I'd say most definitely not. If you are going to import, you've got to be willing to scour the internet for information before you buy, otherwise you will end up getting burned with region-locked discs, forced subtitles, no English subtitles when you need them, and discs that are sped up and...
That would be exactly what was released on Super-8. They were severely truncated versions of films. It was very rare for a complete film to be released on a Super-8, and the few that were had a price tag of around $500.
Buyer Beware! I purchased the movie STONEWALL from Germany and since it was a Warner release I thought I'd be safe. It is region-free and it has an English soundtrack and German subtitles can be disabled. However the opening and closing titles which set up the story and tell what became of the...
My latest batch of titles purchased from Amazon.de.
Captain Lightfoot
Region B (locked)
It's an acceptable transfer. Aspect ratio is 2.35:1 and mono sound, though the OAR should actually be 2.55:1 and stereo.
The Last Wagon
Region B (locked)
Also 2.35:1 DTS-MA 4.0 and DTS-MA 2.0...
Same spectacular restoration as the U.K. release with one tiny exception: the title on the actual film has been digitally replaced in German (55 Tage in Peking).
DVD Beaver just reviewed Guns of Fort Petticoat. Looks pretty good, region free with optional English subs.
It's a film I've never seen, but I do like Audie Murphy.
The screencaps linked to in the review aren't very impressive. Also since it's a French review, they don't bother to note whether or not the subtitles are forced when English is selected, which is the main reason I mostly steer clear of French Blu-rays.
DvdBeaver has a review up for Gunman's Walk. Turns out the title card has been replaced with one in German even though the rest of the titles are in English. Is this a deal breaker for any of you? I have one other German Blu-ray that did this (55 Days at Peking) and I was very disappointed in...
I'd like to report some weirdness with the 4.0 audio track on White Feather. Rather than the normal 3/1 configuration of original CinemaScope audio tracks, this Blu-ray is configured as 2/2 with no center channel. The two rear channels appear to be identical, furthermore the front 2 channels are...
THIS BOY'S LIFE
Here's the verdict. Not a bad transfer, though I'm sure if Warner Archive ever decided to tackle this one it would be a lot sharper.
Single-layer
Region-free (only the trailers are in PAL format)
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Dolby surround stereo)
Subtitles: German or none...
I just placed another big order from Amazon.de (came out to about $10.50 per title).
Chicken Run
Fahrenheit 451
Magnificent Obsession
Man Without a Star
Miss Potter
Open Range
This Boy's Life
The Way West
White Feather
I'm a bit wary of This Boy's Life, which I read one report that the picture...
I have also been appreciative of region-coding information provided in these forums before I finally caved and bought an all-region Blu-ray player. Now I can import discs without fear*. And I will also return the favor by posting region status of the discs I purchase for those who still need...
I just watched Against All Flags. It looked very good. Gorgeous Technicolor. It actually looked a lot better on my projector than the screencaps below show. Maureen O'Hara sword fighting right alongside the rest of the fellas is an early example of feminism in the movies!
Hey, I'll reply to my own post! I went ahead and placed an order from Grooves-land and am very happy with their service. They don't have a warehouse but work directly with suppliers. So if an item is "in stock" that means that is the information their supplier has given them. It took about a...
Brent, I searched this thread for "grooves" and came up with this post. So, has Grooves been a reliable vendor for you? I find that their prices (and free shipping) are more reasonable than Amazon.de. There are about 8 Blu-rays I could buy from them that would come out to $89 (just about $11 per...
I have The Tall Men also. The quality is fine. At first I thought it only had a 2.0 surround track because that is what you get when you select English in the menu, but there is a hidden 4.0 discrete soundtrack that you can only access by pushing the audio button on the remote.
It's decent. Probably an older HD master as there is some gate weave and occasional dirt specks. Audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Menus are of course in German. There are no English subtitles and all of the extras are in PAL format so your player needs to be able to do 50i to access them.
You really know how to scare a fellow! I just received the disc. I sampled each chapter of the movie and synchronization looks fine to me. It may have been off by a hair, but I'm not sensitive to it. I was afraid it was going to be wildly out of sync but that's just not the case.
Thanks everyone for the confirmation about Destry Rides Again. I just placed an order for 8 German Blu-ray titles (all reported to be region free) for about $9 per Blu-ray shipped. Not only can you import titles that are unavailable here, but at a bargain too!
Destry Rides Again
The Tall Men...
I've searched this thread for information about "Destry Rides Again." Several of you have it, but no one has yet shared its region status. The disc is down to 8.99 euros and I would love to be able to order it if it is region free. Somebody above just asked about the region status of "Canyon...
Thanks guys, for all the feedback about shipping time from Germany. I finally received my package. No wonder it took so long - the box was so beat up it looked like it came by covered wagon. I've posted a mini-review of the Woody Allen Collection...
Thanks. That sets my mind at ease. Knowing that shipping from Germany is just ridiculously slow. Every day I go out to the mailbox, find no package, and then my blood-pressure rises. It's unlikely that 2 shipments in a row will get misdirected and returned.
Just wondering, does anybody else have trouble receiving orders to the US from Amazon.de?
I placed an order for 3 items including the Woody Allen Box set and it shipped out on July 5th. After a month I notified them that I had still not received it. So they reshipped the order at no charge on...