Tweet SHE 1935 Kino vs. Legend Release Question

Kino
http://www.amazon.com/She-Deluxe-Disc-H ... 989&sr=8-1

Legend Films
http://www.amazon.com/She-Original-Blac ... 047&sr=1-3

The Kino release is 102 minutes(imdb listed movie at 101 min. so I assume 1 minute for legend credits)
The legend release is 95 minutes(one minute is for Legend credits)

My question is I was wondering if anyone has seen both releases and know what footage the Kino one has over the Legend release. I assume extra dialogue that someone considered not needed at some point as there was a re-release after initial release that was cut. I realize that the Kino release is also legend material, I just don't know why the bastards at legend didn't release the complete version on their own. Maybe Kino paid them nicely for it. Kino did add a couple extra extras not in the legend release so that's something. The only info that I have gathered is from a link below to the extra footage:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2378she.html
"The transfer on the B&W version is surprisingly good, with some scratches and a few missing frames. I personally can't recall where the missing eight minutes are restored, as I haven't seen the older copy in about fifteen years. The only scenes that seemed new were dialogue material with Helen Mack. But I liked the film much better this time -- the (presumably) new speeches add to the mystery and enrich the characters."

[Christopher Jacobs]

My Legend Blu-ray of SHE and THINGS TO COME just arrived this afternoon and I've had time to spot check it for quality and running times but not watch the movies all the way through (or even waste time on the also-included colorized versions, which look like lobby-cards in motion in the bonus features). The Blu-ray of SHE is the same 102-minute Legend transfer that Kino put out a few years ago on DVD. Anything that lists a shorter running speed is merely going from mistaken paper info and not from the data on the disc (i.e., Kino's DVD release is actually the Legend version, credited to Legend, and not any special different version, and that's the same version Legend has now released to Blu-ray on its own.) It's now at 24p in hi-def, but the improvement in picture quality is only marginal over the excellent Kino DVD played through an upscaling player (like the SUNRISE Blu-ray of the American cut, the biggest difference seems to be fewer compression artifacts on the Blu-ray, rather than much increase in actual sharpness from the DVD). The Blu-ray looks nice, but is just a bit soft, like it's from a decent 35mm dupe or good 16mm reduction, rather than from a 35mm negative or finegrain (it includes the Raymond Rohauer credit at the beginning, and there is some minor negative wear visible). It's close to but not quite as sharp as the WB Blu-ray of KING KONG, which was also not made from an original negative. It's got better contrast than Legend's own Blu-ray of BABES IN TOYLAND/MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS, but is not quite as crisp as much of that transfer. I'd say it's about as good as the few softish prints used in the Sherlock Holmes Blu-ray set but nowhere near as sharp as the majority of the Sherlock Holmes Blu-ray titles (those from 35mm negatives), and is probably worth a good solid "B" rating on an A through F scale. Audio is pretty good.

SHE includes the same audio commentary track as Kino's DVD, but hardly any other bonus features (basically a couple of SD interviews with Ray Harryhausen mainly about how much he likes colorization and how it was done on these films, although there's also a 9-minute collection of old B&W TV commercials for sci-fi toys). The Kino DVD has far better bonus materials and since the picture quality is so close there's really no reason to get the Legend Blu-ray if you already have the Kino DVD (Legend's Blu-ray is actually cheaper but has fewer extras) unless you don't already have copies of THINGS TO COME or THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME on DVD. There's a bonus DVD with THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME that's got decent quality for a PD title, but isn't as good as Criterion's excellent DVD (and I sure hope Criterion can do a good Blu-ray of that one someday). The Blu-ray version of THINGS TO COME, on the same disc as SHE, is mediocre, looking like a typical pretty good 16mm reduction print rather than high-quality 35mm preprint material, though it's not easy to tell how much softness is due to a so-so preprint and how much is due to the transfer itself (I've seen a fairly rare 16mm original print that's a bit sharper and a bit longer). This version runs only 92 minutes. It could certainly look worse, but it most definitely does NOT show off the capabilities of what Blu-ray can do for an older movie when first-rate 35mm sources are used. I'd probably rate the THINGS TO COME picture quality on this Blu-ray a C or C+ and the sound about the same.

Did you check the 3 links on my post? They all state that Legend's previous DVD release of SHE is 95 minutes and the Kino/Legend one is 102 minutes. I can't tell you about the Bluray since it just lists the run time of all movies on set.

The KINO release includes the missing reel that was deleted for the 1948 reissue. This footage came from my 16mm print and begins with Helen Mack sneaking through the palace to visit Randolph Scott in Helen Gahagan's apartment. It continues through the scene between Nigel Bruce and Gustav von Seyffertitz.

Actually, Legend originally used this footage from my print for their DVD and included it on the disc as "extra footage", whereas Kino restored it to the feature where it belongs.

BTW - I just found out our original soundtrack CD of Max Steiner's score is SOLD OUT!

Here's a cue:

http://chelsearialtostudios.com/projects/she.mp3

So why is the Black and White print affected by overscan while the "color" edition is full frame...?

[Christopher Jacobs]

Did you check the 3 links on my post? They all state that Legend's previous DVD release of SHE is 95 minutes and the Kino/Legend one is 102 minutes. I can't tell you about the Bluray since it just lists the run time of all movies on set.

What I gathered from those reviews is that the 95-minute Legend DVD release was their first colorized version of SHE, and it was soon superceded by Kino's superior restored edition with the footage reinstated and a new colorized copy of the restored version as well. Of course Kino also added an extra DVD of much more interesting bonus features. Apparently the earlier shorter Legend DVD release of SHE did not sell all its copies by the time Kino's deluxe edition came out, so both can still be purchased in new copies. Legend has now put SHE onto Blu-ray using the restored longer transfer, so buying their old DVD release is pretty much an exercise in collecting variant editions. But as I noted above, if you've got the Kino DVD 2-disc set, there is little reason to get Legend's Blu-ray, as it is the identical 102-minute transfer and the Blu-ray's quality upgrade is only marginal. If you like the movie but haven't got Kino's deluxe DVD set, you won't want to get Legend's old DVD but might want Legend's new Blu-ray, as it's a bit cheaper and also includes a so-so copy of THINGS TO COME (plus an okay DVD of THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME).