Philadelphia Experiment (The) (1984) German Blu-ray ADDED

[Darrel_Griffin]

Title: Philadelphia Experiment (The) (1984) Blu-ray
Country: Germany
Region: ALL
Releasing Studio: DigiDreams Studios
Case Type: Keep Case
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Codec: AVC MPEG-4
Picture: 1080p 24fps
Soundtracks:

English Dolby Digital 5.1
English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
German Dolby Digital 5.1 (but see note below)
German Dolby Digital 2.0 dual mono

N.B. The German Dolby Digital 5.1 track seems to be mono on my system. I only have a stereo system, but the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track is stereo on my system, so they do appear to be very different (in addition to obviously the different language). The German Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack also seems to be mono. These mono soundtracks seem likely to be authoring errors (see also note below regarding the alternate versions included on this disc).


Subtitles: German (optional)
Cuts: claims to be uncut, and judging by the runtime this is probably true (101:12)
Commentaries: none
Extras:

Original Trailer (in English) (2:53)
Re-release Trailer (in English) (2:05)
Re-release Trailer (in English with burnt-in German subtitles) (2:05)
Stills gallery slideshow (37 images) (2:22)
Artwork gallery slideshow (13 images) (1:07)

Soundtrack maxi single (2 tracks of audio from the movie soundtrack by The Splash Band on ZYX Records, accompanied by still images of vinyl record and sleeve artwork, in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo) (10:45)

Film program slideshow (9 images) (0:46)
Cinema Poster slideshow (22 images) (1:54)
Advertising slideshow (11 images) (0:57)
Production Notes (63 pages of English text presented as slideshow) (5:27)

Alternate German 4:3 version of movie (SD, PAL, 1.33:1 open matte, German Dolby Digital 2.0 dual mono soundtrack, no subtitles, runtime 96:55)

Alternate German version of movie with mono sound (HD, 1080p 24fps AVC MPEG-4, 1.78:1, German Dolby Digital 2.0 dual mono soundtrack, no subtitles, runtime 101:12)


N.B. I can find no difference between this last version and the standard version with German 2.0 soundtrack selected. Possibly there are some different shots, but I haven't spotted any, and the runtime is exactly the same. Possibly the only intended difference was the German mono soundtrack, but since the standard version's German 2.0 soundtrack appears to be mono anyway, there is perhaps no difference. More likely is that the standard version was meant to have 5.1 and stereo German soundtracks, and they are mono by mistake.


Notes: Also available in the 'John Carpenter Collection' box set with Black Moon Rising Blu-ray.
Easter Eggs: none known
Amazon ASIN (UK, French, German, USA releases only):

The Philadelphia Experiment: B00TIKCJA2

The 'John Carpenter Collection' (The Philadelphia Experiment / Black Moon Rising) box set:
B01DOYL296 (on Amazon.co.uk)
B01DOYL2T6 (on Amazon.de)

(I don't know why there are two slightly different ASIN's for the box set across the two websites.)


Source: I own the 'John Carpenter Collection' (The Philadelphia Experiment / Black Moon Rising) box set



Additional Notes about the Black Moon Rising Blu-ray:

1. The Black Moon Rising page already includes the Blu-ray as a separate item, but could be updated to mention the box set.

2. The Black Moon Rising Blu-ray is also region ALL as checked by myself, so this can be amended (currently says region B).

3. The Black Moon Rising German 5.1 and 2.0 soundtracks both appear to be mono - perhaps the same error as appears to be the case with the The Philadelphia Experiment Blu-ray. The English 2.0 track is stereo. As I only have a stereo system, I cannot properly check the English 5.1 track, but it plays as stereo on my system, so is definitely not mono.

4. The Black Moon Rising German subtitles are optional.

5. More details on the Black Moon Rising slideshows:

The car slideshow (3 images) (0:34)
Film program slideshow (13 images) (1:07)
Advertising slideshow (21 images) (1:49)
Press kit slideshow (30 images) (2:36)
Theatrical stills slideshow (37 images) (3:13)
Stills gallery slideshow (22 images) (1:54)
Artwork gallery slideshow (32 images) (2:46)

6. CORRECTION: "Making Of" featurette is 7:25, NOT 7:35.

7. According to IMDb, the director of Black Moon Rising is actually Harley Cokeliss, but was written incorrectly as 'Cokliss' in the original on-screen credits. The dvdcompare database currently lists the incorrect spelling on this page. Also, on the pages of other movies he directed, some have the correct spelling and some have the incorrect spelling, so all the incorrect ones should (presumably) be corrected.

