IFDB Review: Shadow Strikes!, The:

[MCP]

Two words: Awe Some. BOB this was a triumph. You really made some excellent editing choices. In our discussions of the edit, I didn't agree with a lot of you choices, but now I see you were right on the mark with most of them. There are still a few I don't agree with, (See my nitpicks) but overall you really set a great tone for this movie. One of your best cuts was the removal of Cranston's joke after the sailor jumps. That scene is now so much more sinister. Second best: "Oh that knife."I don't think this edit will quell the harsh critics of the original movie, but for us that liked the original, this is so much better. The Shadow is placed in just the right context without the over-exposition of his past as in the original film. At times it felt like I really was watching something made in the 30s or 40s. Here are my nitpicks:- The beginning credits you made were really well crafted, but I don't think they fit the overall tone you were trying to set. I would have preferred some old timey looking credits, kinda like something you would see at the beginning of a serial or film from that era.- I think the test shot of The Shadow on the bridge with the CGI cape should have been used. It wouldn't have been that noticeable as inferior quality, given that it would be in B&W and as you said, a lot of the image quality was somewhat inferior. I'm still just distracted by the damn missing cape.- The scratch and line effects during scene transitions were well placed. My only gripe is that you had them fade at certain points. I think I would have preferred to see them stay until the scenes shifted to another angle.- The few cuts that I miss are: Shrevvy driving like a maniac then kicking the couple out of his cab; Khan in sanctum talking about where Cranston got his suit and tie; "I sense someone is coming" and "you're not supposed to be here" The last one was cut for a reason, but I can't remember what it was. My complaints about the Shrevvy cuts stem from the fact that he was comic relief in the radio shows and I wanted to see that role retained as much as possible in the movie. I understand why you did it though. All other cuts were right on the money and they really did change the mood and tone to a considerable degree, much more than I thought they would. I watched all of the special features before the movie and they were great. First off the table of contents was ingenious and It was great to hear the radio clips. Your "About This Edit" section was a great little mini-documentary of The Shadow, chock full of great little tidbits of info. Thanks for using "Original Sin" in the gallery feature. I would hate for it to have completely disappeared from this edit. I completely understand why it was taken out of the end credits. It would not fit the new tone of this edit. All of the artwork created for this edit was incredible and really captured the feel of the movie. I watched this on my computer, so I won't comment too much about the audio video quality or editing. I didn't catch anything that looked or sounded bad.I really appreciate the special thanks at the beginning. Although, to be honest, I don't know that I deserve it. As Wayne & Garth would say, "we're not worthy."This should be the Edit of the Month then straight onto Edit of the Year. Its got my vote. Thank you so much for this. Bill

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