A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Searchers -- in High Definition (2 Viewers)

[Rob W]

The Searchers is among my five favorite movies that I’ve watched more than any other film over the last 60 years or so.

TCM's Scott McGee introduced the film at The Egyptian as his favourite film and claimed it's why he named his son Ethan.

 

[Into The Archives]

The print & visual presentation at The Egyptian was certainly beautiful - it almost seemed like we were watching digital as the picture was so clean and almost totally free of any dirt or dust - I think I actually noticed two specks in the entire presentation. I thought the colors were not quite as saturated as I expected them to be, but don't claim to know exactly how it should look.

Jan Yarbrough says in the in70mm.com interview: “The 70mm version, limited to what can be reproduced in a film pipeline, is arguably closer to what audiences in 1956 would have seen on screen, minus all the artifacts associated with the lab processes and duplicating stocks of the era. The HDR version is simply breathtaking.”

https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1954_vistavision/1956_searchers/restoration/index.htm

However, the sound was another matter. The sound at the new Egyptian is a huge disappointment - everything I saw this year was far below the quality I remembered for anything I ever saw there at the previous TCM Festivals ( and I've been to them all ). It was like seeing the film in a cave - there was echo throughout the auditorium that made the sound muddy and not effortlessy easy to understand as it used to be. Everything I saw there this year was in mono ( White Heat / Gambit / The Mad Miss Manton / The Searchers ) but friends who are 70mm geeks went to LOA in 70mm stereo and heard the same issues . And when an action scene in The Searchers combined sound effects with a booming musical score the sound became a cacophany of noise.

As ugly as the previous Egyptian setup with the black sliding walls was (IMO), it was always a good-sounding house from mono to 6-track, and I never had issues with dialog reproduction either. Yet, a few months ago, I saw Touch Of Evil in 35mm, and had close to the same experience as you report from TCM.

 

[jim_falconer]

I’d just like to know if the yellow adobe bricks on the BD, are back to being red again in this new presentation

 

[ahollis]

I forgot people are made of money and cavalierly just book a flight to go see a movie and come back

Actually, I have done that for the Cinerama films, It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World and the 3D film Festival. If I did not do that, I would never have seen them on a huge screen or in 3D. It was expensive, but well worth it.

 

[JPCinema]

Actually, I have done that for the Cinerama films, It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World and the 3D film Festival. If I did not do that, I would never have seen them on a huge screen or in 3D. It was expensive, but well worth it.

I went to the first Cinerama festival in Seattle. An extraordinary experience.

 

[Alan Tully]

No.

Ha, thank you. I was wondering how they could combine a timed dupe element with an untimed original negative. This has made me even more curious as to how they have achieved an (apparently) great picture from a badly faded negative, the technology for doing this stuff must have come on in leaps & bounds in the last few years (some A.I. alchemy?).

 

[Garysb]

FYI both May 4th and 5th showings at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica sold out in advance per their website. Theater seats 425 people. Yes to people still selling out movie theaters to see classic movies. It was just 2 weekend 7 PM showings but perhaps the interest will lead to additional showings around the country at least in big cities. At the very least it will probably be rebooked at the Aero.

 

[OliverK]

I need to see more concrete details as to whether this limited theatrical release will spur sales or not.

It certainly won't hurt and it is nice to see The Searchers back in theaters.
Maybe even in a decent 4K capable movie theater where you could attend.

 

[Robert Harris]

The print & visual presentation at The Egyptian was certainly beautiful - it almost seemed like we were watching digital as the picture was so clean and almost totally free of any dirt or dust - I think I actually noticed two specks in the entire presentation. I thought the colors were not quite as saturated as I expected them to be, but don't claim to know exactly how it should look.

