I saw El Cid when it played in NYC in 70mm, and the memory of the size and scope of the production is still with me.
The new DVD is a step up from the old laserdisc, but unfortunately, it still falls far short of representing the film on the DVD format.
And this is a pity.
I really tried to like this presentation, but it fell flat visually at every turn.
I first sampled the discs on a 30" HD Sony XBR in my office that I use as a reference. I attempted viewing the disc first via a normal SD player, and then via a Toshiba HD. On both, the image looked too soft for a modern DVD, and color was far from acceptable.
Last night I tried again.
Initially through a properly tuned Lexicon SD player, and then through both HD as well as BD players.
The image that hit my screen was the same, only now on a larger surface the problems were exacerbated.
What I perceive to be the first reel has a shading problem. By that I mean that the image is weak on the left side, with a total lack of black or contrast. My bet would be a field illumination problem during the manufacture of the 35mm element -- not uncommon when optically reduction printing from large format.
While it seemed to go away in reel two (I have not yet had the time to go back and see if it returned in later reels), the color remained flat, the image weak, undefined and more or less unacceptable.
The overall look of the video effort has the appearance of being digitally cleaned a bit, and smoothed for a more pleasant look with the removal of all high frequency information, and then sharpening, which has added the normal EE lines around most everything.
There are scenes which have wide vistas such as a shot of a castle which then pans down a hillside. Color is weak. Detail is non-existent. Greens and browns have turned murky.
A similar scene on a bridge not far into the film has a similar appearance. Underexposed, with blown out skies and no detail.
The pity here is that it's obvious that work went into this product, but what has come out the other end no longer has the feel of a large format epic.
I have no personal knowledge regarding the original elements, but from the most general basis, the OCN should not be faded, and a superior transfer should be attainable by simply running the original negative to an IP and transferring the resultant element in 8 perf Technirama.
For some reason, which makes little sense to me, there has been a huge loss of information in the simple process of creating a 35mm transfer element.
I'll say it again.
I really wanted to like this release, but to my eye, there is little left of the film to make it anything special. Sometimes we're better staying with positive memories.
I should add that the smoothing and removal of high frequency information may only affect an SD release, and a high definition version might look superior, although I have my doubts regarding the film elements.
RAH
The new DVD is a step up from the old laserdisc, but unfortunately, it still falls far short of representing the film on the DVD format.
And this is a pity.
I really tried to like this presentation, but it fell flat visually at every turn.
I first sampled the discs on a 30" HD Sony XBR in my office that I use as a reference. I attempted viewing the disc first via a normal SD player, and then via a Toshiba HD. On both, the image looked too soft for a modern DVD, and color was far from acceptable.
Last night I tried again.
Initially through a properly tuned Lexicon SD player, and then through both HD as well as BD players.
The image that hit my screen was the same, only now on a larger surface the problems were exacerbated.
What I perceive to be the first reel has a shading problem. By that I mean that the image is weak on the left side, with a total lack of black or contrast. My bet would be a field illumination problem during the manufacture of the 35mm element -- not uncommon when optically reduction printing from large format.
While it seemed to go away in reel two (I have not yet had the time to go back and see if it returned in later reels), the color remained flat, the image weak, undefined and more or less unacceptable.
The overall look of the video effort has the appearance of being digitally cleaned a bit, and smoothed for a more pleasant look with the removal of all high frequency information, and then sharpening, which has added the normal EE lines around most everything.
There are scenes which have wide vistas such as a shot of a castle which then pans down a hillside. Color is weak. Detail is non-existent. Greens and browns have turned murky.
A similar scene on a bridge not far into the film has a similar appearance. Underexposed, with blown out skies and no detail.
The pity here is that it's obvious that work went into this product, but what has come out the other end no longer has the feel of a large format epic.
I have no personal knowledge regarding the original elements, but from the most general basis, the OCN should not be faded, and a superior transfer should be attainable by simply running the original negative to an IP and transferring the resultant element in 8 perf Technirama.
For some reason, which makes little sense to me, there has been a huge loss of information in the simple process of creating a 35mm transfer element.
I'll say it again.
I really wanted to like this release, but to my eye, there is little left of the film to make it anything special. Sometimes we're better staying with positive memories.
I should add that the smoothing and removal of high frequency information may only affect an SD release, and a high definition version might look superior, although I have my doubts regarding the film elements.
RAH
