Magical Mystery Tour DVD

Is the new DVD they sell at Best Buy any better than the MPI one was? There's something loose in the case so I'll be returning this one anyway, for exchange or refund.

 

no. they both look like poo.

 

I guess I'll go with the refund or credit then. Good thing I didn't open it yet. Is it the exact same mastering, or just another bad one?

 

The DVD of MMT that I see out there is some grey market release that doesn't look like it has been authorized by Apple, who of course are the ones that own the rights. I'm kind of surprised to see it show up where it has turned up. It's been officially out of print since MPI stopped pressing it.

 

A clone boot....not worth your time anymore than the original was....

 

Boot at Best Buy? The packaging is pretty cheesy. I wonder if there is a DVD-R inside?

 

I saw that at BB too, but I already had one ****** copy, I didnt think I needed another.

 

I thought it was one of those South American DVDs that pop up now and then at Best Buy like the Concert for Bangladesh one.

 

How much are we expecting out of this DVD? MMT looks like crap, 'cause it has always looked like crap, is the DVD that much worse? It is a low budget amateur film after all.

 

Well, that's not really what we're talking about here. The old Apple authorized VHS tape looked wonderful. The picture was restored by Ron Furmanek, the sound was nicely redone, and it looked about as good as it possibly could.

The DVD, on the other hand, seems to have been taken from a different, somewhat dirtier print, and the sound is not only muddier, but it's out of synch with the picture. MPI took the perfectly good version they had on the market on VHS, and totally ruined it for their DVD. It's not that Magical Mystery Tour has always looked bad, it's that the DVD makes it look worse.

 

These are the kind of things that just baffle me. I mean, how could that happen?

mud-

 

How is the LaserDisc compared to the DVD? I seem to recall there were 2 releases of MMT on LD.

 

Wish I had one of those LD's now, just for the hell of it, to compare....had the VHS once upon a time, but it seems to be MIA(my sister, maybe? I know she has AHDN and HELP! on VHS, I've got the Criterion lasers of those).

Rich is right, though: I remember the VHS looked pretty good(for VHS, and for its time)....I was shocked to pick up the MPI DVD, only to see a really crappy picture(the sound was decent enough). That's why we keep mentioning how clean it is on what's included with ANTHOLOGY.

I'm curious as to ownership...MPI had AHDN, HELP!, MMT, but not YELLOW SUB or LET IT BE. None of the first three seem to be under Apple Corps/Beatles control, while the other two, though with other companies, are obviously under their umbrella, as the extras and mixes on SUB(and presumably, LIB, when it does belatedly make its appearance)make clear.

Thing is, except for a few passages, MMT is really not essential; as it is on DVD, it's worthless, IMO, and unwatchable.

 

Thanks, for the info Reechie. I'd always just assumed that the VHS, LD and DVD were one in the same transfer. Man, if I were king o' the world, Steve, Ron and Robert Harris would be in charge of any and all Beatles' projects.

 

I have a sealed copy of the MPI Magical Mystery Tour DVD and now I'm wondering what to do with it. Most of the MMT DVDs out there these days seem to be bootlegs. I've seen some copies of the actual MPI one go for as much as $100 U.S. on ebay and amazon. I'm curious to see how bad the DVD looks but I have a feeling I'll wish I hadn't cracked it open if I do.

 

Well, upon further review, I don't think my MMT DVD looks that bad. The element is rough yes, and some parts are worse than others, but I still think it looks okay overall considered the low budget nature of this project. My DVD has the same note at the beginning about the transfer being done from the 35mm film in June of 1988 that my laserdisc had, and, if memory serves, looks about the same as the old LD. I also inspected the Anthology DVD section on MMT, and parts of it appeared to be less beat up, and with more color saturation, kind of what you'd expect from a modern transfer compared to one done in 1988. The stuff that looked significantly sharper on Anthology, was stuff that wasn't in the original cut, fer instance the I AM THE WALRUS segment which has new stuff edited in to it. So, MMT doesn't look great, but not AWFUL, but reasonable for a cheap film made in 1968, and then transfered 20 years later, which is now 17 years ago. It just needs a new restoration is all.

P.S. My MMT DVD is in the 4 DVD collection with HELP, Making of AHDN and The Beatles' First U.S. Visit. I don't know if it is any different from the DVD released on its own.

 

Contrary to what some might believe, there were some fine LD transfers made in the '80s, and not just by Criterion. MMT looks like crap on DVD because no effort was put into it. What's more, MMT should not look 'cheap'; nor should it look 'perfect'....but it should look a lot, lot better than the DVD does. This is about a lack of restoration, just tossing any old source out there and not caring how it looked. The TLC that should have been done years ago to make it at least presentable, wasn't.

 

The picture on the DVD looks MUCH better than the LD (but still horrible). However, the AUDIO on the LD sounds MUCH better than the DVD. A tossup.

 

Wasn't it shot on 16mm film stock?

 

Glad I kept the VHS. MMT has never been a favorite of mine, so that will do nicely.


Evan

 

I don't think it's anyone's favourite! I actually find it enjoyable (especially the nice VHS transfer), although it drags in places.

 

It may have been, but I wouldn't swear to it. The little blurb right before the film definitely says 35mm, however.

 

Okay, kewl. I had heard it was 16mm but wouldn't swear to it either.

 

See this thread for my earlier comments:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/s...ge=2&pp=20&highlight=Magical+mystery+tour+DVD

Derek

 

The Beatles did not own the rights to AHDN or Help!. I remember that Walter Shenson had owned the rights at one time. It's clear they do not own the rights to AHDN still, but I'm not certain who owns Help now.