However, the sound was another matter. The sound at the new Egyptian is a huge disappointment - everything I saw this year was far below the quality I remembered for anything I ever saw there at the previous TCM Festivals ( and I've been to them all ). It was like seeing the film in a cave - there was echo throughout the auditorium that made the sound muddy and not effortlessy easy to understand as it used to be. Everything I saw there this year was in mono ( White Heat / Gambit / The Mad Miss Manton / The Searchers ) but friends who are 70mm geeks went to LOA in 70mm stereo and heard the same issues . And when an action scene in The Searchers combined sound effects with a booming musical score the sound became a cacophany of noise.

I have to wonder what Netflix's filmmakers who have their films presented at this theatre think of the audio presentation at this venue.

Did you tell management?

 

[Robert Harris]

Jan Yarbrough says in the in70mm.com interview: “The 70mm version, limited to what can be reproduced in a film pipeline, is arguably closer to what audiences in 1956 would have seen on screen, minus all the artifacts associated with the lab processes and duplicating stocks of the era. The HDR version is simply breathtaking.”

https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1954_vistavision/1956_searchers/restoration/index.htm

There’s a disconnect in this quote, as I’m certain Jan knows the technology.

There are zero “artifacts associated with the lab processes and duplicating stocks of the era.”

The Searchers had no duplicating stocks. It was printed via 35/4 reduction matrices in dye transfer Technicolor. No IP/IN/Print.

 

[sbjork]

"The Searchers" Restored by Warner Brothers and Released in 70mm

it's not an official press release...but it's near the end. And this is coming from WBD sources.
THa: Will 70mm prints be available for exhibition at 70mm cinemas in Europe?
We will be making the 70mm available to exhibition in North America, with plans to roll out to International markets.
THa: Will "The Searchers" be released for home viewing on 4K disc?
No release planned just yet.

I think that we're reading a little too much into that statement. Making it "available to exhibition in North America" doesn't necessarily imply a re-release of any kind, limited or otherwise. All that statement is saying is that the 70mm print(s) will be available for any repertory house that wants to show it. Not unlike any other 70mm print of a catalogue title that shows up randomly at various theatres across the country at the whims of programmers.

That doesn't mean that there won't be some kind of a scheduled and promoted limited re-release, but that statement isn't proof of it.

 

[Robert Harris]

I think that we're reading a little too much into that statement. Making it "available to exhibition in North America" doesn't necessarily imply a re-release of any kind, limited or otherwise. All that statement is saying is that the 70mm print(s) will be available for any repertory house that wants to show it. Not unlike any other 70mm print of a catalogue title that shows up randomly at various theatres across the country at the whims of programmers.

That doesn't mean that there won't be some kind of a scheduled and promoted limited re-release, but that statement isn't proof of it.

Bet it shows up in Somerville, one of the best.

 

[Garysb]

Bet it shows up in Somerville, one of the best.

Not yet but they do have some interesting repertory coming up.

Repertory Calendar - Somerville Theatre

See the full calendar of repertory cinema programs at Somerville Theatre near Boston MA. Find show times and purchase tickets in advance.

www.somervilletheatre.com

 

[Robert Harris]

Not yet but they do have some interesting repertory coming up.

Repertory Calendar - Somerville Theatre

See the full calendar of repertory cinema programs at Somerville Theatre near Boston MA. Find show times and purchase tickets in advance.

www.somervilletheatre.com

My former projectors are living happily there.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Gentlemen, you are adding to my reasons to tour the eastern seaboard.

 

[Into The Archives]

Did you tell management?

Yes. The Netflix team is aware.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I went to the first Cinema festival in Seattle. An extraordinary experience.

I want to go in the near future, especially since SIFF has acquired the former Seattle Cinerama and reopened it.

 

[JPCinema]

I want to go in the near future, especially since SIFF has acquired the former Seattle Cinerama and reopened it.

Cinerama……I hate auto correct

 

[Henry Gondorff]

My former projectors are living happily there.

The Coolidge Corner Theater is infinitely preferable with a far superior projected film image.

 

[Robert Harris]

The Coolidge Corner Theater is infinitely preferable with a far superior projected film image.

Superior in what way?