EXCLUSIVE: Malcolm in the Middle Seasons 1-7 Coming to DVD Starting 2012!

JHD1995

New member
There is a chance of a 4:3 Season 1 UK release.

Upon checking the BBFC website for the Season 1 release (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AVV288326/) I found a comment from the distributor that reads "Full Frame,Season 1" - indicating that this will be a 4:3 release.

As previous users commented upon, the first season was intended to be 4:3. Upon going back to the original 35mm negatives; perhaps there was issues with the set, elements such as lighting and cameras could be visible for example.

I found some Season 2 episodes in Widescreen, and noticed that during editing the team had decreased the width of the footage (I can only describe it as the left side being blackened out) only for a few seconds. This could be because of light fixtures, cameras and what not. I can only assume that the editors thought nothing about it at the time. I mean, how many people would have been watching this in 16:9 on the original broadcast?
 

Richiepiep

Administrator
Yes, that's the image shown on the www.amazon.co.uk site from now on! We're getting there!

I think what's interesting is that it bears a FremantleMedia Enterprises logo, the production company behind all the British and US versions of talent shows like Pop/American Idol, X Factor and Britain's Got Talent. I wonder how this all fits in with the production and distribution rights. So have they acquired the rights from Fox, or are they just the representative for the European market? Would they have been more lenient with the music rights issues than Fox?
 

ArtOfLosing

New member
I have heard talk that the Netflix MITM episodes have music changed? Can anybody confirm either way?
No, they do not have music changed. I've compared several episodes with original broadcasts and the music is exactly the same.

But another more pressing issue is whether they will apply PAL speedup to the 24fps film source. If they have then you will be in for quite a shock if you are used to the US 23.976 fps version - The characters will sound like chipmunks! - I can't stand it myself so if I buy the set I will be ripping the DVDs onto my PC and reversing the speedup and reburning with PAL 24:1 Pulldown rather than the speedup.
I, too, can't stand the PAL speedup. Unfortunately it's practically unavoidable in situations like these. Generally speaking, I do what you do and fix it myself so it plays at the correct speed.

I really hope they release a Blu-ray version as the PAL speedup is no longer an issue on them, as they support PAL 23.976 and 24fps content. :)
Not necessarily true. While you are correct in that speedup shouldn't be an issue for Blu-ray, I've seen some PAL Blu-ray releases that still use the speedup, much to my chagrin. For example, The Inbetweeners Movie is still sped-up on the Blu-Ray. It's been pitch-corrected, at least, but still sped-up and it makes me want to cry.

Upon checking the BBFC website for the Season 1 release (http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AVV288326/) I found a comment from the distributor that reads "Full Frame,Season 1" - indicating that this will be a 4:3 release.
If this is true, I'm not purchasing the set. Seriously.**

**EDIT: I just contacted Fabulous Films about this and they confirmed that, yes, every season of Malcolm WILL BE IN WIDESCREEN. Woo-hoo!!! Time to pre-order!
 
Last edited:

Malcolm191095

New member
We have a new release date...

Maybe.

Well Amazon are still saying June 4th, Zavvi are saying September 3rd, HMV and Play.com are saying nothing and the Fabulous Films website is saying July 16th.

Also the website has the list of all the special features, pretty much basically everything from the Region 1 set, but with a preview of Season 2 Behind the Scenes stuff.

Here's the list from their website:

EXTRAS: Over one hour of running commentary on selected Disc One episodes ,One hour of running commentary on selected Disc Two episodes ,Over 40 minutes of running commentary on selected Disc Three episodes “Malcolm in the Middle: A Stroke of Genius” featurette ,“Malcolm Vision” widescreen bloopers ,Season One gag reel ,Four alternate show openings ,Four deleted scenes ,“Behind the Middle” behind-the-scenes sneak preview of Season Two ,“Dewey’s Day Job: A Portrait of Erik Per Sullivan” featurette ,Season One promotional TV spots

http://fabulousfilms.com/products/97
 

Richiepiep

Administrator
Hell no!!! :( I just saw this, they say the exact same thing on the bottom of the page...

That sucks, + we don't get French, German and Spanish versions... i think i'm gonna wait for a U.S release. :s
You know, what's so weird about the upcoming release, is that if it's a straight copy of the US region 1 release (apart from the change to widescreen format), they could just copy the French and Spanish audio tracks and the English and Spanish subtititles from the original!

