- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,409
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
"No, 'tis not so deep, nor so wide, but 'tis enough..." - William Shakespeare
Frank Capra's beloved classic finally makes it to Blu-ray in less than beloved form from Paramount. The marketing is oddly skewed toward the colorized version, which I scored, easily broke in half and tossed into the garbage where it belongs. When the lead line begins: "This 2-disc collection set includes the colorized version as well as the pristine black & white version," I'm suspect. I just don't see the colorized version being the deal maker. This is unfortunately much like Fox's Oklahoma! release featuring the 35mm version of the film, with the groundbreaking Todd-AO version as a horrific extra.
I love this film, and have since I first saw it decades ago, but after viewing this new Blu-ray am wishing that it had been left in the public domain, where it would have received far better and more respectful treatment.
What's wrong?
Simple.
This is one of the titles that will remain a sales staple. Therefore, budget should not be a concern. My perception is that after some nice film elements were created several years ago, the film was transferred to HD, released on standard definition, and finally that same transfer, which probably looked fine in standard definition, is being used for Blu-ray, rather than going back to film and doing it correctly. This seems to be the new Paramount ethic, and it really needs to be discussed, both by the public, as well as (hopefully) on Melrose.
What we have is a pretty film element that has been transferred, processed, grain reduced, sharpened -- to give it that wonderful Christmas tinsel look -- and then compressed by someone who apparently has no idea what they're doing. The final result can be seen in various Paramount releases, inclusive of The Untouchables. While this is far from what we saw in Patton and The Longest Day, it is far from acceptable in 2009.
What you'll see on screen is something shorn of grain, and what grain survives appears almost like a suspension in liquid. As someone moves, they seem to force whatever grain there is out of the way -- pushing it in all directions as the obviously terrorized grain attempts to not come in contact with whomever is on screen. They almost appear to be repulsed magnetic particles.
This particular It's a Wonderful Life will please those with smaller screens, as well as those with larger screens who care little of quality and aren't seeking a film look. It gives me no pleasure to suggest that those who do care are apt to be extremely unforgiving of the poor craftsmanship. And there is no rationale to forgive.
It's a Wonderful Life is one of the great films. Now that it has made its way to Blu-ray it is ripe for a recall and replacement by someone -- anyone -- who knows how to bring a film to Blu-ray. I'll repeat something that I've said before. The job is simple. Scan the element, clean and stabilize where necessary and take it to Blu-ray. It ain't brain surgery. To make it personal, this is something that I could do with my eyes closed, and probably over the phone, although being on site would probably create a better final product. The point that I'm trying to make is not to disparage, but simply have it understood that this is not film restoration -- merely a transfer, can very easily be performed correctly and with a final Blu-ray product that can look like very stable and clean projected film.
That, as I understand it, is what Blu-ray, with its incredible technical potential, is all about.
It's a Wonderful Life is most assuredly Not Recommended!
RAH
Frank Capra's beloved classic finally makes it to Blu-ray in less than beloved form from Paramount. The marketing is oddly skewed toward the colorized version, which I scored, easily broke in half and tossed into the garbage where it belongs. When the lead line begins: "This 2-disc collection set includes the colorized version as well as the pristine black & white version," I'm suspect. I just don't see the colorized version being the deal maker. This is unfortunately much like Fox's Oklahoma! release featuring the 35mm version of the film, with the groundbreaking Todd-AO version as a horrific extra.
I love this film, and have since I first saw it decades ago, but after viewing this new Blu-ray am wishing that it had been left in the public domain, where it would have received far better and more respectful treatment.
What's wrong?
Simple.
This is one of the titles that will remain a sales staple. Therefore, budget should not be a concern. My perception is that after some nice film elements were created several years ago, the film was transferred to HD, released on standard definition, and finally that same transfer, which probably looked fine in standard definition, is being used for Blu-ray, rather than going back to film and doing it correctly. This seems to be the new Paramount ethic, and it really needs to be discussed, both by the public, as well as (hopefully) on Melrose.
What we have is a pretty film element that has been transferred, processed, grain reduced, sharpened -- to give it that wonderful Christmas tinsel look -- and then compressed by someone who apparently has no idea what they're doing. The final result can be seen in various Paramount releases, inclusive of The Untouchables. While this is far from what we saw in Patton and The Longest Day, it is far from acceptable in 2009.
What you'll see on screen is something shorn of grain, and what grain survives appears almost like a suspension in liquid. As someone moves, they seem to force whatever grain there is out of the way -- pushing it in all directions as the obviously terrorized grain attempts to not come in contact with whomever is on screen. They almost appear to be repulsed magnetic particles.
This particular It's a Wonderful Life will please those with smaller screens, as well as those with larger screens who care little of quality and aren't seeking a film look. It gives me no pleasure to suggest that those who do care are apt to be extremely unforgiving of the poor craftsmanship. And there is no rationale to forgive.
It's a Wonderful Life is one of the great films. Now that it has made its way to Blu-ray it is ripe for a recall and replacement by someone -- anyone -- who knows how to bring a film to Blu-ray. I'll repeat something that I've said before. The job is simple. Scan the element, clean and stabilize where necessary and take it to Blu-ray. It ain't brain surgery. To make it personal, this is something that I could do with my eyes closed, and probably over the phone, although being on site would probably create a better final product. The point that I'm trying to make is not to disparage, but simply have it understood that this is not film restoration -- merely a transfer, can very easily be performed correctly and with a final Blu-ray product that can look like very stable and clean projected film.
That, as I understand it, is what Blu-ray, with its incredible technical potential, is all about.
It's a Wonderful Life is most assuredly Not Recommended!
RAH
