In For a Quick Garden

Updated
In For a Quick Garden
zeppelin-front-96-1391798247.jpg
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1976
Original Running Time:
137 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
137 minutes
Time Cut:
20-30 minutes approx.
Time Added:
20-30 minutes approx.
Brief Synopsis:
Despite some great live music captured in the movie, the concert is constantly interrupted by something either fairly uninteresting (dull documentary footage that seems staged) or seriously drowned in vanity (the band home movies, or fantasy sequences).

This edit shows one complete uninterrupted concert out of all official footage available.
Intention:
The official soundtrack LP is a must-have live album, and I always wondered how the movie would look like if it followed the LP more closely.

Previous attempts made by others are available, but they felt a bit crude so I decided to try doing the assembly myself.
Additional Notes:
Be aware that this movie is infamous for having been badly edited at the time. Especially regarding the sound/visual synchro.

When preparing the restored DVD/Blu-Ray in 2007, Jimmy Page was not allowed to modify any footage of the film due to copyrights issues, but he did modify the soundtrack heavily to make it more in sync with the visuals.

While being a huge improvement, many out-of-sync moment remains.
Other Sources:
-The 2007 double DVD bonus disc: Celebration Day (Cutting Copy), Over The Hills and Far Away, The Ocean, Misty Mountain Hop
-The Led Zeppelin 2003 double DVD: Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, various crowd shots and backstage footage (from menu)
-8mm footage from the concerts released by the band on Youtube: dialogues, performance gap in Dazed and Confused
-An old VHS called "The First Cuts": alternative live concert shots for Rain Song and The Song Remains The Same
-The remixed soundtrack from 2007 (double CD): Heartbreaker, dialogues, crowd
-The official soundtrack from 1976 (Cd from the nineties): dialogues
Special Thanks:
Alain Le Roux, for whom this edit is dedicated,
Paul Currie, from Yeeshkul!, for his kindness in providing rare footage across the Atlantic free-of-charge,
Eddie Edwards, author of The Garden Tapes, for his deep research into this concert recording,
Neglify, from the FanEdit forum, for being patient while guiding me through the approval process,
TM2YC, from the FanEdit forum, for the absolutly fabulous artwork,
And of course the guys from the Led Zeppelin forum. Keep on rocking!
Release Information:
  • DVD
  • Digital
  • Digital
Editing Details:
-Jimmy Page used voluntarily 8mm and VHS footage for the LZ DVD 2003 footage. And for great artistic effect. I used the same technique: additive transitions, aspect ratio preserved, color correction, and syncing with the soundtrack.
-The soundtrack is entirely made of the Kevin Shirley fantastic stereo mix. That is the glue that holds the movie together: while the visuals can be rough sometimes, the soundtrack quality kicks ass.
Cuts and Additions:
ADDITIONS:
-4 new songs included: Celebration Day, Over The Hills and Far Away, The Ocean, and Misty Mountain Hop.
-Added a few dialogues between songs using a combination of 8mm footage and the album sountrack.
-Heartbreaker is included! Fully! This was made possible by using every backstage footage cut from the movie, and the 2007 CD, to create a brand new documentary/fantasy sequence,.
-Black Dog is now complete, thanks to the alternate edit from LZ DVD 2003.


ALTERATIONS:
-The concert plays with the songs in their original playing order, and the music plays without any interruption.
-The credits are now at the end of the movie.
-Since I've Been Loving You use an alternate edit made for the Led Zeppelin 2003 DVD for the sole reason of being much more in sync then it's original counterpart.
-A random backstage shot inserted in Dazed and Confused is now replaced by real concert footage.
-The Song Remains The Same and Rain Song are entirely re-edited to include more actual performance footage, and less of Robert Plant fantasy sequence.


DELETIONS:
-Backstage dialogues are gone.
-Documentary parts are also gone.
-The robbery sequence is cut. Any allusions to it is gone.
-The band "home movies" introduction is cut, as well as Peter Grant and Richard Cole fantasy sequence. The concert starts right away.


TECHNICAL FIXES:
-LZ 2003 DVD footage have their original aspect ratio corrected (using frames from the movie as reference), and level-adjusted (the blacks were crushed).
-"First Cuts" footage have been corrected in many aspects: colors, speed, sync and aspect ratio (using frames from the movie as reference).
-Black levels and contrats should remian consistent through the movie despite the varying footage quality.
Cover art by Take Me To Your Cinema (DOWNLOAD HERE) image

User reviews

3 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.7(3)
Audio Editing
 
9.7(3)
Visual Editing
 
10.0(3)
Narrative
 
9.0(3)
Enjoyment
 
9.0(3)
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
An absolute blast to watch and the definitive way to experience this classic engagement. Just enough of the goofy fantasy sequences/proto-music videos remain (of necessity, as the music plays over them) to make one appreciate the great work that has been done here by the editor. If you want get your face melted off and/or remember laughter, this is the way to do it for any/all Zep-heads.

Additional shout-out to TM2YC for their cover art, as always tasteful and singularly satisfying to see on one's shelf.
R
Top 10 Reviewer 156 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
The original 'The Song Remains the Same' film was an indulgent mess. 'In For a Quick Garden' is a freakin' masterpiece in comparison.

eckoes has gone to great lengths to track down as much concert footage as possible to replace the dreadful interludes, so be warned that some of it dips far below the quality of the main concert film. But what is so brilliant about this edit is that it's built on the rock solid foundation of a monster soundtrack. So any variations in visual quality never become distracting because you are to busy enjoying the way it sounds thundering out of your speakers.

A note of praise - Narrative is a 10/10 because now there isn't any ;-)

A note of criticism - There are chapter points but a proper song selection menu would have been handy.

Play this fanedit f*cking loud! (As Dylan once almost said).

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
AVCHD
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 3 0
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Summary -

This is a rocking good time! A must-see for any Zeppelin fans.

A/V Quality - 9/10

A number of different quality sources were used and it's obvious when it switches between. But the audio quality makes up for it in strides. And overall, excellent quality for the size of the file.

Editing - 10/10

No issues with anything. Like I said, it's obvious when lower quality footage has been cut in, but it's well executed and nothing felt jarring to me.

Narrative & Enjoyment - 9

I enjoyed this immensely. I only watched The Song Remains The Same once many years ago. I wasn't too big into their live stuff then, actually I think this film was the first live set I had heard. And I was turned off by the long fantasy sequences. This new cut remains focused on the concert and goes into fantasy land only when it can't be avoided.

Recommended drink: Black Dog

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
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