Lugosi Estate released DVD - what happened? (1 Viewer)

[Eric Huffstutler]

Bob... didn't Lumivision (taken over by SlingShot) release this also on DVD besides Roan?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Yes, as I said in my earlier post, my transfers were originally released by Lumivision.

 

[dana martin]

Bob, well i cant speak for everyone, but i would personally like to thank you for restoration efforts, i know fans complain and say well this needed this part or that, but really we sit and wait while the guys like you, are out hunting down these items.

question thought, my son has mentioned this as sort of a career, he's teen, how do you/ schooling to do this kind of work

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Dana; at the time when I began working in film preservation (circa 1980) there were no schools for that sort of thing. I got my first job at a film lab that did that kind of work (John E. Allen in New Jersey) and learned from there.

I believe George Eastman house, and other facilities, now offer courses in the film preservation field, and that would be the best place to start. The field is highly competitive, and a degree would be the best way to insure your sons potential for success.

I commend anyone that has an interest in preserving our cinematic heritage, and wish your son all the best.

Bob Furmanek

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Bob,

If any consolation, I just purchased the Lumivision (Sling Shot) version that you worked on. I always like to have "the best" versions

Just wish people would give me examples of the best Lugosi (or horror genera)PD transfers to pick up rather than say "take your choice" because I know some are better than others of the same title.

Eric

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Some opinions...

I think the Triton version of THE APE MAN is the best there is thus far.

You can't go wrong with Roan's THE HUMAN MONSTER (aka DARK EYES OF LONDON).

I also preferred the Roan BOWERY AT MIDNIGHT over the Bela Lugosi Jr. DVD.

With WHITE ZOMBIE, the Roan DVD is the only way to go.

I'm told that THE DEVIL BAT looks best on the Lugosi Jr. Collection, but do date I haven't seen it and only own the Lumivision Double Feature disc, co-featured with SCARED TO DEATH.

Roan's GHOSTS ON THE LOOSE looks beautiful; too bad the movie's not much.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

That's very kind, thank you Eric. I don't receive any financial participation in current sales, but it's nice to know that you'll be getting the best copy out there!

Please let me know what you think of the two transfers. I was particularly proud of SCARED TO DEATH because we went to great pains to replicate the unique look of 2-color Cinecolor in the video realm. I remember those scopes on the board were going crazy with that unique color palette! Unlike other producers that have worked with 2-color materials, I tried to replicate the original 35mm nitrate as closely as possible.


Enjoy!

Bob

 

[dana martin]

I have to agree with that while i think a current or up dated remastering would benefit this, i was amazed at the amount of extras on this for an older release, sort of puts some of these current so-called special editions to shame.

I think the bets thing that could happen it this was done again, and i don't believe we will ever see Troma do it, is in the place of noise, or background hiss, since large areas of the film are very quiet i think it would help in that aspect.

The film was thought lost until its rediscovery in the 1960s. A court battle was fought between film distributor Frank Storace and the estate of Stanley Krellberg, the copyright owner of the film. Storace had wished to produce a restored version of the film but the estate refused him access to original footage in their possession. Storace gave up the court battle and did not win his access to his original footage.

so here is a good question who actual owns the rights to this film and are there cuts or extra footage that has not been seen?

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

Bob, you'll be happy to know that your Bela Lugosi double-feature Lumivision LD still occupies a place of honor on my shelf. And it's the best I've ever seen those films look. Thank you.

Re: the color for SCARED TO DEATH, do you mean that you completely recreated the color for video, like colorization, because the original Cinecolor was long gone? Or did you do color correction to existing color elements?

 

[Jack Theakston]

He's saying that he went to great lengths to reproduce on video what you would see on film. Unfortunately, this sort of care in video transfer rarely happens, and 2 color elements are rarely displayed in the palette that they were printed in.

It's a shame that Roan ripped you off, Bob. It makes me wonder what other "restorations" of theirs were actually their own. Unfortunately, there are a lot of crooks out there that will use you if they know they can get away with it.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Yes. Yet there are also other companies who appear to have ripped Roan off too (and Criterion).

