Williow use the wand on that troll!

Is this worth buying has anyone got this pressing seen any chronic amount of laser-rot on all two disc three sides of it?

Willow (1988) [79356]


I also have this PAL Encore pressing

Willow (1988) [EE 1009]


Also have region 2 DVD

I think the UK LD version is slightly cut to remove a bit with people getting mauled by dog/wolf things (it's been a long time since I last saw the film so I can't quite remember), the US version is uncut, not sure about the DVD versions.

Except for the Kael bit where Madmartigan gets head-butted as head-butting was banned in the UK years ago, also sword impale. So maybe more dog was cut from the PAL pressing and region 2 DVD?

I didn't know about the other cuts, but according to imdb the uncut version was made available to the UK for the first time on DVD.

I haven't seen Willow on LD so I can't comment on the quality either way. As for rot I think you'd have to just chance it; I bought a copy of Fifth Element which lddb lists as "AVOID" with skull and cross bones yet it is probably one of the clearest laserdiscs I've seen, I think it's just luck (or lack thereof) of the draw with some of them.

well that's not good is it. But if its like you said "take a chance on it" I guess so then.

Well, within reason. I took a chance on Fifth Element because I found it in a record shop in Denmark for 20 Krone (~£2). I wouldn't spend big money on a potential rotter, but if you can get it cheap then it doesn't matter as much if you're unlucky.

Yeah cheap = little loss on the buy.

Well unless I see the above pressing sale for $2.00 dollars and postal of $5.00 the seller can keep it.

what a tragedy that willow had such a bad laser rot problem! why couldnt something like that happen to sleepless in seattle instead??????

O.K. so off question here.
what is the deal with the UK? i watch BBC america, i've seen stuff for years from Great Britan.
young ones, Dr. who, top gear, kitchen nightmares etc.

they say such crazy stuff on TV but have to ban a head butt??
sometimes i watch stuff and think that you are so much more relaxed, or understanding with stuff that is said or shown but then there are these censored issues with film and television.

QFT (Quoted for Truth)

I was highly disappointed when I got my copy off an e-bay purchase (probably 10 years ago) and it was barely playable. I had never heard of "laser-rot" before acquiring this disc.

I just remembered I actually called THX to report this disc back then. Nothing happened of course.

Head butting is illegal basically anywhere there are laws, but only the UK would ban the very depiction of it for public safety.

A similar thing happened with nunchaku. In the video game Soul Edge one of the characters has nunchaku and in the UK version they altered the weapon to be something extremely similar to, but technically not, nunchaku. Of course this same game has people being rammed straight through with six foot swords but uh...the nunchaku is the problem. This has something to do with Bruce Lee being too popular in the 70s. I don't pretend to understand it.

Subsequent games in that series are, AFAIK, not censored in this way, so evidently someone came to their senses around that time.

Of course, here in the US we had several movies where the World Trade Center was seen as unfit for the movies after 2001, and had to be digitally removed at great expense as if it never existed (ie: Spiderman)...until about a year later when it started making more appearances than ever so...we're not much to talk, I guess, when it comes to dumb crap.

Here's your answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Whitehouse

Head butts in the UK are an odd thing. They are often cut from American films but there seems to be no problem with them on TV, especially comedy series!

I think most films cut for head butts and nunchaku have now been released uncut here though.

On the plus side we don't have quite the same urge to cut nudity from films as the US does ; )

Well I saw this at the cinema on my days off years ago and never knew the print came in, until the last moment, guess the chief made the print up and moved it into the smaller screen.

The print was worse than Laser-rot! Until reel 3 started it looked like it had solvent spilled all down one side of the frame so it was all bleared unmatchable. It was like watching panned and scanned in scope. I think it was the right side that was messed up?

At least the Dolby SR was great sounding as that was why I wanted to see the film. But it was shame the print damage had gone unnoticed by the chief, it lasted all the way until the last reel.

Head-butting not sure why it was banned or what year it was banned? The Matrix had no head-butting and that was up till 1999, not sure what year the ban was lifted on head-butting? I guess its not good for Beavis and Butt-head then.



Go and watch region 2 DVD The Matrix I forget how many head-butts was cut, a lot!

I noticed the cuts when I brought the R2 DVD I had the Laserdisc just a month or so after it finished in the UK and still have it.

The bluray has the head-butting in but the colour/brightness transfer should be banned with all bluray is rubbish The DVD looks like HD1080p lossless audio, why did I buy that crappy bluray?? At least I have the Laserdisc still.

I think I've seen the head-butt put back in on the sigh blu Noooooo ray. I have the R2 DVD but not a D2.

yes, i could go on for days on the stupid stuff that they block here in the USA or in the UK.
we were watching the BBC special Desprate Romantics about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

i was amazed at how much b**bie was all around, that would have NEVER been here, unless it was HBO or something like that.

you would have people praying to take it off the air

Whitehouse was misguided at best. She even went after "Doctor Who."

Of the films she attacked, the vast majority were either American or Italian. They certainly made up the bulk of the Video Nasties.

STAY AWESOME!

Has anyone actually come across a rot free copy of Willow?.

No known copies of the U.S. pressing (by DADC USA) have been found to be defect free. This is an ironic release, for several reasons. It is the only THX Letterboxed release, but the only release to have defect problems. It was also the first THX certified release made by DADC USA after the facility was THX certified. There was a German LBX release made by DADC Austria, and one released in Italy (manufactured by DADC Austria). Neither has any reported cases of defects. The U.S. P&S releases, made by Pioneer USA and Pioneer Japan are defect free (currently).

STAY AWESOME!