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THREADS remastered on DVD

Started by Ballad of Ballard Berkley, April 02, 2018, 07:00:32 PM

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Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Everyone's favourite nuclear Armageddon chuckle-fest, Threads, is re-released on DVD this week in remastered form, so we can finally enjoy that relentless torrent of piss, shit and vomit in all its sparkling glory.

It comes with some excellent bonus material too, including commentaries from director Mick Jackson and Karen Meagher who played Ruth, plus several interesting documentaries. It's the bells and whistles release this brutal masterpiece deserves.

I thought it worth mentioning, as I know that Threads is a touchstone film for quite a lot of Cabbers. If you haven't seen it, then this is the perfect opportunity to acquaint yourself with an extraordinary piece of work that truly lives up to its harrowing reputation.

garbed_attic

Oooh and it's me birthday in a week or so. Thanks for this!!

Thomas

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on April 02, 2018, 07:00:32 PM
It comes with some excellent bonus material too, including commentaries from director Mick Jackson and Karen Meagher who played Ruth

No commentary by Anne Sellors?

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Sadly not, they really missed a trick there.


Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Here's the Blu-ray trailer (featuring a quote from a piece I once wrote for The Guardian - so proud).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHyNFlhjojM

Sebastian Cobb

I can see the Bluray release on amazon US, but not UK. What's going on?


VelourSpirit

But that's a DVD, is there no new blu ray?

Beagle 2


Trojan_Jockey

All these years and still no sequel? They shouldn't have killed off all the main characters, otherwise they could have had another Police Academy on their hands.

Howj Begg



You know, us Threadheads have been waiting for many years, they really should reboot the Threads franchise for a new, younger audience.

studpuppet

Quote from: TwinPeaks on April 02, 2018, 10:47:46 PM
But that's a DVD, is there no new blu ray?

Yeah, weird, because it's remastered on Blu-Ray in the States:

https://severin-films.com/shop/threads-bluray/

Fat Jesus

#13
An explanation for the two different releases (from post #277). It's worth reading the remainder of that thread, too.

I'll try to summarise but I'm not an expert:

The US Blu-ray is sourced from a film print, which was used for transmission, and has some damage as well as wear and tear. The UK DVD meanwhile goes back to an earlier element, the CRI (Colour Reversal Internegative), which has remained untouched since it was used to make prints 30+ years ago and has been properly stored since. Note: this is not to be confused with the OCN (Orignal Camera Negative) which is what the film was shot on; that would be the best source of all but it may be lost for all I know.

This matters all the more when you consider that Threads was filmed in 16 mm, which is very grainy to start with.

So why is the UK version not on Blu-ray? Apparently the BBC, who own the rights, are asking for more money to give the film a BD release in the UK. It's also more expensive to release BDs because a fee has to be paid to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) in order to use the format.

Neither release will be the perfection we want: BD from lower quality source vs DVD from higher quality source, but they're our only options for now. You can see a review and screengrabs from the BD at Blu-ray.com. I don't know of any DVD reviews or screenshots online as yet.

Some things worth noting: both releases contain some different extras, if that matters to you; the BD is region-free but the DVD will probably be locked to Region 2 (the Beeb usually insist on this) and PAL; the DVD runs at 25 fps, the correct speed, whereas the BD is at 24 fps* (some people notice, especially with the music); both releases are fully restored for the first time** as far as I know; and I have no links with anyone involved in either release!


*Although the BD specifications don't allow for 25 fps, it can technically be done. See post #11 (not numbered but you can count!) by MichaelB here (the final paragraph).
**Earlier DVD releases had some music changed.

Bobtoo

Threads is one of my favourite films, I watch it at least once a year. I'm under no illusions that it's a romanticised view, even then it wouldn't have gone anywhere near as well, but I still find it quite comforting to watch.

Isnt Anything

Quote from: Fat Jesus on April 03, 2018, 03:22:11 AMthe DVD runs at 25 fps, the correct speed, whereas the BD is at 24 fps

welllllll .... yes and no.

film back then - and often still now - was always shot at 24 fps but when shown on UK etc tv would / will be played back 4 % faster at 25 fps, not really noticeable to most people but music will go up a semitone.

so yes 25 fps is the 'correct' speed inasmuch as thats how we all saw it on transmission and still would see it if transmitted today, but actually the correct speed as to how all the actors moved etc is 24 fps !

Thank you so much for your post btw very useful info.

Beagle 2

Any chance of some deleted scenes? Maybe that woman shits herself as well, turns to the camera to break the fourth wall and says "Oh bugger, I've shit mesen"? An alternative ending where everything's basically fine and back to normal except now Notts County are absolutely amazing?

Cuellar

Never seen this. Would have terrified me as a youth I reckon. Petrified of all this sort of thing once.

Did lol at this however: https://youtu.be/MrHoMSRZOS4?t=1m1s

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Jimmy's dad sitting on the bog as the bombs drop is intentionally funny in a bleak, horribly British way, it's not a bit of inadvertent comedy.

shiftwork2


colacentral

This is why people should switch to blu ray and flip their useless DVDs to the dogs; they'd be happy to pay that fee if they thought the blu-ray would sell.

Replies From View

Quote from: colacentral on April 03, 2018, 12:09:53 PM
This is why people should switch to blu ray and flip their useless DVDs to the dogs; they'd be happy to pay that fee if they thought the blu-ray would sell.

Maybe they should make Blu Ray drives for computers that just run when you plug them in and don't require a load of special drivers to be installed and software to be bought.

Trojan_Jockey

Quote from: Beagle 2 on April 03, 2018, 09:44:58 AM
Any chance of some deleted scenes? Maybe that woman shits herself as well, turns to the camera to break the fourth wall and says "Oh bugger, I've shit mesen"? An alternative ending where everything's basically fine and back to normal except now Notts County are absolutely amazing?

They didn't tell you this in the movie, but in the event of a nuclear holocaust and the complete destruction of civil society, due to being the oldest team in the league, Notts County would automatically be declared champions.

kidsick5000

Hats off to whoever came up with the BDA.
Sounds like the scam of the century.

Phil_A

Quote from: kidsick5000 on April 03, 2018, 03:05:10 PM
Hats off to whoever came up with the BDA.
Sounds like the scam of the century.

You know too much, my dental friend!

Beagle 2

Quote from: Trojan_Jockey on April 03, 2018, 01:07:52 PM
They didn't tell you this in the movie, but in the event of a nuclear holocaust and the complete destruction of civil society, due to being the oldest team in the league, Notts County would automatically be declared champions.

I've always wondered why their fans sing "we pray for the apocalypse, we pray, we pray, obliteration, armageddon, championee, evaporated where we stand, forest are a bunch of poofs ooh aaah"

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Mick Jackson's DVD commentary is packed with interesting detail, it's great... apart from the bit where he refers to "the woman who pees herself." FFS, Mick, you of all people should know that Anne Sellors' official character credit is Woman Who Urinates On Herself. A frankly unforgivable error.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Belated thanks for that technical info Fat Jesus and Isn't Anything.

manticore

QuoteJackson later recalled that while BBC productions would usually be followed by phone calls of congratulations from friends or colleagues immediately after airing, no such calls came after the first screening of Threads. Jackson later "realised...that people had just sat there thinking about it, in many cases not sleeping or being able to talk."