DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

I've played that scene with her bringing him water several times comparing this dvd with the previous release and as far as I can tell they both played the same way. Furthermore, if that's the biggest problem some are having with the dvd presentation then it's not much of a problem in my opinion. Four of the discs down, now on to "Rear Window".






Crawdaddy

 

[Dick]

My original copy of THE BIRDS looked like that - horrible swimming grain ("like a swarm of gnats") in many shots when viewed on my Toshiba 46", a tv I've had to sell when moving, so I can't test the new, supposedly "remastered" edition on it. Looks great on a 27," but, then, so did the first one. Really disappointed to hear about PSYCHO.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Why, it has some film grain in a couple of scenes, but nothing to be disappointed with unless you want your dvd presentation to have such a slick look to it that it doesn't really represent a film-like quality any longer?





Crawdaddy

 

[Larry Sutliff]

I watched PSYCHO tonight, it looks and sounds fine IMHO. Definitely an improvement over the earlier non-anamorphic release.

 

[Iain Quinn]

If you really think the 5.1 track is meticulously reconstructed you should really try comparing it with the mono. The sheer amount of important details omitted and pointless additions is truly confusing. Apart from the opening gunshot another laugh-out-loud effect is when Madeline’s car slowly turns a corner and we get a loony toons style screeching tyre effect. Why would anyone think adding that to the film would improve it?

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Well, our choices were dialogue and music with no sound effects--which means the movie is lost forever in the stereo or multi-channel realm--or recreating the effects on top of that.

I'm not a foley artist, but the work described by Mr. Harris and Mr. Katz in their commentary track sounded very involved, even down to finding cars people were driving in the movie to record them. Meticulous refers to the amount of effort that went into the job.

There are differences, yes--but how many people would notice what is out-of-place had the mono track not been included? I'm just glad we got both tracks this time.

- Steve

 

[Iain Quinn]

If it were possible to derive the dialogue from the audio at hand then surely it would be possible to derive the original effects as well.

And I hardy think “they probably won’t notice the difference” is an appropriate defence, when we’re talking about one of the greatest films ever made and by one of the greatest directors. Maybe some people won’t notice the fact that the tiles on the roof sound like solid cement instead of loose, creaky and dangerous, but it certainly changes the tone of the scene.

 

[DavePattern]

Just got my hands on the box set and thought I'd put something together to illustrate the transfer problem with "The Man Who Knew Too Much":

http://www.daveyp.com/hitchcock/misc/shimmer/

Keep an eye on the tiled floor in front of Jimmy Stewart and you can see it appears to shimmer in and out of focus.

The camera is locked steady throughout the sequence, so it's not camera movement causing it. Also, the effect doesn't appear on the original US release.

 

[Robert Harris]

Working within the studio system can alternately be both an extremely satisfying, as well as a frustrating experience, especially when one wishes to place art over commerce. When we do restorations, we are able to control them and take them as far as possible, within the limitations of that system.

Considering the alternatives, which no one but a few people ever heard, the new mix for "Vertigo" is as close as we were permitted to get to the original intent.

Here are my comments (with several additions for HTF) to queries from the British site, The DVD Forums:


Regarding Rear Window:

The image:

This 1953 production was photographed not in any Technicolor process, but on an early version of Eastman Color 5248 negative stock. Original prints were not printed in dye transfer, but rather via Eastman Color direct positive.

Emulsion batches varied can to can which did not permit totally correct scene-to-scene color correction.

The grain structure of these early stocks was quite large, especially by today’s standards. Effects shots, inclusive of titles had the appearance of colored rain in a high contrast environment.

Separation masters, which were created on Eastman 5216, the earliest of the separation stocks, was not up to the standards of the 5235 emulsion, which came along a few years later.

Later printings of the film, for a 1961-2 re-issue were produced via the dye transfer method, as at that time the original negative could not have survived an additional release. These prints tended toward an overall beige look in a very reasonable attempt by Technicolor to hide the shot to shot exigencies of the original color negative.

The audio:

The audio for Rear Window is totally derived from an optically read single impulse of a dual impulse optical positive track (from a used 35mm print). The tracks have been cleaned as well as possible, and are reasonably representative of the original.

