The Playbirds (1978) UPDATED

[Darrel_Griffin]

The Playbirds (1978)


UK Odeon DVD


1. AR is 1.78:1 as already stated

It has less image vertically overall compared with the new Screenbound Blu-ray box set release (which has an AR of 1.66:1) but some shots are framed differently, so sometimes this Odeon DVD has extra image at the top or bottom (but loses more image on the opposite edge).


2. Extras:

"Mary Millington's World Striptease Extravaganza" (1981) bonus film (AR 1.33:1 open matte) (45:35)
(note correction to spelling of "Millington"

*** note this movie also has its own entry in the database, which is also misspelt as "Millintgton's" and also needs correcting ***

"Response" (1975) 8mm silent short starring Mary Millington (8:45)
(consisting of text explanation (0:12) + movie (8:33))

Stills Gallery (65 images) (5:35)

Bonus Trailers:
- "Cool It Carol" (3:06)
- "Intimate Games" (1:54)
- "Spaced Out" (3:32)
- "Secrets of Sex" (2:17)


3. Cuts:

I cannot tell whether or not this release is cut. The total runtime according to my player is 89:46 PAL. It starts with the Tigon logo (0:12), yielding a net runtime of 89:34 PAL, equivalent to 93:18.

According to the BBFC website, the original 1978 movie was cut (details not available) to achieve an X-rating, with the approved version's runtime being 94:18.

The new Screenbound Blu-ray box set release has a total runtime of 93:27, starting with a BBFC certificate (0:08) instead of the Tigon logo, yielding a net runtime of 93:19.

Even if the BBFC certificate was included as part of the runtime of the original theatrical release, there would still be a discrepancy, unless the certificate ran for about 60 seconds, which seems unlikely.


4. Note that "Mary Millintgton's World Striptease Extravaganza" also appears on the new Screenbound Blu-ray box set with the same 1.33:1 AR, and similarly poor picture quality (it looks like it's sourced from analog tape - presumably they were unable to find a better source material). The Odeon version starts with a Tigon logo (0:14), yielding a net runtime of 45:21 PAL, equivalent to 47:14 at 24fps. The Screenbound version does not include the Tigon logo, and has a runtime of 47:17 at 24fps.



source: I own it, and the Screenbound Mary Millington Blu-ray box set

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Updated

[Darrel_Griffin]

I would recommend amending the "Response" extra as follows:

"Response" (1975) 8mm silent short starring Mary Millington (8:45)


This should be done on both "The Playbirds" and "Mary Millington's World Striptease Extravaganza" DVD pages.

This makes it clear that it is silent, and also the release date is 1975. I got the 1975 date from the book that is part of the new Screenbound Blu-ray box set, curated by Simon Sheridan who also wrote the book, and who seems to be one of the main authorities on this sub-genre.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Done