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

[JParker]

Why is it a "simple job'? What is so simple about it?
To my knowledge, we've never even had a good version of The Quiet Man on home video (much less a great version - which would be terrific).
It seems to me that something extra has to happen for us to get a version that is worthy.
David

All they have to do is do a good job with standard techniques, as I understand it. But I don't know who is in charge, what firm they selected, etc.
If Ms. Kalas were involved, there would be cause for optimism; see here:
HTF Exclusive Interview with Andrea Kalas, VP of Archives at Paramount Pictures
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/318058/htf-exclusive-interview-with-andrea-kalas-vp-of-archives-at-paramount-pictures

I was privileged enough to be head of preservation at the British Film Institute for six years and we worked on some of Mitchell and Kenyon project - films that were found in milk crates underneath a store that were actually really beautiful Georgian era silent films – actualities. I worked on the British David Lean films, and the restoration of Hammer's Dracula. It was an absolutely incredible experience to get to know the films and the culture of another country first-hand and its enormous archives, and to be able to work with an archive of that size was an absolute thrill.
Thank you very much for speaking with the HomeTheaterForum today and congratulations on the Wings restoration and we look forward to what you've got in store for us in 2012.
Thank you very much for your interest.

 

[theonemacduff]

I read Kaufman's reviews of classical music discs (and amime!) all the time, and I've always found them to be wonderfully informative, an addition to my (far too meager) education in certain fields. He has always struck me as honest and straightforward, in so far as one can tell these things from the writing persona. Frank Tarzi, however, struck me as somewhat distracted, and a lot of his comments seemed kind of non-specific, or even not really good answers to the questions. But he's the business end of the business, so to speak, so you'd expect him to have his eye constantly on the money being spent as opposed to the money coming in. Que sera, sera.

 

[Dick]

I admire Robert Harris. His presence here is invaluable. I am concerned sometimes that his reviews are so informed by his incredible film and restoration knowledge that it places some Blu-rays into negative review categories when almost anyone among us home theater collectors would find a particular title absolutely wonderful. In fact, Mr. Harris has followed up a number of reviews with disclaimers essentially saying, "Most viewers will find this disc completely acceptable." I have agreed with Mr. Harris 100% regarding titles like SPARTACUS and OUT OF AFRICA (first release) and MY FAIR LADY, but when it comes to titles such as HIGH NOON I wonder if his criticism isn't discouraging people from purchasing what i think are amazingly improved transfers. We are unlikely to see better. I found HIGH NOON to be sharp, with excellent contrast and gray scale, seemingly natural grain levels, and exponentially better than any previous video release. Since we're not likely to ever see better, I question whether negative comments about a generally excellent transfer are going to help anyone out here. But as I am typing this, I realize that this could be construed as a criticism of Mr. Harris, which is not what is intended at all, and so am sending this to him as a private message first.
NOTE: This message was sent privately to Mr. Harris first. I received an answer in which he suggested I go ahead and post this in the forum.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Dick /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955470
I admire Robert Harris. His presence here is invaluable. I am concerned sometimes that his reviews are so informed by his incredible film and restoration knowledge that it places some Blu-rays into negative review categories when almost anyone among us home theater collectors would find a particular title absolutely wonderful. In fact, Mr. Harris has followed up a number of reviews with disclaimers essentially saying, "Most viewers will find this disc completely acceptable." I have agreed with Mr. Harris 100% regarding titles like SPARTACUS and OUT OF AFRICA (first release) and MY FAIR LADY, but when it comes to titles such as HIGH NOON I wonder if his criticism isn't discouraging people from purchasing what i think are amazingly improved transfers. We are unlikely to see better. I found HIGH NOON to be sharp, with excellent contrast and gray scale, seemingly natural grain levels, and exponentially better than any previous video release. Since we're not likely to ever see better, I question whether negative comments about a generally excellent transfer are going to help anyone out here. But as I am typing this, I realize that this could be construed as a criticism of Mr. Harris, which is not what is intended at all, and so am sending this to him as a private message first.
NOTE: This message was sent privately to Mr. Harris first. I received an answer in which he suggested I go ahead and post this in the forum.

I would prefer to see criticisms in a review rather than just lavish praise which is what happens most of the time, even poor releases sometimes get decent reviews, i want to know about the faults and issues and i'd like Mr Harris to be even stricter with his reviews. Its worth saying that a projection setup may show different things to a television setup, and that's not me disrespecting television owners, i know from personal experience that you don't always see the faults on a TV set, movies on Blu ray are capable of excellence though and if you can please the projector owner with a film like experience in the home then you will please the television owner.

