Hi! I’m only 28, and Steve Reeves was actually my primary inspiration to start bodybuilding, long before I even knew his name or these films. I recently bought the Artus Blu-rays out of love for his legacy and just finished the remux, but I’m quite stuck on the English audio tracks.
For Hercules (1958), my Artus cut is 105 mins. I found an English track on YouTube that matches the length but sounds very different from the Avco Embassy version. Being from Asia, these are both new to me—is this the Richard McNamara international dub?
For Hercules Unchained (1959), my version is 100 mins. I haven’t found an International English or Archway UK track that fits this length. Does a complete 100-min English track even exist, or is there a “fan-mixed” Avco Embassy track floating around that covers the extra footage?
Also, it’s puzzling why these classics haven’t seen a US Blu-ray release yet. Thanks for being the reason I discovered these beautiful Artus editions!
Yes, the Richard McNamara is the International English dub. The Avco Embassy dubbed different voice actors.
HERCULES UNCHAINED doesn’t have different issues since it was dubbed by the same team immediately that did the Avco Embassy version.
The runtime on these movies is a bit tricky because in Europe they use 25 frames per second or broadcasting, even if the film was shot in the standard 24fps in film. This change usually shortens the runtime from 100 minutes to 96 minutes…etc. Also, there are some slight difference between the original cut and the US cut, mainly in small scenes, which automatically shortens the runtime of the US version. I don’t think an International English version was made for HERCULES UNCHAINED so there are no English audio for those slight cuts. Anyway, it’s detailed here
Legal reasons why the movies haven’t been released with Blu-ray. The movies are public domain while shout! factory claims they have copyright of certain parts of the movies. It’s terrible. The movies are stuck in legal limbo here.
Hi there, thanks for your reply!
I’ve successfully completed an MKV remux of Hercules (1958) for my personal collection. I managed to resolve the frame rate discrepancy between 23.976 and 24.000 fps—Gemini was a life-saver.
Hercules Unchained is proving to be a much bigger challenge. The significant number of missing scenes in the available cuts makes it nearly impossible to sync the standard American audio track directly, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
Hi! I’m only 28, and Steve Reeves was actually my primary inspiration to start bodybuilding, long before I even knew his name or these films. I recently bought the Artus Blu-rays out of love for his legacy and just finished the remux, but I’m quite stuck on the English audio tracks.
For Hercules (1958), my Artus cut is 105 mins. I found an English track on YouTube that matches the length but sounds very different from the Avco Embassy version. Being from Asia, these are both new to me—is this the Richard McNamara international dub?
For Hercules Unchained (1959), my version is 100 mins. I haven’t found an International English or Archway UK track that fits this length. Does a complete 100-min English track even exist, or is there a “fan-mixed” Avco Embassy track floating around that covers the extra footage?
Also, it’s puzzling why these classics haven’t seen a US Blu-ray release yet. Thanks for being the reason I discovered these beautiful Artus editions!
Hi
Yes, the Richard McNamara is the International English dub. The Avco Embassy dubbed different voice actors.
HERCULES UNCHAINED doesn’t have different issues since it was dubbed by the same team immediately that did the Avco Embassy version.
The runtime on these movies is a bit tricky because in Europe they use 25 frames per second or broadcasting, even if the film was shot in the standard 24fps in film. This change usually shortens the runtime from 100 minutes to 96 minutes…etc. Also, there are some slight difference between the original cut and the US cut, mainly in small scenes, which automatically shortens the runtime of the US version. I don’t think an International English version was made for HERCULES UNCHAINED so there are no English audio for those slight cuts. Anyway, it’s detailed here
https://bythegods.ca/2020/09/22/the-missing-scenes-from-hercules-unchained-1959/
Legal reasons why the movies haven’t been released with Blu-ray. The movies are public domain while shout! factory claims they have copyright of certain parts of the movies. It’s terrible. The movies are stuck in legal limbo here.
Hi there, thanks for your reply!
I’ve successfully completed an MKV remux of Hercules (1958) for my personal collection. I managed to resolve the frame rate discrepancy between 23.976 and 24.000 fps—Gemini was a life-saver.
Hercules Unchained is proving to be a much bigger challenge. The significant number of missing scenes in the available cuts makes it nearly impossible to sync the standard American audio track directly, but I’m going to give it my best shot.
Ok