633 Squadron UK Blu-ray ADDED

[Darrel_Griffin]

Title: 633 Squadron (1964)
Country: UK
Region: ALL
Releasing Studio: Final Cut Entertainment
Case Type: Keep Case
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Codec: AVC MPEG-4
Picture: 1080p 24fps
Soundtracks: English LPCM 48KHz 2.0 mono
Subtitles: none
Cuts: apparently no cuts (94:46) - however see Additional Information point 3 below
Commentaries: none
Extras:

"In Good Company - Remembering 633 Squadron" (23:50) - featurette/interview with critic Kim Newman
"Flying High - The Mirisch Strategy" (18:53) - featurette/interview with academic Paul Kerr
"Mission Impossible - Analysing 633 Squadron" (16:40) - featurette/interview with academic Dr. Ross Hunter of Northumbria University

Notes:

1. all extras are in HD (AVC MPEG-4 1080p 24fps) with English LPCM 48KHz 2.0 mono audio, no subtitles
2. back of case incorrectly states it is Region B only

Easter Eggs: none known
Amazon ASIN: B07NB9BK9C
Source: I own it


Additional Information:

1. No Trailer

This release does not include the theatrical trailer, which was included on most DVD releases.


2. Picture Quality

The picture quality is mostly very good. However, there are some exceptions. Some effects shots show a marked drop in quality, as to be expected due to them being optical effects with additional generations of optical printing. There are a few non-effects shots that show a marked drop in quality, with a grainy look and a slightly unstable picture. There are also a few shots that contain a wide fuzzy vertical line towards the left of the picture, presumably due to print damage. These last two cases must be due to a lack of better quality source material, perhaps due to damage to the original negative for these portions of the movie.


3. Is This A Cut Version?

In short, I have not been able to determine, but it is possible that a longer 102 minute version exists.

The runtime of 94:46 on this Blu-ray is roughly equivalent to all the DVD releases listed in the database (e.g. 90:53 PAL is equivalent to 94:40 at 24fps).

However, several sources mention a runtime of about 102 minutes. The sources I have found are as follows:

IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057811/
runtime: 102 minutes

Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/633_Squadron
runtime: 102 minutes

BBFC:
https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/633-squadron-film
runtime: 101:53

https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/633-squadron-1964
runtime: 102 minutes

(The BBFC website also lists various other submitted versions in the 90-94 minute range for home video release)

On IMDb, reviewer "superbhyll", writing in 2007, claims that in the past the movie was reduced in length so that it could fit into a cinema double bill with "The Great Escape". This reviewer also claims that they saw the complete unedited version on Sky Movies, and subsequently bought the movie on Amazon, but says that the one they bought is the edited version. Of course it is possible that they are mistaken, but this does lend weight to the notion that a 102 minute version exists.

On this page:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.ph ... 817&page=2

poster "GaryCouzens" states that the Monthly Film Bulletin review (August 1964) gives the running time as 95 minutes, and suggests that the filmmakers might have shortened the movie after originally submitting it to the BBFC but before releasing it, so that is another possibility.

[Nigel_Badnell]

Original UK press book quotes 94 mins while US press book quotes 101 mins, although US reviews quote both.
http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150042892
101 mins could be an early rough cut sent to see if there would be any problems - John Trevelyan would
provide feedback.

[Darrel_Griffin]

I guess so. Thanks for the link Nigel.

There are quite a lot of deaths in the movie, and some of these are quite graphic for the time, so it's possible that some even more graphic shots were removed to achieve the 'A' rating. However, any such shots would probably have been very brief, so it's hard to believe that these would have added up to 7 minutes.

Another possibility is that there were one or more scenes that were deemed unsuitable for an 'A' rating, such as perhaps a protracted torture scene.

Alternatively, perhaps the filmmakers simply made some cuts for creative purposes out of choice rather than by necessity.

Whatever, it is looking increasingly likely that a 101 minute version was never released, at least not theatrically.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Added, thank you!