|
buy this title
|
Comparison between the 2007 DVD version from Warner and the 2019 UK Blu-ray version from Arrow Video
- 12 documented deviations - Difference (without logos): 15.6 sec Various versions of William Friedkins CRUISINGThe movie Cruising, directed by William Friedkin, in 1980 still delivers a very special charm: The homosexual S&M scene in America couldn't be experienced like this after the great Aids wave and the director's assertions that every scene, for example, was based on true stories from police reports, have cheered on the mythos as well as the scandal of that time. The 2013 documentary Interior. Leather Bar dealt in more detail with the 30 minutes of additional hardcore sex scenes that Friedkin allegedly shot at the time and which should have been included in the first version passed on to the MPAA. After another statement in the new audio commentary recorded for this Blu-ray, this was clearly a tactic to only have to accept expected cuts for the R-rating but the material was never kept for posterity. It was also a fascinating movie with a great acting Al Pacino. In a former cut-report between the VHS and the DVD version we could already state that for the remastered release on DVD in 2007 a few adjustments were made. Friedkin was never satisfied with the info text that was built-in by the studio at the beginning due to expected protests from the gay community and replaced it without further ado. But there were also some new moments to discover, as well as digital alterations. On 19 August 2019 the worldwide Blu-ray premiere from Arrow Video with a new 4K transfer was released in the US and the UK and see there: In fact Friedkin has done a bit more work on this editing, which was personally supervised by him according to the restoration notes... The 4K restoration on the Blu-ray from Arrow VideoFirst of all, qualitative implementation was hotly debated in forums. There is no question that the 4K source sometimes looks absolutely great or reveals a clear increase in sharpness and detail. Unfortunately, especially in some dark scenes DNR was used massively and black crush (loss of detail in dark areas of the picture) is noticeable. Already French Connection was noticeable by a odd treatment on the part of the director himself and since Arrow is otherwise known for their careful work in this field, one can blame this on the director. Still: for fans it's a usable HD-premiere. But Friedkin didn't only help with the quality, but also with the movie itself. While previously on DVD, instead of the hated info text, a moving text with the movie title was visible, you now get a new mini intro sequence. Two credits and altered shots from later (the club from outside and Pacino in Central Park). Not too spectacular, yet remarkable and responsible for the small time difference. In addition, the altered effects of the DVD (murder in the park & Pacino under the influence of drugs in the club) were now reversed. Basically a hybrid version between the VHS version presumably corresponding to the theatrical version and the DVD, ultimately a matter of taste. The legendary "subliminal shots" (hardcore inserts), color games & crossfades are curious. Also here the short anal penetration frames are to be seen identically long, but they are color-matched and no longer as before so clearly as archive material from worse picture source to recognize. Some short moments were then either changed to black-and-white or vice versa to color. Especially towards the end a few longer, soft transitions are noticeable. Everything a bit mysterious and in the new audio commentary Friedkin doesn't say anything more about it, although he praises the possibilities of a digital color timing and emphasizes that the new version would finally reproduce its original version correctly. Runtime specifications are arranged according to the following scheme PAL German DVD / British Blu-ray The DVD still has the Warner logo as an introduction.
+ 18.5 sec
Alternative 00:18-00:46 / 00:00-00:45 On the DVD-version only a lettering with the movie title runs from right to left and with the last letters the first scene on the high seas starts in the background. On Blu-ray you can now see two images from the movie a modified with a B/W filter and two credit insertions. For the scene on the high seas, the image is then faded up and it starts much earlier than on the DVD - recognizable by the ship that cannot yet be seen on the left of the picture on Blu-ray at the beginning. Blu-ray 15.6 sec longer
12:06-12:10 / 12:34-12:38 The short hardcore insert with anal penetration that can be seen twice now has no more scratches in the image and can be seen in "normal" hue instead of blue. In general, the movie on DVD had a rather bluish look. The Blu-ray now tends towards a more natural look, as you can see in the second comparison picture shown here for a better comparison.
32:36-32:39 / 33:56-33:59 The alienation effect added to the DVD during the murder in the park is now missing again.
43:13 / 45:00 While the Harcore insert used to be black and white during the murder in the theatre, it is now colored.
47:55 / 49:54 After Steve has inhaled and noticed the effect of the drugs, you briefly see an American flag. This time it was colored B/W for the Blu-ray.
48:05-48:21 / 50:05-50:21 To further illustrate the influence of drugs, on the DVD, a digital effect has been applied to several scenes with Steve. This was reversed on Blu-ray. In addition one saw then on DVD the flag only in black and white. On Blu-ray it flashes blue several times and additional black spots darken it.
75:17-75:24 / 78:27-78:34 The flashbacks on DVD were still in black and white. The Blu-ray not only shows them in color, but also from a different camera-angle, recognizable by the different eye position. The fading into white remains DVD exclusive.
86:38-86:39 / 90:17-90:18 While the scene on DVD ends normally, the Blu-ray fades black.
89:13-89:14 / 92:58-92:59 When the police appear at the accident scene, black fade-in again on Blu-ray. With the DVD it was a normal scene cut. 91:13-91:15 / 95:04-95:06 The soft cross-fade starts here with the Blu-ray somewhat later and is also clearly longer.
93:25-93:32 / 97:22-97:29 On Blu-ray, Steve is faded in much longer and overlayed in next scene.
The end credits also deviate before the actors are named.
Only the DVD has two additional notes at the end and the Warner logo. The Blu-ray, longer black screen, but still 2 sec shorter.
|
