The King and I (Blu-ray) Single Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[PaulaJ]

TCM has announced the "60th anniversary presentation" of The King and I for the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival.


http://filmfestival.tcm.com/programs/films/the-king-and-i/


Am very interested to see how this screening will compare to the Blu-ray.

 

[rsmithjr]

I may well go down to LA to see that screening despite the fact that the festival is very expensive.


Three weeks ago I saw a rather new 35mm print of The King and I at the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, using carbon arc projection. The aspect ratio was 2:55 to 1 (slightly letterboxed) suggesting it was made from the restoration from the CinemaScope 55 negative. This is the first time I have seen it in 255 other than the Blu-ray. I was unable to discover anything definite about the provenance of the print.


The color balance struck me as authentic from my viewings in the first two releases and definitely not the pervasive indigo of the Blu-ray. This presentation was a bit more blue than the version on the streaming services but only marginally I did take some screen shots but I am not posting them since posting them would provoke a useless controversy.


This is a nearly-great film, marred by only the failure to include several songs and an overture/intermission presentation. The musical itself is perfect and the performances cannot be topped.


I certainly hope that we may yet see a new Blu-ray with reasonable color balance.

 

[OliverK]

I may well go down to LA to see that screening despite the fact that the festival is very expensive.

Three weeks ago I saw a rather new 35mm print of The King and I at the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, using carbon arc projection. The aspect ratio was 2:55 to 1 (slightly letterboxed) suggesting it was made from the restoration from the CinemaScope 55 negative. This is the first time I have seen it in 255 other than the Blu-ray. I was unable to discover anything definite about the provenance of the print.

The color balance struck me as authentic from my viewings in the first two releases and definitely not the pervasive indigo of the Blu-ray. This presentation was a bit more blue than the version on the streaming services but only marginally I did take some screen shots but I am not posting them since posting them would provoke a useless controversy.

This is a nearly-great film, marred by only the failure to include several songs and an overture/intermission presentation. The musical itself is perfect and the performances cannot be topped.

I certainly hope that we may yet see a new Blu-ray with reasonable color balance.

I for one would be interested in seeing those screenshots and I would not be surprised about a difference. I have seen new prints of most of the Todd-AO productions from Fox and several of them have a notably different look than the Blu-ray versions with the biggest differences that I can remember being the colors and contrasts of Cleopatra and Hello, Dolly! that both look more like the old DVD versions in that regard, seems to be the same then for The King and I 35mm print.

 

[Dr Griffin]

I can't help but to find it interesting that this will not die. I have never seen The King and I projected in any format, so I have no reference for any judgement. I'd like to see a gathering of as many prints of the film as possible in one theater, along with the various DVD releases and the Blu-ray (just for the hell of it!), then a panel of experts take a look at all of them and render a judgement that will forever be binding, but I feel no one would make it out of that theater alive.

 

[rsmithjr]

I can't help but to find it interesting that this will not die. I have never seen The King and I projected in any format, so I have no reference for any judgement. I'd like to see a gathering of as many prints of the film as possible in one theater, along with the various DVD releases and the Blu-ray (just for the hell of it!), then a panel of experts take a look at all of them and render a judgement that will forever be binding, but I feel no one would make it out of that theater alive.

Sorry if this seems excessive.


I have a history with this musical and film version that exceeds the actual quality of the work itself to me personally. I also love American musicals and have focused my "entertainment life" on them. Finally, I was a motion-picture projectionist through college and had the privilege of projecting The King and I in 35mm in 1957 in my junior high school at the age of 12. All of this adds up to a nostalgia overload for me. Sorry.


Many people on this forum have similar excesses and I understand that. I have read pages of posts about films I care little about myself.


I have seen this film in many presentations over the years, twice in 35mm in the last 3 years. The color balance has been variable to say the least, but never the unrelenting blue of the Blu-ray.


I was eagerly awaiting the Blu-ray, especially after Fox's wonderful treatment of South Pacific (my favorite musical). Alas, the Blu-ray was a bitter disappointment.


I am not sure that the procedure you suggest of gathering prints and experts together would do much good. Older prints are of course faded (except for 16mm dye-transfer which have their own issues), and newer prints are subject to the whim of modern color timers who have likely never seen the film in the original releases (1956, second release in 1961, then largely forgotten).


I can certainly be convinced that the "correct" presentation is the indigo of the Blu-ray but I am not sure what evidence I would call for.

 

[Dr Griffin]

Sorry if this seems excessive.


I have a history with this musical and film version that exceeds the actual quality of the work itself to me personally. I also love American musicals and have focused my "entertainment life" on them. Finally, I was a motion-picture projectionist through college and had the privilege of projecting The King and I in 35mm in 1957 in my junior high school at the age of 12. All of this adds up to a nostalgia overload for me. Sorry.


Many people on this forum have similar excesses and I understand that. I have read pages of posts about films I care little about myself.


I have seen this film in many presentations over the years, twice in 35mm in the last 3 years. The color balance has been variable to say the least, but never the unrelenting blue of the Blu-ray.


