A few words about... Goodfellas -- In High Definition

Robert Harris · 05-14-2006, 01:43 AM

I had planned to spot check Goodfellas for quality.

Two and a half hours later the film ended -- one more screening added on to dozens before it of Martin Scorsese's mob masterpiece.

Herein presented perfectly in High Definition by Warner Home Video.

Extremely highly recommended, and literally...

Perfect.

RAH

Paul_Scott · 05-14-2006, 02:16 AM

Courtesy of Netflix, I watched this last night for the first time since seeing it in the theater back in 1990. The film disturbed me quite a bit back then, and the thought of ever owning it, and spending anymore time with these people sort of filled me with some revulsion. But being strapped at the moment for treats to see what this player can do, I looked forward to re-visiting it, and I came away with a much different attitude. Being older, and less pollyannish about the world helps too. Defintely merits owning now.

Had heard bad things about the image on this one, but there were many points in the film where the formats potential were realized I felt. Although to be sure, many of these first dozen or so titles are fairly dark looking films and this one is no exception.
one image in particular that stayed with me is when the mother opens the door to see Henry standing there in his new duds and she exclaims "you look like a gangster!" look at her lipstick. Look at the shine on his shoes.

Jordan_E · 05-14-2006, 10:07 AM

This is one of the few movies that, no matter the format, completely draws me in and I have to actually stop and make sure to "see" the quality of the HD DVD presentation. The improvement is subtle, but is there, but like The Godfather, once I start watching this one I can't stop to study the image.

Robert Harris · 05-14-2006, 10:49 AM

I've seen the word "dark" before in one of the HD threads, and I'm not seeing it.

Could this be function of player adjustment?

Also, having compared the HD vesrsion of Goodfellas to the earlier two disc SE, subtle is not a word that I'd use when describing the difference. One look at the Hi-Cons (the graphic titles with dates, etc.) tells you that the image is razor sharp. This may be a matter of getting "drawn in," as was noted.

I'd love to see Disney add their two Scorsese films to the early Disney HD roster. Color of Money was derived from a scratched element, and Gangs of New York, yet another brilliant film, was one of the worst looking DVDs to hit the market short of public domain, with more than a bit of a compression problem, and a severe case of digititus.

RAH

Paul_Scott · 05-14-2006, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Harris

I've seen the word "dark" before in one of the HD threads, and I'm not seeing it.

Could this be function of player adjustment?

I meant dark as in - the a good % of the film doesn't take place in bright daylight or well lit interiors, and it has a many scenes in dimly lit, smokey bars and night clubs, etc.
That may be an exaggeration, but most of the signature scenes I remember share this quality.

When Batman shows up, it will be another title that has a mostly dark, almost monochromatic palette.
One reason I'm so looking forward to the Searchers and all those sun drenched Monument Valley vistas.

**HTF Ads**

Dave H · 05-14-2006, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Harris

I've seen the word "dark" before in one of the HD threads, and I'm not seeing it.

Could this be function of player adjustment?

Also, having compared the HD vesrsion of Goodfellas to the earlier two disc SE, subtle is not a word that I'd use when describing the difference. One look at the Hi-Cons (the graphic titles with dates, etc.) tells you that the image is razor sharp. This may be a matter of getting "drawn in," as was noted.

I'd love to see Disney add their two Scorsese films to the early Disney HD roster. Color of Money was derived from a scratched element, and Gangs of New York, yet another brilliant film, was one of the worst looking DVDs to hit the market short of public domain, with more than a bit of a compression problem, and a severe case of digititus.

RAH

I, too, compared the HD DVD of Goodfellas to the SD 2-disc and there is a big difference between the two; the HD certainly offers significantly more detail and a "naturallly" sharper image. In addition, I noticed how much more shadow detail is visible vs the SD.

My display is a very well (ISF) calibrated Sony 57" CRT RPTV.

Rob_HD · 05-15-2006, 06:15 AM

One of the nice things I noticed is that, although Goodfellas is a dark movie by design, the HD DVD version REALLY lets you see detail in the dark areas that I never saw on SD DVD. Hat's off to another greatly improved title.

JohnPM · 05-15-2006, 07:29 AM

This gets into the hardware end, I know, but you folks who are watching "GoodFellas" --- are your players behaving alright? I'm hesitating to buy because I keep hearing about lock-ups and failures to load. Otherwise, I'd get a player today and watch "Goodfellas" tonight ---

http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/

Robert Harris · 05-15-2006, 08:00 AM

To JohnPM...

"Get a player today and watch "Goodfellas" tonight --- "

I've heard of no problems with the X1, which has a backlit remote.

RAH

JediFonger · 05-15-2006, 08:48 AM

hello, for those of you that have seen it, is this a brand new transfer? i mean, is it cleaned+scrubbed? does it have those black dirt+grime spots that appear for older film negatives? haven't been to best buy lately to check out HD stuff =).

Steve Blair · 05-15-2006, 10:05 AM

I've had the D1 and A1 for almost a month and no problems. Watched Goodfellas, Serenity, Apollo 13 and Cinderella Man so far plus many sd dvd's...