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Patrick Donahue
Keep in mind though that it says the offer expires April 24th so I doubt it would drop down to $9.99 that quickly...
Can I just say that I am baffled and amazed at the way some of you guys remember films from 50 years ago in such precise detail? I watch a BD at home 6 months after seeing the flick in the theater and don't notice any real difference.rsmithjr said:I recently saw Ben-hur at a Century theatre using their "XD" projection. Basically, it is a 2K Barco DLP projector with a larger bulb for a brighter picture.
The quality of the picture seemed to be slightly better in resolution than the original 35mm dye-transfer prints, which I saw a number of times during original release. The color balance and blacks were, however, better on the 35mm prints, although the DCP was entirely acceptable.
However, it was no match for the look of the 70mm projection of this film that I saw at several theatres, none of which still exist. One theatre, the Capri in Des Moines, was specifically built for Camera 65/Ultra Panavision 70, used Norelco DP-70's, and was simply spectacular.
I have similar thoughts about West Side Story and The Sound of Music, both of which I have now seen in DCP.
It is sad to think that my own house now can rival theatres in presentation, and I don't have a particularly expensive system (Mitsubishi 1080 DLP projector). It is also sad that the original look of these films is not available anyplace at all on anything like a regular basis. (I do attend special presentations in LA and other places.)
I picked this version up on the way home from work today and watched it this evening. The transfer looked wonderful.Patrick Donahue said:FYI the "Casablanca" blu is available at Target in a 1 disc, regular blu-ray case version for $19.99. It has the 2 commentaries, documentaries, deleted scenes, shorts, etc, and some pretty decent cover art to boot.
I should also note the sticker on the cover says "exclusive offer expires April 24, 2012"
I picked up the Target 1-disc last night. I owned the previous 1-disc. I am using the Amazon Trade-In on the prior release which should give me an $11 credit, so the upgrade will only cost me about $10 with tax.Craig Beam said:I'm planning to pick this up today at Target (still on the fence if I want the box or the single-disc), so this'll be my first blu-ray double dip. I'm not counting The Seventh Seal, which I bought first as an import, then supplemented with the US Criterion edition (I still have both). Hey, it's freakin' Casablanca.
That's the way to do it!Originally Posted by dpippel /t/319152/a-few-words-about-casablanca-70th-anniversary-in-blu-ray/150#post_3912453
FYI, I up picked the 1-disc at Target today and the price has dropped to $14.99. Combine that with the $10.25 trade-in value that Amazon is giving for the 2009 Blu-ray, and you can "upgrade" for only $4.74 + tax. Not bad.
Actually that's not always true. Roadshow films (at least in the major cities) made prints directly from the OCN, which is why the more popular the movie, the worse shape the negs are, for the amount of use. Back when I was in somewhat closer proximity to such things, I learned that, and that even non-roadshow movies were often struck from the OCN for larger cities like NY and LA. I believe Mr. Harris can attest to that (if he hasn't already, I'm coming onto this thread a bit late)Worth said:It's impossible to have a release print taken directly from the original camera negative - at least, it was until the arrival of 4K digital post production. At minimum, an interpositive had to be created from the edited negative, then an internegative - or series of internegatives - were created from that interpositive. Release prints were then struck from the interneg. And any opticals in the film - fades, dissolves, process shots etc., would have been a further generation removed from the negative.
So what you eventually saw in the theatre was at the very least three generations removed from the camera negative.
I still don't understand how that can be possible - any optical work doesn't exist on the negative and the OCN hasn't been properly colour timed. How can it be used to strike release prints?NY2LA said:Roadshow films (at least in the major cities) made prints directly from the OCN, which is why the more popular the movie, the worse shape the negs are, for the amount of use.
Hear! Hear! Absolutely.rsmithjr said:But part of the overall exhibition is, of course, the theatre itself: screen, sound system, curtain, seating, lobby, general care taken into things. Amenities like the organ, nice posters in the lobby, chandeliers. It all adds up.
I only know of a few theatres that come close to what we used to have routinely.
My self-serving postNY2LA said:Hear! Hear! Absolutely.
Care to list those theatres?
Trusting Mr. Harris as my system is quite nice but not extreme enough for the differences he mentions to matter.JoeBond said:Totally agree with Mr. Harris's post. Well amazon.com is currently offering $15.75 for trading in the 2008 Blu-ray in like new condition but you get an amazon gift card not cash.