Regarding “Vertigo”:

The image:

Photographed in VistaVision on a later example of Eastman Color 5248, and optically reduction printed to Technicolor matrices for dye transfer printing, the dye transfer prints of “Vertigo” look little like the original negatives from which they were derived. The overall look of the prints tended toward “grainless,” with high contrast, which served to hide what was, in reality, a slightly soft image structure. Contrast yields “apparent” sharpness. Color was hyped, especially in the reds to give it the Technicolor look.

The original negative of “Vertigo” as it now exists, has a totally collapsed yellow layer.

Yellow controls contrast and blue, which means that reproduction of black is impossible, shadows go blue, blacks and grays go varying shades of blue, and facial highlights can take on a beautiful “crustacean-like” appearance, especially nice if the viewers are lobsters.

The separation masters, although well produced, are on acetate base stock, and no longer register. If we were to restore “Vertigo” today, we would use methodology that we have been using only for the past few years, and working totally within the digital realm. With these newer processes, the film could now look more accurate to the original.

The majority of “Vertigo” was created via the production of new interpositives struck from the camera originals with very specific modifications to exposure and processing in an attempt to bring back as much of the color as possible.

At all times, the battle was a question of more proper color vs. poor registration of color layers. One could never have both. Dupes began with fifth generation elements and got worse from there.

The audio:

The tracks for “Vertigo” were quite different from those of Rear Window in one very basic arena. They contained what is considered by some to be one of the finest symphonic scores ever created for a motion picture, and we concur.

The original magnetic tracks for “Vertigo” were junked by order of Mr. Hitchcock’s company on February 6, 1967. The only domestic audio element delivered to Universal by virtue of their agreement with the estate in 1983 was the original 35mm optical sound track negative, which at that time was no longer printable.

This meant that the only audio source for “Vertigo” were a handful of used 35mm release prints, with worn track areas. A number of prints were assembled in order to create one complete audio track for the film. Dependant upon the date of production, and the amount of physical wear on the original track negatives, they also contained built-in scratches, nicks and positive dirt.

About 1994, Mr. Katz and I located, with the cooperation of Paramount Pictures, the original orchestral floor recordings for the four Hitchcock Paramount titles. These recordings were in short sections and in an advanced state of decay due to Vinegar Syndrome. Dubs of these sections had been built into music stems for the final mix.

This meant that the final magnetic master, which included music, was a third generation magnetic element. The optical sound track negative was a fourth generation element and that 35mm prints were fifth generation (optical) audio.

The music recordings were transferred as precisely as possible to new full coat magnetic stock. The resultant master dubs, which became the source of a new CD of the score, were played at the Hitchcock Theatre at Universal Studios for a number of people inclusive of critics, studio executives and members of Mr. Hitchcock’s team. Mr. Hitchcock’s producer, Herbert Coleman, was on our team.

A comparison of these recordings with what had survived as optical dupes led every individual involved to concur that a new stereo element should be created to replace the earlier recordings specifically for a new 70mm 6 track stereo re-issue of the film.

Because there were no surviving magnetic elements, there were no separate tracks for effects or dialogue. This meant that the dialogue for the film had to be carefully culled from its optical source. Because music was sometimes a background factor, the new score had to be reproduced at slightly higher levels.

During our research we were able to locate Mr. Hitchcock’s personal notes regarding the handling of the audio for the film, inclusive of specific notes for daily dubbing sessions. It was our intent to not only follow these notes, but also to play, contrast and compare the new Foley and effects tracks with what had survived of the optical on a scene by scene basis to stay absolutely true to the original intent of the filmmakers, acknowledging that (from research culled from foreign tracks) that more information was held within the magnetic originals than ever reached the optical negative stage. This varied from version to version, and the various mixes of foreign elements.

One piece of music, which did not survive the ravages of vineger syndrome, and which had a great deal of wow and flutter in the U.S. optical recording, was found without the problem in a Spanish dubbbed version and replaced.

Our efforts, which tended more toward a methodical archival bent in reproducing the wishes of the filmmakers was not, however, in synchronization with the desires of the studio, which decided toward the creation of an entirely new mix for the re-issue.

This is their right. And it must be noted that the studio sound department went far out of their way to newly record the full gamut of effects and Foley necessary for the film.

In the final analysis, the monaural track that we would have liked to have used as reference “went missing” at the time of our dub sessions.

The new tracks are quite toned down from what they were originally, as with the help of interested filmmakers, we were able to get the studio to pull back somewhat on their wish for wall to wall modern effects, and the sound of a more modern entertainment.

