Die Braut des Prinzen (OT: The Princes Bride) (Turbine) (UHD/BD/DVD quilted fullslip Mediabook)

[pygospa]

Release: 19.06.2020

Link (turbine-shop.de): https://turbine-shop.de/20191/die-braut-des-prinzen-limited-mediabook-edition-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-2-dvds

Price: 39,95€

Limited: 2000 copies, unnumbered

 

 

One of my favourite labels (besindes Wicked, Capelight and Anolis), Turbine Medien, announced this title a while ago. While they do a lot of releases worth looking at, I am especially fond about their Mediabook releases, who I always get - even though they are not of the highest built quality (when compared to Wicked or Capelight), they are good releases, with a lot of extras and texts of high quality. Plus, Turbine - especially as a really small label (they started of as a 3-guys project - currently they are five, doing everything from acquiring licenses to restoration, extras and product design and distribution) - is worth supporting, for the work they are doing in Germany. Let me quote myself:

 

On 2/9/2020 at 3:10 PM, pygospa said:

In Germany, Turbine is pretty famous for it's battles against our BPjM - a federal agency that will censor or confiscate movies in Germany if they are deemed to violent. As the social standards are not the same as they used to be in the 80s or earlier, Turbine uses legal ways to force re-evaluation of such movies (including titles like the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Last House on the Left, Mark of the Devil, or Crying Freeman that Turbine already managed to get re-evaluated and released in Germany). With all their titles they strive to be the first to release them in Germany (on Blu-ray) all together or at least in the longest/uncut version, and often they are also the first to do so, worldwide.

 

But enough about them - what makes "Princes Bride" so special? Well, first there are a couple of releases, even by Criterion themselves, a beautiful Steelbook by Zavvi, and even a very limited Comic Con Exclusive slipcover variant, but all of these are full HD resolution releases. Turbines releases this title for the very first time ever in 4K UHD; and more than that, they use both of the competing HDR standards "HDR 10+" and "Dolby Vision" - so it doesn't matter what hardware you use - you can take advantage of the HDR in both cases.

 

There is no information about the master used - I'd guess it's the Criterion master from 2018, which was scanned by Criterion in 4K with with a new restored 5.1 surround DTS-HD MA soundtrack; however Turbine offers both, 5.1 soundtrack, as well as 2.0 (which probably indicated that this was actually shot with stereo sound to begin with; it's typical for Turbine to in these cases also include the original 2.0 soundtrack as well). We already knew from the product description a frew of the things we'd get:
 

• A 48-paged booklet (quite something)
• Two audio commentaries, one by director Rob Reiner, one by book author William Goldman
  (and apparently neither of this is used by Criterion, who list only one audio commentary "(...) from 1996 featuring director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, producer Andrew Scheinman, and actors Billy Crystal and Peter Falk"
• "True Love - The Princess Bride Phenomenon" - a two part Documentary for the 25th anniversary of the movie.
  (this is from 2012 and in HD, and apparently (correct me if I am wrong!) also not used with the Criterion release (from 2018). Unfortunately there is no list of Extras for most releases available, so I cannot check if that was used somewhere else before).
• 7 featurettes in SD (probably used on all the DVD + BD realeses)
• 3 featurettes from 1987

 

All in all these add up to 150 minutes of bonus material. Oh, and they are all in English language with optional German subtitles (no English subtitles for the extras), while the movie itself offeres (of course) both German and English audio and additionally German and English subtitles.

And then there is the package - and the capacity of understatement that Turbine is capable of. The product description page reads: "4-disc Mediabook with exclusive Artwork by Paul Shipper (Ready Player One), limited to 2000 copies". It fails to mention that you'll get a quilted mediabook, in leather-structured finish with goldfoil printing, that comes in a thick hardcover Fullslip. Quite a surprise. And a pleasent one. This mediabook looks really stunning. And not just from the outside. I am always really critical with the booklet insides, and in times it feels like I am the only one, that cares about this things. But here it goes:
 

• I don't like text summaries of the movie (e.g. done by Warner/Hoanzl Dracula releases), because I don't see what's the value of this? I've seen the film, or am about to. You don't need to sell me the story, I already bought it.
• Advertisement texts - same as above. If I am able to read it (i.e. there's no shrink wrap around it anymore), then I have bought this.
• I don't like arid biographies, bibliographies, filmographies, etc., neither in textual nor in list form. If I want this, I'll hit up wikipedia.
• I don't like wikipedia copied texts in my booklets.
• I don't like information that I can google in 2 seconds time.
• I don't like all the pictures be taken as Screenshots from the movie. Again, I own the movie...