I was eagerly awaiting the Blu-ray, especially after Fox's wonderful treatment of South Pacific (my favorite musical). Alas, the Blu-ray was a bitter disappointment.


I am not sure that the procedure you suggest of gathering prints and experts together would do much good. Older prints are of course faded (except for 16mm dye-transfer which have their own issues), and newer prints are subject to the whim of modern color timers who have likely never seen the film in the original releases (1956, second release in 1961, then largely forgotten).


I can certainly be convinced that the "correct" presentation is the indigo of the Blu-ray but I am not sure what evidence I would call for.

No need for apologies. There are no excesses in which something you are interested. I am truly interested in the reasons for the varied opinions, but my post was more humorous than serious. There does seem to be much disagreement, though, among those that have seen early prints of the film, and then comparing the color of the Blu-ray.

 

[Jim*Tod]

Aside from the occasional sniping at each other, which I think is silly and impolite, this forum is exactly the place where we can discuss the minutia of how a vintage film should look. Hopefully this showing at the TCM festival would indicate a new restoration and yes a new blu ray. We will see. It seems that each generation (dvd, blu ray, etc) of the Rodgers and Hammerstein films has at least one title which needs a lot more work. A few years ago it was the Todd-Ao version of OKLAHOMA! on dvd... and this time we got the amazing restoration and blu ray of that. This round the dog was KING AND I. And I am sure there are plenty of folks who can find problems with the other titles that we got on blu ray last year. It would be nice for all these films to be perfect, but I am sure marketing and sales indicates where the money will be spent.


As far I as know, Fox has never responded to any of the complaints about the KING AND I blu ray, so we can only hope that they are listening. Next year will be the 60th anniversary for this film, so that might signal a full restoration. Maybe we will get lucky and Mr. Harris is at the helm and we will get a restoration like this year's SPARTACUS and MY FAIR LADY blu rays. (Hey---a guy can dream!)

 

[telzall]

TCM has announced the "60th anniversary presentation" of The King and I for the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival.


http://filmfestival.tcm.com/programs/films/the-king-and-i/


Am very interested to see how this screening will compare to the Blu-ray.

So does anyone know how this looked at the TCM festival relative to the blu ray?

 

[GlennF]

Have to admit I am curious about that as well. Not going to get into the whole debate of what is right and what is wrong, would just be interested to know if it looks the same as the Blu-ray or not.

 

[SFMike]

Me too as I've been arguing with haineshisway about this for months. He was going to review an old technicolor print to determine proper color balance but it never happened. Wish I could see this new print as the Blu-ray really annoys me.

 

[haineshisway]

Unfortunately the guy with the print passed away - he'd been sick for months - he has perhaps the biggest 35mm and 16mm IB Tech film library in the world.

 

[telzall]

Unfortunately the guy with the print passed away - he'd been sick for months - he has perhaps the biggest 35mm and 16mm IB Tech film library in the world.

Very sorry to here that. I hope he made provisions for his valuable library, which I'm sure he would have!

I have the old DVD which looks fine to me; but, I'm no expert on the original "look" to any film.
I just know what I like and decide for myself based on what I read from y'all, here and elsewhere.
As for now, I'm reluctant to buy the blu ray.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Very sorry to here that. I hope he made provisions for his valuable library, which I'm sure he would have!

I have the old DVD which looks fine to me; but, I'm no expert on the original "look" to any film.
I just know what I like and decide for myself based on what I read from y'all, here and elsewhere.
As for now, I'm reluctant to buy the blu ray.

To each his own, but I'm happy with the blu-ray.

 

[Richard M S]

As part of TCM's now-monthly Big Screen Classics series, their nationwide August showing will be The King And I, billed as a "60th Anniversary Event". It does not say so specifically, but I would guess (and hope) it is the same version as what people saw at the TCM Festival.

http://www.fathomevents.com/event/the-king-and-i

 

[telzall]

As part of TCM's now-monthly Big Screen Classics series, their nationwide August showing will be The King And I, billed as a "60th Anniversary Event". It does not say so specifically, but I would guess (and hope) it is the same version as what people saw at the TCM Festival.

http://www.fathomevents.com/event/the-king-and-i

I'll be there.

 

[Jonny_G]

has there been any news if the DCP from last week's screening of 'The King and I' at the TCM Festival displayed the same flaws on the bluray transfer?

 

[classicmovieguy]

I would love to Fox to release a 60th Anniversary "King & I" package this year.

 

[SFMike]

has there been any news if the DCP from last week's screening of 'The King and I' at the TCM Festival displayed the same flaws on the bluray transfer?

I haven't heard a thing. I guess the few people who care are on this thread and none of them made it and the rest of the folks aren't interested.

 

[Jonny_G]

well ... maybe they'll fix it for the UHD edition

 

[Konstantinos]

well ... maybe they'll fix it for the UHD edition

I don't think they think that there is something wrong with the transfer. Unfortunately.