(Released) Dead Presidents Criterion Laserdisc Restoration

[alleycat]

Thanks PDB, everything is looking good and I decided to keep it as E-AC-3. It's now a matter of designing the menu in Photoshop/BDS, which I want to mirror the standard Criterion menu as closely as possible.

[alleycat]

Here is where I am up to:

HDTV picture colour corrected to match the DVD
English and french audio
English and Spanish subtitles
Criterion audio commentary
All extras from the laserdisc

Had a problem with syncing up the commentary as the HDTV starts half way though the opening logo and I couldn’t cut the audio as they start talking straight away. So I found the same opening logo on another blu ray and copied it over, then inserted some silence to the beginning of the HDTV audio.

Currently I’m building the menus, mimicking the official criterion layout. It’s proving a little tricky as they use animation but once it’s done I can use that as a template for future projects.

If anyone has any other language audio tracks let me know and I can include them.

[alleycat]

Just an update, project is still in the works but I was using a non anamorphic DVD for the colour correction and to ensure the results are as good as they can be I decided to order an anamorphic DVD and use that instead.

[alleycat]

Ok so I'm happy to announce this project is now complete and I'm really pleased with it. It's a faithful reconstruction of the Criterion Laserdisc with the following:

HDTV 1080P AVC Video with some basic colour correction using the DVD as a reference
English 5.1 EAC-3 Audio
French 2.0 AC3 Audio
Optional English, French, German and Spanish subtitles
Commentary track with the Directors The Hughes Brothers, Larenz Tate, Keith David, Lisa Rinzler, Dr Todd Boyd and Ari Merretazon
Deleted Scenes and Storyboard sequences
Vintage Featurette
Trailer and TV Spots
The Real Anthony, Ari Merretazon, Today
Dr Boyd's Guide to Blaxploitation
Al Green in Pimpstrumental Color
Issac Hayes Walk On By Music Video
Laserdisc Credits

This is on a BD25 Blu Ray disc with menus and resume functions. This has been made to mimic the way an official Criterion Blu Ray looks in almost every detail. I took screenshots of every menu page from an official disc and rebuilt them, with animation exactly the same way as Criterion does. I built a background video using clips from the movie which were then slowed down to half speed. The only things that are missing from the official Criterion menu is the ability to set timeline points that you can return to (possibly but I don't think I'd ever use it) and the resume menu (the official discs ask you if you want to resume where I prefer it to just resume without asking). To give you an idea of the work involved this disc uses a total of 194 menus behind the scenes to make it work!

The one thing I wanted to do but couldn't was include the original Criterion chapter marks, I don't have them so had to use the DVD chapter timings.

This will be the first of many Criterion preservation projects.

As always, contributing / long term members only.

Hope you enjoy.

[oh_riginal]

Wow, after just skimming through it... I'm impressed! This is one of my favorite 90s movies, period. It was one of the first DVDs I ever purchased, and it's been incredibly overdue for a proper HD release, and sadly that just seems to be how it will stay officially. This release blows my mind and I couldn't be happier that it exists! The colors are great, the sound is pristine, and I will be watching this in December fully (cause of the Christmas scene ;-D )

I'm amazed. Thanks for this!

Now if only Blood In Blood Out could get the same treatment....

[alleycat]

Wow, after just skimming through it... I'm impressed! This is one of my favorite 90s movies, period. It was one of the first DVDs I ever purchased, and it's been incredibly overdue for a proper HD release, and sadly that just seems to be how it will stay officially. This release blows my mind and I couldn't be happier that it exists! The colors are great, the sound is pristine, and I will be watching this in December fully (cause of the Christmas scene ;-D )

I'm amazed. Thanks for this!

Now if only Blood In Blood Out could get the same treatment....

Thanks for your kind words oh_riginal, glad you enjoy. Keep an eye out as there will be plenty more Criterion projects coming. Unfortunately there is no HDTV release of Blood In Blood Out but it's long overdue.

[tonecapone]

There is a 1080p amazon rip of Dead Presidents just made available

[alleycat]

Criterion style cover art created by the very talented pineapples101 - full uncompressed versions available with double sided inserts and disc art.

[DeafYakuza]

Very Great job, alleycat!

I also captured this movie from Criterion Laserdisc and dubbed for German theatrical cut. It was not easy to hear English languages from audio track of deleted scenes to create subtitles because it has murmurs.
How is yours? Are the deleted scenes subtitled?

[alleycat]

Very Great job, alleycat!

I also captured this movie from Criterion Laserdisc and dubbed for German theatrical cut. It was not easy to hear English languages from audio track of deleted scenes to create subtitles because it has murmurs.
How is yours? Are the deleted scenes subtitled?

Thanks DeafYakuza,

I'm afraid I don't have any subs for deleted scenes unfortunately, but if you want to make them feel free to message me if there are any lines you cannot hear, I'll have a listen and see if I can figure any of them out.