[proposal] The Muppet Christmas Carol - When Love is Gone in widescreen

[NeonBible]

It would be really great to get a decent widescreen version of this since I watch it every Christmas.

I do own a fanedit which inserts the Pan & Scan version of When Love is Gone segment in. This is currently my goto version but I think it could be better.

Does anyone own the widescreen laserdisc edition of the uncut version with Love is Gone song intact? I have a complete LD rip of the movie, but the quality is pretty terrible so would be better to get a fresh capture by someone who has the skills. If not I can provide the Love is Gone clip which could be cleaned up somehow. I also have the AC3 audio from the P&S DVD.

Is anyone up for the challenge and can do this movie justice?

[TServo2049]

Didn't anathema over on OT do a reconstruction like this? Or is that what you have?

I also think a quality LD rip and the full-frame DVD transfer could be combined for the best possible quality (due to the vertical resolution loss of letterbox LD). Is the DVD version cropped compared to the LD, or opened up, or a combination of the two?

[NeonBible]

I am not sure about OT. I know there were discussions about it but nothing ever came of it. I didn't get my fanedit from OT, found it on a tracker.

The DVD version is pan and scanned / cropped compared to the LD.

[TServo2049]

You're right, I can't find anything from anathema about it on OT. But one of my friends is a big Muppet geek, he might know if anathema did one.

EDIT: My friend says he has anathema's reconstruction. But a new LD rip would also be good (possibly with the DVD footage laid over?)

[NeonBible]

Do you have any more info about the anathema reconstruction?

I imagine the new reconstruction to be the widescreen theatrical version taken from the DVD (or Blu Ray?) with the LD When Love is Gone scene edited in using the audio from the P&S uncut version. Or would there be a better way to do it?

[TServo2049]

That's a good way. I only suggested overlaying the P&S due to the resolution increase. But that would require extra work matching and blending the two sources, that's a spoRv type of thing.

I have no info on anathema's reconstruction, I just know my friend has it. I can see if I can get a copy from him and get it to you somehow, it's probably just a single-layer DVD.

I've overlaid pan & scan DVD rips over widescreen rips in many projects, including The Thief. After Effects probably works best, with mesh warping to match the shape if necessary, and color correction in Final Cut Pro, plus mattes drawn in Photoshop.

I recall that Anathema has done some good Muppet work.

[crissrudd4554]

'Deleted'

[FrankT]

I believe Caddicarus made a restoration of sorts; might be worth asking what source he used. Probably the LaserDisc.

[titanic]

According to this post here
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=...tcount=668
there is an HD version of the deleted song.
So, maybe someone with the knowledge can make an edit with the bluray rip and this, if he would be interested?