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Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

post #1 of 49
7/7/08 at 11:45am
Thread Starter 
I know I would probably pick up 90 % of them if they made HD, however I read somewhere that the transfers of them aren't in good condition and he has no interest in revisiting / remastering them, which is why the DVD transfers were fairly uneven. Do you think they will ever be brought out?
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post #2 of 49
7/7/08 at 6:27pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Good question. I would be interested in quite a few of them. Even among "older" titles, they certainly don't fit into the studios widely perceived "demographic" of hi-def customers.

Woody doesn't come across as the kind of guy who would have the least interest in such matters. How long was it before his first picture with plain old stereo sound? Not that it matters one wit to me, but it sheds some light on what he's about, so far as technological advances.

Perhaps Criterion will come to our rescue.
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post #3 of 49
7/7/08 at 6:48pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

To this day Woody Allen has never made a film with a stereo soundtrack. Even the newer titles which come with digital soundtracks are mono.

Considering he was among the first directors to insist that one of his films be released on home video in it's proper aspect ratio ( Manhattan ) I would say it's unlikely he has no interest in revisiting the transfer of his films.

At any rate, my high-def classics channel has run very nice high-definition transfers of titles like 'Radio Days' , 'Annie Hall' and 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' over the past 19 months so there are masters of these titles in existence.
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post #4 of 49
7/7/08 at 7:18pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

I love Woody Allen's films, particularly the early FUNNY ones!

I think Zelig with all of its faked ageing of film stock would be particularly interesting in HD, as long as some one didn't decide to remove the intended grain or clean up the scratches!

Doug
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post #5 of 49
7/7/08 at 7:36pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Count me in for an HD release of Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Annie Hall.

Unfortunately I suspect it'll take 2 or more years before we see any of these titles come to BD.
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post #6 of 49
7/7/08 at 7:41pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

I can see Match Point being the first catalog title from Allen's filmography to come out, seeing as how it's a recent title which likely has an HD master ready to go via DreamWorks, as well as it being his most well regarded work of the last 10 years.
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post #7 of 49
7/7/08 at 9:30pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Conway
I can see Match Point being the first catalog title from Allen's filmography to come out, seeing as how it's a recent title which likely has an HD master ready to go via DreamWorks, as well as it being his most well regarded work of the last 10 years.

That's exactly what Ii thought when I saw this thread. I think we're about to enter a period where they release the easy....read: cheap, to release titles and Match Point fits the M.O. Yeah, I wanna get Bananas, Sleeper, Love And Death, Everything about..... , Annie Hall, and about 10 more Tiger Lily, que pasa, por favor.

Manhattan has been on HD Net Movies. I watched it just a few months ago....'an if I'm not mistaken I either have or will soon get Love And Death on one of my HD Tivos. HD Net can be a hopeful sign...? ....sort'a....
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post #8 of 49
7/7/08 at 9:35pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

"....my brain...it's my second favorite organ...."

"....but I ate Kozmic Rice...."
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post #9 of 49
7/7/08 at 11:31pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob W
To this day Woody Allen has never made a film with a stereo soundtrack. Even the newer titles which come with digital soundtracks are mono.

I've got news for you Rob. You need to check out the just released DVD of "Cassandra's Dream." Yes it is indeed Woody Allen's first-ever stereo soundtrack (3.0 to be exact, dialog in the center, and music and effects mixed in stereo across all three channels.) My guess is that he lost the battle with the studio on this one and they compromised with 3.0 channels instead of 5.1

And by the way, Douglas, in MY opionion the early ones are not the funny ones, the later ones with their wonderful neurotic intellectualism are the funny ones.
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post #10 of 49
7/8/08 at 3:15am

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Woody Allen's films would be perfect for MGM's Blu-Ray pricing scheme. No extras and $35.
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post #11 of 49
7/8/08 at 4:03am

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark-P

And by the way, Douglas, in MY opionion the early ones are not the funny ones, the later ones with their wonderful neurotic intellectualism are the funny ones.