( Zulu being an exception to the above rule - it seems to please some projector owners but not me )

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Dick /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955470
I admire Robert Harris. His presence here is invaluable. I am concerned sometimes that his reviews are so informed by his incredible film and restoration knowledge that it places some Blu-rays into negative review categories when almost anyone among us home theater collectors would find a particular title absolutely wonderful. In fact, Mr. Harris has followed up a number of reviews with disclaimers essentially saying, "Most viewers will find this disc completely acceptable." I have agreed with Mr. Harris 100% regarding titles like SPARTACUS and OUT OF AFRICA (first release) and MY FAIR LADY, but when it comes to titles such as HIGH NOON I wonder if his criticism isn't discouraging people from purchasing what i think are amazingly improved transfers. We are unlikely to see better. I found HIGH NOON to be sharp, with excellent contrast and gray scale, seemingly natural grain levels, and exponentially better than any previous video release. Since we're not likely to ever see better, I question whether negative comments about a generally excellent transfer are going to help anyone out here. But as I am typing this, I realize that this could be construed as a criticism of Mr. Harris, which is not what is intended at all, and so am sending this to him as a private message first.
NOTE: This message was sent privately to Mr. Harris first. I received an answer in which he suggested I go ahead and post this in the forum.

I appreciate the fact the you passed your post along to me before posting. May I ask what your viewing environment is?

RAH

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by FoxyMulder /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955474

I would prefer to see criticisms in a review rather than just lavish praise which is what happens most of the time, even poor releases sometimes get decent reviews, i want to know about the faults and issues and i'd like Mr Harris to be even stricter with his reviews. Its worth saying that a projection setup may show different things to a television setup, and that's not me disrespecting television owners, i know from personal experience that you don't always see the faults on a TV set, movies on Blu ray are capable of excellence though and if you can please the projector owner with a film like experience in the home then you will please the television owner.

( Zulu being an exception to the above rule - it seems to please some projector owners but not me )

I don't, as I find RAH strikes the right balance with his "A few words about" comments versus some more radical opinions I've read from certain posters here.






Crawdaddy

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955477

I don't, as I find RAH strikes the right balance with his "A few words about" comments versus some more radical opinions I've read from certain posters here.

Crawdaddy

I haven't read any "radical" posts at this site, perhaps we have a different definition of what that actually means.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by FoxyMulder /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955480

I haven't read any "radical" posts at this site, perhaps we have a different definition of what that actually means.

Perhaps, we do.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955481

Perhaps, we do.

Feel free to correct me and back up your opinion and give me an example of one of these radical views, PM me if you feel uncomfortable doing it within the thread.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by FoxyMulder /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955482

Feel free to correct me and back up your opinion and give me an example of one of these radical views, PM me if you feel uncomfortable doing it within the thread.

I'm not correcting anybody. That's your opinion and I have my opinion. It doesn't need to go any further then that.






Crawdaddy

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955483

I'm not correcting anybody. That's your opinion and I have my opinion. It doesn't need to go any further then that.

Crawdaddy

Its not an opinion, it's either a fact or it isn't, you said there were radical views i simply asked for an example so i may in future understand you more clearly.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by FoxyMulder /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955487

Its not an opinion, it's either a fact or it isn't, you said there were radical views i simply asked for an example so i may in future understand you more clearly.

And I'd simply declined.

 

[Dick]

I appreciate the fact the you passed your post along to me before posting.  May I ask what your viewing environment is?
RAH

I own a 46" Sony LCD in a small apartment, and so of course would expect to find more room for improvement were I to go with a larger monitor (which I plan to do next year, when I go 3-D) or a projector.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955489

And I'd simply declined.

That's cool, i won't push you on it but for me when it comes to home cinema discussions i find the most radical views are the ones which say Patton, The Longest Day and yes even Zulu are breathtakingly beautiful ( on Blu ray ) for such "old films." Those are extreme views, i doubt High Noon is even in the same ballpark of badness as those films.

Of course when i say the opposite to the above then the people who think they're great or passable transfers think i am being extreme with my views, oh see what happened, it depends on where you are coming from with regards to what you consider a radical view, but i'd rather see a straight to the point assessment of a Blu ray transfer which details all the faults even the small ones than a review which glosses over the small things and stays mainly positive, i get more out of a review which details every negative, indeed i love what Mr Harris had to say about Gulliver's Travels.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by FoxyMulder /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955496

That's cool, i won't push you on it but for me when it comes to home cinema discussions i find the most radical views are the ones which say Patton, The Longest Day and yes even Zulu are breathtakingly beautiful ( on Blu ray ) for such "old films." Those are extreme views, i doubt High Noon is even in the same ballpark of badness as those films.

