Title Screen:


Electric:


Hot Thing:


Drums:
[Edited 4/3/05 8:01am]

WOW

kinda cheesy package design. so this is the "official" thing, huh?

Interesting....?!!!

Any bonus features????

Looks quite interesting but it's "homemade" and no official release, isn't it ?

This is as official and legit as it's gonna get people.

Originally, when it was determined that a major studio wasn't going to release the movie, Prince's management at the time struck a deal with Cineplex Odeon Films, the distribution arm of the 1500 screen, Toronto based threatre chain.

Alliance/Atlantis and Cineplex Odeon (under the Universal umbrella) merged in May 1998...

from one of the press releases on the merger:
Still, Alliance Atlantis will have long arms in TV production (with Traders and Earth: Final Conflict among Atlantis's series, Black Harbour from Alliance) and distribution (enhanced by Alliance's May purchase of a 75-per-cent interest in Cineplex Odeon Films, one of the country's biggest film distributors).

Ah, but is it a proper transfer from the original material, or is it just a transfer from a video version? Because if so, it's not going to be any better quality than than VHS. It might be done by a legit company but that doesn't mean it's going to be any better quality than the video. For instance, is the sound just stereo or has it been enhanced?

I don't think they could enhance the film much without Prince handing over the master tapes.

It says Dolby 5.1 on the cover.

OK, I can understand all the skepticism because of all of the dodgy versions of this that have been released but, c'mon people! Being a librarian, though, I actually find it kind of reassuring that people are so skeptical of information they read on the internet!

Is it a transfer from a previous video version? It's widescreen (and anamorphically enhanced)! Has it EVER been released on video widescreen before? My Japanese LD isn't even widescreen! The only widescreen I've ever seen of this has been the video for ICNTTPOYM.

The sound is indeed in 5.1, but I think I prefer the 2.0 mix myself. Perhaps I'm just used to a stereo mix, but the 5.1 doesn't sound that great to me. Still haven't had a chance to sit down and watch it all the way through, though.

I really don't think the packaging is cheesy at all. Sure, I miss the "official" SOTT typography on the art, but they probably didnt want to have all new text comissioned, since the original text isn't from a "real" font set. It was probably easier and cheaper for them to just reset the text in a new, easier to use, font. I think the packaging is as professional, at least, as the Rave or Aladdin DVDs.

There's not a bonus feature to be found on the disc. The menus are kind of interesting (a brick wall, with a fluctuating/moving light source and menu choices "spray painted" on the wall) but there's nothing extra special on the disc other than the film looking better, in my opinion, than it ever had before.

So where can it be bought. Online, somewhere?

Thanks,
Art, Amsterdam, Holland.

art said:

It's a Canadian, region 1, release. My copy came from Amazon.ca.
[Edited 1/4/05 4:36am]

Pictures look very sharp!!!

don't like the new font though! yuk! as a graphic designer I find that font common and ugly - a good designer would have tried to use the original lettering (even if they had to re-create it!)

Anxiety said:

hahhahaaa my thoughts exactly

Anxiety said:

haha, they couldve had their 5 year old write it in crayon for all i care, this is as good as bought

Where the F@CK did that font come from?

I don't recall the font being on any of the previous SOTT stuff.

Is this thing official?

metalorange said:

well, it says digitally remastered in dolby 5.1, we'll see....

kdavis said:

This is the crucial question really - is this version taken from an original film print or master? Is it anamorphically enhanced like all widscreen DVD's these days thus giving it the best resolution possible?

If yes then great - but if it is just taken from a crappy video source then no cigar...

If this was anything close to official, they would have used the original fonts and not these cheeseball ones.

I've bought this thing twice before, and there's no way I'll buy it again until it's on a store shelf, after having been reviewed in a respectable publication with an A score. I won't be burned a third time.

derek said:

The question I asked, and you quoted me on, was a restatement of the questions of others - I know the answer, I have the disc! It IS a new, anamorphically enhanced, widescreen (1.78:1) master of the film. So, it's not really a crucial question, it's been answered a few times over already in this thread and others

kdavis said:

That sounds really great. Really. But, like I said, until it's on a shelf here in the US with a review from a magazine or a DVD website...

TheBigBang said:

I guess if you've bought a DVD version of this in the past with a picture of Prince circa 1999/Purple Rain on the cover, you are kinda prone to being burned. I suppose it is best to be cautious and NOT buy a DVD put out by the company that actually holds the Canadian video rights to the film and which contains the first anamorphically enhanced widescreen version of the film ever (to the best of my knowledge) to be released on home video.

Does the lack of the use of a particular type style carry more weight in judging legitimacy than the fact that it has been released by the company that originally released the film theatrically (Cineplex Odeon = Alliance Atlantis)?

kdavis said:

Blah blah blah...

Reread what I said. Yeah, the brazillian thing was a bad choice on my part, I'll freely admit complete idiocy on that one. But I really just wanted a copy of it on DVD and it was super duper cheap, so I didn't lose too much. But the last one I got was a huge disappointment.

And yes, the lack of the original font from the original release carries a ton of weight with me. It's the difference between what looks official and what looks like somebody with Photoshop 5 could pull off in their bedroom at home. See previous burning for the reason I'm skeptical.

Anxiety said:

man, i hope not. the look of it screams "total bootlegg"...

TheBigBang said:

Hey, I mean no disrespect to anyone questioning this release. I'll just say, as a fan, it would be too bad to deprive yourself of this if you've been waiting on it for a while. Even if it were a bootleg (and there's NO chance that it is), it's an enhanced widescreen presentation with DD 2.0 & 5.1 sound - it has rendered my much-cherished Japanese LD obsolete. With all of the weirdness around its release date (and Amazon.ca STILL saying it's not yet released, despite the fact that they mailed it to me on Dec. 29th) and its VERY low key release, I can't help but wonder if it'll even be around for long.

I highly recommend the purchase, and you can take that for whatever it is worth to you.

review from Amazon


Editorial Reviews
Video Description
Brazilian import, plays on all DVD players. Strangely enigmatic, charismatically compact, and always decked out in the most colorfully bizarre outfits, pop star Prince has an undeniable talent for both songwriting and performing. On SIGN O THE TIMES, he shows off the latter, giving a no-holds-barred performance at the Rotterdam Music Hall. With accompaniment from drummer Sheila E., the sexy Cat, and Sheena Easton, Prince performances huge hits like "Little Red Corvette" and "U Got The Look." In addition, short films which tie into each song are interspersed between the live footage.

TheRealFiness said:

Oh jeez, I gotta stop, cuz this is getting frustrating!

The legit DVD is from Amazon.CA (Canada) NOT Amazon.COM (US). The one on Amazon.com is the crap bootleg. Amazon.ca is selling a new release from Alliance/Atlantis, the proper rights holder for this film (in Canada, at least).

kdavis said:

just double checking..

"CB Films", "Cineplex Odeon" (Canada, for which this release is...) and "MCA" were the original distributors of the film...
"Galaxy Entertainment Inc." merged with "Alliance Atlantis Communications" and in 2003 merged with "Cineplex Odeon Corp" (which I posted here on the .org regarding the rights of the SOTT movie in 2003...)
So... You can't get a more legit release in Canada than this one...

Neversin.

Neversin said:

Thank you...a voice of reason!