never an address of the video company on the box? Oh, yes, it may have copyright Warner Home Video or some other company, but there is never any company address; email address or telephone number where you can contact them and complain.

My advice is that if you've bought a duff DVD from a store like HMV or WHSmith, go back with it and complain like hell. Don't bother complaining to one of the gay young sales staff, they're only there to take your money off you and give you change and they couldn't give a toss. Ask to see the manager and complain like hell in front of all the other shoppers and tell him that if he doesn't contact the video company about these shoddy goods, you'll contact the General Manager and tell him how unhelpful his manager at this store is. The video company will soon get the message if thousands of faulty copies start being returned to them by the stores. And last but not least, it's no use asking for a replacement, as all the copies in the batch are going to be the same. So demand your money back.

[Clinton Morgan]

Don't buy the UK DVD edition of Olivier's Henry V. It does not have the dedication to the soldiers at the beginning and the quality of the print is quite muddy.

[sunofyork]

Good point Clinton. This is my favourite film and I took the DVD back to the shop because it was so poor. I couldn't resist adding a complaint that the dedication to the Commandos had been cut from the beginning. I got a refund (and some funny looks...)
I have a video taped from the BBC which is excellent, and I've been told by a US fan that the Criterion Collection DVD is very good. I think that one is multi-region, though I haven't got it yet.
Has anyone out there seen the Criterion Richard III? If so, any good?

[DAVID RAYNER]

Speaking of missing openings, I recall that when, as a cinema projectionist, I ran the then new film of Dad's Army in 1971, there was a three minutes long black and white newsreel type film from the early 1940's stuck on the beginning of the first reel, before the Columbia opening title. It was of some Colonel-in-Chief or other senior officer with an upper class accent and a swagger stick, standing on a podium in front of lines of soldiers and congratulating them on being members of the Home Guard.

I must say, I never saw this opening again. It wasn't on the beginning of the Dad's Army film when it was first shown on television (and never has been on any subsequent transmissions) and wasn't on the video of the film when that was released. So, why was this tribute put on the beginning of the film on its original cinema release and what's become of it?

[Darling]

Not sure if this is an actual DVD problem, but with the Umbrella Entertainment (Australian) boxed set of Man in a Suitcase, I had to turn the sound way, way up to hear the dialogue. Apart from that, it's excellent. So too is Umbrella's boxed set of Department S (no sound problems there).

[Hackett]

"MAN IN A SUITCASE" and "DEPARTMENT S" box sets are on sale in Australia. Why not here?.

[smudge]

both are scheduled in NETWORK VIDEO's plans after their long-term deal with Granada Ventures. It won't be long before SUITCASE comes out ; Network plan to revamp most of the ITC back catalogue, including stuff like THE PERSUADERS and RANDALL & HOPKIRK, which were previously released by Carlton...


SMUDGE

[Michael]

Adventures of Robin Hood Box Set 3 gave me sound problems, this is almost non-existant sound. Had to take one of the sound leads out and then it was OK. On-line had no other complaints. 1&2 work great on the same Panasonic recorder & Yamaha DVD player I have.
Gay guys or not it is hard to get a reply and service from HMV on-line and I did resort to the local Birmingham consumer affairs to get a result after weeks of frustrating e-mails and no answers. Their export postage of UK15.00 is the highest by a long shot in the world. I had a missing Mutherford Agatha Christie title in a sealed box set on special late last year. Regret the whole deal.
New box set The Complete The Good Life coming. Wonder if it contains edited versions shown uncut in cable/satellite tv?? Series 4 has one such episode on a previous UK release and the DVD publisher's only answer was that they only matered what the BBC gave them. I don't like reading Portions Edited on some Playback(Universal) UK DVD sets of BBC TV shows.

To the American asking for The Lisbon Story: Last I heard the film does exist but the Richard Tauber song "Pedro the Fisherman" is missing.

Michael/Australia

[DAVID RAYNER]

Of course, Michael, I meant "gay" in the old-fashioned sense of the word...bubbly, lively, with a devil-may-care attitude about them of "Well, nobody forced you to buy the DVD."

I'm sorry to hear that you've had so much trouble from HMV. I have always found amazon in both the US and the UK to be very reliable. I've dealt with them for a few years now and I've never experienced any trouble. I've also never received a faulty video or DVD off them. Although, as they are unable to play and test every copy they send out, this is probably down more to good luck than anything else.

[smudge]

IIRC the ROBIN 3 problem was widespread and Network were in fact taking some back in. If you still have the problem I'd hit their website and see what they say.

The problem I have is that I buy so much stuff, when you FINALLY get round to watching them, if they are duff, you are well past any 'returns' date.


SMUDGE