Of course when i say the opposite to the above then the people who think they're great or passable transfers think i am being extreme with my views, oh see what happened, it depends on where you are coming from with regards to what you consider a radical view, but i'd rather see a straight to the point assessment of a Blu ray transfer which details all the faults even the small ones than a review which glosses over the small things and stays mainly positive, i get more out of a review which details every negative, indeed i love what Mr Harris had to say about Gulliver's Travels.

Gulliver's Travels? I've tried to forget it. Was it problematic? Not enough shadow detail?

RAH

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Dick /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3955495
I own a 46" Sony LCD in a small apartment, and so of course would expect to find more room for improvement were I to go with a larger monitor (which I plan to do next year, when I go 3-D) or a projector.

While there's nothing wrong with a properly calibrated Sony 46, you'll not be seeing the types of problems that High Noon has when viewing. And those problems are not major. The point that I'm trying to make, is that they're unnecessary.

I've been preaching for years about the need for Blu-rays to reach the highest peaks of quality, rather than trying to hide SD problems on a Blu-ray disc. And what I'm seeing on High Noon, albeit not quite as bad, is what I was seeing on It's a Wonderful Life. Might they have gone through the same post facility? I have no idea.

But my position has been that one should be able to know that a Blu-ray has the requisite quality for projection, even if one now is viewing on a 19 inch panel. In order to give distributors a break, I had, in the past, occasionally make note of the fact the a release will look nice on a smaller surface. I've stopped doing that.

Either something measures up to Blu-ray quality or it doesn't.

If some of the smallest distributors can get it right....

If The First Nudie Musical can get it right...

tiny budget, big heart, desire to have the film look correct...

then why can't Paramount?

Why can High Noon not look like cinema for an minimal investment?

RAH

 

[Yorkshire]

I admire Robert Harris. His presence here is invaluable. I am concerned sometimes that his reviews are so informed by his incredible film and restoration knowledge that it places some Blu-rays into negative review categories when almost anyone among us home theater collectors would find a particular title absolutely wonderful. In fact, Mr. Harris has followed up a number of reviews with disclaimers essentially saying, "Most viewers will find this disc completely acceptable." I have agreed with Mr. Harris 100% regarding titles like SPARTACUS and OUT OF AFRICA (first release) and MY FAIR LADY, but when it comes to titles such as HIGH NOON I wonder if his criticism isn't discouraging people from purchasing what i think are amazingly improved transfers. We are unlikely to see better. I found HIGH NOON to be sharp, with excellent contrast and gray scale, seemingly natural grain levels, and exponentially better than any previous video release. Since we're not likely to ever see better, I question whether negative comments about a generally excellent transfer are going to help anyone out here. But as I am typing this, I realize that this could be construed as a criticism of Mr. Harris, which is not what is intended at all, and so am sending this to him as a private message first.
NOTE: This message was sent privately to Mr. Harris first. I received an answer in which he suggested I go ahead and post this in the forum.

Dick, I largely agree.
When I read RAH's comments, I always try to remember his level of expertise and experience, and I adjust how I read his reviews accordingly.
There are transfers which I'm sure would drive him crazy, but that I'd be happy with.
Too many times I've seen RAH give something a fairly decent-average review, but noted a few caveats, and I've later seen his views mis-represented as saying the disc is unwatchable.
Steve W

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Yorkshire /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3956074
Dick, I largely agree.
When I read RAH's comments, I always try to remember his level of expertise and experience, and I adjust how I read his reviews accordingly.
There are transfers which I'm sure would drive him crazy, but that I'd be happy with.
Too many times I've seen RAH give something a fairly decent-average review, but noted a few caveats, and I've later seen his views mis-represented as saying the disc is unwatchable.
Steve W

Serious question. As I do like to stay in touch with what readers are seeing...

Can you give me a few "unwatchable" titles that you feel are mis-represented?

RAH

 

[jim_falconer]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris /t/322358/a-few-words-about-high-noon-in-blu-ray/210#post_3956138
Serious question. As I do like to stay in touch with what readers are seeing...

Can you give me a few "unwatchable" titles that you feel are mis-represented?

RAH

Do not think you have commented on this bluray transfer, but one of the worst out there is Warner's "Rio Bravo". The amount of grain in the high def transfer makes the film unwatchable. And after the great job Warner did on "The Searchers", it was so disappointing to see this sub-par transfer.

 

[John Hermes]

  And after the great job Warner did on "The Searchers", it was so disappointing to see this sub-par transfer. 

Get ready to get blasted.