I was paraphrasing, from Stardust Memories.

Doug
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post #12 of 49
7/8/08 at 7:18am

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

We still don't have anamorphic Annie Hall on regular DVD yet, right?

His only Best Picture winnner... shame.
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post #13 of 49
7/8/08 at 1:22pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

I'm sure in a few years, even Ed Wood's movies will be available on Blu-ray.
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post #14 of 49
7/8/08 at 1:30pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

UK Disc is anamorphic
DVD Times - Annie Hall
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post #15 of 49
7/8/08 at 2:48pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark-P
I've got news for you Rob. You need to check out the just released DVD of "Cassandra's Dream." Yes it is indeed Woody Allen's first-ever stereo soundtrack (3.0 to be exact, dialog in the center, and music and effects mixed in stereo across all three channels.)

I should have guessed I would look like a dope when I posted! It's one of the very few Woodys I haven't caught up with. After 'Scoop', i may never go near a Woody Allen film again after following his entire career since I saw 'Bananas' first-run as a kid.
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post #16 of 49
7/8/08 at 9:04pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Ah, c'mon, Scoop wasn't that bad. I doubt I'd ever revisit it, but it was no worse than mediocre in my book.
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post #17 of 49
7/8/08 at 9:37pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

I figure Annie Hall + Match Point will be his first titles to hit BD, though I'd prefer to get Purple Rose of Cairo or Crimes and Misdemeanors first. It is a damn shame that Annie Hall still doesn't have a 16x9 transfer in R1.
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post #18 of 49
7/8/08 at 10:33pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Conway
Ah, c'mon, Scoop wasn't that bad. I doubt I'd ever revisit it, but it was no worse than mediocre in my book.

I liked Scoop too, but I'll admit from Annie Hall on, I have not been dissappointed with a single Woody Allen picture. I'm just a little bit obsessed with his work.
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post #19 of 49
7/9/08 at 11:05am

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

I found Scoop to be surprisingly non-sucky, considering the reviews.

And not just because of Scarlett's red swimsuit. . .

Certainly not as good as Match Point, though.
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post #20 of 49
7/9/08 at 4:05pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Let's not forget his Miramax titles (which are all non-anamorphic on DVD) like Mighty Aphrodite, Bullets Over Broadway, and (one of my favorites) Everyone Says I Love You.
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post #21 of 49
7/9/08 at 11:09pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob W
To this day Woody Allen has never made a film with a stereo soundtrack. Even the newer titles which come with digital soundtracks are mono.

Not exactly true. An early laser disc of BANANAS (I think from CBS/Fox) had a true stereo track. The title sequence with Marvin Hamlisch's music and the "bullet" shots really played with the separation in a most entertaining way.
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post #22 of 49
7/10/08 at 5:59am

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
It is a damn shame that Annie Hall still doesn't have a 16x9 transfer in R1.

Thye haven't even corrected the subtitle snafu. did they?" That's what we're supposed to see what the characters are thinking, rather than saying. An abomination!
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post #23 of 49
7/10/08 at 3:47pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Oddly, some prints of Mighty Aphrodite carry a credit for - IIRC - a "Dolby Stereo Consultant".

I've also seen prints where this has been blacked out with a superimposed box.
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post #24 of 49
8/3/08 at 12:46pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Allen's films don't generally cry out for high-def image quality. They are mostly intimate comedies or comedy/dramas with little concern for memorable camera work other than what is necessary to tell the story. One exception to this, IMHO, is MANHATTAN, which I would love to see on Blu-ray. Allen is not an aficionado of stereo, but the source of his Gershwin score was recorded in stereo (i.e. the Columbia soundtrack album) and this, again, would be the Blu-ray movie I'd hope would receive a bit of unusual attention from Allen, who notoriously does not care to revisit his old films. Woody: just say "Okay," and the sound editors and mixers will do all the work for you!
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post #25 of 49
8/5/08 at 6:18pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick
Allen's films don't generally cry out for high-def image quality. They are mostly intimate comedies or comedy/dramas with little concern for memorable camera work other than what is necessary to tell the story.