 

Now, take 100 random Mediabooks, and you'll see that 80% of these will fulfill the above criteria in at least one point. What I like to have is this:

 

• Production history
• Rather unknown trivia facts about anything regarding the movie
• Motivations, problems, troubles and such that producers and actors went through when doing this movie.
• If it is an old movie: historical context! What other movies where around, what influenced this movie, how did this movie differ, how did people react to this movie, what did the press have to say?
• Exclusive text written for this release, maybe even including something new, such as interviews, film analysis, etc.
• Regarding pictures: I like to see rare stuff, things I've not seen before, things you wouldn't even find on the internet with Google picture search: Behind the scenes photography, promotional pictures, poster artworks from around the globe, lobby cards, making-of photos (especially if it's something like e.g. the white house model that was blown up in Independence day).

 

Now, if you open up this Mediabook, it has it all. I am so excited to read this text, because it was already so much fun just browsing through the pages. So all in all, I would say, this is an edition worth getting, even if you own another special edition such as Zavvi or Criterion, here are a few things you don't own already (including the 4K UHD). And given the premium package at just 2000 copies for a world premiere release, I'd say you cannot do anything wrong. There might come second and third releases, maybe even in a normal mediabook - one never knows exactly with Turbine (because they plan according to the sales numbers as they cannot afford releasing something that wont sell at all, or will only sell underprice), but this will definately stay pretty special. Unfortunately, of course, the text is only available in German, if that's a problem to you, just so you know.

 

As for the movie: I haven't seen it yet, and this nromally doesn't look like a film I would go for. But it has so many positive reviews and people who really love it, it is in so many Top 100 Filmlists (Bravo, AFI, Channel 4, National Film Registry), and a 8,1 IMDB rating, based on 381,000 voters, with 26% giving 10, 21% giving 9 and 25% giving 8 out of 10 points. Based on the eponymous novel by William Goldman from 1973, in 1987 it was adapted by Rob Reiner, telling the story of the farmhand Westley who sets out to rescue the Princess Buttercup from the evil Prince Humperdinck whom she is forced to be married to. This adventure-fantasy film stars Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, and has a supporting cast of many well known actors such as Peter Falk or Wallace Shawn.

As always, I'd like to close with a trailer, followed by a couple of pictures I took from my edition that already came to me today (probably because I pre-ordered it so long ago), even though it is officially released only tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by pygospa

[Veum]

Spoiler

9 minutes ago, pygospa said:

Release: 19.06.2020

Link (turbine-shop.de): https://turbine-shop.de/20191/die-braut-des-prinzen-limited-mediabook-edition-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-2-dvds

Price: 39,95€

Limited: 2000 copies, unnumbered

 

 

One of my favourite labels (besindes Wicked, Capelight and Anolis), Turbine Medien, announced this title a while ago. While they do a lot of releases worth looking at, I am especially fond about their Mediabook releases, who I always get - even though they are not of the highest built quality (when compared to Wicked or Capelight), they are good releases, with a lot of extras and texts of high quality. Plus, Turbine - especially as a really small label (they started of as a 3-guys project - currently they are five, doing everything from acquiring licenses to restoration, extras and product design and distribution) - is worth supporting, for the work they are doing in Germany. Let me quote myself:

 

 

But enough about them - what makes "Princes Bride" so special? Well, first there are a couple of releases, even by Criterion themselves, a beautiful Steelbook by Zavvi, and even a very limited Comic Con Exclusive slipcover variant, but all of these are full HD resolution releases. Turbines releases this title for the very first time ever in 4K UHD; and more than that, they use both of the competing HDR standards "HDR 10+" and "Dolby Vision" - so it doesn't matter what hardware you use - you can take advantage of the HDR in both cases.

 

There is no information about the master used - I'd guess it's the Criterion master from 2018, which was scanned by Criterion in 4K with with a new restored 5.1 surround DTS-HD MA soundtrack; however Turbine offers both, 5.1 soundtrack, as well as 2.0 (which probably indicated that this was actually shot with stereo sound to begin with; it's typical for Turbine to in these cases also include the original 2.0 soundtrack as well). We already knew from the product description a frew of the things we'd get:
 

• A 48-paged booklet (quite something)
• Two audio commentaries, one by director Rob Reiner, one by book author William Goldman
  (and apparently neither of this is used by Criterion, who list only one audio commentary "(...) from 1996 featuring director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, producer Andrew Scheinman, and actors Billy Crystal and Peter Falk"
• "True Love - The Princess Bride Phenomenon" - a two part Documentary for the 25th anniversary of the movie.
  (this is from 2012 and in HD, and apparently (correct me if I am wrong!) also not used with the Criterion release (from 2018). Unfortunately there is no list of Extras for most releases available, so I cannot check if that was used somewhere else before).
• 7 featurettes in SD (probably used on all the DVD + BD realeses)
• 3 featurettes from 1987

 

All in all these add up to 150 minutes of bonus material. Oh, and they are all in English language with optional German subtitles (no English subtitles for the extras), while the movie itself offeres (of course) both German and English audio and additionally German and English subtitles.

