Pearl Harbor: Strength and Honor - HD Edition

[spence]

ADM's Pearl Harbor: Strength and Honor is one of my favorite fanedits but, due to age and availability of source material, has always been trapped as an SD edit with stereo sound. I aimed to change that.

HBO had the Pearl Harbor Director's Cut showing and streaming in HD a while ago, the only time this version of the movie has ever played in HD. As one of the bigger fans of this movie (It's good! The romance works! The action is great! etc.) I preserved a copy of it for myself. Using this newly available HD version of the Director's Cut, I have completely and faithfully recreated ADM's edit but in HD, with 5.1 sound. This obviously isn't going to be Blu-ray quality, but it's leagues better than what came before in terms of picture and sound fidelity.

I used the original edit as a guide and recreated it as faithfully as I possibly could. I didn't make any changes or use any personal input. This is cut for cut the same edit ADM made, but brought forward into the world of HD edits. It's literally exactly the same length as the old one.

So, not really a "Spence Edit" but a tribute to one of my favorite fanedits by one of the founding fathers of fanediting. This should be released very soon, and I hope you enjoy it!

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Any thoughts on doing the same for Gekko's Vintage Edition? Haven't seen it (or the original for that matter) and would be interested in doing so.

 

[spence]

Any thoughts on doing the same for Gekko's Vintage Edition? Haven't seen it (or the original for that matter) and would be interested in doing so.

I'm not real familiar with that version so no plans at this time.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

I'm not real familiar with that version so no plans at this time.

No worries, hope I can find it somewhere!

By the way, while I get that this is a cut-for-cut recreation of ADM'S, one thing that stuck out was the ending song. It felt to me like it belonged to a different genre of film to the edit's, what are your thoughts?

 

[spence]

No worries, hope I can find it somewhere!

By the way, while I get that this is a cut-for-cut recreation of ADM'S, one thing that stuck out was the ending song. It felt to me like it belonged to a different genre of film to the edit's, what are your thoughts?

You mean how it starts with the score but then goes into like a pop song? I don't love the pop song, but it's not particularly bothersome to me (Titanic does this, and many other films of that era.)

But even if I did want to change it, I wouldn't. The goal here was a shot for shot recreation of ADM's edit. I didn't want to put any of my editing instincts into it, I just wanted that edit in HD and surround sound.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Titanic does this, and many other films of that era.

Ever since "The Producers", I've never been able to take songs like that seriously!

 

[ArtisDead]

So, not really a "Spence Edit" but a tribute to one of my favorite fanedits by one of the founding fathers of fanediting.

@ADigitalMan had such a huge impact on fanediting. I'm very glad that you are honoring their legacy by updating one of their better edits! You are a class act, my friend.

You know...you are actually considered to be in that same league...so..it's like one fanediting legend honoring another. One day, @Wraith will actually do the same with another...

 

[spence]

@ADigitalMan had such a huge impact on fanediting. I'm very glad that you are honoring their legacy by updating one of their better edits! You are a class act, my friend.

You know...you are actually considered to be in that same league...so..it's like one fanediting legend honoring another. One day, @Wraith will actually do the same with another...

It's actually rather selfish, in a way. I love that edit and always wanted to watch it in HD!

 

[Gieferg]

The song, in my opinion, doesnt really fit to the edit that removes romantic plotline and should be changed.

had such a huge impact on fanediting. I'm very glad that you are honoring their legacy by updating one of their better edits!

When I was going to do extended Titanic I've just reassembled Titanic Blu-ray HD footage to audio from ADM's White Star Line (but later changed one of his cuts as I really didnt like it), but since there is Q2 extended edition I didn't think it make sense to release it (but it may change as Q2 is going to stop sharing his edits next year).

 

[spence]

The song, in my opinion, doesnt really fit to the edit that removes romantic plotline and should be changed.

I don't necessarily disagree, but that's not what the edit is about.

 

[Gieferg]

As I said before - even re-creating something doesn't mean it can't be fixed at the same time. Don't tie your hands, I didn't with "Titanic". If I were you, I would just add second alternate audio track - your goal would be still achieved, and the issue fixed for those who prefer it to be.

But this is of course your work, I could do my own version, but I dont necessarily think that removing love triangle helps that movie that much - yes, I've seen ADM's edit - it was one of five first fanedits I've ever watched.

