GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES on Blu-ray - thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by bjwmovies /t/322759/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-on-blu-ray-thoughts/30#post_3958849
So far, How To Marry A Millionaire is the best looking of the FOX titles...actually stunning, sparkles! More on par of what FOX can do with a Cinemascope/Technicolor film of this vintage.
Re: Seven Year Itch... I have already pointed this out on the Forever Marilyn Collection review/discussion. During the last 1/4 of the movie (after the iconic blowing dress up on subway grate)...during the scene when she is sitting in front of the air conditioner and hiding behind the chair when the janitor comes in...and then she stands up...from that point on, when all 3 actors are in the frame there is some kind of a red miss-alignment on the right side of her white dress (or anything white), a red edge shifted to the right on anything white. It remains apparent and the image quality deteriorates from that point on too, then the red edge shift disappears and the image quality comes back to the expected "sharp" quality AFTER the scene when she comes down the stairs in a white nighty. It almost looks like what we were used to seeing when we used rear projections that needed vertical alignment. Or as if this is an instance of matrices shrinkage? If that is the case, you would think you would see more evidence of it throughout. Using an Ultra Resolution process like Warners it could have been fixed. When you see what they did with titles like Singin in the Rain, you would think FOX would have given this title the same "spare no expense" process. I am sure they could have done more than just let this be. FOX gets lazy sometimes and cheap. Their Marilyn titles deserve only the best treatment. They should fix this and offer a replacement. I am surprised only a few of us are discussing this scene. Yes the rest of the print has other problems, and deserved better treatment as a whole. But this is just plain unacceptable and is a glaring jump in quality, disruptive to the flow and sloppy! Mr. Harris? Anyone?
Next Gentlemen Prefer Blondes… holding my breath after reading what has been discussed here!

If you're pleased with How to Marry, you'll love the other titles, as that's the most problematic of the bunch.

Heavily faded, numerous dupes, etc. Not a pretty picture. The most obvious means of confirming dye fade is seen in the orchestral opening, where all black tuxedos...

are blue.

RAH

 

[bjwmovies]

If you're pleased with How to Marry, you'll love the other titles, as that's the most problematic of the bunch.
Heavily faded, numerous dupes, etc.  Not a pretty picture.  The most obvious means of confirming dye fade is seen in the orchestral opening, where all black tuxedos...
are blue.
RAH

Thanks Mr. Harris for your highly respected view. Perhaps because I viewed SYI (which I thought was particularly abysmal as I stated in my post) prior to Millionaire, that Millionaire looked to me a huge improvement. Millionaire has always looked awful on video right up to the last DVD. So this, to me, was a pleasant surprise and dupes or no dupes, looks great. It really doesn't look faded to me and right from the opening scene you mention, contrast, colors look fine, and sharpness (to me) is particularly remarkable. Specifically the powder room scene and the fashion show, the colors look true and rich to me? Of course I know you are viewing on more sophisticated equipment than I (for me it is a 70" Samsung plasma, LG bluray player). I almost always agree 100% with you, so I am surprised!

 

[bjwmovies]

I just reviewed the opening scene. Not all the "black tuxes" register blue. Particularly during the angled close ups, you can see men wearing black tuxes (and they look black) seated next to those who look to be wearing blue. Also the prominent woman is wearing a black dress and it does look black. Could it be that some or most of the tuxes were in fact blue? You rarely see blue tuxedos today, and I am no expert as to tuxedo fashion in the 50s...but that is what I am seeing on my display, black tuxes meshed in with blue. Also I think on the opening menu, you can see how fuzzy and just plain off the clips they use there are in comparison to how clean and sharp the feature is presented.

 

[haineshisway]

I just reviewed the opening scene. Not all the "black tuxes" register blue. Particularly during the angled close ups, you can see men wearing black tuxes (and they look black) seated next to those who look to be wearing blue. Also the prominent woman is wearing a black dress and it does look black. Could it be that some or most of the tuxes were in fact blue? You rarely see blue tuxedos today, and I am no expert as to tuxedo fashion in the 50s...but that is what I am seeing on my display, black tuxes meshed in with blue. Also I think on the opening menu, you can see how fuzzy and just plain off the clips they use there are in comparison to how clean and sharp the feature is presented.

Blue is absolutely correct.

 

[bjwmovies]

Blue is absolutely correct.

Thanks...That is what I am saying, tuxedos that appear blue were blue, the black tuxes appear black...also the woman I mentioned is wearing black along with two other woman more in the back of the stage who are wearing black and all their blacks appear to be black. I don't see how the blue tuxedos could be a result of the fading Mr. Harris describes, this just does not appear to be the case here in my opinion, not when there are enough blacks in the scene in comparison and to calibrate from.

