A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Man Who Knew Too Much -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[benbess]

Would be nice if he'd spend a little of that to restore his own movies, but he doesn't seem so interested in that.

Forget Star Wars. I don't care that much if Han shot first (and he did, since I was watching the movie back in 1977). I'm more concerned about the films of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. A ten million dollar investment would probably save at least 20 films from those decades. And probably most of that money, and maybe all of it, would eventually be earned back from the sales of blu-rays, dvds, netflix, TCM, etc., and then could be invested in another 20 titles.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by benbess /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/180#post_3997591
Forget Star Wars. I don't care that much if Han shot first (and he did, since I was watching the movie back in 1977). I'm more concerned about the films of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. A ten million dollar investment would probably save at least 20 films from those decades. And probably most of that money, and maybe all of it, would eventually be earned back from the sales of blu-rays, dvds, netflix, TCM, etc., and then could be invested in another 20 titles.

If you're basing your thoughts upon my rough numbers, please keep in mind that TMWKTM equates to two normal feature films.

RAH

 

[Joseph Goodman]

In this hypothetical budget for "Man", are we digitally aligning a scan of the faded camera negative with a scan of the blue separation positive (as was done with "North By Northwest" and a good chunk of "The Ten Commandments"), or using solely the separations?

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Joseph Goodman /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/180#post_3997612
In this hypothetical budget for "Man", are we digitally aligning a scan of the faded camera negative with a scan of the blue separation positive (as was done with "North By Northwest" and a good chunk of "The Ten Commandments"), or using solely the separations?

As a hypothetical budget, nothing is definite, but going to the masters loses a great deal of resolution.

 

[Andy_G]

As a hypothetical budget, nothing is definite, but going to the masters loses a great deal of resolution.

Is that why Vertigo mostly seems sharper than NxNW (it seemed reasonable to attribute this to WB's blu authoring)?

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Andy_G /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/180#post_3997633
Is that why Vertigo mostly seems sharper than NxNW (it seemed reasonable to attribute this to WB's blu authoring)?

No. That was the way that NxNW was shot. Totally different looks. WB's work is perfect.

RAH

 

[WadeM]

This thread sure makes my blood boil. How Universal could treat their legacy like this is angering.

 

[FanboyZ]

nobody remembers Spartacus?

 

[benbess]

nobody remembers Spartacus?

Yeah, we remember that one too....

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by benbess /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/180#post_3997591
Forget Star Wars. I don't care that much if Han shot first (and he did, since I was watching the movie back in 1977). I'm more concerned about the films of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. A ten million dollar investment would probably save at least 20 films from those decades. And probably most of that money, and maybe all of it, would eventually be earned back from the sales of blu-rays, dvds, netflix, TCM, etc., and then could be invested in another 20 titles.

It's his money, if he wants to fund education then more power to him.






Crawdaddy

 

[Persianimmortal]

Truth be told, the only real way to get any attention to this issue would be if somebody famous made a comment. For example, imagine if somebody like Doris Day or Kim Novak came out of their reclusive lifestyle to put out a strongly-worded press release calling for greater attention to preserving film heritage. It might get more widespread play (on a slow news day).
Otherwise the sad reality is that there seems little that we can do to prevent this from happening. People will care more about the next Transformers movie than the state of the whole body of Alfred Hitchcock's amazing work. Abusing studio executives is unlikely to get any positive results. I'm sure they already know full-well what the deal is, and have knowingly made certain commercial choices that they're willing to stand by.
About the only thing I think we can do is raise general awareness of the movies themselves. The more people, especially younger people, see these movies and start to appreciate them, the more people will be interested in preserving them. On that level, I think the prominent discussions about the Hitchcock blu-ray collection on this and other forums has helped that cause. I'm reading more and more comments from people who are seeing films like Vertigo and Rear Window for the first time, and loving them. That can only be a good thing, so perhaps that's the positive we need to take away from this Hitchcock blu-ray release.

 

[FanboyZ]

This movie has the same image as a dying LCOS based display, terrible uniformity and blotches of green.
It's days like this that I wish THX was still a QC entity as opposed to what it's become.

 

[shoeshineboy]

I wonder why they don't think about having a limited, exclusive run (2-4 showings in 1 week) of a few of these to tie in with the release? With most large cinemas now digital (and the odd one having a classic showing on a monthly basis) it would have been great promotion for their product, especially the ones they had done right.
This could have also generated a few more sheckles in which to plug in for going the full distance on movies like TMWKTM. Besides, those of us who love these films and would buy these sets would most likely also be attracted to seeing them in a theatre one more time.

 

[Yorkshire]

Always presumed it to be Thames water.
RAH

If it's properties are anything akin to the taste of tap water in London, the films would have self-destructed after 5 minutes.
Steve W

 

[Yorkshire]

I wish people like Spielberg and Lucas would be more actively involved in funding the restoration of films.

