EXCLUSIVE: Twilight Time July/August Titles (1 Viewer)

[jim_falconer]

Looks like Judy Geeson has signed some of TT's Brannigan Blu's for the occasion...

I finally had a chance to sit down and watch the blu of Brannigan last night. While certainly an improvement over the previous DVD release, this is not a 'blow your socks off' presentation. IMO, a missed opportunity by TT. And to put it in perspective, I also watched the recently released 'Cast A Giant Shadow' last night. Now there is a presentation that towers over the former DVD release in every way. It is a shame all companies don't put the time and effort in to present these classic films with the proper restoration they deserve.

 

[John Hermes]

I finally had a chance to sit down and watch the blu of Brannigan last night. While certainly an improvement over the previous DVD release, this is not a 'blow your socks off' presentation. IMO, a missed opportunity by TT. And to put it in perspective, I also watched the recently released 'Cast A Giant Shadow' last night. Now there is a presentation that towers over the former DVD release in every way. It is a shame all companies don't put the time and effort in to present these classic films with the proper restoration they deserve.

I watched Brannigan last night as well. While it was clean and had good color, I thought it was very soft for a Blu-ray, surprisingly so to me. I look forward to watching Cast A Giant Shadow and will hopefully be more impressed with that.

 

[jim_falconer]

I watched Brannigan last night as well. While it was clean and had good color, I thought it was very soft for a Blu-ray, surprisingly so to me. I look forward to watching Cast A Giant Shadow and will hopefully be more impressed with that.

I don't mean to derail this thread but let me say that Cast A Giant Shadow will blow you away. The DVD's mono-only track has been replaced with a robust stereo track. The image that is a soft dull on the DVD, is now an incredibly sharp high def picture. My gosh, you can now count every wrinkle on John Wayne's furrowed brow, every time he gets annoyed at Kirk Douglas

 

[ROclockCK]

Different films. Different filmmakers. Different filming styles. And key to any discussion of this nature, significantly different handling by the licensing studio. So apples, oranges.

As a film fan, I just enjoy the nuggets wherever I find them. Now on to that Loach double bill...

 

[jim_falconer]

Different films. Different filmmakers. Different filming styles. And key to any discussion of this nature, significantly different handling by the licensing studio. So apples, oranges. As a film fan, I just enjoy the nuggets wherever I find them. Now on to that Loach double bill...

That's very true, but aren't these both MGM properties? What I mean is that film elements provided to both TT and Kino should have been from the same library right? As for different time periods, universal recently released both The War Wagon from the mid sixties, and Rooster Cogburn from the mid seventies. Both sport an outstanding high def transfer, even though the film processing used was assuredly quite different.

 

[JohnMor]

That's very true, but aren't these both MGM properties? What I mean is that film elements provided to both TT and Kino should have been from the same library right? As for different time periods, universal recently released both The War Wagon from the mid sixties, and Rooster Cogburn from the mid seventies. Both sport an outstanding high def transfer, even though the film processing used was assuredly quite different.

MGM supplied both transfers for Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution, which looks terrific and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, which looks pretty bad. And it's the newer film by 10 years.

The same library doesn't necessarily mean the same location/vault and same handling (or mishandling) of the elements over the years. Unfortunately. Plus, MGM has a very poor reputation for the care of its elements in general.

 

[ROclockCK]

That's very true, but aren't these both MGM properties? What I mean is that film elements provided to both TT and Kino should have been from the same library right? As for different time periods, universal recently released both The War Wagon from the mid sixties, and Rooster Cogburn from the mid seventies. Both sport an outstanding high def transfer, even though the film processing used was assuredly quite different.

A question for MGM Jim, rather than Twilight Time...or Kino...or even Criterion.

Having seen a lot of catalogue, as I'm sure most of us here have, the only constant with film mastering seems to be...there is no constant...no absolute reference standard...even by the same studio from the same era. The stock characteristics and preservation state of one picture will yield a magnificent HD master, while another will be problematic throughout. Most, like Secret of Santa Vittoria and Brannigan, seem to fall somewhere on the high side in between, although from my observations over the years, MGM's library - especially its UA titles - can be like tip-toeing through a minefield...

Which is why I choose to celebrate what has come across very well, like Khartoum, Equus, and The Train, rather than getting hung up on all the woulda/shoulda/couldas for other titles...many of which would have otherwise languished indefinitely without any domestic Blu-ray release.