North By Northwest Restoration for 2009?

Paul Borges · 03-04-2007, 04:08 PM

In the recent Warner chat, it was mentioned that an HD North By Northwest would be targeted for a 2009 date for its 50th anniversary. I have read that the film sources are in pretty bad shape. What could be done to bring this film back to its former glory? Do separation masters exist so an ultra high resolution can be done like the Searchers? Just curious for any tech discussion as this is one of my favorite films.

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Tim Glover · 03-04-2007, 09:23 PM

Well, the dvd that came out a few years ago was excellent and I remember it getting alot of terrific reviews about the transfer. Guess the original print or master has not held up...

Great looking movie btw.

GregoryMesh · 03-04-2007, 09:41 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but North by Northwest wasn't shot in 3-strip Technicolor, so there would not be separation masters for ultra high resolution restoration.

Paul Borges · 03-04-2007, 09:51 PM

But The Searchers wasn't a 3-strip production, but they used the ultrahigh resolution process. So I'm thinking ultrahigh resolution process may not be limited to 3-strip Technicolor films.

Edit: Looks Joel answered it better (see below)

Is North By Northwest in better/worse shape than Vertigo was? Can North By Northwest be brought back to life? What would have to be done?

Lord Dalek · 03-04-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregoryMesh

Correct me if I'm wrong, but North by Northwest wasn't shot in 3-strip Technicolor.

Ultra Resolution does not strictly apply to films made in 3-Strip Technicolor and can be used on any film where black and white separations exist (case in point The Searchers, to date the only Ultra Resolution restoration made from an Eastman stock film).

Color separations exist for Vertigo at least (according to Robert A. Harris on the old laserdisc commentary), maybe they do for the rest of Hitchcock's VistaVision epics.

Patrick McCart · 03-04-2007, 10:10 PM

I think it's been said that NxNW's camera negative has lost too much of its yellow layer to be useful. They attempted to correct it on the 2000 DVD, but it has some problems (i.e. the sky in the cornfield sequence is way too red and the dirt is pinkish). The contrast is way too light, too.

With that being said, The Searchers looks absolutely stunning. If NxNW has separation masters as high-quality, I bet they could make it look just as good as The Searchers and much better than the 2000 DVD. I felt that the current DVD looks a little too soft now. According to WB, the transfer started with an 1080i HD transfer. However, the LDI digital cleanup was only at 525p. It looks alright today, but the more film-like digital restorations for the Indiana Jones and Star Wars films, Casablanca, and Goldfinger look a lot better. NxNW was LDI's first project, anyways.

MielR · 03-04-2007, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregoryMesh

Correct me if I'm wrong, but North by Northwest wasn't shot in 3-strip Technicolor, so there would not be separation masters for ultra high resolution restoration.

From what I've read about Technicolor, film doesn't have to be shot in 3-strip Technicolor for there to be separation masters. I may be wrong, but I think that separation/preservation masters can be made from any color negative (like Eastmancolor, as long as it's not terribly faded).

I've heard that when the Eastmancolor fading problem was discovered in the 1970s, directors like Martin Scorcese started making 3-strip black and white preservations of their color films so they would have something to use in the future in case the original negatives totally faded.

I believe the 3-strip cameras stopped being used in 1953 and all Technicolor prints thereafter were made from color negs (instead of the black and white negatives that the 3-strip cameras used).

Jack Theakston · 03-05-2007, 12:42 AM

Separation masters have been done by the studios since practically day one.

The problem is that printing off of seps is phenominally expensive, so it is one done for films that studios know will make back the money (if that).

NORTH BY NORTHWEST was shot on standard Eastman stock, but because prints were by Technicolor, they would have 8-perf separations for sure.

Tim Glover · 03-05-2007, 01:25 AM

Great info fellas.

Cool stuff indeed.

Douglas R · 03-05-2007, 01:29 AM

This reminds me that the first time I saw North by Northwest was when it was re-issued in cinemas in the UK in 1965. I remember (and have not forgotten) that it was one of the sharpest and brightest films I had ever seen. VistaVision did, of course, provide very sharp prints and this was certainly one of the best. It's great to have the film on DVD but nothing could match the look of seeing that film in 35mm on a big screen.

Mark Anthony · 03-05-2007, 03:17 AM

If the O-neg is indeed trashed beyond current use and the B&W sep's are the best surviving lowest generation element then WB could go down this route a la The Searchers.

Given the higher res of Vista-Vision, if the Ultra-resolution digital alignment and clean-up can be done at 6-8K, to ensure all detail is preserved, then the results could be output not only to digital but to a new 65mm negative, a la Vertigo - given they have already got a multi-track soundtrack, a limited 70mm release would be an amazing experience!

M