And then there is the package - and the capacity of understatement that Turbine is capable of. The product description page reads: "4-disc Mediabook with exclusive Artwork by Paul Shipper (Ready Player One), limited to 2000 copies". It fails to mention that you'll get a quilted mediabook, in leather-structured finish with goldfoil printing, that comes in a thick hardcover Fullslip. Quite a surprise. And a pleasent one. This mediabook looks really stunning. And not just from the outside. I am always really critical with the booklet insides, and in times it feels like I am the only one, that cares about this things. But here it goes:
 

• I don't like text summaries of the movie (e.g. done by Warner/Hoanzl Dracula releases), because I don't see what's the value of this? I've seen the film, or am about to. You don't need to sell me the story, I already bought it.
• Advertisement texts - same as above. If I am able to read it (i.e. there's no shrink wrap around it anymore), then I have bought this.
• I don't like arid biographies, bibliographies, filmographies, etc., neither in textual nor in list form. If I want this, I'll hit up wikipedia.
• I don't like wikipedia copied texts in my booklets.
• I don't like information that I can google in 2 seconds time.
• I don't like all the pictures be taken as Screenshots from the movie. Again, I own the movie...

 

Now, take 100 random Mediabooks, and you'll see that 80% of these will fulfill the above criteria in at least one point. What I like to have is this:

 

• Production history
• Rather unknown trivia facts about anything regarding the movie
• Motivations, problems, troubles and such that producers and actors went through when doing this movie.
• If it is an old movie: historical context! What other movies where around, what influenced this movie, how did this movie differ, how did people react to this movie, what did the press have to say?
• Exclusive text written for this release, maybe even including something new, such as interviews, film analysis, etc.
• Regarding pictures: I like to see rare stuff, things I've not seen before, things you wouldn't even find on the internet with Google picture search: Behind the scenes photography, promotional pictures, poster artworks from around the globe, lobby cards, making-of photos (especially if it's something like e.g. the white house model that was blown up in Independence day).

 

Now, if you open up this Mediabook, it has it all. I am so excited to read this text, because it was already so much fun just browsing through the pages. So all in all, I would say, this is an edition worth getting, even if you own another special edition such as Zavvi or Criterion, here are a few things you don't own already (including the 4K UHD). And given the premium package at just 2000 copies for a world premiere release, I'd say you cannot do anything wrong. There might come second and third releases, maybe even in a normal mediabook - one never knows exactly with Turbine (because they plan according to the sales numbers as they cannot afford releasing something that wont sell at all, or will only sell underprice), but this will definately stay pretty special. Unfortunately, of course, the text is only available in German, if that's a problem to you, just so you know.

 

As for the movie: I haven't seen it yet, and this nromally doesn't look like a film I would go for. But it has so many positive reviews and people who really love it, it is in so many Top 100 Filmlists (Bravo, AFI, Channel 4, National Film Registry), and a 8,1 IMDB rating, based on 381,000 voters, with 26% giving 10, 21% giving 9 and 25% giving 8 out of 10 points. Based on the eponymous novel by William Goldman from 1973, in 1987 it was adapted by Rob Reiner, telling the story of the farmhand Westley who sets out to rescue the Princess Buttercup from the evil Prince Humperdinck whom she is forced to be married to. This adventure-fantasy film stars Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, and has a supporting cast of many well known actors such as Peter Falk or Wallace Shawn.

