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DVD sound dissappointments - why
Bob, I find it dissapointing that some major classics are arriving with very poor sound, when not that long ago, they had very good sound.
Examples.-
on the recent Tyrone Power swashbuckler box, some of th films sound bright and crisp as they should - Son of Fury is very good and is typical of what a Fox A film from that era should sound like.
If all of the films in that set sounded as good, I would be happy.
Two of my favorite films in the set sound really bad - Captain from Castille and Prince of Foxes.
Back in the eighties, there was a syndicated movie series called the SFM holiday Network. They had a lot of Fox films, all with superb sound. captain from Castille was one of them and it wsounded great. Thats twenty years ago. Why does it sound so poor now?
Wheen I lived in L.A. I went to see Captain when it showed at UCLA from a nitrate print from a rpivate collection. Again, it sounded great. Too bad they couldn't take the sound from that print and match it up to the dvd videol.
Call Me Madam - again looked and sounded great on sFMholiday network.
The dvd is finally released and the color is just okay and the sound is less than okay. Not good for a musical.
Prince of Foxes is a super favorite film. all through the eighties, it was shown on channel 8 Rochestor, from a 16mm print with superb picture and sound. I would take that over the lackluster picture quality and truly awful sound on the Fox DVD.
Fox has always been my favorite movie studio, but its so iffy to buy there disc because you NEVER know what you will get.
Some films look and sound better than theyhave in years-
all About eve - only in the Fox studio collection, NOT the knew two disc version in the Bette Davis box, The sound there has taken a big step backwards.
From the Terrace - never thought I would see this film in good shape again, but the dVDis superb.
With a Song in my Heart - superb picture and sound restoration.
Man in the Grey Flannel suit and A Man called Peter - I never knew these films could look this good.
On the other hand - the Fox Losers.
Affair to Remember - the old laser looked terrible but sounded great. Affair is now on its THIRD mastering on DVD. All are 2.0 mixdowns, not 4.0 and all sound like the high end is COMPLETELY gone with no crispness that was present on the old laser.
Love is a Many Solendored Thing. the film looks great, but the sound is not good.
IN the early 90s a Fox exec thought some of the fox fifties stereo mags were too hissy and new dupes were made on to new mag stock. SAdly, the hiss was taken out by noise gating the dupes, taking out the high end and crispness on music and dialogue. Worse, the dupes wer made at too high a level causing distortion whenever the orchestra is loud.
l Luckily, the origninal stereo mags were kept, But the orignals for LOVE have not been used for either dvd, only the dupe, bacdly noise gated versions.
You needn't take my word for it. Fox has provided some evidence on its own dvd of the studio classics version of Love.
I thas the bad noise gated English 4.0 version, but it also included the ORIGINL 4.0 French soundtrack, which is NOT noise gated and hasn;t been touched.
Listen to two spots - chapter one - the opening credits.
Also listen to chapter ten, the meeting on the hill. You can quickly swith from the english track to the French track. The french tracks sounds like a good 1955 film should sound.
Prince Valiant *1954) and Kiss Them for me (1957) two of my favorite early scope films. There are a LOT of exterior shots in both films, especially Valiant, all filled with green skys. No blue skies in swight in either film. There has been NO restoration work done on either film.
I am sad in that since these have already released on dvd ( in the =cases of Love is a Many Splendored Thing and Affair to Remember, several times) I will probably never see these films in the condition they should be seen.
Bob, any thoughts on these matters and these titles.
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