The Birds on blu ray (1 Viewer)

[Nick*Z]

I was hoping for some good news regarding The Birds on Blu-ray. However, Amazon has a pre-order listing for the 100th Anniversary release of the DVD+Digital Copy ONLY!!!
This is disheartening since we all know that if Universal was going to do a Blu for The Birds they would have most certainly digi-packed it like The Sting and Out of Africa. There is NO LISTING for such a release! Another big title that received the short shrift for Universal's 100th was Schindler's List. DVD + Digital Copy ONLY too! So, my best advice would be, don't get your hopes up for The Birds on Blu.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0087ZG7PW/thedigitalbit-20

 

[Johnny Angell]

Blu-Ray here: http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Blu-ray-Tippi-Hedren/dp/B00466H3I6/ref=sr_1_4?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1340197886&sr=1-4&keywords=Birds

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Nick*Z /t/318692/the-birds-on-blu-ray#post_3940303
I was hoping for some good news regarding The Birds on Blu-ray. However, Amazon has a pre-order listing for the 100th Anniversary release of the DVD+Digital Copy ONLY!!!
This is disheartening since we all know that if Universal was going to do a Blu for The Birds they would have most certainly digi-packed it like The Sting and Out of Africa. There is NO LISTING for such a release! Another big title that received the short shrift for Universal's 100th was Schindler's List. DVD + Digital Copy ONLY too! So, my best advice would be, don't get your hopes up for The Birds on Blu.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0087ZG7PW/thedigitalbit-20

I would not give up hope. The just announced AIRPORT and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN for their September releases, If THE BIRDS is to be released in October as a Blu-ray then an announcement will come shortly. Universal has been very good about releasing what they they have said they intend to release this year. The only thing that might stop it are the possible plans for a Blu-ray set of Hitchcock films either for the holidays or after the first of the year since we have Bond and Indiana Jones coming.

 

[mikeyhitchfan]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/320682/alfred-hitchcock-collection-box-in-2012
It is likely that The Birds will get it's own indivdual release, as well. This is one of 12 full blown restorations Uni is doing this year. This and Vertigo have steelbooks coming in Sweden in Sept. Likely region free.

 

[Nick*Z]

]You know I've watched the Universal 100th Anniversary trailers and their 'restoration' junkets but even there the studio's been rather brief on details about The Birds Blu-ray release. We get a few brief clips but no narration to suggest how much or what kind of work is being done on the title. I mean, they talk a lot about All Quiet on the Western Front, and Out of Africa and Pillow Talk and Jaws. But mum's the word on The Birds.
That's curious. And Amazon's DVD+Digital Copy only release cover art with the 100th Anniversary logo isn't promising. Neither is Universal's 100th Anniversary website which has NO information on the official Birds release either! Fall titles ought to have started trickling down the pipeline by now. Look at how long we've known about the pending Jaws Blu-ray, with more subtle hints directed at E.T. There have been no such subtle hints about The Birds. And now this DVD/Digital Copy only release. Something tells me we're in for trouble, folks.
Don't get me wrong. I hope I AM WRONG about this. I love The Birds and was seriously looking forward to owning a hi-def copy on Blu. It may still happen. But I'm starting to have my doubts!
Oh, and to Johnny Angell - that link you included has been on Amazon for over two years. It doesn't prove a release date. Amazon often does advanced posts of titles, I suspect to see how many hits they get. Perhaps this info is then relayed to studios so that they can assess a film's popularity for future release. Either way, it doesn't prove The Birds is coming to Blu any time soon. Regrets.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Maybe the studio ran into trouble with the transfer/print and feel that they can only do a DVD. That's the excuse many independent labels use when they just release something on DVD and not both formats. Just speculating.

 

[Worth]

It's up for pre-order at Amazon UK as part of the Hitchcock blu boxed set:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alfred-Hitchcock-Masterpiece-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B008D1TNCE/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1340224378&sr=1-2

 

[LetThemEatCake]

does anyone know why The Birds looks so fuzzy and grainy?

 

[haineshisway]

The Birds, for me, looks great. The opticals of course look more grainy as they always have. How else would they look?

 

[LetThemEatCake]

The Birds, for me, looks great. The opticals of course look more grainy as they always have. How else would they look?

I don't mean the effects, but all the film.

 

[Member 323668]

does anyone know why The Birds looks so fuzzy and grainy?

...because the Blu-ray production of THE BIRDS has been done by highly professional people, who gave us a wonderful film-like presentation.

This is the only way I want to see classic films. No DNR, no excessive digital butchering, no excessive grain "management".

I highly suggest to read Mr. Harris' thoughts about digital manipulation, DNR and de-graining, published 2008 on "The Digital Bits":

https://www.thedigitalbits.com/site_archive/articles/robertharris/harris062408.html

"One one side, bloggers, critics and "reviewers," some with an affinity toward the look of video games, HD nature channels and HD sports, who have been led to their position via shelves of HD monitors in stores all with the same glossy, clean image, and who consequently now want "eye candy." Let's call them "eye candy folks."