As always, I'd like to close with a trailer, followed by a couple of pictures I took from my edition that already came to me today (probably because I pre-ordered it so long ago), even though it is officially released only tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

🥤Hi @pygospa,

 

I love these editions so much and that is why I get so frustrated we do not have these elaborate editions over here in the USA 🇺🇸 b/c I want to be able to read all my booklets in English... I guess this is too much to be expected here 😔 

 

I would get these from there, however I believe I’m ‘wasting’ my hard-earned money 💴 when I want to be able to read the booklets also! 😉

[pygospa]

2 hours ago, Veum said:

I would get these from there, however I believe I’m ‘wasting’ my hard-earned money 💴 when I want to be able to read the booklets also! 😉

 

I totally get that, and I am sorry, that you still like and want them if it wasn't for the language problem of the booklet. And to be quite honest - I wouldn't have gotten it for the regular price either. I don't know the movie, and don't feel like it is the kind of movie I'd normally enjoy. But the high rating, the many personal recommendations and the fact that I still had some bonus points, that deduced 9€ off the shelf price, was the reason I got it, besides the two actors that I'd love to see more of (Peter Falk and Wallace Shawn).

Given how beautiful it turned out to be, I wouldn't have felt bad paying the whole price, yet it is still quite expensive, even though you totally get your money's worth.

But yeah - I don't get a lot of Asian editions anymore due to missing subtitles on extras that a only in Asian language, as well as booklets. So I totally get you.

[CAYENNE-FAHRER]

fehlerhafte Disc,

 

 

So gerne wir eine Lösung dafür vorweisen würden, so kurios bleibt die Fehlersuche leider noch aktuell. Abgesehen von unzähligen Discs, die problemlos laufen, wurden uns schon mehrere Fälle genannt, bei denen Exemplare, die zunächst bei Kapitel 14/15 pixelten, einfroren oder abstürzten, mittlerweile problemlos durchlaufen. Es wird aktuell noch an allen Stellen nach der Ursache geforscht. Erst wenn wir diese dingfest gemacht haben, wissen wir auch wie wir Abhilfe schaffen können.

An einer Form der Abhilfe werde aber bereits gearbeitet. Es läuft auf einen Umtausch der fehlerhaften Disk hinaus. In der Stellungnahme von Turbine Medien heißt es hierzu weiter:

Wir müssen daher noch um etwas Geduld bitten. Klar ist natürlich, dass es eine neue Pressung geben wird und wir Euch diese ohne große Umschweife zukommen lassen werden. Wir möchten weiterhin darum bitten, die Discs nicht im Handel umzutauschen, da es keine Garantie auf Besserung gibt. Ab sofort ist die Mailadresse pinhead@turbine.de für den bevorstehenden Umtausch aktiv. Bitte sendet uns ein Foto Eurer Disc (ein Kaufbeleg ist nicht erforderlich) sowie Eure Postanschrift.

Turbine Medien entschuldigt sich für die Unannehmlichkeiten und bedankt sich für die Geduld. Weiterhin werde man uns über alles Weitere auf dem Laufenden halten.

 

 

As much as we would like to present a solution for this, 
the troubleshooting is unfortunately still up to date. 
Apart from countless discs that run smoothly, 
we have already been given several cases in which copies that initially pixelated, 
froze or crashed in Chapter 14/15 have now gone through without any problems. 
The cause is currently being researched at all points. 
Only when we have fixed them, do we know how we can remedy them.

A form of remedy is already being worked on. 
It comes down to exchanging the faulty disc. 
Turbine Medien's statement further states:

    We therefore have to ask for some patience. 
Of course, it is clear that there will be a new pressing and we will send it to you without much ado. 
We would also like to ask you not to exchange the discs in stores as there is no guarantee of improvement. 
The email address pinhead@turbine.de is now active for the upcoming exchange. 
Please send us a photo of your disc (proof of purchase is not required) and your postal address.

Turbine Medien apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks for being patient. 
Furthermore, we will be kept informed of everything else.

 

[pygospa]

Thank you, @CAYENNE-FAHRER for the update! I have two additions:

 

1) Supposedly this is only a problem with the UHD disc, not with the BD or DVD. So make sure you check that disc - if you don't have a 4K setup, you can still "play" the disc on a X-Box One, if you own one (PS unfortunately still does not feature an UHD drive, so no chance there). Or ask a friend to play them for you, or lend a device, or something - to just check if it's running smothely you just need the drive to play the disk, not an entire 4K setup (i.e. reveiver, cables and TV can still just be HD). I guess nothing would be more annyoing than to find out a few years from now when you finally did an upgrade to 4K, that your UHD disc won't work, and that there's no way to exchange it then.

 

2) Nothing mayor, but two words in the translation totally mess up the meaning. I've fixed the wording (in bold font):
 

15 minutes ago, CAYENNE-FAHRER said:

 

As much as we would like to present a solution for this, 
the troubleshooting is unfortunately still running. 
(...)
Only when we have located the cause, do we know how we can remedy them.