So I now own 4 different versions of Lee Majors hyperblockbuster Starflight One.
This is weird. I have questions. Help!
The runtimes for each edition are all different. I know PAL and NTSC come.in.to play here, but the differences are quite substantial.
The JP Laserdisc runtime is 120 mins.
The UK Laserdisc runtime is 114 mins.
The German cinema release widescreen DVD is 103 mins.
The USA TV version, disc 2 of the German DVD set, is 109 mins.
My brain is fried. Help!
Also I noticed that the USA TV extended version DVD is presented in 4:3 from what appears to be the exact same source as the PAL Laserdisc. The German cinema release looks similar to the Japanese Laserdisc except the German release was distributed by Orion in the cinemas and at home. The Japanese release was handled by Vestron.
None of the runtimes seem to match up, especially with the PAL and US TV DVD differences.
Anyone know any more?
By the way, the DVD set looks absolutely stunning. I have the Panasonic UB820 UHD player which handles everything perfectly. The cinema version tops out at around 9.2Mbps while the 4:3 extended TV version flops it's tubby gut out on the table at a paltry 8.2Mbps. Superbit editions would have been nice but anyway the colours look fairly good. Less so in the TV version that looks like it has a Days Of Our Lives soap opera effect on it.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is very good. Better on the German cinema release though than the USA TV edition.
There is also a German cinema trailer on it, clearly sourced from VHS as whoever captured it left the display watermarks on! Also a nicely scanned in photo and poster gallery.
This 2 disc set is only available in Germany. This is the ultimate version until a 4K original camera negative scan emerges. If we are ever that lucky that it happens!
This is it. The ultimate Lee Majors ultradisaster hyperblockbuster summersupermovie. Get on it!!
Edit: by the way, Chuck Fleming from Brewster's Millions is in this!