And on the other, studio executives who know about film, but who may be wincing in fear of each and every comment on line that accuses their releases of being "grainy," lest the precious discs not sell in high numbers."

 

[LetThemEatCake]

...because the Blu-ray production of THE BIRDS has been done by highly professional people, who gave as a wonderful film-like presentation.

This is the only way I want to see classic films. No DNR, no excessive digital butchering, no excessive grain "management".

I highly suggest to read Mr. Harris' thoughts about digital manipulation, DNR and de-graining, published 2008 on "The Digital Bits":

https://www.thedigitalbits.com/site_archive/articles/robertharris/harris062408.html

"One one side, bloggers, critics and "reviewers," some with an affinity toward the look of video games, HD nature channels and HD sports, who have been led to their position via shelves of HD monitors in stores all with the same glossy, clean image, and who consequently now want "eye candy." Let's call them "eye candy folks."

And on the other, studio executives who know about film, but who may be wincing in fear of each and every comment on line that accuses their releases of being "grainy," lest the precious discs not sell in high numbers."

i didn't say otherwise, I know all about that, I ask about The Birds because compared to films of 1963 and older it does look excessively grainy and soft.

 

[Member 323668]

i didn't say otherwise, I know all about that, I ask about The Birds because compared to films of 1963 and older it does look excessively grainy and soft.

Intentional: Hitchcock had the tendency to "put" his leading ladies into "soft focus". (same with Tippi Hedren in MARNIE and Kim Novak in VERTIGO as just a few examples)

Technical: Films shot in a spherical cinematographic process on 35 mm and matted for an intended aspect ratio of 1.85 : 1 (later Super 35) have -if done right and not digitally tempered with- a very different grain structure on Blu-ray compared to an anamorphic 2.35 : 1 process (Panavision, Cinemascope)
Of course, there are many other factors determinating the visual appearance of film: Film stock/emulsion, opticals, process shots, exposure of the emulsion, film speed, etc.

In my opinion, the Blu-ray of THE BIRDS is a very good representation of the original film elements.

Naturally, a new 4K scan could result in a finer resolution of grain structure. I doubt this would be a priority project of Universal.

 

[haineshisway]

The Birds does not look soft at all, save for the diffusion on Ms. Hedren. The opticals look as they always have and the film has a TON of multiple pass opticals in it - huge.

 

[Nick*Z]

The Birds looks solid on Blu-ray and true to the period and film stock. Now, if we could only get Uni to pay the same due diligence to The Man Who Knew Too Much, and, Marnie, it would truly be a blessed day.

 

[Matt Hough]

The Birds looks solid on Blu-ray and true to the period and film stock. Now, if we could only get Uni to pay the same due diligence to The Man Who Knew Too Much, and, Marnie, it would truly be a blessed day.

And Family Plot. It looks dreadful, too.

 

[Dick]

I have no issue with the most recent THE BIRDS transfer. I was sick of seeing this film looking brownish and full of artifacts as the DVD was. Now I can watch it looking as I remember seeing it in 1963 (I returned to my local theater twice more to see it before it left...these were the days when most theaters had single screens and changed their programs every 3-4 days or, at most, a week). I've always loved this film in spite of its rather dull opening half-hour and bad script. Another thing I remember about the theatrical presentation is that it was presented with a short subject, which was a 25 or 30-minute jazz film of Mr. Acker Bilk which bored me to tears, anxious as I was to get to the good stuff. Does anyone else remember this?

 

[LetThemEatCake]

The Birds does not look soft at all, save for the diffusion on Ms. Hedren. The opticals look as they always have and the film has a TON of multiple pass opticals in it - huge.

the film is literally not sharp at all, and as I have already stated, I am not talking about the special effects.

 

[LetThemEatCake]

I have no issue with the most recent THE BIRDS transfer. I was sick of seeing this film looking brownish and full of artifacts as the DVD was. Now I can watch it looking as I remember seeing it in 1963 (I returned to my local theater twice more to see it before it left...these were the days when most theaters had single screens and changed their programs every 3-4 days or, at most, a week). I've always loved this film in spite of its rather dull opening half-hour and bad script. Another thing I remember about the theatrical presentation is that it was presented with a short subject, which was a 25 or 30-minute jazz film of Mr. Acker Bilk which bored me to tears, anxious as I was to get to the good stuff. Does anyone else remember this?

why is it a bad script?

 

[Dick]

why is it a bad script?

I just think the romantic aspects of the film are poorly written and not especially well acted. The mother jealousy and separation anxiety stuff is also boring to me, as is the whole Hedron-Taylor thing about her jumping nude into a fountain. The love birds idea was, however, a good one, and I like the Annie Hayworth sub plot and character. I realize that taking Du Murier's short story (which is about, what, fifteen pages?) requires significant expansion to adapt into a feature film, but damn, this stuff is shallow in my opinion, and Even Hunter could have come up with a much more involving personal story around which to build the horror aspects. Only when the film gets down and dirty does it get awesome. Just me, maybe. I still really like the movie in total, and this Blu-ray does it justice.