 

[Jack Theakston]

He who gets something for nothing and loses it has lost nothing.

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

That doesn't answer my question...

I want to know to what level the recreation had to take place, i.e. how much of the original color scheme was left in the film...was it completely gone, just a little faded...? Did it have to be >completely< recreated, ala colorization?

 

[Jack Theakston]

As Cinecolor does not fade, I assume Mr. Furmanek had to do nothing to "recreate" color. In context of what he wrote, he was mentioning that he did his best to recreate on video what you see on film.

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Bob, I finally got my Lumivision DVD copy of "The Devil Bat" and "Scared to Death" yesterday.

One other place you asked if the Lugosi Presents edition of Devil Bat was the same as yours since you were missing reel 3. Their print is pristine compared to the one you used.

I don't mean to sound critical since you apparently went to some extent locating original elements but your "Scared to Death" is far from being awe inspiring. If this was taken from a brand new never projected nitrate print, then why is there major damage on some frames and the the print is full of white specks and color shifts? Also I find it puzzling that the intro (title and credits) is almost pristine then the first scene changes to look like the usual used print - why is that? Maybe some background here will clear things up.

Eric

After thought to other replies here... Scared to Death was shot in "Natural Color" not Cinecolor. Would that make a difference with color fade and/or shifting?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Though I've never seen it, a lot of horror film purists have said that the BELA LUGOSI PRESENTS edition of THE DEVIL BAT is the best one out there (I have the SCARED TO DEATH/DEVIL BAT double feature myself).

 

[Bob Furmanek]

My SCARED TO DEATH transfer was taken from a mint, never projected 35mm nitrate print. If that edition you purchased has wear or damage, then it's not my transfer. Not having seen it, I have no idea where it came from.

Natural Color is the same as Cinecolor. They used that name for a short time in 1947/48.

I'll believe THE DEVIL BAT is a better transfer (from a different 35mm element) when I see it myself. I worked from a pre-1948 nitrate dupe negative.

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Bob, that's odd. You said that your edition was out by Lumivision and that is what I purchased. What version have you seen on DVD to identify it as yours?

Eric

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Lumivision released it on laser. I have no idea what version you have purchased, or if they used a different master for the DVD.

Let me be very clear about something: I transferred the film from a pristine 35mm nitrate print. That's not to say that the image is flawless. Cinecolor (aka Natural Color) by its own processing characteristics may have printed in flaws or defects. Keep in mind that it was a low budget alternative to Technicolor. The color timing was sometimes WAY OFF from shot to shot. For instance, I can recall a wall in George Zucco's office would be green in one shot, and blue in another. That's an inconsistency which has been there from day one. If that's what you're seeing and finding fault with, then there's not much I can tell you.

We had the miniscule budget to transfer a 70 minute/8 reel film in roughly 4 hours, which meant there wasn't much opportunity to go back and tweak/correct every problem. With very limited financial resources, my telecine operator and I did the best we could. In fact, he pulled some strings and got us a few extra hours in the session in order to make the transfer as good as possible. Prior to that release, all the versions of this film were from grainy, washed out 16mm prints.

This was not a Warner Bros. funded ultra-resolution transfer/restoration by any stretch of the imagination. I'm quite proud of what we accomplished on a shoestring, but don't expect this to look like ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD or WIZARD OF OZ!

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Yes Bob, the color shifts you mention is exactly one that caught my eye even in the same scene.

As for perfection, I can understand that it would not be but if the print was never used, I would think that the quality be a bit better as far as speckling especially. What I mentioned where the title and credits were pretty clean but then the first scene doubled in the speckling was a puzzle in itself, as though two different elements were spliced together. Don't they/you use some sort of airbrush or compressed air to blow off dust and dirt first and/or use a wet gate process for older films to do a little cleaning and wizardry outside the computer? Surely these simple tricks don't cost that much more?

Eric