And good to know, that Dir Cut exists in HD.

 

[spence]

That's my thoughts on it, I could do my own edit if I wanted to change things. Which I might, down the road.

I think it works without the love triangle to make a straight up war/historical movie. As a big history nerd I like having a version where I can just see the events of Pearl Harbor that honors the people involved. I don't particularly dislike the original version, but this is a nice alternative.

 

[Gieferg]

As a big history nerd

As an actual (ex-)historian, who wrote his master thesis about II WW on sea (IIWW destroyers to be exact) I just cant stand looking at 60s ships being bombed in PH as seen here:

Reveal message

I'd like to see THAT fixed

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

As an actual (ex-)historian, who wrote his master thesis about II WW on sea (IIWW destroyers to be exact) I just cant stand looking at 60s ships being bombed in PH as seen here:

Reveal message

Oh dear, that can't be unseen now! Such instances might be forgiveable before CGI but definitely not in 2001.

Are there any other such errors (in other films as well) you find particularly egregious? A personal bugbear for me is the substitution of HA-1109s for Bf 109s, understandable in older films but you would imagine an easy fix (altering the noses) for Dunkirk.

 

[Gieferg]

Well, I am not an expert when it comes to aircraft (still prefer Pearl Harbor over Dunkirk which was one of biggest disappointments ever to me).

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Well, I am not an expert when it comes to aircraft (still prefer Pearl Harbor over Dunkirk which was one of biggest disappointments ever to me).

Hardly an expert either, just an enthusiast who spent his younger years glued to aircraft documentaries!

Have never seen the Bay original of Pearl Harbor, avoided due to its reputation, but had expectations for Dunkirk. It was a disappointment for me too as I felt it to be more of an exercise in style than a properly engaging story, don't think the non-inverted V12s would have bothered me so much if this was not the case.

 

[spence]

Hardly an expert either, just an enthusiast who spent his younger years glued to aircraft documentaries!

Have never seen the Bay original of Pearl Harbor, avoided due to its reputation, but had expectations for Dunkirk. It was a disappointment for me too as I felt it to be more of an exercise in style than a properly engaging story, don't think the non-inverted V12s would have bothered me so much if this was not the case.

Nolan is better when he's making elevated pulp. My favorite of his are still Inception, Memento and The Prestige. Dunkirk is fine as a spectacle but it's not much of a movie. Loved Tenet though, what a silly movie.

They tried to do a Titanic thing with the love story in Pearl Harbor, which works to various degrees depending on who you ask. However, the actual Pearl Harbor attack and the higher level lead up to it as absolutely brilliant. Partly why I like this edit so much as that's mainly what it focuses on.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Nolan is better when he's making elevated pulp. My favorite of his are still Inception, Memento and The Prestige. Dunkirk is fine as a spectacle but it's not much of a movie. Loved Tenet though, what a silly movie.

Great turn of phrase, "elevated pulp". Saw his remake of Insomnia some years ago, remember quite liking it for it resting on the performances rather than big set pieces, maybe worth a revisit to see if my recollections are accurate.

They tried to do a Titanic thing with the love story in Pearl Harbor, which works to various degrees depending on who you ask. However, the actual Pearl Harbor attack and the higher level lead up to it as absolutely brilliant. Partly why I like this edit so much as that's mainly what it focuses on.

The edit does an amazing job, you would never know that it is missing nearly a whole hour unless told. That is what intrigues me about Gekko's edit, from reading it sounds like almost the inverse approach is taken to ADM'S, a bit like SUG and UGS.

 

[spence]

Great turn of phrase, "elevated pulp". Saw his remake of Insomnia some years ago, remember quite liking it for it resting on the performances rather than big set pieces, maybe worth a revisit to see if my recollections are accurate.


The edit does an amazing job, you would never know that it is missing nearly a whole hour unless told. That is what intrigues me about Gekko's edit, from reading it sounds like almost the inverse approach is taken to ADM'S, a bit like SUG and UGS.

Insomnia is great too! Interstellar is where he kind of lost me. It's pretty and gorgeously produced, but there's not a lot of actual movie there, and the third act is extremely clunky. It wanted to be a lot more important than it was, as it could've just been a cool space movie with a lovely father/daughter dynamic in the middle.

 

[ArtisDead]

A poster for your consideration

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• ArtisDead
• Jan 7, 2023

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