Cosmos - Sagan

[Just thinking]

An update for you, Pat

On eBay (of all places, eh?) I found an auction for the video that I know (OK, very strongly believe) has the music I'm after (and has been confirmed by another site as being composed by Conti) -- unfortunately, it has ended. Fortunately no one bid on it! So I'm contacting the seller to see if he/she still has it -- this may be the break I've (we've) been waiting for.

 

[Patricio Elicer]

Wow!, that sounds great. Please keep us updated...

EDIT: Chances are that you won't get an answer, I've emailed ebay sellers several times and have not got a single answer. Hopefully I'm wrong, but in any case it's very likely that the item will re-surface on auction soon. That was the case of the Cosmos Box auction I linked to.

 

[BlackCat]

A quick note. This set sells for some crazy price on Amazon and I had been really curious about the e-bay deals from China. Anyhoo, being a curious kinda guy I bought a copy, expecting the worst.Near as I can tell this is for far east distribution. Perfect packageing, lots of funny chinese squiggles on the disks and boxes but a very good transfer (given the age of the video). Original in english, no subtitles. As good, I suspect as the overpriced Amazon thing. Cost to me, delivered 16 pounds (like $$24?). Took 4 days to get it.Seems like a buy and apparently a legit copy.Thought you would like to know.(damn Chinese can do everything cheaper)

Hmm, Chinese characters ... cheap price ... bought on ebay ... sounds like a bootleg to me. See: forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=81928. You might want to check out that link, and scroll down to How to Identify Bootleg DVDs.

I'm not preaching, but bootlegs are illegal, and any money that you pay bootleggers is guaranteed to line the bootleggers' pockets, and not go to anyone involved with the authentic release of the DVDs. Maybe you didn't realize that. What you do with this knowledge is up to you. Personally, I thought the overpriced DVDs are more than worth it.

BlackCat

 

[Just thinking]

Wow!, that sounds great. Please keep us updated...

EDIT: Chances are that you won't get an answer, I've emailed ebay sellers several times and have not got a single answer. Hopefully I'm wrong, but in any case it's very likely that the item will re-surface on auction soon. That was the case of the Cosmos Box auction I linked to.

I will certainly let you know of any forward motion on this. It is unfortunately all too true about having sellers reply to questions on eBay ... but the auction indicated the production facility that made the video -- Pacific Focus. I've e-mailed them as well, so we'll hopefully get a response from one of them.

 

[Ed]

Hmm, Chinese characters ... cheap price ... bought on ebay ... sounds like a bootleg to me. See: forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=81928. You might want to check out that link, and scroll down to How to Identify Bootleg DVDs.

I'm not preaching, but bootlegs are illegal, and any money that you pay bootleggers is guaranteed to line the bootleggers' pockets, and not go to anyone involved with the authentic release of the DVDs. Maybe you didn't realize that. What you do with this knowledge is up to you. Personally, I thought the overpriced DVDs are more than worth it.

BlackCat

Maybe. We have identified about 4 different versions of Cosmos on here and this could be yet another. It is odd. On the box (which looks spot on in terms of quality of printing and so on) it says "International Edition" which is, of course, region 0.

If this is a bootleg (and it very well might be) I think that US production companies have got to rethink their business model. I suppose one could simply not buy anything from China but that would be like saying all terrorists are Arab looking.

It really isn't clear to me how someone (like me) would know it is stolen without emailing production companies and finding out what editions end up where. Any ideas?

 

[steve s]

I went digging through some old albums at my mom's house and found my original soundtrack to Cosmos. It's a single record so it doesn't cover everything from the show. For those who are interested...

Side One
I Space/Time Continuum
A) "Heaven and Hell, Part 1" by Vangelis
B)"Symphony No. 11" by Shostakovich
C)"Alpha" by Vangelis

II Life
A)"Depicting the Cranes in their Nest" Japanese traditional
B)"Canon à 3 on a Ground in D" by Pachelbel
C)"The Four Seasons" (Spring) by Vivaldi
D)"The Sea Named Solaris" by J.S. Bach

III The Harmony of Nature
A)"Partita No. 3" by J. S. Bach

Side Two
IV Exploration
A)"Symphony No. 19" by Hovhaness
B)"Legacy" by Synergy
C)"Russian Easter Festival Overture" by Rimsky-Korsakov
D)"Inside the Heart of the Universe" by Toru Takemitsu

V Cataclysm
A)"Fly Night Bird" by Roy Buchanan
B)"Beauborg, PartII: by Vangelis
C)"The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky

VI Affirmation
A)"Entends-tu les Chiens Aboyer?" by Vangelis
B)"Bulgarian Shepherdess Song" traditional
C)"Heaven and Hell, Part I" by Vangelis

I haven't seen Cosmos since it first aired. IIRC, the part of the show that had Holst's "Mars" showed a reptilian eye looking through a telescope at earth. If anyone has the DVD, how's my memory?

Steve S.

 

[BlackCat]

Maybe. We have identified about 4 different versions of Cosmos on here and this could be yet another. It is odd. On the box (which looks spot on in terms of quality of printing and so on) it says "International Edition" which is, of course, region 0.

It could be. I don't really know. I just suspect because it has all the classic signs. (I watch a lot of anime, and have found that anime bootlegs are rampant.) Don't be fooled by quality printing, as bootleggers have greatly increased their quality.

I looked at my copy closer, and can tell you for sure that the "authentic" (sorry, not trying to be disparaging here) copy is Region 0, and has Mandarin subtitles. But it also has English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, and Japanese subtitles. This says to me that this DVD collection is intended to be seen by everyone all over the world (for the most part). If this is so, why would China have to make their own copy? It doesn't make sense.

Edit: I did think of something else after I posted this. It could be that your DVD set was made specifically for sale in China, hence the Chinese packaging. Even if this is the case, I'm sure that it's still not legal for sale outside of China.

If this is a bootleg (and it very well might be) I think that US production companies have got to rethink their business model. I suppose one could simply not buy anything from China but that would be like saying all terrorists are Arab looking.

I'm sorry, I must have missed what you're trying to say here.

It really isn't clear to me how someone (like me) would know it is stolen without emailing production companies and finding out what editions end up where. Any ideas?

I think emailing the production companies would provide an insightful and consise answer. Asking the ebay seller probably won't get you anywhere, although you never know. Does your set say who put it out?

BlackCat

 

[Just thinking]

... I haven't seen Cosmos since it first aired. IIRC, the part of the show that had Holst's "Mars" showed a reptilian eye looking through a telescope at earth. If anyone has the DVD, how's my memory?

Steve S.

That is correct ... with Mars in the background. (And that's just from memory upon my seeing it when it first aired.)

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

I purchased a copy of the DVD set last year for about $110. It was worth every cent. I watched the series when it first aired in 1981 (at least on Michigan public television) and except for Sagan's wardrobe the series has aged like Dorian Grey.

On a side note, I had been trying for years to purchase a VHS set of Cosmos and Ken Burns' The Civil War, but never got around to. Thankfully, what would have been a shelf straining total of 15+ video tapes takes about 3 and 1/2 inches total on DVD.