A Few Words About A few words about...™ Hawaii -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

I hadn't realised we knew anything about the Exodus blu-ray from TT. Is it the same transfer as the Region B release?

JoHud said:

In that case, I think WB is simply putting incomplete cuts like that on the backburner while focusing on complete films through the Warner Archive. That is essentially what is holding up other films such as The Sea Wolf that only have truncated cuts readily available.

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I think this is what also held up Viva Villa!

They wanted to show the complete film, and not a cut film, so they searched for the missing elements. I applaud them for that, but doing so for every cut film could take forever!

As for The Alamo, I'd take the Mad World treatment any day.

Having been used to watching this film in 16mm, pan and scan no less, the new Blu-ray is definitely an upgrade for me. I never did get the laserdisc decades ago.

Projected onto a large screen, the TT Blu-ray looks decent. As Bob Harris has noted, intermittent shots are soft looking and the whole film looks like it came off of a film element that's a few generations away from the original negative. Color and contrast are quite good, even if a few day for night shots here and there are off.

It is interesting that the trailer for the film is sharper than the feature.

I wish they had subtitled the HD short verison, however, as there are a couple of scenes that needed it. They are subtitled in the SD "Roadshow" cut.

While one always hopes that brand new transfers will be done off of the original negative, that's not always possible in the real world. And since the studio will likely not revisit this title (at least for Blu-ray) this is what we have, so if you like the film, get it. Overall, I'm glad to have the disc!

Robert Harris said:

With a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and Daniel Taradash, George Roy Hill's Hawaii, may find interest from multiple arenas.


Based upon the monumental novel by James A. Michener, Hawaii was a roadshow production, blown up to 70mm for some venues.


The film used to have scenes of beauty, especially once it reaches the islands, but unfortunately, it was never a great film.


Twilight Time, as a licensee of MGM, must use what they're given, or not. In this case, what they've been allowed to release essentially removes many of the attributes that the film once held.


The major one would be the cinematography by Russell Harlan (To Kill a Mockingbird, Red River).


What I'm seeing on the Blu-ray appears to be typical MGM fodder. While the Roadshow version, which appears on the disc as an extra, albeit in standard definition as a 2.35 image inside of a 1.33 box, that longer cut also appears to be derived from original Eastman Color elements.


Something that it seems the HD version, or at least a number of it's parts is not.


Going to black & white separation masters is a normal affair if an original negative is lost or damaged, but since the resultant dupe is a composite of three black & white records, the idea is to get them in registration. This has seemingly eluded whatever lab created the new element. If adjustments need to be made, even shot to shot, they need to be made. It ain't brain surgery.


Unfortunately, the film is simply dupey looking, with requisite MGM dirt and instability of image.


Hawaii is a film worth viewing, and this is the only way to do so, at least for the foreseeable future.


No fingers being pointed at Twilight Time. All of the problems stem with MGM, and their eternal penchant for quality, as that lion continues to roar.



Image - 3

Audio - 4

4k Up-rez - 2.5

Pass / Fail - Pass (barely)


RAH

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A bit off subject, but I asked TT if any more roadshows were in the works after EXODUS and they said yes. Take your pick.

trajan007 said:

A bit off subject, but I asked TT if any more roadshows were in the works after EXODUS and they said yes. Take your pick.

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Doctor Dolittle? Can-Can? Greatest Story Ever Told? The Hallelujah Trail? Lord Jim? Star? Or my Holy Grail .... the Roadshow cut of MacKenna's Gold!!!

Is this wishful thinking or are these clues given by TT?

Thomas T said:

Doctor Dolittle? Can-Can? Greatest Story Ever Told? The Hallelujah Trail? Lord Jim? Star? Or my Holy Grail .... the Roadshow cut of MacKenna's Gold!!!

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I think TT said that Sony was working on LORD JIM . HALLELUJAH TRAIL was in bad shape. Fox said CAN CAN was in bad shape and DOLITTLE was to be given to a second party.

