The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Italian Cut Reconstruction in English)

[dreadnoughtt]

I know I’m way too late for this but can I get the links? PM isn’t working. I really need this.

[X5gb]

I know I’m way too late for this but can I get the links? PM isn’t working. I really need this.

Seriously, read the rules buddy, before you get banned, there’s a reason you can‘t pm.

[iguanaclerk]

I know I’m way too late for this but can I get the links? PM isn’t working. I really need this.

The upcoming Arrow UHD/BD will have easily the nicest copy of the video (and English audio), so that's what you'll want these days. It should also be pretty close to this cut (though how exactly they'll handle the torture scene remains to be seen). Unfortunately they couldn't get the Italian Dub, which means the video also won't have a seamless breaching option for the Italian titles, but it should be relatively straightforward to edit them in from the bonus features (and approximate the choices Dek made).

[Dek Rollins]

I know I’m way too late for this but can I get the links? PM isn’t working. I really need this.

The upcoming Arrow UHD/BD will have easily the nicest copy of the video (and English audio), so that's what you'll want these days. It should also be pretty close to this cut (though how exactly they'll handle the torture scene remains to be seen). Unfortunately they couldn't get the Italian Dub, which means the video also won't have a seamless breaching option for the Italian titles, but it should be relatively straightforward to edit them in from the bonus features (and approximate the choices Dek made).

I plan to make an new version of my project after the Arrow set releases. Once I get it in the mail (in August) I can assess how much work needs to be done. But it sounds like they already put plenty of work in to make things right.

[iguanaclerk]

Oh lovely, that will be great. I always loved this version, it'll be nice to have it with the latest upgrades. It's a shame they couldn't get the Italian audio for the second two films, the first UHD is excellent and the ideal presentation of both dubs.

[LordWout]

I know I’m way too late for this but can I get the links? PM isn’t working. I really need this.

The upcoming Arrow UHD/BD will have easily the nicest copy of the video (and English audio), so that's what you'll want these days. It should also be pretty close to this cut (though how exactly they'll handle the torture scene remains to be seen). Unfortunately they couldn't get the Italian Dub, which means the video also won't have a seamless breaching option for the Italian titles, but it should be relatively straightforward to edit them in from the bonus features (and approximate the choices Dek made).

I plan to make an new version of my project after the Arrow set releases. Once I get it in the mail (in August) I can assess how much work needs to be done. But it sounds like they already put plenty of work in to make things right.

Looking forward to it! I Already ordered the Arrow 4k and am curious to see if the option without the grotto scene and with the uncut torture scene will already be the exact same as the original Italian cut (in English) or that there will still be some small differences.

Maybe it's a controversial question, but I wonder if you would be willing to try experimenting with AI voice clones for the 2003 dubbed scenes? Bless Eli Wallach and Simon Prescott for trying but their voices really stand out like a sore thumb in the extended version (I actually think Clint still sounded quite good). It would mean isolating a lot of their dialogue from the theatrical version to build a voice profile and using the new dubs as input for a voice replacement version. I unfortunately don't have the technical knowhow and equipment to try it myself (I only saw a video on it being done in the new Davinci Resolve and have no idea how you would go about inserting the audio into the film with background music and sounds), so I don't know if it's a viable option in this case, but I am very curious. I completely understand if you're not interested in this suggestion because it's AI, so my apoligies if that's the case.

[Dek Rollins]

I plan to make an new version of my project after the Arrow set releases. Once I get it in the mail (in August) I can assess how much work needs to be done. But it sounds like they already put plenty of work in to make things right.

Looking forward to it! I Already ordered the Arrow 4k and am curious to see if the option without the grotto scene and with the uncut torture scene will already be the exact same as the original Italian cut (in English) or that there will still be some small differences.

Maybe it's a controversial question, but I wonder if you would be willing to try experimenting with AI voice clones for the 2003 dubbed scenes? Bless Eli Wallach and Simon Prescott for trying but their voices really stand out like a sore thumb in the extended version (I actually think Clint still sounded quite good). It would mean isolating a lot of their dialogue from the theatrical version to build a voice profile and using the new dubs as input for a voice replacement version. I unfortunately don't have the technical knowhow and equipment to try it myself (I only saw a video on it being done in the new Davinci Resolve and have no idea how you would go about inserting the audio into the film with background music and sounds), so I don't know if it's a viable option in this case, but I am very curious. I completely understand if you're not interested in this suggestion because it's AI, so my apoligies if that's the case.

If Arrow's extended cut has not been changed outside of the branching options for those two scenes, then it will still not be the true Italian Cut. Probably close enough for most people, but it would still be missing the extra closeups in Angel Eyes' intro scene, the bones in the desert scene, the intermission titles, and the slightly extended character title shots at the finale. Supposedly every piece of surviving footage has been included on the Arrow set, whether in the film or in the extras, so I assume these other pieces will be in the extras. They apparently made a reconstructed audio track for the bones scene, minus the missing dialogue. So I think everything other than the bones scene should be simple to edit back into the film, and I'll decide if I want to put the bones scene in when I can see how complete it is. The Arrow will also not have the Italian audio track due to supposed rights issues.

As far as the extended scene English voices are concerned, I have no expertise in that kind of editing and I have no desire to mess with it to that degree. I'm sure AI could be used to decent effect on those voice performances, but I would be apprehensive about it anyway because AI manipulation always leaves its mark and might sound odd in some uncanny way. I would rather just leave the flawed dubbing alone for the English track.

[LordWout]

If Arrow's extended cut has not been changed outside of the branching options for those two scenes, then it will still not be the true Italian Cut. Probably close enough for most people, but it would still be missing the extra closeups in Angel Eyes' intro scene, the bones in the desert scene, the intermission titles, and the slightly extended character title shots at the finale. Supposedly every piece of surviving footage has been included on the Arrow set, whether in the film or in the extras, so I assume these other pieces will be in the extras. They apparently made a reconstructed audio track for the bones scene, minus the missing dialogue. So I think everything other than the bones scene should be simple to edit back into the film, and I'll decide if I want to put the bones scene in when I can see how complete it is. The Arrow will also not have the Italian audio track due to supposed rights issues.

As far as the extended scene English voices are concerned, I have no expertise in that kind of editing and I have no desire to mess with it to that degree. I'm sure AI could be used to decent effect on those voice performances, but I would be apprehensive about it anyway because AI manipulation always leaves its mark and might sound odd in some uncanny way. I would rather just leave the flawed dubbing alone for the English track.

Ah very interesting, I didn't know the 2003 extended version was still missing some shots and frames, thanks for letting me know! I reckon that's the version we're getting on the extended disk from Arrow tho, which would be logical but also unfortunate. But at least you'll probably have good material to work with, so I'll keep my eyes open for what you cook up!

As for the AI voices, I completely understand. Maybe I'll experiment with it myself some time in the future, but I agree that AI is a weird gray area.