Some BIG news for Hammer fans!

[bgart13 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bgart13]

Mondo Digital wasn't able to get caps from the bd either.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I was talking to Don about this earlier today, he got back to the replicator and apparantly there might be some encryption on the disc that won't let you rip it if it's connected to an HD monitor, which my PC is. For the record, I had no problem at all playing the disc on my PS3.

[Richard--W a straight arrow Find all posts View Profile Close Richard--W]

The gamma on Synapse's VAMPIRE CIRCUS is all wrong. Not slightly or subtle wrong, but utterly and completely wrong. The light and dark values are bass ackwards on that blu-ray. Whoever is responsible for that needs more experience before he times another film. Compare the blu-ray and its DVD counterpart to MRA Entertainment's DVD edition in Australia. It's perfect. Huge difference. So I'm being cautious before I buy another Hammer from Synapse.


Richard

[george n Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close george n]

The Devil Rides Out has been criticized for falling apart in the third act because Hammer didn't have the budget or the technology to do special effects convincingly. This is talked about in the featurette on Anchor Bay DVD. I wish Hammer would spend some money to redo the special effects digitally, upgrading both the concept and design of the Devi's intrusion and assault on the protected circle. Paramount did something like this for Star Trek: the Original Series. The results were impressive and generally accepted.

Hammer can release both the original and the improved version on the same Blu-ray.


Richard

I could not think of anything more hideous than going back and tampering with the film. Blasphemy is what i would call it.'the devil rides out' and 'quatermass and the pit' are my favourites by far. If hammer were ever to do such a thing i would gather all my kinfolk from my village,march to london with pitchforks and flaming torches,storm their offices and drive stakes through their hearts

[george n Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close george n]

Ian exactly which extras did not make it to the dvd?

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Ian exactly which extras did not make it to the dvd?

The DVD contains:

-The Flesh & The Fury documentary
-US Theatrical Trailer

The Blu-ray contains:

-The Flesh & The Fury documentary
-The Props That Hammer built featurette
-US Theatrical Trailer
-Double Feature Trailer
-Still Gallery
-Isolated Score & Effects Track
-Deleted Scene

[bgart13 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bgart13]

Not liking the revisionist tinting I see in your caps, Ian. Less irritating than the darkness of VAMPIRE CIRCUS (perhaps?).

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

I had no problem with either Vampire Circus or Twins of Evil. I realize that they're different looking than previous DVD releases in terms of gamma/color etc., but they didn't look artificially messed with to my eyes. Then, I only have the old Carlton DVD of Twins to compare (if I still have it, it's been years), which didn't look great. Either way, I was quite happy with both of the Synapse Hammer Blu's so far.

[bgart13 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bgart13]

Double post

[bgart13 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bgart13]

I checked the couple of versions of TWINS that I have, and it seems the tinting varies from almost none (MGM HD version) to some slight bluish-green tinting (Network dvd). I was looking at the cave scene with Price, based on your cap, Ian. Not sure what to make of it. Perhaps revisionist was too strong a word. Not sure what to make of it all.

For VAMPIRE CIRCUS, I think I'm going to nab the German bd soon, I like the look of it in caps that I found. Here's an example comparing it with the Synapse version (FYI, those are caps from Synapse's dvd first, followed by caps from Koch's bd resized to match):

[bgart13 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bgart13]

Here it is! A true Hammer Classic!

http://www.hammerfilms.com/news/arti...n-release-date



Hammer, Icon Film Distribution and Lionsgate are proud to present Terence Fisher's Gothic classic The Curse of Frankenstein fully restored in High Definition and for the first time in its original Academy ratio of 1.37:1.
Available 15th October in the UK & Ireland on 3-disc Double Play, the pack includes 1 x Blu-ray and 2 x DVD packed full of brand new content. Featuring new documentaries and bonus extras, and including the infamous "eyeball" scene, which was originally banned but has now been fully restored.

The Curse of Frankenstein
Double Play: 1 x BD & 2 x DVD
Cert: 15 (TBC)
Released: 15th October 2012
Region B/2

Single Blu-ray 50 disc

HD Main Feature - Never before released “Academy” ratio 1.37:1 - 83 mins - DTS MA 2.0
HD The Curse of Frankenstein (1.66:1 version) - alternate aspect ratio - 83mins - DTS MA 2.0
New audio commentary with Marcus Hearn & Jonathan Rigby
Frankenstein Reborn: The Making of a Hammer Classic (new & exclusive)
Life With Sir (new & exclusive Peter Cushing documentary)
Four Sided Triangle (bonus feature film) 80 mins
Tales of Frankenstein (bonus TV pilot) 25 mins
The Tale of Tales of Frankenstein (new & exclusive Ted Newsom documentary)
World Of Hammer: The Curse of Frankenstein 25 mins
Stills show
English HOH subtitles for Main Feature

Double DVD

DISC #1:
Main Feature - Never before released “Academy” ratio 1.37:1 - 83 mins - DD 2.0 - English HOH subtitles
The Curse of Frankenstein (1.66:1 version) - alternate aspect ratio - 83mins - DD 2.0
New audio commentary with Marcus Hearn & Jonathan Rigby
DISC #2:
Frankenstein Reborn: The Making of a Hammer Classic (new & exclusive)
Life With Sir (new & exclusive Peter Cushing documentary)
Four Sided Triangle (bonus feature film) 80 mins
Tales of Frankenstein (bonus TV pilot) 25 mins
The Tale of Tales of Frankenstein (new & exclusive Ted Newsom documentary)
World Of Hammer: The Curse of Frankenstein 25 mins
Stills show
PDF Original shooting script
PDF all-new booklet “The Creator's Spark: Hammer's Frankenstein Begins” with text by Hammer archivist Robert J. E. Simpson

Synopsis:
Baron Victor Frankenstein is the archetypal aristocrat: well-read, cultured and arrogant. Beyond the sophisticated veneer exists a cruel, utterly unscrupulous man, obsessed with ambition. Determined to realise his greatest dream, to create life, he assembles a creature from organs gathered from various unwilling donors. The creature is successful brought to life but the instability of the brain, irretrievably damaged, causes uncontrollable and violent spasms that result in indiscriminate murder... and it is the Baron to whom the blame is laid, with fatal consequences.

History:
The Curse of Frankenstein is a classic 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, based on the novel Frankenstein (1816) by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success led to several sequels as well as the studio's versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959) and established "Hammer Horror" as a distinctive and uniquely British brand of Gothic cinema. The film was directed by Terence Fisher and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in two of their most iconic roles.

Cast:
• Peter Cushing as Baron Victor von Frankenstein
• Christopher Lee as The Creature
• Hazel Court as Elizabeth
• Robert Urquhart as Dr. Paul Krempe
• Valerie Gaunt as Justine
• Noel Hood as Aunt Sophia
• Melvyn Hayes as Young Victor
• Paul Hardtmuth as Professor Bernstein
• Fred Johnson as Grandpa

Catalogue number: LGD94955
Barcode: 5060223768168

[Apronikoff Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Apronikoff]

Badass! That's fantastic news...

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Agreed. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this movie.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

Hammer just made this post on their facebook page:

RIP Simon Ward, who has died aged 70 following a long illness. For Hammer he was Karl in FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED.

[bgart13 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bgart13]

And Angharad Rees (HANDS OF THE RIPPER) the day before that too.