[Eric_Cotenas]

The film was released in mono. Chace remixed it for Anchor Bay’s dvd. Either Krekel got the Chace elements for the English remix or ripped them from the dvd. I’m guessing the German is more monophonic because it’s an upmix rather than a remix. Some upmixing program algorithms need at least stereo sound to do more than spread the signal out (which would require some stereo widening and delay to a mono mix before upmixing). The stems for the German mix might not have been available or they just didn’t bother (maybe they would spend money on lossless encoding if they had to put more effort and money into the audio side).

[Darrel_Griffin]

Yes it's a good point that ALL the soundtrack options are lossy. But I guess it's a relatively obscure movie that they don't expect to sell in massive quantities, so I guess they couldn't justify spending too much money on it.

However, I don't understand why they would include a 5.1 track that is mono, unless it isn't actually mono but only becomes so when downmixed to 'stereo' on a stereo-only system such as mine. I can imagine theoretical mixes that might do that, e.g. where Front Left = Rear Right and Front Right = Rear Left. This particular example would be a pretty weird choice, but there might be more sensible ones. Whatever, without a 5.1 system I have no way of knowing for sure.

But what really puzzles me is the extra feature consisting of the movie in HD with German 2.0 mono soundtrack. As I said in my original post, I can find no difference between this and selecting the standard movie with German 2.0 soundtrack. The only differences seem to be that the audio cannot be switched and no subtitles can be selected. But there is nothing to gain from this. Perhaps there is some different dialogue at some points. But I don't understand German, so trying to spot any differences would for me be like trying to find a needle in a mega-haystack when the needle might not even be there! So unfortunately I'll have to pass on that!

[Eric_Cotenas]

It has less to do with the quality of the film as cinema than Krekel’s treatment of any film he works on for Blu-ray. All DNR, all lossy audio, all upmixed whether mono or stereo original.

[Ain_Uussaar]

But what really puzzles me is the extra feature consisting of the movie in HD with German 2.0 mono soundtrack. As I said in my original post, I can find no difference between this and selecting the standard movie with German 2.0 soundtrack. The only differences seem to be that the audio cannot be switched and no subtitles can be selected. But there is nothing to gain from this. Perhaps there is some different dialogue at some points. But I don't understand German, so trying to spot any differences would for me be like trying to find a needle in a mega-haystack when the needle might not even be there! So unfortunately I'll have to pass on that!

ofdb.de lists it as old German version with mono soundtrack. This should just mean it's the film with old (original) German dub track.

[Darrel_Griffin]

I've just checked on the Blu-ray again, trying to compare the main version (with German 2.0 soundtrack selected) with bonus feature HD version. It's not easy as it takes a bit of time to navigate through the menu to start each one, and the chapter stops are also in different places, which means by the time I've selected the same point in the movie, over 30 seconds have elapsed.

Anyway, having checked various points throughout the movie, the only difference I can tell between them is that the soundtrack on the bonus feature version sounds a bit quieter overall. Possibly the relative mix levels of the different audio elements (music / FX / dialogue etc.) are different too, but as far as I can tell they both use the same dialogue track throughout i.e. the same recordings of the same actors' voices.

In summary, technically the soundtrack DOES seem to be different, but so far I have found no significant differences.

[Eric_Cotenas]

Added, thanks. Let me know if you have any additional comments or corrections.

[Darrel_Griffin]

A few minor corrections/additions:

1. typos:

"Artwork gallery slideshow (13 imaegs, 1:07)" -> images

(in Notes): "altnrate SD and HD German" - > alternate


2. Black Moon Rising Blu-ray is region ALL, not region B.

3. I forgot to mention that both movies have reversible sleeves. For both movies, both sides are similar but with the option of having either a large FSK age restriction logo on the front, or a small one on the back.

4. There are still some entries credited to 'Harley Cokliss' (instead of Cokeliss). I'm not sure what the rules are, but I would have thought there should be a single consistent spelling for each director, so when people search by director name they get the full list. The ones with the incorrect spelling are:

Battletruck AKA Warlords of the 21st Century (1981)
Malone (1987) (DVD)

[Darrel_Griffin]

Re: Black Moon Rising Blu-ray

I've just noticed that there seem to be two different releases of Black Moon Rising by the same company, with slightly different covers, although I suspect the contents are the same. On Blu-ray.com they are:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Black-Mo ... ay/115301/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Black-Mo ... ay/176466/

The first of these is reported by Blu-ray.com to have no subtitles, but this might be wrong. This is also the one that is currently listed on dvdcompare. The second one is the one that is included in the 'John Carpenter Collection' box set I own. I don't know if they should be listed as two separate items, but if so, then it is the second one that is part of the box set.

