A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray - Page 3

Re: A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray

why is the widescreen of the robe cropped?

just check the 4:3 version while watching the widescreen version and you see that on top and the bottom some serious parts are cropped. for a full blown restoration i find this a bit odd to crop this film.

Re: A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray

Those are 2 different versions, one scope and one flat, shot at the same time but with different cameras. There's no cropping.

Re: A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray

Can you switch between them so it's possible to watch the 4:3 version in full 1080p?

Re: A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray

No, the Flat version is PiP only.

Re: A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray

They were not shot at the same time. Two different takes.

Re: A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray

If you want to get picky, some shots were done at the same time and some were not. Check the Roman baths sequence with the PiP on.

Re: A few words about...™ The Robe -- in Blu-ray

thanks for the clarification about this matter

Well, I've just finished watching The Robe. First, it's amazing what they've done with the restoration of a film that was in ruins. I thought the pq was excellent given the problems this film was facing.

As a film I thought it was ok, but I had some problems with it, and I'm actually a fan of old fashioned Roman/Biblical epics. I like Richard Burton a lot, and the actor playing Caligula certainly chewed up the sets. The script had some good parts and had some weak parts. Overall, I was not as emotionally involved as I thought I might be.

A while ago I watched Quo Vadis on blu, and I may be alone in this opinion, but I actually thought that it was a better film--more spectacular, more dramatic, funnier (Ustinov is still my favorite crazy emperor), and more emotionally involving. The pq on this film is not perfect--in fact it looks like they just ran through some very well preserved elements to make the master for the blu--as there were still a few scratches, bits of dust, etc.

I think Ben Hur and many other epics from the time are better than the Robe. But I can appreciate its historical significance, and I'm glad they restored it.

Edited by benbess - 11/3/09 at 2:10pm

Watched this BD yesterday (I wanted to watch some BD that went well with Easter so it was this or "Quo Vadis").
It looked amazingly good. The wonders of temporal processing a la Lowry. Although they are going a bit too far for my taste with removing the grain. It gets a slightly waxy look this way.
The film itself has not aged well for me. It's often corny.

I also think that "The Robe" is often corny, but it gave me one indelible memory.  That backward tracking shot of the horses pulling a chariot full-tilt at the camera was thrilling when I first saw it on a Cinemascope screen.  It still has that power.

On Saturday I watched a bit of "The Ten Commandments" on ABC.  Now that is the definition of corny!    But it looked great. 

You actually think the "The Ten Commandments" is the epitomy of corny? I couldn't disagree more.

Not a surprise and the same for anybody thinking "The Robe" isn't corny.






Crawdaddy

I watched both at the weekend. Not having access to the Region A locked The Robe, I was delighted to find a HD broadcast and it was a genuine feast for the eyes. In that respect, when I finally do buy a multi-region BD player, it will be purchased.

I have to agree with John about The Ten Commandments however; the way it attempts to move between a contemporary approximation of Old Testament dialogue and quotes from the King James bible is clunky to say the very least; but if it's corny (which it is IMHO) it's also showman's stuff - DeMille was a real crowd pleaser. And I'll buy it when it comes to BD.

BTW, while we're on the subject, I finally bought Quo Vadis on BD and it is absolutely gorgeous. The matte work in HD is real eye-candy; almost a lost art.

"The Ten Commandments" is corny, but delightfully so and I wouldn't have it any other way.  And I don't find the dialogue clunky at all.  Ripe?  Yes.  Melodramatic in the extreme?  Absolutely!  But it's such an melodramatic story , with its plagues, the exodus, the parting of the Red Sea and God handing down His commandments.  Any presentation done in a more realistic style would have been as dull as "The Greatest Story Ever Told."  DeMille knew exactly what he was doing.

I think it's telling that "The Greatest Story Ever Told" seldom turns up anywhere and "The Ten Commandments" is one of the very, very few pictures from the classic era that still gets an annual screening on network television.

I can't say its among the greatest movies ever made, but I can think of few movies that are more fun to watch.  And if it brings the Bible to life for youngsters and promotes family viewing, then it's done its job.

Well, corn or not, it is still watchable. That is more than I can say for 99% of the rest of this genre.

Quote:
Said DeMille famously: "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public..."

I'm more of a Sign of The Cross chap myself...

I watched The Robe BRD this week. Far better than I had expected. Obviously it's a shame it isn't all as good as the best parts but nowhere is it unwatchable. And after the original DVD . . . . It was like seeing a different movie.

One criticism I would make: the soundtrack commentary led by Nick Redman is almost totally about Alfred Newman. I have no complaint about Newman having his own exclusive commentary - he deserves all the praise and attention he can get - but should there not have been a second commentary about the movie in general and the contributions made by the writers, the actors, Leon Shamroy etc. etc?

I don't know if you are interested, but Twilight Time is releasing Demetrius and the Gladiators, the sequel to The Robe, on Blu-ray in mid March.

Apparently the film under went a major restoration a few years ago, but Fox never bothered reissuing the restored version on DVD.

I actually think Demetrius and the Gladiators is a better film than The Robe.

Simon, thank you. I am aware of this, I am interested and I will probably buy it.

I'm not yet a Twilight Time camp follower - that may come, give me time - but I have bought some of their discs and right now I have Picnic on pre-order.

I love to watch The Robe and Demetrius and the Gladiators as a double-feature each Easter season. This year, it will be even more special!

I think the Blu-ray of The Robe looks simply splendid. I will be grateful if Demetrius and the Gladiators approaches it in quality. The DVD we have now is filled with dirt and debris.

Twilight Time did confirm that they are using a new transfer for their disc. Looks very promising.

Actually haven't gotten around to watching The Robe despite owning the blu-ray. This upcoming Easter will probably change that. Might make a good double feature with the upcoming Twilight Time disc.

The commentary track on THE ROBE is one of my favs since I am a film score buff. Love that track.