17 replies to this topic

[zerominus]

I have a couple of queries regarding 007 VHS videotapes released in the UK. To assist with this may require casting your mind back nearly 13 years!

First up, did the original UK VHS Widescreen release of Goldeneye from 1996 come with a reversible sleeve to match the other 16 Widescreen editions that were available at the time?

Did Die Another Day have a UK VHS Widescreen release, and if so, did that feature the reversible sleeve?

Also, when they reissued all of the UK VHS cassettes as a set where the spines made up the montage picture, which covers did they alter? I know The Man With The Golden Gun was totally different, but were there any others?

[Zorin Industries]

I remember the 1990 VHS release in the UK for LICENCE TO KILL had a reversible sleeve. It was a mismatch on my shelf for years before I realised.

I could be wrong, but in answer to your GOLDENEYE query, I was say maybe no. But someone else might disagree.

I remember the 1987/88 grey releases (with awful red font) that did the rounds for the films. Then THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS got a VHS home-video release in 1989 (?) and they opted for a black and blue motif for the set - which the LICENCE TO KILL one could either match or not (hence the reversible sleeve).

I've personally always preferred them not to match. They are all separate releases made at different times so it feels almost a cheat when the sleeves all match.

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

I agree with Zorin. The only reversible sleeve I ever owned was for LTK in 1990. It was a pain as I could never decide which side to use!

The Goldeneye copy I have for 1996 (which was a special box set with a pen and CD) already matched its other Bond counterparts on VHS, and had no reversible sleeve.

I have never seen a DAD VHS release in the UK.

I remember the 1987/88 grey releases (with awful red font) that did the rounds for the films. Then THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS got a VHS home-video release in 1989 (?) and they opted for a black and blue motif for the set - which the LICENCE TO KILL one could either match or not (hence the reversible sleeve).

I always liked the silhouette of the Bond actor with a gun on the spine of the '87 releases

[jrcjohnny99]

I agree with Zorin. The only reversible sleeve I ever owned was for LTK in 1990. It was a pain as I could never decide which side to use!

The Goldeneye copy I have for 1996 (which was a special box set with a pen and CD) already matched its other Bond counterparts on VHS, and had no reversible sleeve.

I have never seen a DAD VHS release in the UK.

I remember the 1987/88 grey releases (with awful red font) that did the rounds for the films. Then THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS got a VHS home-video release in 1989 (?) and they opted for a black and blue motif for the set - which the LICENCE TO KILL one could either match or not (hence the reversible sleeve).

I always liked the silhouette of the Bond actor with a gun on the spine of the '87 releases

I always liked the early 90s widescreen releases with the white spines and original poster artworks on the front...Those were the ones that replaced my big box (rental)WB releases...

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

I always liked the early 90s widescreen releases with the white spines and original poster artworks on the front...Those were the ones that replaced my big box (rental)WB releases...

Good but no OHMSS

[BrozFan]

Die Another Day most definately had a VHS release in the UK. I remember seeing piles of them in a poundland way-back-when!

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

And yes it had a reversible sleeve:
One side was ice blue with red titles (as on the Special Edition DVD sleeve) and on the reverse side (which matched up with the orange reissue sleeves that dsiplayed all the Bonds) was the Aston Martin and Jaguar XKR.

[zerominus]

Interesting comments and nice memories of the earlier sleeves. I do recall that Goldeneye and Die Another Day had reversible sleeves for the UK VHS non-widescreen edition, but that Tomorrow Never Dies had the same for both of its editions. So the query is specific to w/s Goldeneye and Die Another Day - has anyone seen such editions with reversible sleeves?

[jrcjohnny99]

I always liked the early 90s widescreen releases with the white spines and original poster artworks on the front...Those were the ones that replaced my big box (rental)WB releases...

Good but no OHMSS

You sure?
I would've sworn I had the whole series in that release;
is my memory going????

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

I always liked the early 90s widescreen releases with the white spines and original poster artworks on the front...Those were the ones that replaced my big box (rental)WB releases...

Good but no OHMSS

You sure?
I would've sworn I had the whole series in that release;
is my memory going????

Yeah i'm sure i'm sure! All I can say is if we are talking about the first ever digitally remastered and widescreen VHS editions from the UK (with original poster artworks), OHMSS was never released. It was sinful back in the day. A deluxe widescreen box set of OHMSS surfaced in late 1995 with a Bond fan club 007 magazine. This was the complete print of OHMSS, including all the famous missing scenes which were absent on previous VHS releases.

[jrcjohnny99]

I always liked the early 90s widescreen releases with the white spines and original poster artworks on the front...Those were the ones that replaced my big box (rental)WB releases...

Good but no OHMSS

You sure?
I would've sworn I had the whole series in that release;
is my memory going????

Yeah i'm sure i'm sure! All I can say is if we are talking about the first ever digitally remastered and widescreen VHS editions from the UK (with original poster artworks), OHMSS was never released. It was sinful back in the day. A deluxe widescreen box set of OHMSS surfaced in late 1995 with a Bond fan club 007 magazine. This was the complete print of OHMSS, including all the famous missing scenes which were absent on previous VHS releases.

Now that box set i have..All my Bond VHS tapes are still in the UK, must dig them out when I'm back in December...

