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Topic: THE SOUND OF MUSIC (updated)

Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 06-16-2005 12:42 AM

Title: ....... THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Distrib: .....20th Cen Fox (thru Criterion)
35mm Print #: A1600 -- but this has been revised from what Vernon posted below. All reels are now stereo. You would think when they do make up better prints form other prints, that they would at least designate the change by a new print number.

Release #:....n/a
Reels: .......12
Emulsion: ....Eastman
Base: ........Estar
Print Incept Date Code: none shown
Run Time: 174min
Trailers attached: None

Picture Format --
Anamorphic: 2.39

Sound format --
Analog: Stereo (all reels; none mono); these all just say STEREO in the soundtrack and the assumption is that with the introduction of SR, Dolby included SR in the soundtrack identification. i.e., if it doesn't say SR in the soundtrack but only STEREO, then it is Dolby A. Nowhere else, either on the print or on the cans is there a reference to SR. We assumed that because only STEREO was indicated that this was a Dolby A print. It sounded quite splended played back in Dolby A.

Digital: None

Cues: Most reels had lab cues. I believe two reels were hand made/clint etched

Scratches --
Base: Minor
Emulsion: R3 evidently had run off a drive sprocket and has sprocket scratchs on the far right corner of the screen. They are there, but not terribly distracting, although they unnecessarilly mar an otherwise very nice print.

Leader splices: For some ungodly reason, 2 ID frames were left on both heads and tails. Luckily back then editors waited to make reel breaks in very quite scenes so here keeping the two frames with the leader does not cause any obvious loss. Now if ONLY the people who handle this print down the line resist the temptation to cut MORE frames.

I peeled of ALL splicing tape so both leader and film body ends are clean and there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER to make new cuts.

Body splices: most reels are splice free.

Color: Saturation very good and what you'd expect from a reduction print from 65mm neg (focus too). No fading; skin tones are accurate. Good blacks.

Continuity: Excellent

Physical Condition --
Overall: B+ (WB's print score) If it didn't have those sprocket scratches, it would be an A-, maybe even an A

NOTES:

Intermission at the end of R7 -- Interm

Cans are badly battered and bent. Latches are evil things with sharp edges and will cut you as soon as you touch them.

As noted below, there was an additional piece of film spliced onto R1 as "Overture" music, which, also as correctly noted, was not part of this Roadshow title. In fact, at the end of that music is a fade in of a picture that is a duplicate of the very beginning of R8, i.e. the Entr'acte music for Part II coming out of Intermission. Evidently the print lost the Entr'acte music at the top of R8 and new footage must have been ordered but was never spliced in the correct place, but just stuck onto R1. If one ran the print as we received it, the misplaced entr'acte music being used as an overture would end with a fade-in and a shot that would mysteriously go black and up would come the Fox logo. How the last guy didn't see that this was just wrong is the real mystery. We put this in the correct place in front of R8/Start of Part II

Also, there was exit music footage after the credits at the end of R12. Much to my dismay, we couldn't play it because it was butcherd and it ends in the middle of music, so it's worthless. It would be nice if replicement for this music footage were re-ordered.

The Intermission title (end of R7) as of 29 July 05 is intact. It has not been spliced. Let's see how long THAT can be sustained.

All in all, it was a wonder to see this great musical restored to more than what was in circulation for many years -- those terrible faded mono prints.

Criterion has to be commended for keeping this print in good condition. Reel bands would help to insure film from unraveling. We put a goodly amount of artist tape to hold town leaders, but not everyone will do that which could lead to lots of film damage in transit.

It might do well for Criterion to put big official-looking notices in the can saying DO NOT MAKE NEW SPLICE CUTS. CUT ONLY ON EXISTING SPLICES. PRINTS WILL BE INSPECTED AFTER EACH ENGAGEMENT. I've see notices like this on prints from Paramount and I must say, for the kid who's only seen some other kid whacking off a frame for every splice they make and thinks that's the way it's done, this might at least be a wakeup call that, at least for THIS print, you are not supposed to cut new frames. Hey, it couldn't hurt.

Original Post:
They have it listed already in their brochure so presumably it's already booked (that's not always the case). This is not the bastardization sing-along crap, but the straight film.

Anyone know if there are any decent prints? The last time I ran it in the 80s there were nothing but 3 or 4 Films Inc. prints, horribly shifted to green(!) Also the one I got had a badly distorted mono soundtrack. And we all know where those Films Inc. prints wound up. If we get a print from that era, I will shoot myself.

Anyone run it recently?

Request #2. Anyone have a trailer they can loan me?

[ 08-12-2005, 08:22 AM: Message edited by: Frank Angel ]