OT: Bond on Blu-Ray (spoilers for Skyfall)

[BobBretall]

Any James Bond fans out there?

I had all the Bond films on VHS. When the "Ultimate Editions" came along on DVD, I bought those.

I kind of resisted going to Blu-Ray and getting a 3rd set of these movies, but they were on sale at Best Buy for $12.99 each (through the end of March). However, after getting a cheap copy of "Star Trek: Voyage Home" on Blu-Ray and discovering I could just see a really grainy/crappy transfer of the film in hi-def, I decided to pick up just one & try it out. So I bought just Dr. No as a sample the other day. I figured this was the 1st film, so if it looked good, chances are the newer ones will too.

Today I watched it. This Blu-Ray looks frikkin' AMAZING on my HDTV. Surely it can't be that much better than the DVD, I thought.....so after watching it, I went back & watched the famous scene where Ursula Andress is coming out of the ocean. Then I popped out the BD and put in the DVD, queued up to the same scene. Wow! The DVD looks like CRAP in comparison.

Watching the special features on Dr. No, I discovered why. MGM/UA has all the original film negatives in their vault. This is what they scanned into the computer (in a clean room) at 3000x4000 resolution and used as the basis for the extensive restoration work.

Anyway, these Blu-Ray copies are highly recommended for Bond fans. Here are the movies available (so far) on Blu-Ray (I went back to Best Buy and bought the rest before the sale was over):

* Dr. No (Connery)
* From Russia With Love (Connery)
* Goldfinger (Connery)
* Thunderball (Connery)
* Live and Let Die (Moore)
* The Man With the Golden Gun (Moore)
* Moonraker (Moore)
* For You Eyes Only (Moore)
* License to Kill (Dalton)
* The World Is Not Enough (Brosnan)
* Die Another Day (Brosnan)

Add to this the 2 Daniel Craig movies that I already had on Blu-Ray from when they were first released:
* Casino Royale
* Quantum of Solace


Now it's just a matter of waiting for the rest of the movies to get the restoration/Blu-Ray treatment:
- You Only Live Twice (Connery)
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Lazenby)
- Diamonds Are Forever (Connery)
- The Spy Who Loved Me (Moore)
- Octopussy (Moore)
- A View to A Kill (Moore)
- The Living Daylights (Dalton)
- Goldeneye (Brosnan)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (Brosnan)

[atomic99]

I had a similar experience, Bob.

Like many from our generation, we love Bond but how many times can one buy these? Fortunately, I never had the videos but went with the DVD box sets from 10 years ago. When they re-released the box sets with more material including some of the rare 1960s TV specials, I thought long and hard about upgrading.

I'm glad I didn't...that is until Blu-Ray came along. The Blu-Rays have all the extras and, yes, they are being transfered from their vault film.

I'm not sure if they are all getting the restoration though. But DR. NO looks amazing. Same with GOLDFINGER. I'm really hesitant about buying old movies on Blu-Ray because, lets face it, really only new movies are taking full advantage of the high def...unless they restore it like these.

I've watched these Bond films so often that it is ridiculous, something I rarely do with other movies. But seeing them on Blu-Ray is, and forgive the cliche, like seeing a whole new movie. I found myself seeing new things in the background that I had not noticed before. When Goldfinger is playing golf, you can see the texture in the clothes or the sand on the beach in Dr. No.

I'm eager to see ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE when that comes out. Sure, it is dated, has some choppy editing, and no Connery but it has grown to be my favorite. However, I've been buying these sets with 3-4 movies in them. I've also been reading the novels and am down to the last two Ian Fleming books (currently reading THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN).

[Trev]

I sense a trip to best buy in my immediate future.

From Russia with Love and Dr. No are two of my favorite Bond movies of all time. Might pick those up if they're still available.

[BobBretall]

From Russia with Love and Dr. No are two of my favorite Bond movies of all time. Might pick those up if they're still available.

Watched "From Russia" last night......similarly excellent restoration.

Like Ralph, I'm noticing little things that I never saw before in 10+ viewings of these films over the years.

[Trev]

I picked FRwL and Dr. No, then ended up grabbing For Your Eyes Only too.

Was hoping they had Octopussy, but no luck.

[atomic99]

While OHMSS is my current favorite (Hell, I even visited Piz Gloria, Blofeld's lair, when I was in Switzerland), RUSSIA is up there too. Maybe #2 on my list. I think Connery has said that was his favorite.


So, Bob, should I avoid the Star Trek Blu-Rays? I'm trying to not double dip on DVDs and Blu-Rays for movies unless it is an absolute favorite. Most DVDs look a little better on the Blu-Ray player anyway. But the Star Trek ones are such favorites, especially STAR TREK: TWOK.

I'd love to see some classic David Lean films cleaned up for Blu-Ray.

[BobBretall]

So, Bob, should I avoid the Star Trek Blu-Rays? I'm trying to not double dip on DVDs and Blu-Rays for movies unless it is an absolute favorite. Most DVDs look a little better on the Blu-Ray player anyway. But the Star Trek ones are such favorites, especially STAR TREK: TWOK.

I just checked the Star Trek Blu-Rays I have (WoK & Voyage Home).

Voyage Home looks pretty bad, in many scenes the foreground is crisp and backgrounds are all out of focus, but maybe this is how they shot the scenes.

Wrath of Khan looks a bit better, but nowhere near as crisp as the Bond films. Very uneven color in the backgrounds.

I think it's comparing these to the Bond films which are so amazingly restored that makes them seem so bad.

[HassanT]

Bob,

I am a HUGE Bond fan and like you had the movies in both VHS and DVD. But based on your reviews it sounds like I have to get the blu-ray versions as well now!!

[Trev]

watching Dr. No now. Stunning. I feel like I'm seeing it like a fresh print in the theater when it first came out.

[atomic99]

Check out when Bond and Quarrel hide from the gunfire. The color on the crab and the detail in the sand.

[MobileHome]

Goddamn it, Bob. Now I need a Blu-Ray player! And a 1080i-compatible TV!

[Trev]

Check out when Bond and Quarrel hide from the gunfire. The color on the crab and the detail in the sand.

Yeah, the color on the crab was amazing. The whole thing just popped.

Was it technicolor? I wonder . . .

[Trev]

Check out when Bond and Quarrel hide from the gunfire. The color on the crab and the detail in the sand.

Yeah, the color on the crab was amazing. The whole thing just popped.

Was it technicolor? I wonder . . .

Yep! Technicolor. I LOVE technicolor movies. When I was in college studying film, I thought if I ever made a movie, it would be in technicolor.

http://james-bond-movie-list.blogspot.com/

[BuffDaddyBill]

Goddamn it, Bob. Now I need a Blu-Ray player! And a 1080i-compatible TV!

Actually to get the true HD picture, you want a 1080p tv. I have a 1080i and recently purchased a 1080p and there is a huge noticeable difference.

[Avengersfan]

I am planning on getting the bond movies on blu ray. I'm so glad they look so`good .