Press Release Warner Archive Press Release: A Star is Born (1937) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[RobertMG]

Just watched this last night, and I'm blown away by how good it looks compared to the KINO disc. The colors pop. There are no instances of dirt, debris, and/or detritous... film grain is minimal. BEAUTIFUL!

It's a timeless story by my fav director. I was very happy with Warner's restoration!!

I noticed that Janet Gaynor wore green for most of the picture. Do you think that was a forced choice because of Technicolor and Natalie Kalmus' persistent insistence?

To be fair to KINOs disc was from a actual Selznick print seems there was a lot of variations on Technicolor prints with little proof of anything definitve

 

[Will Krupp]

To be fair to KINOs disc was from a actual Selznick print seems there was a lot of variations on Technicolor prints with little proof of anything definitve

and also, to be fair, dye-transfer prints don't play nicely with telecines and generally make for lousy home video transfers.

 

[RobertMG]

and also, to be fair, dye-transfer prints don't play nicely with telecines and generally make for lousy home video transfers.

Why can't the Telecine get a good transfer off Techincolor originals always wondered --

 

[Will Krupp]

Why can't the Telecine get a good transfer off Techincolor originals always wondered --

I used to know. I think it has something to do with the contrast that doesn't translate.

 

[Alan Tully]

Why can't the Telecine get a good transfer off Techincolor originals always wondered --

I was a telecine colourist, & a contrasty print just has a too large a contrast range. You wind up the blacks to try to get a decent grey scale, & the whites clip out, & try to wind the whites down & the blacks crush losing all detail. Whatever you do, you're going to get a harsh picture that's just unacceptable now. Back in the "olden days" when all films on TV were from prints, the telecine machines were set up give a very flat image, so projection prints were manageable, no so now, that's if there are any telecine machines left, I believe it's all scanning these days (I'm out of the game now, been retired for eight years).

 

[RobertMG]

I was a telecine colourist, & a contrasty print just has a too large a contrast range. You wind up the blacks to try to get a decent grey scale, & the whites clip out, & try to wind the whites down & the blacks crush losing all detail. Back in the "olden days" when all films on TV were from prints, the telecine machines were set up give a very flat image, so projection prints were manageable, no so now, that's if there are any telecine machines left, I believe it's all scanning now (I'm out of the game now, been retired for eight years).

Thank you!! WPIX in NY used to show films like A Matter Of Life And Death with 35mm Technicolor I think

 

[Will Krupp]

Thank you!! WPIX in NY used to show films like A Matter Of Life And Death with 35mm Technicolor I think

I've said it before and I'll say it until they cover me with dirt. EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING) from the late 70's until at least the late 80's, looked better on WPIX than on ANY other channel, bar none. The colors were so lush and crisp and the receptions was so crystal clear on our cable system in Northeastern PA that they just couldn't be beat. Here's the thing, though, literally everything (whether it was Technicolor or not) looked that good, from Danny Kaye movies to STAR TREK. Black and white TV (eg THE HONEYMOONERS) and black and white movies were stunning as well, you could eat their CASABLANCA with a spoon and Abott & Costello on Sunday mornings never looked as good anywhere else. I think the house "look" of WPIX-11 just fooled us into thinking that we were watching dye transfer Tech (as that's the way we always imagined it should look) but I don't really think we were. There was zero wear and tear on those prints, they felt brand new. To this day, I have no idea exactly what was different about WPIX (I know they went to a satellite uplink in 1978, would that do it?) but I still regard it as a cable TV high point from (ahem) my youth.

By the way, I don't remember LIFE & DEATH (STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, as we knew it then) airing on WPIX, I remember it airing often on New York's WNEW (Channel 5) and I vaguely remember thinking it looked quite grainy at the time (which was often the case with Channel 5.)

 

[Conrad_SSS]

WPIX in NYC used to run most films and even syndicated series shot on film using 35mm prints.
In the latter part of the ‘70s when they got the package of Tom & Jerry cartoons, even those were 35mm.

It wasn’t always possible for them to get 35mm materials. They ran 3 Stooges, Popeye cartoons, Little Rascals (Our Gang) from 16mm, and I am certain there were many exceptions…. I doubt they had 35mm prints of the Abbott & Costello films they ran for umpteen years. When a package of syndicated features moved to WPIX from another NY station, thd uptick in quality was so obvious. Most memorable to me were the beautiful prints of MGM features they got in the ‘70s which had been treated horribly by their previous berth at WNBC, and the Goldwyn package that had been part of WCBS’ repertoire.

I don’t know of any other “local tv stations” that used 35mm in the ‘60s and ‘70s…but it would be interesting to know from others from different parts of the country if others experienced a similar anomaly.

 

[Conrad_SSS]

……sorry for going off topic there, so may I also add that Warner Archive’s Blu-ray of A STAR IS BORN is a stunning Technicolor miracle that is a must-have disc for anyone who seriously appreciates collecting great films in sterling presentations.