MGM Press Release: BOND 50 (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[FoxyMulder]

A 4K scan is a 4K scan. It's the processing done after the scan that makes all the difference. I mean really, the whole point of a 4K scan in the first place is for preservation. Once you have a 4K scan there should never be a need to do another one - you can always go back to that scan and start from scratch to make a new transfer.

Technology moves on, a scan from 2004/2005 is not the same as a scan from today, they can apply sharpening at the scanner, so it does make a huge difference, some older scans would certainly benefit from being redone.

Those Bond films went through the Lowry process, i think some of them look like crap, yes this was processing done after the scan but do they even have the original scanned files, if so then maybe they would work.

There are people who work in the industry that believe you need a 6K scan to capture all the detail in a 35mm frame so i believe for preservation purposes they will redo some of those 4K scans in the future.

It's also worth bearing in mind that storing digitally is less safe than storing on film, doing a 4K or higher scan and then outputting to film is better for preservation purposes, digital needs redoing and is not as safe as many might think.

 

[Vahan_Nisanain]

In other news:

MGM has announced that they are relaunching United Artists, the original studio behind the distribution of the James Bond films.

[color=rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:rgb(240,240,240);]http://deadline.com/2014/09/mgm-roma-downey-and-mark-burnetts-united-artists-838595/[/color]

 

[FoxyMulder]

The Ben Hur remake, yeah i sooooooooo look forward to CGI crowds and ships, that'll be an epic and a half.

 

[Osato]

I don't think those old 4K scans would stand up to scrutiny, brand new 4K scans would be a great starting point for this.

Agreed!Will MGM and fox pay for the transfers?Or has James Bond finally met his match??: )

 

[Osato]

A 4K scan is a 4K scan. It's the processing done after the scan that makes all the difference. I mean really, the whole point of a 4K scan in the first place is for preservation. Once you have a 4K scan there should never be a need to do another one - you can always go back to that scan and start from scratch to make a new transfer.

Hopefully the later 007 films are given a proper 4k scan at the very least.
Only the connerys and a few others were done at 4k.
Thanks MGM!

 

[Alan Tully]

Thunderball was the biggest box office success the series had until Skyfall. (Box offices numbers adjusted for inflation, of course.)

I think Thunderball rode high on the popularity of Goldfinger, & then the next one, You Only Live Twice, didn't do as well as the producers thought it would because people remembered the slight disappointment of Thunderball. And times were a'changing, it's amazing that it's still lumbering on. The last Bonds I liked were the Brosnan ones, even Die Another Day. Forget the charmless Craig films, & Skyfall was the worse one I've ever seen. The plot(?) made absolutely no sense (I mean no sense at all whatsoever), & wasn't even a fun watch...& the rest of the world seemed to think it was the best ever, one of the many reasons I think I'm out of touch with the rest of the world.

 

[Osato]

I think Thunderball rode high on the popularity of Goldfinger, & then the next one, You Only Live Twice, didn't do as well as the producers thought it would because people remembered the slight disappointment of Thunderball. And times were a'changing, it's amazing that it's still lumbering on. The last Bonds I liked were the Brosnan ones, even Die Another Day. Forget the charmless Craig films, & Skyfall was the worse one I've ever seen. The plot(?) made absolutely no sense (I mean no sense at all whatsoever), & wasn't even a fun watch...& the rest of the world seemed to think it was the best ever, one of the many reasons I think I'm out of touch with the rest of the world.

1962-1989 are my favorites. The Pierce Brosnan films felt like a new film company was making them. That being said I enjoyed seeing the first 2 Pierce films when they were released. The latter 2 had me wondering if Bond was finally over.

I have enjoyed the Craig Bond films as well. I really liked Royale when it first came out. I think Skyfall and Quantum are my 2 favorites though.
I'm hoping that Bond 24 will feel more like a traditional Bond film. It seems like it was the direction that they were going with Skyfall's conclusion.

Who knows though. I'm glad they keep making the Bond films for modern audiences. I hope we never have to live through 1990 - 1994 again, where there was a severe Bond film drought.

 

[Mikey1969]

I agree, and I'm glad they were managed to interview so many of the films' participants at the time; quite a few have since passed on.

I love the john cork making of documentaries on the Blu-ray Discs. I wish he could do another round of extras for the films too!

 

[Osato]

I agree, and I'm glad they were managed to interview so many of the films' participants at the time; quite a few have since passed on.

Great point.

 

[Mikey1969]

I don't see them remastering the entire series in 4K anytime soon. This is unfortunate as several of the transfers (including the 4K ones) were marred by questionable post-scan modifications (colour, contrast, etc.), while others were poor attempts at buffing up existing old transfers based on existing materials (rather than using the original negatives).

The physical media market is shrinking too fast, I suspect for 4K Blu ray to have much of a chance at succeeding. Also, although Sony is really trying to push it into being but they're losing money hand over fist at the moment. Streaming 4K may have a future, but not for many years.

