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A Sneak Peek at Drums Along the Mohawk (1 Viewer)

haineshisway

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John Hermes said:
Bruce, how's the shadow detail? It was quite crushed on the Soul Media BD, in addition to weird out-of-phase sound.
Given the state of the elements (or non-state) I'm sure contrast could be better, but I really liked the transfer - for me they did a really amazing job on it. I don't know what a Soul Media Blu-ray is so I can't comment, but I do know that whatever transfer was used for it was not this newly done one.
 

dana martin

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haineshisway said:
I never want to go so overboard that it leads to disappointment - but this transfer is kind of miraculous.
Bruce you are understating yourself, the detail is so spot on that you can see the weave pattern in Claudette Colbert's costumes, and as you stated when talking about Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, they don't make them like this any more; and they should
 

Richard Gallagher

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I watched it last night - absolutely spectacular. I can't imagine that it has ever looked better. When I get time I will watch it again with the commentary track, which I only sampled yesterday. This one is a keeper.
 

haineshisway

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I also finally compared it to the DVD from the Ford at Fox box - that DVD was pretty good for DVD but it is several country miles away from this new transfer in every way - color, detail (obviously), contrast, and there's more picture information on the new transfer.
 

JoHud

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I'll also back up the praise for the transfer. Fox Technicolor transfers are usually pretty iffy, but this one certainly does the cinematography justice. Maybe not a perfect restoration, but the color and detail is superb on this disc.
 

Charles Smith

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Never got the FORD AT FOX box, but at times like this I'm still tempted...

Anyhoo, I was never too familiar with this movie but I just watched it. Wow! Great stuff. I suppose I can imagine a transfer looking half a notch greater, but this one's quite beautiful, thankyouverymuch.

I fully expect the commentary to be wonderful, but that will have to wait till tomorrow, as I'm beat and I don't want to sleep through it.
 

SeanAx

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David_B_K

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Watched the whole movie last night. Beautiful. This can be a demo disc for how good movies of that era can look.
 

benbess

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Was the three strip negative for this one thrown out? In any case, good to hear that it's looking good.
 

Bob Cashill

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This is a drop-dead gorgeous disc, with quality supplements to boot; highly recommended.
 

Mark-P

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You people are making it difficult for me to resist paying the ransom for this title.
 

John Hodson

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I paid the ransom earlier (my first TT title); it's Ford and therefore I *must* have it. His use of colour here is just stunning (all those reds, whites and blues); it's generally accepted not to be front rank Ford, but I think that it's quite under-appreciated. I can also dump my, ah, backdoor copy of 'Becoming John Ford' which is a superb documentary.
 

JohnMor

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I wish all you people would stop beating about the bush and say whether the transfer is worth upgrading or not! ;)
 

Lromero1396

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benbess said:
Was the three strip negative for this one thrown out? In any case, good to hear that it's looking good.
Fox junked ALL of its nitrate negs both B&W and Tech. Robert Harris mentioned specifically in a thread about a year ago that the 3-strip neg on Drums was gone and all that remained was a CRI, seps from the CRI, and the studio nitrate projection print.
JoHud said:
I'll also back up the praise for the transfer. Fox Technicolor transfers are usually pretty iffy, but this one certainly does the cinematography justice. Maybe not a perfect restoration, but the color and detail is superb on this disc.
I've got to agree with you on iffy Fox Tech transfers. The DVD era masters were fraught with registration errors and color fluctuations. Leave Her to Heaven really left a lot to be desired for me: obvious Eastmancolor fade; cool, dull colors that bore no resemblance to Technicolor (even weaker than those on the DVD), some minor color fringing (registration problems), and several instances of color fluctuations made that disc a missed opportunity in my opinion. Blood and Sand's color overall was very lacking, looking dull and uninspired. Hopefully Drums will look at least close to the studio IB nitrate; something which Leave Her to Heaven and Blood and Sand completely fail to do.
 

BPullen

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The film is a vision from beginning to end. Not the 3-Strip, but the best we're bound to get. Fox's restoration department continues to impress. This along with Splendored (1955) and Leave Her To Heaven (1945) are superb glimpses into past greatness. Fox's days as the inferior of the two studios may be numbered. Only with time and more examples will we know for sure. In totality, Drums Along The Mohawk (1939) is one the sterling gems in TT's roster. Buy it if you love the movie. That goes for you too Mr. H.
 

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