 

[ahollis]

And to think the only disappointment I thought I was going to have was re-buying SOME LIKE IT HOT. I'm actually OK with all except SEVEN YEAR ITCH and particularly like THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS. IMO, RIVER OF NO RETURN has never look particularly great, but this sure is an improvement over the DVD.

 

[haineshisway]

No Business Like Show Business is great.

 

The River of No Return dvd was pretty severely cropped. Is the blu ray better in this regards?

 

[bjwmovies]

No Business Like Show Business is great.

Looking forward to seeing that one later this week, haven't even sampled it yet... some as you are raving about it!

 

[Doug Bull]

If you want to see BLUE in How To Marry A Millionaire have a look at the nightclub scene.
Sets, clothing, hair, etc, all blue.
At least Fred Clark's jacket is closest to black on the disc (but it's still a very dark blue)
Below is an original 50's IB Technicolor 35mm Cinemascope Film frame that I scanned and you will see it's pure black.
You can also judge the overall color of the original film.

 

[bjwmovies]

Thanks Doug, I will have another look tomorrow, you guys have a trained eye and keen knowledge for cause and results, so I know you and Mr. Harris know what you are saying...I'll get back to you after I give this BD another spin tomorrow...

 

[Douglas R]

If you want to see BLUE in How To Marry A Millionaire have a look at the nightclub scene.
Sets, clothing, hair, etc, all blue.
At least Fred Clark's jacket is closest to black on the disc (but it's still a very dark blue)
Below is an original 50's IB Technicolor 35mm Cinemascope Film frame that I scanned and you will see it's pure black.
You can also judge the overall color of the original film.

I
I don't have the Blu-ray but the film was shown in HD on TV recently. I don't know if it was from the same master but the opening credits had bad speckling and scratches prior to the curtains opening on "Street Scene". During "Streeet Scene" only Alfred Newman's clothing appears dark blue, everyone else's is pure black. In the still posted by Doug, the jacket is dark blue with jet black lapels as are most of the other men's jackets in that restaurant.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Douglas R /t/322759/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-on-blu-ray-thoughts/30#post_3959273
I
I don't have the Blu-ray but the film was shown in HD on TV recently. I don't know if it was from the same master but the opening credits had bad speckling and scratches prior to the curtains opening on "Street Scene". During "Streeet Scene" only Alfred Newman's clothing appears dark blue, everyone else's is pure black. In the still posted by Doug, the jacket is dark blue with jet black lapels as are most of the other men's jackets in that restaurant.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Eastman 5248.

RAH

 

[RolandL]

With all of the deleted scenes and outtakes, plus screen and costume tests which survive in the Fox vaults and have been seen in the Hidden Hollywood features I find it hard to believe the Marilyn/Jane number from BLONDES is lost. I wish we could get confirmation one way or another. Sheesh, the cover of the BluRay even used a still in those costumes.

Hey Mark, are you saying the "deleted scenes and outtakes, plus screen and costume tests which survive in the Fox vaults and have been seen in the Hidden Hollywood features" have some from GPB?

 

[Eric Vedowski]

There isn't any cut footage in the Hidden Hollywoods from GPB. The stuff that was (some pretty obscure) makes you wonder if anything from GPB is still around but wasn't included for one reason or another. Fox could've added the "Anything You Can Do" cut from TNBLSB with Merman & Dailey to the Blu-Ray. It's on one of the Hidden Hollywood disks. Actually, most of the stuff on the HH wasn't added later to the DVD releases-including an entire segment (Walter Brennan & Hope Emerson) cut from "We're Not Married." I think the W.C. Fields section of "Tales of Manhattan" is on one of them, haven't watched either in a long time.

 

[RolandL]

The River of No Return dvd was pretty severely cropped. Is the blu ray better in this regards?

It's 2.55:1 so I don't think it's "severely cropped". Do you have something to compare to? I have the DVD and the screen shots on dvdbeaver look the same as the DVD.

 

[Robert Harris]

It's 2.55:1 so I don't think it's "severely cropped". Do you have something to compare to? I have the DVD and the screen shots on dvdbeaver look the same as the DVD.

If it's Fox, and it's Schawn Belston's work, it will be presented perfectly
RAH

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by eric scott richard /t/322759/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-on-blu-ray-thoughts/30#post_3959112
The River of No Return dvd was pretty severely cropped. Is the blu ray better in this regards?

I don't see any cropping on the Blu-ray. It appears to have the same aspect ratio as TNBLSB when I watched them.

 

post removed by poster.

 

[gomezfan69]

I thought I had heard when the DVD came out that a 2.35:1 image had been used and just cropped to 2.55:1. Anyway there is only a small difference in framing between the two discs.
DVD

Blu-ray