A Few Words About A few words about...™ Hondo -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Robin9 /t/320871/a-few-words-about-hondo-in-blu-ray#post_3927843
I certainly am! I have no interest in modern 3-D movies but I would love to see movies like Dial M For Murder, Kiss Me Kate and Hondo in 3-D.

One of the things which would get me interested in 3D in the home would be releasing the classic titles, including this one, it just seems like a wasted opportunity, they say catalog does not sell well, well they had an opportunity to maximise the sale of this one by releasing a 2D and 3D 2 disc set, they didn't and i for one would pass on it because of this, i'm getting a lot fussier these days about what i will buy or even rent out.

 

[Persianimmortal]

Although I have the required 3D hardware, I have to add my vote to those who say that the lack of 3D is not a deal-breaker. I do agree that it's a missed opportunity, as ironically the films which are most likely to really draw my interest to 3D are the classics like this movie and Dial M for Murder, rather than the new 3D releases.
In any case I'll just be happy to see the film for the first time in widescreen and as clean as possible. Prior to this I've only ever seen it in full screen 1.33:1 on DVD. I only hope that the disc is region free!

 

[RolandL]

For whatever reason, Gretchen Wayne is fiercely protective of the 3-D version of HONDO. Despite having a brand new left/right 35mm print, she would not allow it to be screened at either 3-D Expo, even though people came from around the world to see the shows.
I think she is holding off on some multi-billion dollar deal for the 3-D version.
I'm not optimistic...

Maybe she is thinking more money can be made by letting people buy the flat version now and then in a few years release it again but in 3-D.

 

[Richard--W]

I seriously doubt if Gretchen Wayne thinks like that. She indicated to me that she wanted a theatrical re-release in 3-D. The Wayne family only works with Guild and Studio players. No independents. The current personnel at Warner Brothers and Paramount were not interested in re-releasing the film in 3-D. It doesn't interest them, so it can't possibly interest anyone else. Gretchen was obviously confused about the technology. She was receiving conflicting and inaccurate information about how to convert and project the film in 3-D from the various companies. She heard criticism of the quality of the conversion screened at the Academy and thought maybe it should be redone. She may not have given up on the idea, however.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

And as I mentioned, she completely ignored the fact that Michael Wayne and Dan Symmes restored the film a decade earlier.

 

[Richard--W]

Yes, which restoration provided the left and right eye to the digital company responsible for the digital conversion we watched. She doesn't need to "fix it" again, but as I said, she's confused by all the conflicting opinions she's getting by this expert and that expert. I'm sure Gretchen still hopes for a 3-D theatrical release.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

An awful lot of "experts" are re-inventing the wheel!

 

[Richard--W]

Yes, and they all want a piece of the Hondo pie.

 

[Sid Verbal]

Apparently then I am remembering the TV broadcast of the 3D version. DVD Beaver just posted screen shots of the matted blu-ray compared to the 1:33 DVD. Some of the long shots look better in composition but the closeup captures I thought looked rather cramped. Is there a "correct" aspect ratio for Hondo?

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Sid Verbal /t/320871/a-few-words-about-hondo-in-blu-ray/30#post_3929067
Apparently then I am remembering the TV broadcast of the 3D version. DVD Beaver just posted screen shots of the matted blu-ray compared to the 1:33 DVD. Some of the long shots look better in composition but the closeup captures I thought looked rather cramped. Is there a "correct" aspect ratio for Hondo?

What i am thinking is that if a movie is specifically shot for 3D then the film would have camera angles and setups that would be intended to look great in 3D and perhaps not so good in 2D, so maybe some of those scenes that you refer to would look just right when shown in the 3D format, its funny you say this though as i remember Walt Disneys The Jungle Book also has scenes which just don't seem right when shown in widescreen.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Apparently then I am remembering the TV broadcast of the 3D version. DVD Beaver just posted screen shots of the matted blu-ray compared to the 1:33 DVD. Some of the long shots look better in composition but the closeup captures I thought looked rather cramped. Is there a "correct" aspect ratio for Hondo?

It looks great to me.
HONDO was photographed with the Warner Bros. All Media camera rig and was composed for 1.85:1.

 

[haineshisway]

It looks great to me.
HONDO was photographed with the Warner Bros. All Media camera rig and was composed for 1.85:1.