Sorry this is all a bit of a headache!

[Eric_Cotenas]

Fixed. Hopefully Cokeliss' Dream Demon gets a release.

[Darrel_Griffin]

Yep, all seems fixed.

I guess for consistency, you could change 'Black Moon Rising' director to: "Harley Cokeliss (as Harley Cokliss)", since it IS written as 'Cokliss' in the on-screen credits. Or is that being too pedantic? I can't comment on any other movies of his, as I don't own any others.

Must admit I've never heard of 'Dream Demon' before. Seems to be a low budget ripoff of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', but I'll reserve judgment unless and until I see it. And as a general point, I often prefer low budget movies, as they tend to offer the filmmakers more creative freedom. And in my experience, creative talent such as script writers and directors tend to have a better idea of what makes a good movie than business executives. The main exception to this seems to be sci-fi movies, where you usually need to spend a certain amount of money (for sets, SFX etc.) to make them look convincing.

[Eric_Cotenas]

Yep, all seems fixed.

I guess for consistency, you could change 'Black Moon Rising' director to: "Harley Cokeliss (as Harley Cokliss)", since it IS written as 'Cokliss' in the on-screen credits. Or is that being too pedantic? I can't comment on any other movies of his, as I don't own any others.

Must admit I've never heard of 'Dream Demon' before. Seems to be a low budget ripoff of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', but I'll reserve judgment unless and until I see it. And as a general point, I often prefer low budget movies, as they tend to offer the filmmakers more creative freedom. And in my experience, creative talent such as script writers and directors tend to have a better idea of what makes a good movie than business executives. The main exception to this seems to be sci-fi movies, where you usually need to spend a certain amount of money (for sets, SFX etc.) to make them look convincing.

It is a NIGHTMARE ripoff but it's a British one at a time when there were very few British horror films (when it's competition was the likes of Rawhead Rex, Predator: The Quietus, and I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle).

[Darrel_Griffin]

I've never heard of 'Predator: The Quietus', and I've never seen 'Rawhead Rex' although it does seem to have some fans, and recently had an Arrow UK Blu-ray release. But actually I quite like 'I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle', and I have a copy of it on DVD, although it is more of a comedy than a horror.

I've just realised the site doesn't include the easter egg - I'll send details shortly in a separate post...

As for 'Dream Demon', from what I've read the rights for it are stuck due to bankruptcy or something, so unfortunately it might not get a decent release any time soon.

[Eric_Cotenas]

Re: Black Moon Rising - new release coming from Arrow:

NEW UK TITLE: Black Moon Rising (Blu-ray)

A fast-moving, hydrogen-fueled action thriller written by John Carpenter

Pre-order on Blu-ray: http://bit.ly/2HrXTEk
Release date: April 15

Buckle up for ride in the Black Moon, a sleek, high-tech supercar, powered by hydrogen and capable of speeds of over 300mph!

Tommy Lee Jones (Rolling Thunder, Under Siege) stars as Sam Quint, a master thief working for the government who hides a computer disc loaded with evidence of corporate crime in a prototype supercar, the Black Moon. When a gang of thieves steal the car, Quint seduces their leader, Nina (Linda Hamilton, Terminator), to get to the disc. But in order to reclaim his property, Quint and Nina must break into an impenetrable skyscraper and take down Ed Ryland (Robert Vaughn, The Delta Force), the head of a dangerous stolen car syndicate…

A fast-moving, hydrogen-fueled action thriller written by John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), Black Moon Rising has earned admiration from cult movie audiences for its thrilling chase sequences, pounding synth score, and slick direction courtesy of Harley Cokeliss (Battle Truck, The Glitterball).

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original 35mm interpositive
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo audio and alternative 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• New audio commentary by Lee Gambin, author of Show Me: The Making of Christine
• Black Moon Ascending, a new interview with director Harley Cokeliss
• Thief in The Night: Producing Black Moon Rising, a new interview with producer Douglas Curtis
• Sound of Speed: Composing Black Moon Rising, a new interview with composer Lalo Schifrin and film music historian Daniel Schweiger
• Carpenter’s Craft, a new video essay on co-writer John Carpenter’s screenwriting career by author and critic Troy Howarth
• Making Black Moon Rising, an archival documentary featuring behind the scenes footage and cast and crew interviews
• Alternative Hong Kong version scenes, a presentation of selected scenes from the Hong Kong theatrical version with a different score and sound effects
• Theatrical trailer and radio spots
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kieran Fisher