KevMc

Received my new R2 DVD at the weekend. Pleased to say that the transfer is 2.35:1 anamorphic, and a huge improvement over the old R1 transfer which was letterbox and of pretty ghastly quality.

The version on the new disc is thankfully the longer one (121 min. PAL), without all the terrible cheesy overdubbing rife in the 113 min version previously released on VHS.

What's puzzled me for quite some time is this. The version just released is the one that was shown on the BBC as far back as 1990. It has also been screened by C4 in 1999, 2001 & 2002. It contains opening narration by Patrick Allen, no overdubbing as mentioned, and some extended scenes. I had assumed that this was the original theatrical cut that I had seen at the cinema as a 12 year old around 1979, and that the 113 min version was the US release version ( the American narration at the beginning would seem to indicate this).

However, the BBFC website lists the 118/113 min version as the one granted an 'A' certificate in 1978 (albeit with cuts). I would have put money on the 126/121 min version being the one I saw as a boy on the big screen, but presumably it can't have been. If not, where did the longer cut appear from, and why is it this version that has always been screened for at least 15 years on British television?

One more thing. The new DVD has different opening titles which are similar to the end credits but with a blue tinted background instead of the end credits yellowish one. Original opening titles perhaps?

Phoenix

Force 10 is an underated film in my view but I wasn't aware there were two versions.

I just checked my copy of John Willis Screen World for that year. It was released in the US in December 1978 by American International at 118m.

Which site did you buy from? I might consider getting this myself.

phoenix

KevMc

I got mine from Play.com for £9.99. If you've watched the film on television in recent years it will be this version (126/121 min) that you have seen (except for the different opening titles). The cover image on Play.com is from the R1 MGM DVD. While the two have essentially the same image, the new R2 cover states 'Brand new extended version' across the top, which isn't quite true. Play.com also have the film down as the 113 min version, but rest assured that it is the 121 min cut.

On the subject of the R1 MGM DVD, the only reason for possibly picking it up would be the fact that it contains both versions of the film. However, the picture quality is pretty grim. The 126 min cut is non anamorphic letterbox and is almost painful to watch on a large screen (32"). The 118 min cut is presented in pan'n'scan and is a softer image. That said, it's interesting to compare the two versions. The differences are quite subtle, but once you notice them the 126 min version is by far the more preferable.

I suspect that this was Guy Hamilton's version, which was then tampered with before its US release. The fact that it contains narration from Patrick Allen at the start, rather than the melodromatic American voice on the 118 min cut, none of the godawful dubbing which litters the 118 min cut, and some extended scenes with a better flow tend to indicate this.

By all means pick up the R1 if you can find it cheap to compare the two, but the new R2 disc is of vastly superior quality. Hope this helps.