I wonder why they wouldn't take, I assume, the little effort. It gives the release a wider appeal. Perhaps we should contact them about it, now that the date appears to be postponed again?

Another thing, a tight, monthly schedule for upcoming releases, though eagerly awaited, may noy be a good thing if we want anything extra on the DVDs like bloopers, promos, the famous therapy sessions, the Stevie, Kenarbans and Craig videos etc. Including more than just straight episode transfers would be a boost for sales I guess.

We can rule out more disk commentaries I guess. I don't think cast and crew members would be available at such short notice for all the episodes to discuss them together.

Oh, by the way, here's a plug, sort of: for MITM fans, I see they have also Eerie Indiana in their catalogue. It's one of the great forerunners of MITM I daresay (original format, cinematic, single-camera, first-person narration), and it's only 10 bob for 3 discs, so I reckon I at least should get it!

http://fabulousfilms.com/products/97

Some info can be found on our site in the 'ancestor' section:

http://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=9413
 
Last edited:

Karin

Staff - The One Who Mods
Dvd release dates tend to shift very often, I wouldn't be too worried about it. I just hope we at least get the first few seasons on dvd's this year.

Wow, Eerie Indiana! Haven't heard about that for ages. I watched that a lot as a kid. :w00t:
 

Richiepiep

Administrator
Dvd release dates tend to shift very often, I wouldn't be too worried about it. I just hope we at least get the first few seasons on dvd's this year.

Wow, Eerie Indiana! Haven't heard about that for ages. I watched that a lot as a kid. :w00t:
Ha, I guess I'm old enough (and more than that) to know about those 'ancestors' ;). I still like it, or mostly the memory of it. See if I feel like ordering the full set now - it's just one season anyway.

At any rate, I have watched or rewatched lots of episodes from various series in the Ancestors section, and I believe there were some very worthy, quirky and creative, predecessors, and seeds of MITM can be found in a lot of them.

Actually, three episodes of Eerie, Indiana were directed by leading MITM directors Todd Holland and Ken Kwapis!

Rich
 
Last edited:

Richiepiep

Administrator
You know, what's so weird about the upcoming release, is that if it's a straight copy of the US region 1 release (apart from the change to widescreen format), they could just copy the French and Spanish audio tracks and the English and Spanish subtititles from the original!

I wonder why they wouldn't take, I assume, the little effort. It gives the release a wider appeal. Perhaps we should contact them about it, now that the date appears to be postponed again?
I just got a very prompt reply from Richard Walker at Fabulous Films:
Hi Richard

Thanks for the email. Legally we can't add other language tracks. Hopefully they will get released in other countries soon.

Best

Richard Walker Fabulous Films Limited
It's a pity there are even legal restrictions in this field of all things, but we apparently have to live with it until other territories find a way to put out releases of their own.

Rich
 
Last edited:

Karin

Staff - The One Who Mods
I just never thought about that that could also be restricted but I guess the voiceactors who do the voiceovers in different languages should also be paid. I can't imagine how Malcom's family would sound dubbed Spanish, French or German but I hope for the fans around the globe it will eventually also be released with different audio tracks. If the dvd release is successful who knows?
 
Last edited:

Richiepiep

Administrator
I just never thought about that that could also be restricted but I guess the voiceactors who do the voiceovers in different languages should also be paid. I can't imagine how Malcom's family would sound dubbed Spanish, French or German but I hope for the fans around the globe it will eventually also be released with different audio tracks. If the dvd release is successful who knows?
Well, I already got those dubs on the old American release, but I must say I've listened only to the German dubs to some extent, on YouTube, that is. It takes some getting used to, but in my experience after a while you accept it, kind of, provided that it is done well.

The hardest thing I think is dealing with the voice quality of the adolescent boys, and how and when they are going to accommodate for voice breaks.

Here are some examples:

http://malcolm-france.com/videos.php?p=113_insultes

Une espèce de salaud quoi? ;)

http://malcolm-france.com/videos.php?p=313_loispolicier

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGnXPUwudxw
 
Last edited:

Karin

Staff - The One Who Mods
I must say the French voicovers are pretty good. Only Lois voice is very different from the original. But it's one of the more difficult voices to replicate or find a good substitute for, the anger Jane Kaczmarek can put in a sentence is inimitabe. I do wish my French was still as good as in highschool, but it helps I know the original lines pretty well.