Gordon Willis? Sven Nykvist? If you ask me, any movie worth seeing is worth seeing in HD. But movies shot by these guys especially.

I know there's this commonly held idea that "intimate" movies don't necessarily need HD, but I disagree. In fact, I'd argue that the opposite is true. We need HD especially badly in movies that are all about economy of image, subtleties of performance, and the qualities of the human face. Let's face it, everything that's important in Die Hard With a Vengeance is going to be clear whether you're watching it on an airplane or on an iPhone. That twinkle in Michael Caine's eye during Hannah and Her Sisters? Not so much.
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post #26 of 49
8/5/08 at 6:43pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Mono...
even for the new Scarlett Johansson flick?
That's crazy; its '08.
Does he still shoot in B&W all the time?
NO!
Does he still shoot academy ratio (4:3) all the time?
NO!
The guy cheats on his GF, sleeps w/& marries her daughter; yet its a sin to use multi-channel sound?!?!?
Give me a break!!!

[for the record: I'd watch Scarett with NO sound on at all!!! ;-) ]
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post #27 of 49
8/5/08 at 8:27pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed St. Clair
The guy cheats on his GF, sleeps w/& marries her daughter; yet its a sin to use multi-channel sound?!?!?
Give me a break!!!
Yeah, we're all about the director's intentions here . . .

And since when did someone's personal life have anything to do with the validity of his artistic decisions? Would you be any happier with mono sound from a director with a button-down straight arrow lifestyle (if there is such a thing)?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryant Frazer
We need HD especially badly in movies that are all about economy of image, subtleties of performance, and the qualities of the human face. Let's face it, everything that's important in Die Hard With a Vengeance is going to be clear whether you're watching it on an airplane or on an iPhone. That twinkle in Michael Caine's eye during Hannah and Her Sisters? Not so much.
Right on. Then again, it has becoming depressingly clear that such subtleties of storytelling are of less interest to the movie-viewing public with each passing year. The very fact that someone could pronounce films such as Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Zelig, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Stardust Memories or even such recent (and lesser) films as Cassandra's Dream to have "little concern for memorable camera work" is indicative of how coarse cinematic tastes have become.

That guy Bergman didn't move the camera much either, did he?

M.
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post #28 of 49
8/6/08 at 6:47am

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

SD DVDs handle multichannel sound quite well, with the chief audio advantage of Blu-Ray for most films being improved fidelity. As such, a well recorded mono film will benefit from lossless audio just about as much as a well recorded stereo/multichannel film. Also, it's not like Allen just turns on an 8mm camera and shoots actors in real locations in their street clothes with available light. Just about any of his films would benefit from a high definition presentation. We will certainly see his films on Blu-Ray when the demographics of the Blu-Ray player owner converge with the demographics of the Woody Allen film fan base.

Regards,
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post #29 of 49
8/6/08 at 7:46am

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Reuben
Yeah, we're all about the director's intentions here.
…

The very fact that someone could pronounce films such as Annie Hall, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Zelig, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Stardust Memories or even such recent (and lesser) films as Cassandra's Dream to have "little concern for memorable camera work" is indicative of how coarse cinematic tastes have become.

That guy Bergman didn't move the camera much either, did he?

M.
An interesting double feature is Crimes and Misdemeanors and Cries and Whispers. Sven Nykvist and Sven Nykvist.
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post #30 of 49
8/6/08 at 4:24pm

Re: Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD?

Don't forget Interiors even though it isn't a comedy and seems so different from the rest of his works. And I sure would like to see how it fairs in HD w/ a transfer that's faithful to Allen's original intentions.

_Man_
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