The final resultant tracks, while not what we would have desired as a reference standard are far and away closer to the original than we would have had, had we not continuously requested a lessoning in the effects area.

The point here is that neither Mr. Katz nor I work in a vacuum. We attempt to bring things as close to perfection as we can, based upon two things: the state of the art at the time that the work is performed, and the desires of the studio for whom the work is being performed, and who control the property.

RAH

 

[Iain Quinn]

Well there you have it. Richard A. Harris doesn’t approve of the remix. Alfred Hitchcock certainly doesn’t approve of the remix. The only people that approve of the remix are Universal Studios.

It’s a shame they wouldn’t allocate the time and money spent creating a whole new audio track to restoring or searching out better elements of the already perfect Hitchcock audio.

 

[Robert Harris]

To Iain Quinn:

Possibly I should have been more explicit.

We do approve of the re-mix, and of all of the work that went into it.

Like the recent DVDs from Disney of their animated classics, the new stereo tracks for "Vertigo" neither replace the ghost which remains of the original, nor has caused them further damage or decay.

While not perfectly in the spirit of the original, they work well, especially when the film is seen on a huge screen and in 70mm, not as an artifact from half a century ago, but as a new piece of entertainment for a new audience. In many ways the new tracks take the film further than it was ever able to go, especially when re-creating the magical sound of Mr. Herrmann's score as it was originally played and recorded in 1958.

Along with the studio, we take great pride in this track.

The fact that it does not perfectly replicate what is left of the original is a totally different affair.

And with all due respect to Richard Harris, he can either approve or not, as he sees fit.

RAH

 

[Iain Quinn]

Sorry, didn’t mean to be presumptuous. I got an overwhelming sense of compromise from you post more so than approval.

 

[Robert Harris]

Precisely.

As in any truly commercial art, "compromise" is generally the order of the day.

RAH

 

[Iain Quinn]

You would have thought that by the 90’s the studios would have had enough respect for Hitchcock’s work not to encourage a compromise to something that is tacky and detrimental.

If people enjoy the remix than that’s perfectly fine and they should not be hounded for it (the same goes for colorization and P& S). But I think people should be made known of the drawbacks (I won’t even get into the ethics). I don’t think anyone would consider the 5.1 track a proper restoration, even if it was advertised that way.

 

[Harry-N]

My personal opinion on the 'VERTIGO' soundtrack issue has always been one of curiosity: How and why certain people seem to be unable to appreciate the magnificent work that Messrs. Katz and Harris undertook to bring the film into the modern day and preserve it for future generations. Since hearing the multi-channel mix back in the LaserDisc days, I've been in awe of what they accomplished, and don't feel any of that "only-the-mono-track-will-do" syndrome.

It is what it is, and it sounds good to these ears.

Harry

 

[Iain Quinn]

Because my ears never needed an action blockbuster version of Vertigo.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

MacArthur Park is melting in the dark.

Thanks for the great discussion, and especially to Mr. Harris (the film preservationist, not the singer) for his contributions!

- Steve

 

[Iain Quinn]

It's just a debate, and Mr. Harris is well able to defend his views. I can’t understand why some other members seem to take any criticism of his decisions as if it was a personal insult. I'd much rather spend my time reading posts that dissect the problems with a release than the pervasively sycophantic kind.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Okay, thanks to you too, Iain for your contributions.

I guess there are going to be newcomers to this "debate" as you call it, but I just remember how old this got back when the movie was reissued in 1996/1997. Tireless, really. But don't get me wrong... a bad laugh is a bad laugh. I think had Mr. Hitchcock seen the reaction people had to certain sound effects, he would have sent the movie back to the sound department. Then again, he might have made fun of Dallas audiences with his droll wit.

Again, even though it is not from the best lineage, I'm just glad the mono track is included with the Vertigo release.

Thanks for the constructive feedback.

- Steve

 

[Iain Quinn]

There were even newspaper articles about it. If it can sustain debate for that long, then it’s certainly not the non-issue some people want to make it out to be. Remember that phase a short while ago when people started referring to original mono track as the “original” mono track? It encompasses the entire ethics of restoration and some people understandably might be a little disturbed by the idea that preservationists that advocate such remixes could be given free-reign to tamper with the greatest films ever made.