Off topic but CHEYENNE AUTUMN on TCM right now. Aspect ratio is 2:20 and very sharp. Looks like this could be a 70 mm transfer. Too bad the movie itself was not better.

trajan007 said:

Off topic but CHEYENNE AUTUMN on TCM right now. Aspect ratio is 2:20 and very sharp. Looks like this could be a 70 mm transfer. Too bad the movie itself was not better.

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Isn't the DVD in 2:20?

Paul Rossen said:

Isn't the DVD in 2:20?

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Don't know but this is almost LOA sharp.

trajan007 said:

Don't know but this is almost LOA sharp.

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Unfortunately my cable co doesn't show TCM in HD. Though seriously flawed I enjoy Cheyenne Autumn and would look forward to a Blu Ray release. The original roadshow presentation at the Loew's Capitol in NYC was outstanding.

trajan007 said:

Off topic but CHEYENNE AUTUMN on TCM right now. Aspect ratio is 2:20 and very sharp. Looks like this could be a 70 mm transfer. Too bad the movie itself was not better.

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Paul Rossen said:

Isn't the DVD in 2:20?

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The DVD is indeed 2.20:1 and looks to be from restored 65mm elements. Should be on Blu-ray by now.

Two things that could have been better.
One - why is the roadshow windowboxed. It would have been better in a formate where I could fill my 50 inch screen side to side.
Why no stereo as on the laser?
this all is upsetting as the roadshow here looks ten times better than it did on the laser.
Does anyone think of what consumers want first, before diving ahead and doing this stuff?

Thomas T said:

Doctor Dolittle? Can-Can? Greatest Story Ever Told? The Hallelujah Trail? Lord Jim? Star? Or my Holy Grail .... the Roadshow cut of MacKenna's Gold!!!

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The Greatest Story Ever Told has already been released by MGM on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray does look a little better than the DVD but it's still not that good. Being MGM I doubt if they would release a better version to TT.

Joe Caps said:

Two things that could have been better.
One - why is the roadshow windowboxed. It would have been better in a formate where I could fill my 50 inch screen side to side.
Why no stereo as on the laser?
this all is upsetting as the roadshow here looks ten times better than it did on the laser.
Does anyone think of what consumers want first, before diving ahead and doing this stuff?

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How would you propose that Twilight Time take a 480i master, window-boxed within a 1.33 matte, and make it fit your 50" screen?

Robert Harris said:

How would you propose that Twilight Time take a 480i master, window-boxed within a 1.33 matte, and make it fit your 50" screen?

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Thank you for this civil response - I was about to post one and I was already biting my tongue so hard it was bleeding

as in other straight letterbox transfers I have, leave it letterbox only, not windowboxed. a Letterbox I can blow up easily to fill my screen. The twilight time I cannot.

Joe Caps said:

I thought the roadshow was going to be strictly a letterbox transfer, but on my disc it is 16 X9.!!!

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Joe Caps said:

Bruce two things-
put the roadshow and the picture on 4 x 3 playback is all squeezed in - I was more than surprised, played this on three other blu players and the same thing happens on all three. the sound, sadly, is definitely mono. Again, I ask why, again, no one answers.

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Joe Caps said:

Two things that could have been better.
One - why is the roadshow windowboxed. It would have been better in a formate where I could fill my 50 inch screen side to side.

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Windowboxed, eh? Does this mean you are finally admitting that the Roadshow is NOT 16x9 enhanced on your Blu-ray?

HaHa got me?
when I play the roadshow on my blu and on my screen at !:33., the picture is squeezed in as in a 16X9. that's the way it is. when stretched out to 16X9 the film does NOT cover all of the areas of my screen from left to right, but only partway with black on the top and bottom. Again, I wish it would fill ALL of the are from left to right and had the original laserdisc stereo track. There is NO reason either of these things could not be done.

That's what you get with a letterbox picture made for a 4x3 TV. TT/MGM could have blown it up to fill a 16:9 screen (edge to edge) before putting it on Blu-ray, but I've seen some blow-up test done for that, & my god it looks grim (& the tests I saw were for 625 lines)*. I'd think the smaller the picture the better it will look...& it is only an extra.

* That was a few years ago, maybe they can insert lines without getting that saw-tooth effect on the edges these days, I dunno.