A Few Words About While we wait for A few words about...™ Lawrence of Arabia -- in 4k/UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[benbess]

You were seeing an image derived from 65mm separation masters.  No 35mm elements were either used or in any harmed in the restoration.
RAH
 

It's great to hear that the separation masters exist and survived. Perhaps my eyes/mind/memory are just playing tricks on me....
Can't wait to see this on blu-ray. And I will drag my 15 year old son to see it in the theaters if it's released in our area that way before the blu-ray release.

 

[NY2LA]

Only presentation cue sheets for the restoration.   The final decision re: titles over black was agreed upon with DL.  No one has the moral right to change that.
RAH

Just curious: will the digital version for presentation in a theatre also have those titles over the overture, entr'acte, exit music?

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by benbess /t/308191/while-we-wait-for-a-few-words-about-lawrence-of-arabia-in-blu-ray/60#post_3898476
It's great to hear that the separation masters exist and survived.

Of the cut version.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

One final point, there were rumors (and possibly some truth) to the fact that some theatre-owners in 1962-3 were allowing the venues to get a bit warmer as the Intermission neared..
and then adding a bit more salt to the popcorn.

Off topic, but for the 1997 Titanic, my favorite theater at the time, the long-gone Northpark I and II in Dallas, turned down the heat after the ship hit the iceberg. Very effective!

 

[benbess]

Of the cut version.

So, what sources were used for the parts that weren't in the separation masters from the cut version? The few complete 70mm prints? Maybe those are the sections where I felt like the resolution was not quite the same?

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by benbess /t/308191/while-we-wait-for-a-few-words-about-lawrence-of-arabia-in-blu-ray/60#post_3898520
So, what sources were used for the parts that weren't in the separation masters from the cut version? The few complete 70mm prints? Maybe those are the sections where I felt like the resolution was not quite the same?

Original negative.

 

[mark brown]

Titanic was surfed this afternoon on HBO and my wife and I just had this conversation. I do not like the film, but at North Park in 70mm and DTS, Titanic was incredible. What a loss when this theatre was bulldozed. All of those wonderful trips to Dallas to see Wild Bunch restored, Vertigo restored, Spartacus restored, Giant, etc. Most in 70mm and the management really took care with each presentation! C'est la vie

 

[NY2LA]

Titanic was surfed this afternoon on HBO and my wife and I just had this conversation. I do not like the film, but at North Park in 70mm and DTS, Titanic was incredible. What a loss when this theatre was bulldozed. All of those wonderful trips to Dallas to see Wild Bunch restored, Vertigo restored, Spartacus restored, Giant, etc. Most in 70mm and the management really took care with each presentation! C'est la vie

As you obviously know, a nice venue can make a good movie better, and a big movie bigger, but so few in exhibition really understand that. We lost the National in Westwood, which made Titanic look great in 70mm (when the Mann management wasn't getting cheap and using the old dim projector bulb even after the studios bought them a new one). An enthusiastic campaign couldn't get it landmarked, a buyer who would have kept it a theatre couldn't, because the landlord just HAD to tear it down for some mixed retail mess he wanted... and his reward is a big empty lot with weeds as high as a jackass's eye to this very day. C'est la dreck.

 

[Stephen PI]

I'll do it over the weekend.

This (2nd?) edition of the pressbook must have been released sometime in 63/64. It reflects the shorter (202) run time:

This announced the 1970 UK re-release. It retained the 202 minute run time despite a further re-cut by Columbia in the US:

 

[Brian McP]

Many thanks Richard W for your great poster lineup and the latter "Spartacus" artwork -- yes, that was the 1970 reissue poster I referred to, but the poster highlighting the Academy Award wins was also in circulation around that time (and the studio used artwork from both of these in that later poster -- and it did look like there was plenty of 'swashbucking' to be had, at least to a kid like me who was taken to this as an 8 year old -- when those kind of scenes appeared, myself and all the kids in the theatre, came alive)
I've included here the 1989 poster that non-plussed those people in Bourke St, Melbourne back then -- but also, the great kick-ass 1991 reissue poster for "Spartacus" -- the use of portrait stills (and they even looked restored) and key art, to me, is just fantastic. I'd defy any 8 or 10 year old kid, after seeing this poster and having a ticket bought for him/her to see this, not to feel both petrified and excited beyond belief.
That was they way it was with movies and theatres back then -- now it's like an airport departure lounge and instead of 'gate 8' , it's 'cinema 8' and a blank, empty screen staring back at you....

 

[NY2LA]

Like all the cool visual things being posted, just thought I'd lighten things up a bit with this...

 

[benbess]

lmao!

 

[NY2LA]

lmao!

It's from the 2012 Muppet Movie Parody poster calendar. You should see the one for Sound of Music. I won't hijack this thread to post it here, but maybe on the Muppets thread.

 

[marsnkc]

Hilarious! Steve Tannehill (#84) needn't have worried about hijacking the thread with his reference to 'TITANIC'. The 'Lawrence' ads posted by Stephen PI (#89) have the word boldly capped in almost all of them.............

 

[Michel_Hafner]

The truth is that even for a very large home theater screen 2k is overkill.  The top 1% of home theater enthusiasts might be able to appreciate the difference between a quality Blu-ray presentation and 2k -- both set up properly.

My screen is 3.5m wide. On it I clearly see the limitations of Blu Ray, first the colour subsampling, then the limited spatial resolution of 1080p/2K in general. The latter is apparent when pin sharp images always show a degree of aliasing (in highlights etc.), or the images are not pin sharp. There is no pin sharp and aliasing free in 2K. An optimal 2K image can look mightily impressive nonetheless:

Unfortunately it can't be put on Blu Ray in this resolution. The upcoming 4K Blu Ray standard can handle this, though, even if it still has colour subsampling. LOA in 4K will show the limits of the original photography before the limits of 4K itself.

 

[Michel_Hafner]

FotoKem has scanned the 65mm negative of the reconstructed restoration that I performed, as produced by Jim Painten.  
RAH

How much of the finished digital restoration do you think will be first generation material? And do you know if anything is done about the missing frames between some cuts?
Will they be interpolated?

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Michel_Hafner /t/308191/while-we-wait-for-a-few-words-about-lawrence-of-arabia-in-blu-ray/90#post_3899175
How much of the finished digital restoration do you think will be first generation material? And do you know if anything is done about the missing frames between some cuts?
Will they be interpolated?

The majority. Doubtful, as what we have was approved by DL, and any manipulation via added frames would then affect the track.

RAH

 

[mikeyhitchfan]

This reminds me of the first time I saw the 1989 restoration. I took a day off work to see the first showing at the AMC Glen Lakes in Dallas. They had decorated the halls with sheets to make it look like the inside of a tent. The attendants wore costumes. It made the experience that much more memorable.
Now bring on the blu-ray!

That's where I saw it, too. One of the best movie going experiences ever. The film itself, the resolution, the lobby decor and display memorabilia to look at during intermission = awesome! Saw Vertigo restoration in 70mm in Westwood, I think. That was a great viewing, as well.
RAH - Speaking of Vertigo...do you know why Universal still hasn't released this on blu-ray? Would they need to do much more work on this film like restoration, cleaning and scanning as with LOA? I know they have been restoring The Birds for blu-ray release later this year.

 

I saw LOA in Century City in 1989. I had never seen the film before and only herd great things about it. It ws a long drive to Century City from my house however it was wortth the drivce. It was by far the best movie going experience I have ever had. To this day nothing compares to it. I will be glad to see this get a blu-ray release.

 

[Charles Smith]

Plitt Century Plaza. That was a great experience.