- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,437
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
To me, and many other cinephiles, Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburgers' The Red Shoes is three-strip Technicolor nirvana.
Photographed by Jack Cardiff, with production design by by Hein Heckroth, it is the epitome of filmmaking art.
The film was restored a number of years ago from the original nitrate negatives, by UCLA's Robert Gitt - a technically challenging restoration, yielding lovely results.
I recall seeing tests at the time, and Criterion's new 4k UHD Blu-ray is built upon that work.
Generally, I love what has been done with it, with a few caveats.
First, the dye transfer process was based upon the knowledge that the final projected image would be slightly soft, providing a velvety image in projection.
What we're seeing here is a more highly resolved - to the grain - a variation on that concept, and a decidedly different appearnce.
From a nominal seating distance all is well, but view too closely, and the grain structure comes to the fore, and it should not.
Secondly, I'm a tad unhappy with the black levels, on both the Blu-ray as well as the 4k, as there seems to be minimal breathing room between pure blacks and those in need of a bit more air. It's almost impossible to discern the differentiation between the satin collar of a formal jacket and the surrounding black wool. That isn't how original prints appeared.
I was initially thinking that this was cranked up a bit by HDR or Dolby Vision , but that doesn't seem to be the case.
There are also shots, in which contrast blooms slightly, yielding a bit of a course texture, as opposed to a more subtle, softer appearance.
All of that noted, none of it will probably ever enter the sphere of those viewing this disc, as the film remains so energizing, and in some cases hallucinatory.
It's one of those films that becomes a brilliant first viewing experience.
As a Technicolor production, it is without a doubt, one of a handful of the most brilliant ever created. And within that group are more films by The Archers.
Is 4k necessary in the instant case?
I don't believe so, but it certainly adds a touch of extra something.
Image – 4.5 (Dolby Vision)
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Upgrade from Blu-ray - Yes, to have all the extras
Makes use of and works well in 4k - 3
Very Highly Recommended
RAH
Photographed by Jack Cardiff, with production design by by Hein Heckroth, it is the epitome of filmmaking art.
The film was restored a number of years ago from the original nitrate negatives, by UCLA's Robert Gitt - a technically challenging restoration, yielding lovely results.
I recall seeing tests at the time, and Criterion's new 4k UHD Blu-ray is built upon that work.
Generally, I love what has been done with it, with a few caveats.
First, the dye transfer process was based upon the knowledge that the final projected image would be slightly soft, providing a velvety image in projection.
What we're seeing here is a more highly resolved - to the grain - a variation on that concept, and a decidedly different appearnce.
From a nominal seating distance all is well, but view too closely, and the grain structure comes to the fore, and it should not.
Secondly, I'm a tad unhappy with the black levels, on both the Blu-ray as well as the 4k, as there seems to be minimal breathing room between pure blacks and those in need of a bit more air. It's almost impossible to discern the differentiation between the satin collar of a formal jacket and the surrounding black wool. That isn't how original prints appeared.
I was initially thinking that this was cranked up a bit by HDR or Dolby Vision , but that doesn't seem to be the case.
There are also shots, in which contrast blooms slightly, yielding a bit of a course texture, as opposed to a more subtle, softer appearance.
All of that noted, none of it will probably ever enter the sphere of those viewing this disc, as the film remains so energizing, and in some cases hallucinatory.
It's one of those films that becomes a brilliant first viewing experience.
As a Technicolor production, it is without a doubt, one of a handful of the most brilliant ever created. And within that group are more films by The Archers.
Is 4k necessary in the instant case?
I don't believe so, but it certainly adds a touch of extra something.
Image – 4.5 (Dolby Vision)
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Upgrade from Blu-ray - Yes, to have all the extras
Makes use of and works well in 4k - 3
Very Highly Recommended
RAH