[Shaun Forever]

Also, when they reissued all of the UK VHS cassettes as a set where the spines made up the montage picture, which covers did they alter? I know The Man With The Golden Gun was totally different, but were there any others?

(Off the top of my head)

The Spy Who Loved Me

One version was of Bond and Anya posing, while the other was just Bond looking distraught, with the submarine in the background.

possibly may have been two for, For Your Eyes Only.

Octopussy

One had Bond holding a gun, with the train behind him, while the other was Bond with the palace behind him, although that may have been just for the DVD release.

EDIT

I wasn't quite right, but here are the images anyway. You'll have to forgive the random Ebay links, these are the only place I could find them.

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

I remember owning this version

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

and then wanting this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

Edited by Shaun Forever, 14 September 2009 - 09:28 PM.

[zerominus]

Does anyone with inside knowledge (or who simply cares to speculate) have any idea why they updated only a few of the covers? Surely it makes more sense to either not bother at all, or to give a complete revamp.

[Aces High]

Tomorrow Never Dies had 2 different covers,Bond in a tux & then the other one with Bond in a black polo neck with tv screen behind him.
Personally I wish they,the VHS/DVD designers would do more research into there pics /posters.The amount of times they get the wrong pic for the wrong movie.Personally the people who design the Corgi boxes have a much more professional approach.Saying that though the do get it wrong,just look at roger on the double decker bus box he looks older on that box than he does on 'The Spy Who Loved Me ' pack shot which was 4 years later!!

[zerominus]

I think one of the Ultimate Edition discs for LALD shows Roger from AVTAK (or the other way round). You couldn't get two more different shots of same actor in the role! And didn't one of the earlier YOLT booklets feature Sean from NSNA? Plus of course, the original LTK dvd cover featured a shot of Tim from TLD. I am sure there are many more, please feel free to add!

[Dan Gale]

I think one of the Ultimate Edition discs for LALD shows Roger from AVTAK (or the other way round). You couldn't get two more different shots of same actor in the role! And didn't one of the earlier YOLT booklets feature Sean from NSNA? Plus of course, the original LTK dvd cover featured a shot of Tim from TLD. I am sure there are many more, please feel free to add!

That's right. It has always bugged me that the designers could mismatch the photos so easily. It just shows they're pumping the designs out without watching the film's first. It also annoys me that the pictures are often reversed (the front covers to SE Dvds of TSWLM and OP, the UE Dvd THUNDERBALL and G*LDENE*E plus the insert brouchures to nearly all the titles on SE suffer from this, suggesting Bond has parted his hair on his right instead of his left). But the biggest annoyance, especially to someone who uses Photoshop a lot professionally like me, is how ruddy awful] the photoshop work is! See how out of scale Bond's head and hands are on both Dvds of YOLT: see how little skin detail is left on George Lazenby's face on the UE Dvd; whilst that may be Halle Berry's head and body on the UE DAD cover, they're NOT from the same picture - they're not even the same colour! And it continues to the latest DVDs with the cardboard slip cases which are almost embarressing. The most bizarre fault with the insert leaflets of the SE Dvds is the Photoshop artist's addition of BIGGER GUNS to the ones in the photographs! The hilariously out of proportioned pistols, obviously recently photographed and stuck across faces of actors taken thirty years earlier are just awful. YOLT and GF are especially bad! Not even a PPK!
Some of the SE covers, photoshopped as they were, were very well done and should still be used today (LALD, GF, DN) but have been replaced by stuff work experience kids could knock up in their lunch hour.

To anyone who needs convincing how pisspoor some of these booklets' designs were, take a look at the SE of OCTOPUSSY where, on page 3 they've removed Roger Moore's head and replaced it with...a different picture of Roger Moore's head! But they've mirrored it giving the uncomfortable impression that he's had a stroke. It's ghastly to behold and should have been rejected.

Edited by Dan Gale, 23 November 2009 - 09:34 PM.

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

I agree about the poor Photoshop work. Somethings never cease to amaze. With all the photos and ad campaigns that could be used for the covers, you have to question why all the compositing of various images was given the go ahead in the first place

[Dan Gale]

I agree about the poor Photoshop work. Somethings never cease to amaze. With all the photos and ad campaigns that could be used for the covers, you have to question why all the compositing of various images was given the go ahead in the first place

Exactly. I'm afraid it's down to the current trends of giant heads on posters selling who's in it rather than selling the film itself. It's a shame with regards to Bond. There have been several books, websites and even free giveaway magazines in newspapers showing off the hundreds of different posters and artworks that have been spawned by the Bond films over the years. Why not use them? Why not use artwork already associate with the movie? Even JAWS hasn't escaped. One of the most famous movie posters ever and yet on the 2 Dvds released so far, new CG artwork. It subliminally implanted in our minds already, why bother changing it?!

Original JAWS
http://drnorth.files...009/03/jaws.jpg

New JAWS
http://scrapetv.com/...ovie-poster.jpg

Edited by Dan Gale, 24 November 2009 - 12:33 AM.

[Shaun Forever]

Quite frankly, I'd happily see the designers of these VHS and DVD boxes out of a job, and on the streets begging for money, then turning to booze and suicide.


OK, a bit extreme, but they should be deeply ashamed, they are not qualified to handle the artwork, they should not be in the business.


IF they decided to use poster artwork for the Blu Ray flicks, I'd happily buy the films AGAIN, I'd even pay extra for the privilege.