I might be wrong, but wasn't Spielberg responsible for the restorstion of TheGodfather films? I seem to remember some story that he was responsible for insisting Paramount spent the required funds to do a proper job. Sorry, can't remember the details.
Then we have Scorsese's Film Foundation.
Steve W

 

[benbess]

I might be wrong, but wasn't Spielberg responsible for the restorstion of TheGodfather films? I seem to remember some story that he was responsible for insisting Paramount spent the required funds to do a proper job. Sorry, can't remember the details.
Then we have Scorsese's Film Foundation.
Steve W

Yes. Iirc, Coppola asked Spielberg to see if he could get a promise from the Paramount brass on the restoration of the Godfather trilogy. Paramount listened to Spielberg, and then authorized the funds and team for that project, which included RAH. But that's an unusual case. There was a strong commercial case to be made for the Godfather trilogy, and even those films took strong pressure from Spielberg. What I'm suggesting, probably in vain, is that people such as Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Lucas do more than just encourage the restoration of old films, but actively fund this worthy cause with a very, very small fraction of their considerable fortunes. The reason for this suggestion is that there are many historically significant and entertaining old films that desperately need restoration, but might not earn back enough money right away to make a full restoration economically viable.
Here's a possible example: The classic 1957 Western The Tin Star, directed by Anthony Mann, with music by Elmer Bernstein, and starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins. This is a rare black and white film that was made in VistaVision. Who knowns how much it would cost to do a full restoration of this film, but probably at least a few hundred thousand dollars, and perhaps more. Would it earn back all of that from sales of blu-rays and broadcast on TCM and streaming on Netflix? Maybe. But maybe not. Clearly Paramount has decided it's not worth it or they would have done it by now. And so it seems like a relatively small, strategic, partially charitable contribution to restoring this title by someone might help a lot. And probably most (if not all) of the money would be earned back, and could then perhaps be invested in another worthy title in a year or so. I realize this is a completely imaginary scenario....

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by benbess /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/210#post_3997868
Here's a possible example: The classic 1957 Western The Tin Star, directed by Anthony, with music by Elmer Bernstein, and starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins. This is a rare black and white film that was made in VistaVision. Who knowns how much it would cost to do a full restoration of this film, but probably at least a few hundred thousand dollars, and perhaps more. Would it earn back all of that from sales of blu-rays and broadcast on TCM and streaming on Netflix. Maybe. But maybe not. Clearly Paramount has decided it's not worth it or they would have done it by now. And so it seems like a relatively small, strategic, partially charitable contribution to restoring this title by someone might help a lot. And probably most (if not all) of the money would be earned back, and could then perhaps be invested in another worthy title in a year or so. I realize it's just an imaginary scenario....

I doubt very much that Tin Star needs to be restored.

Paramount would have a pristine OCN, as well as an 8-perf fine grain.

A scan of the OCN would run around 35k + color (which would be the more expensive point).

To create a Blu-ray, use of the FGM would fit the bill, and for 40k, the deed would be done.

No big deal here.

RAH

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by benbess /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/210#post_3997868
Yes. Iirc, Coppola asked Spielberg to see if he could get a promise from the Paramount brass on the restoration of the Godfather trilogy. Paramount listened to Spielberg, and then authorized the funds and team for that project, which included RAH. But that's an unusual case. There was a strong commercial case to be made for the Godfather trilogy, and even those films took strong pressure from Spielberg. What I'm suggesting, probably in vain, is that people such as Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Lucas do more than just encourage the restoration of old films, but actively fund this worthy case with a very, very small fraction of their considerable fortunes. The reason for this suggestion is that there are many historically significant and entertaining old films that desperately need restoration, but might not earn back enough money right away to make a full restoration economically viable.
Here's a possible example: The classic 1957 Western The Tin Star, directed by Anthony, with music by Elmer Bernstein, and starring Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins. This is a rare black and white film that was made in VistaVision. Who knowns how much it would cost to do a full restoration of this film, but probably at least a few hundred thousand dollars, and perhaps more. Would it earn back all of that from sales of blu-rays and broadcast on TCM and streaming on Netflix. Maybe. But maybe not. Clearly Paramount has decided it's not worth it or they would have done it by now. And so it seems like a relatively small, strategic, partially charitable contribution to restoring this title by someone might help a lot. And probably most (if not all) of the money would be earned back, and could then perhaps be invested in another worthy title in a year or so. I realize it's just an imaginary scenario....

Don't assume that Spielberg and Lucas don't contribute to film restoration projects. Many individuals make charitable contributions, but choose to remain anonymous. It happens more than you think.

As to the The Tin Star, unless you have some inside information you're making another assumption that might not be accurate as studios prepare films all the time for BD release without little or no publicity of doing so. This classic western can easily be one that Warner is interested in distributing under their recent deal with Paramount.






Crawdaddy

 

[benbess]

I doubt very much that Tin Star needs to be restored.
Paramount would have a pristine OCN, as well as an 8-perf fine grain.
A scan of the OCN would run around 35k + color (which would be the more expensive point).
To create a Blu-ray, use of the FGM would fit the bill, and for 40k, the deed would be done.
No big deal here.
RAH

That's very good news. But then the mystery remains as to why this classic title is not out on blu-ray. Perhaps an HD master already exists?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/210#post_3997873
I doubt very much that Tin Star needs to be restored.

Paramount would have a pristine OCN, as well as an 8-perf fine grain.

A scan of the OCN would run around 35k + color (which would be the more expensive point).

To create a Blu-ray, use of the FGM would fit the bill, and for 40k, the deed would be done.

No big deal here.

RAH

Does it matter if The Tin Star is a black and white film?