I took a chance and ordered the Blu Ray. I wait until the disc is in the player to say what it does or doesn’t contain (or if it's region free). You can't rely on an Amazon description.
jacobsnchz14 said: "The first disc of the DVD release will be the performance and gala which is about 3 hours or more. The second disc will include the full-hour "The Heat Is Back On" documentary on the making of the revival. The performance, plus gala, PLUS documentary would all essentially fit on one Blu-ray disc.
Amazon's information is notoriously unreliable it is true.
Why is region locking even a thing?? I really want to pick this up but do not want to have to send it back if I can't play it so I'll wait and see if its region free or not before purchasing.
Finally got this playing all day in the UK - in the end from the 18.30 original showing it expanded in some places to 11am and 2.30 as well so you could have had a whole day of it.
As most posters have said the close ups especially at the start stop you getting the traditional theatre view but this is certainly a very adapted filming of the staging with a lot added just for the film adding depth which was not there int he stage version - its certainly not a stage filmed recording of the show in the way Gypsy was done recently or really any other filmed show - they have certainly sets a new level for filmed/staged recording of musical theatre. - several cast are still much weaker than previous performers I have seen and the new act two song replacing "now that I have seen her" is still weak but sound wise comes over better than live and even with those distracting head-mics the performances come over stronger - to be honest seeing it in this much detail and sound as well as comfort will make me think twice about seeing it live when it does tour the UK next year. Will be interesting to see how the Broadway version goes - its deemed a successful revival and covered costs but it seemed to go from sell out to reduced tickets to gone very quickly considering the buzz it had at the start..
Amazon now show both the single disc DVD and the two disc blu-ray at 187mins but fixed for region 2/B on both formats on its UK site as how other UK retailers - release date 24th.
Regardless of what region is listed on the Amazon.co.uk site, I still have a strong feeling the blu ray version will be region free. Take a look at the description for the BILLY ELLIOT - LIVE blu ray on Amazon.co.uk and it also lists it as "Region B/2" and, as many of us know, that blu ray was indeed region free and both are being distributed by Universal Pictures UK.
I would be very, very surprised if the Blu-ray was region locked. And a look at the Subtitle Languages seems to indicate that it is not. Japanese, Korean, & Thai would all be Region A (like the US), and Russian would be Region C.
The only thing that might be an issue is if the "Heat is Back On" documentary is included as a separate DVD. Even if that wasn't region-coded, it would most likely be in PAL format, which some US players can't handle.
It would be nice if the description indicated what material is included on the 2 disk blu ray edition. Is the 2nd disk indeed a copy of THE HEAT IS BACK ON? I'm surprised that so far they have never released THE HEAT IS BACK ON formatted for region 1 playback. It's been listed on the US Amazon.com site for some time but still lists it as Region B/2 PAL ... a while back they were offering it as a Amazon streamling download which I purchased and was able to view that but would still be nice to have an actual dvd/blu ray version of it, also.
Happen to be in the U.K. and saw this yesterday. Wow. Miss Saigon was never a show I really ever got into, but this version was so beautiful I am now a fan.
The direction, the performances, and the editing really present this piece in the best, most beautiful, and poignant way possible.
I could have done without the "gala" footage at the end but overall really loved it and was so moved.
I'm hoping so, but I honestly wouldn't mind double dipping and paying for it twice (a physical copy and a digital). I'd be spending a bit, but I'd find it worth it.
To withhold the release of the dvd or blu ray in the US because of the upcoming Broadway revival would be just plain stupid!!! The US is a big place and not everybody is in a position to just hop over to New York and catch the show on stage ... PLUS, probably over half the audiences for Broadway shows are probably foreign tourists anyway. Why should the rest of the country be deprived of enjoying the show on dvd/blu ray because of the Broadway engagement ... and don't say it's because they are planning a national tour to follow the Broadway run, because they also have a UK tour lined up for next year but that didn't stop them from releasing the dvd there. There is just no logic to their thought process sometimes and, if there is, why do they feel the need to keep it so top secret ... why can't they just respond to the inquiries about a release date and explain their reasoning!!!!
Well, I think we can follow the logic pretty easily. Sure, one could argue if the show is on DVD, one doesn't need to see it on Broadway or on the future national tour. Now, having seen the cinema broadcast, I feel its likely a very different experience than how the live production feels in the theatre (as others have pointed out, the cinema broadcast is filmed almost like a feature film) and that there are likely a lot of people who would buy the DVD (even in the lobby of the theatre) but I do understand the logic of withholding it.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
Maybe one might think it is completely logical to withhold the release with the upcoming Broadway run ahead, but the really frustrating part is the fact that they won't come right out and say that is the reason ... they just remain silent. Out of respect for their fan base I think it would only be common courtesy to give some sort of response to the many inquiries that have been made on numerous sites.
Well certainly, they should have thought this through and never should have announced it for release if they weren't certain they were okay with it being sold upon the heels of the Broadway revival.
“I knew who I was this morning, but I've changed a few times since then.”
Now that I have just seen it-will post my thoughts-then go read all above.
The case of the disappearing Pimple. For the first 10 minutes I was transfixed by the big pimple on the side of Chris' neck--and then it was gone-cinema magic.
Too much kissing between Chris and Kim-sing/kiss/sing/kiss-you get the drift-he almost swallowed her with one big smooch.
Seriously---it was sensational and the 3 hours just flew by.
No complaints about cast/sound[loud]/filming. Jon Jon was amazingly brilliant and then to be treated to the 25th anniversary 'concert' was the icing on the cake.
Wept buckets at the end of Miss Saigon[not the concert--for that I was beaming].
Early reports from those in the UK that have already received their blu ray copies is that it is indeed REGION FREE ... however, disk 2 ... "THE HEAT IS BACK ON: The remaking of MISS SAIGON" is not a blu ray, it is a dvd and that is PAL/REGION 2