MULTIPLS UPDATES:
THE UBER FILES ARE BACK, for a limited time...after which, they will be gone for good..
By the time my next project is loaded, even keeping the MP4s of the as yet un-announced endevour, will mean there is no room for either of the two Magnum Opus files. PM me accordingly.
THE VETURO EDIT and THE EPIC 1901-1959 in HD.
I have recently obtained both of these and will be doing a 3 way comparison to see if there is any additional HD material that may be used.
THE VENTURO EDIT does appear to be all HD and my initial assessment (at 9hr 4mins) is that it is a hybrid of extended, chronological and theatrical edits creating a chronological version.. Though I have not done a deep dive yet, the following are immediately obvious to me:
- I noticed a flashback to 1901 Vito inon Ellis Island (thus repeating the material where he is alone in the holding room, and begins to sing) in order to facilitate a faded (per The GF Part 2) to the communion cleanly. This is quite jarring.
- Also at 20:00, there is a quick fade out to cover up what is actually a great longshot used in the TV version from an alternate take....to use that shot required a carful reframing and staged digital wipe...very hard, but I managed it. All other edits abandon that approach to create the transition coz its all a single shot, but different takes...and tough to do.
- Also, the scene when the brothers introduce themselves at a dinner in a flashback at the end of GF2, has been placed BEFORE the "I believe in America" scene. Interesting choice. I toyed with that as well but it is clear that material that would sit between that scene and the then ""I Believe..." scene was nowhere to be found and the makers bolted it on to the end of Part 2, as a reflective piece of when the family and brothers were more united...for poignancy's sake. I ultimately decided not to lose that moment. in it's originally released location rather than force the piece.
- Also...Michael puts young Anthony to bed AFTER the shooting, which if you read my thread further up the running order , that scene (as I demonstrated) ACTUALLY occurs before the shooting and the dialogue was altered in post. I found the original dialogue and restored the scene to its correct place with all the dialogue and extensive audio work to make it work again.....and so many more little things
I'll report back if I make any worthy discoveries.
THE EPIC 1901-1959 in HD.
Now this is odd. All the evidence indicates that this should not exist in HD. It was only released on VHS and the only televised showings pre-date HD TV significantly. Tis may be an fan re-construction, which is easy since it runs just over 7 hours, and all but two scenes which are unique to the VHS version, exist in HD. I will be doing a deep dive on this edit as well and will report back anything significant. It is possible, that a 35mm neg of the epic, used to make the VHS, could have been scanned for a broadcast somewhere, and this may have been recorded or kept by someone. Again, I will look into it since it is in English to boot.
So..thinking this thread was done...here we are again.
"just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in"