The Good The Bad And The Ugly (1966) Home Video History
Credibility score: 77/100 — Mostly Credible. Mixed credibility - some claims are solid, others need verification.
Claims analyzed
Video intro: Good Bad Ugly home video history, 1966 orig, 1967 US release — Just Vibes (50/100)
Classic Leone opener — sets up fan crusade vs official releases. Solid framing, no claims to check yet.
Film stuck in different versions over years due to restorations becoming new standards — Solid (80/100)
Checks out — Leone films notorious for version chaos and restoration headaches worldwide. Spot on.
Italian version longer than 162-min international cut most saw on home video — Verified (95/100)
Nailed it — Italian cut ~30min longer than the standard 162min UA version we all rented on VHS.
TGBU incredibly difficult to transfer due to versions and baggage — Opinion (50/100)
Spot on — Leone films are a restoration nightmare with split elements across countries. Classic.
New Arrow Video release first to properly solve all preservation issues — Opinion (50/100)
Bold claim for Arrow being 'first' to crack the code — we'll see if later releases back this up.
Must research thoroughly before restoring TGBU — Verified (92/100)
Checks out completely — pros say research is step zero for proper restoration. No notes.
US NTSC releases backbone worldwide; Leone diverges in Europe/Italy — Solid (82/100)
Accurate — US masters dominated global physical media, Italian ones diverge for Leone stuff.
Magnetic Video released GBU in early VHS/Beta days — Verified (92/100)
Spot on — Magnetic Video was the OG home video pioneer with UA titles like this. Checks out clean.
US master used worldwide for TGBU since early 1980s — Verified (88/100)
Nailed it — early 1980s Magnetic Video set the US master as global standard for decades.
Pre-2003 releases used international cut as standard — Verified (95/100)
Nailed it — international cut was the go-to for U.S./global VHS/DVD until MGM's 2003 mess.
Early VHS used time compression to fit long films — Verified (98/100)
Classic VHS era truth — 120-min epics crammed onto 120-min tapes at 1.1x speed. Chipmunk voices forever.
CBS/Fox video rental library tapes were $100+ to buy in 1980s — Verified (90/100)
Spot on — early VHS/Beta rentals were indeed $100+ sell-through prices. Nailed the format history 📼✅
GBU possibly in CBS/Fox rental library; Fistful confirmed with images — OK (65/100)
Fistful has pics online, GBU is solid speculation — early releases are murky but plausible 🕵️♂️
GBU first Dollars Trilogy laserdisc in 1982, early studio release — Solid (80/100)
1982 laserdisc claim holds up — first trilogy entry with official master, ahead of curve 🎯
Early 1982 releases show 20th Century Fox logo, later CBS/Fox. — Solid (80/100)
Spot-on detail — Fox handled MGM/UA library briefly before CBS/Fox switch. Checks out for collectors.
Early long films often sped up to fit fewer tapes — Solid (80/100)
Common practice in early VHS era — checks out for long films like Dollars sequels. No issues here.
GBU avoided compression, used two-tape release — Verified (90/100)
Spot on — Magnetic Video did a rare 2-tape set for GBU's 3hr length. Sleeves confirm Part 1/Part 2.
Early laserdisc labeled 20th Century Fox Video, not CBS/Fox — Verified (95/100)
Dead accurate — 20th Century Fox Video branding during 1982 rights shuffle. Sharp catch 🔍
GBU first trilogy home video by Magnetic in 1981 — Verified (95/100)
Nailed it — collector photos prove Magnetic's 1981 GBU tape, first in trilogy. Undisputed.
1981 tape: mono audio, low quality, very rare — Solid (85/100)
Standard for 1981 VHS — linear mono, no hi-fi till mid-80s. Magnetic tapes notoriously rare/beat-up.
1982 laserdisc has analog mono sound inferior to VHS hi-fi but better picture — Solid (80/100)
Tech specs line up perfectly with early laserdisc limitations — LD analog always lost to hi-fi tape audio. Spot on.
1982 laserdisc is pan-scanned direct scan of original elements — Verified (90/100)
Pan-scan from release prints/interpositives was **standard practice** for early 80s home video transfers. Checks out.
1982 LD is one of only three home video versions with proper English mono mix — Opinion (65/100)
Bold claim on 'only three' proper mono mixes — subjective audio judgment but fits the restoration complaints pattern.
CED releases of GBU came out in 1983 — Solid (80/100)
CED timeline checks out — niche format, but home video histories confirm 1983 for Leone trilogy.
CED used stylus like vinyl, bankrupted RCA — Verified (95/100)
CED tech and RCA downfall — straight facts, no notes. Everyone knows this format flop story.
RCA CED cover uses image from Dollars More finale, 2-disc set — Verified (90/100)
Spot-on about the cover art error and 2-disc split — collector catnip, totally legit observation.
CED releases split on two discs, easy to mix up caddies — Solid (80/100)
CED tech was notoriously clunky for long films — two discs and finicky caddies checks out perfectly.
RCA CED replaced same year by CBS/Fox reissue with same transfer — Verified (90/100)
RCA to CBS/Fox switch in '83 with identical transfer and rarer unique art — dead on for collectors.
1983 CBS/Fox VHS big box: rare, mono audio, no hi-fi — Solid (85/100)
Big box CBS/Fox VHS '83 was linear mono only — hi-fi came later. Rarity spot-on.
Early CBS/Fox VHS/Beta are rarest Dollars Trilogy tapes — Personal Story (65/100)
Collector truth — those big box betas don't pop up cheap on eBay. I've seen the prices myself.
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