In Spanish it just sounds plain weird to me.
 

lmddawson

New member
HOW have I only just found out about this? :w00t:

So damn excited, being from the UK. I am going to get them season by season and then in the end probably put them on ebay for the full boxset. This is fantastic news. Cannot thank Fabulous films enough.:wub:
 

Richiepiep

Administrator
I must say the French voicovers are pretty good. Only Lois voice is very different from the original. But it's one of the more difficult voices to replicate or find a good substitute for, the anger Jane Kaczmarek can put in a sentence is inimitabe. I do wish my French was still as good as in highschool, but it helps I know the original lines pretty well.

In Spanish it just sounds plain weird to me.
Well said, I feel exactly the same way! The French dubbing is done very well, except that 'Lois' lacks some edge (as you say it's hard to rival Jane in that respect), and while the Spanish get Lois just about right, the older boys' voices are far too high-pitched and childish, so the general effect is off-putting.

By the way, in the German version, Otto and Gretchen are Danish! ;)
 
Last edited:

Richiepiep

Administrator
I've decided to order both MITM S1 and Eerie, Indiana from Fabulous Films now.

When the deliveries work out (both may take a while), I may also order It's Garry Shandling's Show from Fabulous, which was probably the earliest unconventional sitcom, highlighted in our Ancestors section. As I've hardly seen any substantial footage of it, I could be doing some screenshots and bits of transcripts in a while.

Rich
 

Karin

Staff - The One Who Mods
By the way, in the German version, Otto and Gretchen are Danish! ;)


Really? That is hilarious. I can see why they changed that but still, it wouldn’t be believable to pretend the family lives in Germany anyway. By changing Otto and Gretchen’s identity it implies like they did that sort of. But I’ve never seen the German dubbed version. Unlike most Dutch people I can barely understand a word of German. Makes me wonder though how Otto sounds in German with a Danish accent. “Isn’t that vierd?” :p
 
Last edited:

Malcolm191095

New member
Right so it looks like today's the day it's supposed to be out... Maybe.... I've had it on pre-order at amazon and they've given me a dispatch estimate of 6th June and delivery estimate of between 9th and 12th of June (damn you Jubilee! :mad: ) Anyway, I might try and get to the shops later or tomorrow to see if anyone has it actually on the shelf, although I doubt it as Fabulous Films is saying July 16th on their website and Zavvi and that are saying September 3rd whilst Amazon hasn't changed the release date...

On Fab Films website there's a direct link to Amazon. Perhaps they gave Amazon the rights to get it exclusive for a few weeks?

Ah well we'll see...

Also, some websites that still have the release date for today are saying 'New Release - Awaiting stock from supplier.' Seems like they'll be waiting a long time for that stock... :(

Went to ASDA (Walmart) didn't have it! Did a little investigating haha! E-mailed Amazon they responded saying that it is indeed released today yet they haven't received stock yet, but it should arrive on the estimated date so we'll see what happens!
 
Last edited:

Karin

Staff - The One Who Mods
I think the Fabfilms release date is most reliable since they are actually the company who releases it.
Personally I'm waiting until I can atleast order two seasons (I intended to wait for the boxset, but I know I can't wait that long..) so I don't really keep track of the exact release dates. I just trust it will be released very soon. :rolleyes:
 

Richiepiep

Administrator
Well, I can only say my Eerie, Indiana box set (another Fabulous Films release) arrived safely today as planned.

It came in a sturdy plastic box (better than all those shoddy cardboard items I've seen lately) and comes with .. a booklet with pictures and brief episode plots! Gee, I haven't seen that in a long while, a DVD booklet. A nice touch.

The image quality is reasonable for the 20-year-old 4:3 TV format (obviously it's a straight transfer with little attention to the sound track), and there are serviceable animated menus, but there are no extras whatsoever, so no subtitles or closed caption (a pity for non-natives and the hearing impaired), no interviews, commentaries, image galleries or a look behind the scenes.

This was what I was expecting from the DVD details, and I guess it's pretty much what the original US releases had to offer (or the lack of it), but still I hope the following MITM seasons will include a few interviews, promos, bloopers and the like.

Rich
 
Top