Fox releasing colorized DVDs of Shirley Temple films? (1 Viewer)

[Peter Apruzzese]

The relevant passage is quoted below from DVDFile:

More classic kid fare is to come on 1/29, with Shirley Temple wave one, featuring Dimples, and Heidi and Bright Eyes (in color.) Each disc is presented in full frame with English and French mono tracks. No other specs are available, and retail is $19.95 each.

I've seen these films - a very long time ago on television - and they are most certainly not in color. Also, the IMDb confirms they are supposed to be black & white. Why in heaven's name would Fox release colorized versions? The only hope is that the press release was incomplete and that the real, original B & W versions are included as well. If not, Fox just PO'd a lot of classic film collectors...

 

[Robert Harris]

These would be the titles that Fox has been merchandising

on tv as being "brilliantly restored."

Garbage films.

Garbage restorations.

Fox should be ashamed even if these are sublicensed to

others.

RAH

 

[Patrick McCart]

FOX can't release the colorized versions to DVD. They'll look like over-compressed MPEG I files.
They were done at such a low resolution and they were meant for low-res TV and VHS broadcast.
The only colorized material that could be transfered to DVD without looking downright horrible are the Looney Tunes colorized in 1995. They're incredebly high-res, but WB would probably release the B&W versions for quality control reasons.
Also, DVDFile has gotten some stuff like this wrong, so I'd wait for the full report.
(Mr. Harris is right about the laughable restorations. Fox just DVNR'd the hell out of the movies and then had the worst colorization company to do the color work. If you want to see some good remasterings and colorizations, look at WB's 1995 set of colorized Looney Tunes. The color is excellent and the quality of the picture is amazing...you should see the companion B&W versions which were cleaned up for the colorizations. CST Entertainment Inc. colorized them and they also did work on Fantasia, I think.)
BTW, the company that colorized the Shirley Temple movies also did colorization work for Disney.
[Edited last by PatrickMcCart on October 18, 2001 at 07:52 PM]

 

[george kaplan]

I too have seen those commercials about these films (on vhs) being 'brilliantly restored for today's audiences'. Although I have no interest in these films, it makes me sick, and I hate the thought of them coming to dvd this way.
Geez, I know we have to deal with p&s, and cut material (Dumbo, E.T., Roger Rabbit), but I thought colorizing films at least was a thing of the past.
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13-time NBA world champion Lakers: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001

 

[GlennH]

We have the Fox VHS of HEIDI, which my mother-in-law bought for my daughter. Not what you would call a high quality video presentation.
If Fox somehow does put the colorized films on DVD I would hope that they would put the original B&W on the same disc, and I would hope they would restore the film first if needed, but at $19.95 MSRP I doubt it. It may just be a cheap port to DVD of the VHS transfers?
This reminds me, PRIDE OF THE YANKEES with Gary Cooper is out on DVD in colorized form only.

I guess you can turn the color off but somehow I doubt you get the same grayscale.

 

[Brian W.]

Fox, for pete's sake, AT LEAST include the original black-and-white version of the films in addition to the color! Colorization is DISGUSTING! At least make both available on the discs! I can't believe you would make such an insane decision, if it's true.

 

[Daniel L]

The announcement is legit, it comes directly from Fox's retail web site...
Daniel L
[Edited last by Daniel L on October 18, 2001 at 08:55 PM]

 

[Doug Bull]

Fox, pardon me while I puke!!!
Obviously Joe Six Pack's kids don't understand anything in Black and White.
We'd hate them to have to phone the TV Repair man and report that there's something wrong with the color on their TV Set.
Strange choice of S.T. titles, there are better ones.
[Edited last by Doug Bull on October 18, 2001 at 11:11 PM]

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I'm surprised more people aren't concerned about this. I realize Shirley Temple films aren't at the top of many requested lists - they're certainly not on mine - but it's the precedent we need to worry about. What's next, colorized versions of Laurel & Hardy, Chaplin, Bud & Lou, and other classics? This is just as big an issue as pan-and-scan, in my opinion, and we all know how we react when we hear a favorite film is getting the P&S "treatment".
What's the deal, Fox?

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Frankly, it ought to be false advertising. Restoration means to return something to its original condition or state. Colorization certainly cannot fall within that definition.

 

[Lance Nichols]

When I see the avertisements for these titles on TV (the VHS versions) I don't know if I should laugh or cry at the "beautifully restored" comments.
Colorized, fading, poor contrast, and pretty poor resolution. I imagine the original negatives are in pretty poor shape, and I would have thought a good quality restoration would have been in order, just to keep these titles.
THanks Fox, right when I was ready to worship your releases.
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"Indiana... Indiana.... Let it go."
http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mycollect...p?alias=LanceN

 

[Ron Connolly]

I'd much rather see the B&W versions. They were great!
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Ron Connolly
San Jose, Ca.

 

[Jeffrey Gray]

I don't think they're coming out on DVD in colorized form. Someone must have made a mistake when they were writing the news.
(Robert Crawford: You can remove your reply to the original version of my message. I just went onto IMDB and discovered that "Bright Eyes" was, indeed, made in black-and-white.)
[Edited last by Jeffrey Gray on October 20, 2001 at 05:32 PM]

 

[Robert Crawford]

It says the first wave of Shirley Temple films features "Dimples, Heidi, and Bright Eyes (in color)." What it meant is that, unlike the other two films, which are in black-and-white, "Bright Eyes" (which was made in Technicolor) is in color.

Jeffrey,
All three movies were filmed using black and white photography. Years later, probably during the late 1980's or early 90's, computer-colors was added. "Bright Eyes" was definitely not originally filmed in Technicolor!
Crawdaddy
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Peter Staddon: "I didn't say you can put 'Monkeybone' back!"

 

[Hendrik]

...AFAIK there were only two movies starring Shirley Temple as a child that were filmed in Technicolor:
- The Little Princess (1939)
- The Blue Bird (1940)
. . .

. . .

 

[Brian W.]

Yes, and let's not only hope that Fox will revise their plans and release the others in B&W, but cross our fingers that they will do a three-strip restoration of "The Little Princess" and "The Bluebird," or at least come up with better elements for "Princess" than exist now.
Ironically, "The Little Princess" was always shown in B&W on television when I was a kid -- didn't even know it was shot in color till a color shot appeared in the opening credits of the late 70's TV series, "That's Hollywood."
[Edited last by Brian W. on October 22, 2001 at 12:00 AM]

 

[Tom Ryan]

Would Mr. Staddon care to comment on this issue????
-Tom

 

[PeterB]

Howdy
Hey guys, I posted the Shirley Temple info based on the Fox press site. It lists the latter two Temple films as being in color. Hopefully the site is wrong...
: (
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Peter M. Bracke

 

[Mark McLeod]

There's always room for errors in press releases. I remember talk about Moulin Rouge's aspect ratio a few weeks back which was inaccurately listed as 1.85:1 instead of 2.35:1.
I'm sure all will be cleared up like it was then. Heck when MR's aspect ratio was cleared up we also learned about a DTS track that wasn't listed on the inital release.
M.

 

[Eric Peterson]

If this is true I would like to personally thank FOX studios for helping me save money. I personally do not want to watch any movies in Turnervision.