I suspect Fox will just repackage the existing films into a new box set next year, possibly with an exclusive special editions of Quantum of Solace, and/or another Bonus disc.

Hopefully the later 007 films are given a proper 4k scan at the very least.Only the connerys and a few others were done at 4k.Thanks MGM!

 

[davidmatychuk]

I agree that new scans would yield better Blu-Ray results for several of the Bond movies, and I hope they make them soon. I'm even hopeful, because if any series of movies in film history is going to be fast-tracked for impeccable new 4K scans, I think the James Bond series is the one. In the meantime, I look at that Bond 50 box on my shelf, and I'm very, very happy to see it there.

 

[Osato]

I agree that new scans would yield better Blu-Ray results for several of the Bond movies, and I hope they make them soon. I'm even hopeful, because if any series of movies in film history is going to be fast-tracked for impeccable new 4K scans, I think the James Bond series is the one. In the meantime, I look at that Bond 50 box on my shelf, and I'm very, very happy to see it there.

Agreed!!!

 

[Osato]

I don't see them remastering the entire series in 4K anytime soon. This is unfortunate as several of the transfers (including the 4K ones) were marred by questionable post-scan modifications (colour, contrast, etc.), while others were poor attempts at buffing up existing old transfers based on existing materials (rather than using the original negatives). The physical media market is shrinking too fast, I suspect for 4K Blu ray to have much of a chance at succeeding. Also, although Sony is really trying to push it into being but they're losing money hand over fist at the moment. Streaming 4K may have a future, but not for many years. I suspect Fox will just repackage the existing films into a new box set next year, possibly with an exclusive special editions of Quantum of Solace, and/or another Bonus disc.

I could see repackaging happening as well do to the change in the market.It will be interesting to see what happens.Without new transfers and extras there's no point in buying the older films again.Of course 4k would be a reason as well,but that involves upgrading hardware too.

 

[Matt Hough]

Several of the transfers were not optimal, but the one I'd really love to see them do again and do right by this time is GoldenEye.

 

[andySu]

The Ben Hur remake, yeah i sooooooooo look forward to CGI crowds and ships, that'll be an epic and a half.

You got to fu&king kidding me. I checked and saw it on the web, thinking this is a wind-up.This is bullshit. Fu&king fed up with remakes.

It will have atmos CGI liemax 3D. MGM can keep it.

They should just show Ben-Hur 70mm six-track Dolby Stereo SR magnetic stripe (THX) in the very few surviving Cinerama screens around the world and even get the ones that have been shrank down to scope 2.35:1 and get the screens super 2.76.1 wide curved for 10 week limited engagement. I think that would sell tickets to those who enjoy the film.

Charlton Heston, will be rolling around in his, chariot kicking himself.

 

[Persianimmortal]

I suspect Fox will just repackage the existing films into a new box set next year, possibly with an exclusive special editions of Quantum of Solace, and/or another Bonus disc.

Bingo!

 

[Allansfirebird]

You got to fu&king kidding me. I checked and saw it on the web, thinking this is a wind-up.This is bullshit. Fu&king fed up with remakes.

It will have atmos CGI liemax 3D. MGM can keep it.

They should just show Ben-Hur 70mm six-track Dolby Stereo SR magnetic stripe (THX) in the very few surviving Cinerama screens around the world and even get the ones that have been shrank down to scope 2.35:1 and get the screens super 2.76.1 wide curved for 10 week limited engagement. I think that would sell tickets to those who enjoy the film.

Charlton Heston, will be rolling around in his, chariot kicking himself.

Except that the 1959 version of Ben-Hur was itself a remake of the 1926 version, which was a remake of the 1907 version. So, I give Hollywood a little credit for waiting 56 years to remake it. Imagine how people felt about the '59 version before it came out?

 

[DP 70]

You got to fu&king kidding me. I checked and saw it on the web, thinking this is a wind-up.This is bullshit. Fu&king fed up with remakes.

It will have atmos CGI liemax 3D. MGM can keep it.

They should just show Ben-Hur 70mm six-track Dolby Stereo SR magnetic stripe (THX) in the very few surviving Cinerama screens around the world and even get the ones that have been shrank down to scope 2.35:1 and get the screens super 2.76.1 wide curved for 10 week limited engagement. I think that would sell tickets to those who enjoy the film.

Charlton Heston, will be rolling around in his, chariot kicking himself.

If they did screen Ben Hur we would see the new 4K DCP in 2.76 on the Imax screen

 

[andySu]

If they did screen Ben Hur we would see the new 4K DCP in 2.76 on the Imax screen

Don't you mean LIEMAX as imax will be extinct next year and it will be 100% LIEMAX all the way and I will not pay to see any imax 70mm or LIEMAX not after what they did to the Empire Leicester Square with that LIEMAX abomination.

 

[DP 70]

Don't you mean LIEMAX as imax will be extinct next year and it will be 100% LIEMAX all the way and I will not pay to see any imax 70mm or LIEMAX not after what they did to the Empire Leicester Square with that LIEMAX abomination.

I knew that was coming...