Of course it looks great - it looks just how it was composed - for 1.85. There is nothing "cramped" about any shot - look at any Academy ratio film and you'll see compositions just like these, but for 1.33 instead. This is the way motion pictures are framed.
EDIT: Just looked at the Beaver's "review." First he calls it a bastardized transfer in 1.78 (the difference between 1.78 and 1.85 is minuscule and I believe studios use the 1.78 because overscan usually crops back down to 1.85 - but you can barely tell the difference. But he's calling it bastardized because the DVD was incorrectly framed open matte. Then Bob F. e-mails him and explains for the umpteenth time the reality. The Beaver prints it and says "Thanks, Robert" but does NOT change his calling it bastardized. What is wrong with these people? They do so much harm I'm thinking the Blu-ray world would be better off if some of these sites just went away because all this misinformation is doing no one any good.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/320871/a-few-words-about-hondo-in-blu-ray/30#post_3929121
Of course it looks great - it looks just how it was composed - for 1.85. There is nothing "cramped" about any shot - look at any Academy ratio film and you'll see compositions just like these, but for 1.33 instead. This is the way motion pictures are framed.
EDIT: Just looked at the Beaver's "review." First he calls it a bastardized transfer in 1.78 (the difference between 1.78 and 1.85 is minuscule and I believe studios use the 1.78 because overscan usually crops back down to 1.85 - but you can barely tell the difference. But he's calling it bastardized because the DVD was incorrectly framed open matte. Then Bob F. e-mails him and explains for the umpteenth time the reality. The Beaver prints it and says "Thanks, Robert" but does NOT change his calling it bastardized. What is wrong with these people? They do so much harm I'm thinking the Blu-ray world would be better off if some of these sites just went away because all this misinformation is doing no one any good.

Gary usually allows his original impression to stand even if proven wrong so people can see HOW he was proven wrong. Though, at the very least he should put a line through the word "bastardization" (e.g., bastardization) per being corrected, which is common for bloggers who don't want to completely erase their original statements after being subsequently corrected.

 

[Robert Harris]

Also looks terrific for color (at least the production footage) as most 1953 films will.

RAH

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris /t/320871/a-few-words-about-hondo-in-blu-ray/30#post_3929148
Also looks terrific for color (at least the production footage) as most 1953 films will.

RAH

Even with that awful WarnerColor?

 

[Richard--W]

It looks great to me.
HONDO was photographed with the Warner Bros. All Media camera rig and was composed for 1.85:1.

The review at bluray.com makes a number of factual errors, including the myth that HONDO had very few 3-D playdates:

... Hondo was photographed in three dimensions at the height
of the 1950's 3D cinema craze, but the laborious process was
rewarded with precious few 3D viewings, only a handful to be
exact on the East and West coasts. The film was widely released
in a standard flat format, ...
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Hondo-Blu-ray/37009/#Review

In fact the 3-D version was a mega-hit across the country, as your article demonstrates.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

When Jack and I did the research for our article, we checked most every major city across the country.
3-D bookings were plentiful. Finding the few, flat play-dates was the hard part!
What surprises me is this supplemental documentary:

The Making of Hondo (480p): This three-part feature begins with The Making of 'Hondo' (19:50). Leonard Maltin introduces this piece which examines the film's plot; its relevance as a 3D picture, shooting in 3D, and limited 3D release;

Not only did Leonard write on his site about our article, he publicly thanked Jack and I at the Academy screening when they showed the most recent 3-D restoration!

 

[Richard--W]

I remember that. Maltin was a discreet and politic host, and a good emcee. A shame his on-stage interview with Gretchen Wayne was not included on this blu-ray.
You're article isn't reaching people, Bob. Maybe because of the way it's linked. You should email a pdf or something to everybody at Warner Brothers, to Warner Home Video, to the Wayne family''s rep, and perhaps to review sites.
Anyhow, I'll probably buy it used from amazon marketplace. That way no money of mine will get back to Warner Home Video.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

With all this repeated hype about HONDO playing mostly flat, Jack Warner must be spinning in his grave!

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I remember that. Maltin was a discreet and politic host, and a good emcee. A shame his on-stage interview with Gretchen Wayne was not included on this blu-ray.
You're article isn't reaching people, Bob. Maybe because of the way it's linked. You should email a pdf or something to everybody at Warner Brothers, to Warner Home Video, to the Wayne family''s rep, and perhaps to review sites.
Anyhow, I'll probably buy it used from amazon marketplace. That way no money of mine will get back to Warner Home Video.

Why would Warner care? The Blu-ray is Paramount release.