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Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

#1
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10/13/08 at 1:42pm
  • Joined: December 1998
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Hi, everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that Robert A. Harris has just posted a new Yellow Layer Failure column on The Digital Bits, featuring an interview with Theo Gluck, Director of Library Restoration and Preservation for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, on the new restoration of Sleeping Beauty that's featured on the just-released Blu-ray. We hope you enjoy the column, and come back here to discuss it. Best!

Here's the link:

Yellow Layer Failure, Vinegar Syndrome and Miscellaneous Musings by Robert A. Harris

Bill Hunt, Editor
The Digital Bits
http://www.thedigitalbits.com
billhunt@thedigitalbits.com

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#2
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10/14/08 at 6:09am
  • Joined: August 2002
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

RAH,

Great interview. Thanks for conducting this and sharing it with everyone. I learned quite a bit.

Next, you should interview that guy who restored the Godfather films. I bet he's got some interesting stories to tell.

-R
The truth doesn't care whether you believe it.
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#3
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10/14/08 at 7:15am
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Agreed - many thanks RAH! A very informative interview with an obviously informed individual who can make this all easy to understand. I am glad that some key points are made by someone who knows that Technirama is a 35mm format (I cannot believe how many reports on-line about this disc claim the film was shot in 70mm). There are other articles out that there that state the negative is nitrate.

I also appreciate the discussion, research and obvious thought that went into their 2.55 decision. I think it works very well - and the Blu-ray disc is just amazing.
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#4
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10/14/08 at 8:01am
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Disney, like the other studios, does not place their assets into the hands of people that do not thoroughly think through a films' problems before addressing them.

Mr. Gluck, like his predecessor, Mr. MacQueen, always examine and cogitate before they act.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#5
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10/14/08 at 7:14pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Another excellent article, RAH, and a BD I'll be buying before I even get a player.

\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert

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#6
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10/15/08 at 7:21pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen_J_H
Another excellent article, RAH, and a BD I'll be buying before I even get a player.

While I enjoyed the discussion, I'm still waiting to read Mr. Harris' thought on the results. He was a famous critic of the last restoration, I would love to hear his detailed thoughts on the new release.
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#7
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10/17/08 at 6:01am
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen_J_H
Another excellent article, RAH, and a BD I'll be buying before I even get a player.


And don't forget that the BD comes with a free DVD of the movie.

I knew Sleeping Beauty looked right in 2.55, and the example in Mr. Harris' interview proves it. I've stated it elsewhere, and will state it again, this is really the best SB has ever looked.
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#8
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10/17/08 at 8:30am
  • Joined: February 1999
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachel Bowman
While I enjoyed the discussion, I'm still waiting to read Mr. Harris' thought on the results. He was a famous critic of the last restoration, I would love to hear his detailed thoughts on the new release.

My thoughts will be posted after I have a chance to see the final results on Blu-ray. If the "he" in your second line refers to me, you could not be more incorrect. The last restoration, created from the 8 perf elements to a 65mm printing element, was beautiful, and the best that the film could possibly look via photo-chemical / photo-optical means.

RAH

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence

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#9
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10/17/08 at 1:58pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by WadeM
And don't forget that the BD comes with a free DVD of the movie.
Which was the linchpin in my decision to get it. FWIW, I recently read RAH's comments on the last release of SB on DVD. He didn't take issue with the restoration, but was mildly unimpressed with the transfer, as it was missing some vertical information and exhibited some EE haloes.

\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert

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#10
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10/23/08 at 5:20am
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

I'm a little confused about the many restorations of this movie. I'm aware of the photo-optical restoration but there seems to have been another one more recently. I own the following "collector's edition deluxe 2 disc set" that came out in 2002 (the RC1 came out in 2003, I believe): Amazon.de: Dornröschen - Deluxe - Doppel DVD: George Bruns, Clyde Geronimi, Wolfgang Reitherman, Eric Larson: DVD

This looked definitely like a digital restoration, even the special features showed some photoshopping over the characters. I read somewhere back then that this also was made from scans of the original SE negative. Can anyone explain this?
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#11
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10/25/08 at 8:04am
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Harris
My thoughts will be posted after I have a chance to see the final results on Blu-ray. If the "he" in your second line refers to me, you could not be more incorrect. The last restoration, created from the 8 perf elements to a 65mm printing element, was beautiful, and the best that the film could possibly look via photo-chemical / photo-optical means.

RAH

I'm sorry, sir, but I had read in the past that you were upset by the aspect ratio and general look of the film in its last home video DVD release. It wouldn't be the first time I believed something I read on-line, and took it as truth, so I apologize.

I can't wait to read your thoughts. I thought the Blu-Ray was stunning, myself.
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#12
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10/25/08 at 6:25pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

This interview (along with the fact that Disney went to extra effort to put "Grand Canyon" on disc in 1080p and hi-rez audio), prompted me to buy Sleeping Beauty. I was going to pass on it since it's not at the top of my list of classic Disney, but I was convinced.

After seeing Sleeping Beauty in 1080p, I can say that "I get it". The grandeur of the art is lost at any lower resolution - it looked nice on DVD, but didn't draw me in the way this did. Including the entire 2.55 image helped too. It really is a brilliant movie.

So, Theo Gluck, you can chalk up a sale because of your interview.

-R
The truth doesn't care whether you believe it.
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#13
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12/10/08 at 12:56pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Great stuff!

For ordinary men, it's a burning, fiery furnace.
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#14
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12/30/08 at 3:56pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

I saw this for the first time in 1080p last night on my Toshiba 47" Regza LCD screen and was rivited! Thanks for such a wonderful presentation of a classic Disney fairy tale!
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#15
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3/13/09 at 9:01am
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Check out how awful the lines look in this BD capture. This is direct from the Blu in full 1080 resolution. Check out this shot and a few around it for some horrible digital processing where lines are being erased and some digital stair-stepping is apparent.

%3EHow%20is%20this%20a%20good%20thing?%20Granted,%20the%20entire%20film%20doesn't%20have%20this%20extreme%20of%20a%20problem,%20but%20too%20many%20shots%20do.%20It%20appears%20the%20shots%20with%20opticals%20are%20the%20ones%20that%20suffer%20most.
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#16
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3/13/09 at 9:26pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Just watched the BluRay and I noticed that one shot. However, it didn't seem to occur anywhere else in the film. That capture is from right before a dissolve, so I wonder if it's a built-in optical or replacement footage was used? Either it was something wrong with the elements and that's a result over overcorrection or compression was wonky.

(Sort of underwhelmed by the movie itself - beautiful animation, but it's kind of boring)

Tell The Weinstein Company to release Richard Williams' animated masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler on DVD in Panavision widescreen and uncut! See and hear what you're missing from their Bitsy Award winner of Worst Standard Edition DVD of 2006 on YouTube!
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#17
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3/14/09 at 9:52pm
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Re: Robert A. Harris on The Bits: The Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray Restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick McCart
Just watched the BluRay and I noticed that one shot. However, it didn't seem to occur anywhere else in the film. That capture is from right before a dissolve, so I wonder if it's a built-in optical or replacement footage was used? Either it was something wrong with the elements and that's a result over overcorrection or compression was wonky.

(Sort of underwhelmed by the movie itself - beautiful animation, but it's kind of boring)


No, several shots in this scene look just as bad as this one. Check out the earlier shots of Flora giving her gift, etc. Pretty awful...
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