The War of the Worlds (1953) possible Blu-ray release? (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Fox didn't remove the wires for The Day the Earth Stood Still either.

 

[Persianimmortal]

They weren't constantly visible in The Day The Earth Stood Still. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's one scene only where wires can clearly be seen in that movie, and it lasts a matter of seconds.In The War of the Worlds the wires are constantly visible. It's the only 50s sci-fi movie I've seen on DVD or Blu-ray that stands out as having such an obtrusive and unintentional special effects gaffe. As I mentioned before it's analogous to seeing a boom mike in a scene - it's quite distracting and takes you right out of the movie.The real issue is that we have exacerbated the wire problem with increasingly higher resolution home presentations. So removing or reducing the wires is an offsetting factor, rather than revision just for the sake of it. And with all due respect, I think the movie has a better chance of selling on blu if there is at least an option for seeing a version without the wires.

 

[ABaglivi]

Too bad the discussion of this film is concentrating on wires. I hope the people at Paramount are not reading this thread and become discouraged about releasing it on Blu-ray.

 

[Richard V]

Too bad the discussion of this film is concentrating on wires. I hope the people at Paramount are not reading this thread and become discouraged about releasing it on Blu-ray.

Actually, I would hope that they see the passion that fans have for the movie coming out on Blu, wires or not.

 

[ROclockCK]

When I saw WOTW at my local theater as a young lad (circa early 1960's), I can't honestly say whether or not I remember seeing the wires. But I DO remember the vivid COLORS!

Not to mention the fact that near the end of the film when the martians war machines were destroying the world with their heat, and disintegration rays, I was so scared that I accidentally swallowed a hard candy that I had in my mouth, and almost choked!

My first experience with WotW was in the 60s too Reed, on a drive-in double-bill with Psycho (if I recall correctly, Paramount officially re-released them together like that). Neither film made me choke, but that was undoubtably the most glutonous double feast I'd seen...then or since.

Despite the drive-in venue and Eastman reprint stock, I could see the wires in WotW. Later on TV, in black and white, I could see the wires as well. Even in the 70s, when I had the pleasure of viewing an almost pristine original IB Technicolor print, I could still see the wires. As others have noted, they've always been there! However, what made them much less noticeable, especially in dye transfer form, was not merely the resolution of the image, but its gamma. I seem to recall an article on the making of this movie - maybe in Cinefantastique? - which mentioned how they tested the Fx shots with the war machines and then painstakingly hand-painted the wires to match the dioramas as closely as possible. With successive home video releases though, resolution has not only increased, but so has the overall brightness...which was the most damaging flaw in the 2005 SE DVD edition, my least favourite transfer to date. In its original IB form, WotW had a richly saturated primary red-blue-green colour palette and generally sombre brightness levels, which I think contributed to its creepier feel (naturally, it played best to me in native IB Technicolor form).

So if they just stop trying to appease modern video tastes and go back to a look that is closer to the original IB Technicolor, most of these issues regarding wire visibility, will, if not totally vanish, then certainly be minimized by a more correctly timed colour/gamma balance.

 

[dpippel]

I agree with that. It's not like Criterion removed the wires or updated the special effects in Godzilla, and I don't think any of the Toho monster movies on blu-ray bothered either.

I'd be willing to bet that wire removal work on these particular titles was more of a budgetary consideration than an artistic one.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

I'm not even sure how this rumor got started, but I seriously doubt that anybody is going to take time and spend money to remove the wires from this film.

 

[ahollis]

I'm not even sure how this rumor got started, but I seriously doubt that anybody is going to take time and spend money to remove the wires from this film.

I think it is just some wishful thinking on part of some.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Yeah, it's not a rumor, that I know of. Just something some of us would like to see happen. And in case the disc producers are reading, put WOTW on blu-ray with or without wires, it will be in my library. I enjoy the movie in spite of the wires.

 

[dana martin]

Much like Ray Harryhausen there is a unique magic to George Pal films that will never be captured by modern CGI or stop motion animation styles. These films are definitely products of their time, and have stood the test of time, have a fan base. But whereas Harryhausen has actually had films released on BD, the great set from Sony along with the single release of Jason and the Argonauts and the Twilight Time release of Mysterious Island are all at my house. Yes I would love to see Pal’s work get some of the same respect and have some of his titles released.

Not to add controversy to all of this, but also being a classic animation and stop motion animation fan as well, this brings up the quagmire of George Pal’s Puppetoons. Now that WB is distributing for Paramount, with the issue that has been ongoing with the Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume 2, do you think these would ever see the light of day as a complete release?

As for the wires, get it as close as it was in 1953, in all of its Technicolor glory and I will be happy.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Count me in for The War of the Worlds and When Worlds Collide. Conquest of Space is not a great film but looks spectacular on DVD.

These, together with The Time Machine, would make a very nice George Pal Blu-ray set.

 

[Matt Hough]

I'd love to see a George Pal Blu-ray set, too. I took the War of the Worlds DVD set off the shelf a few nights ago and watched it. It holds up very well in the HD world, but I'd still like to see it in HD.

 

[Lromero1396]

So if they just stop trying to appease modern video tastes and go back to a look that is closer to the original IB Technicolor, most of these issues regarding wire visibility, will, if not totally vanish, then certainly be minimized by a more correctly timed colour/gamma balance.

I can't agree enough!

 

[Tony DeCosa]

Over the years, I've come to think of The Time Machine as an entity separate from the Paramount productions: I'd prefer to see WotW paired with When Worlds Collide on Blu ray. (Or even, as someone mentioned, those two AND Conquest of Space and The Naked Jungle.) The Time Machine might be paired with Atlantis: The Lost Continent (or even 7 Faces of Dr. Lao). The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm needs a full Cinerama restoration, and should be released on its own (or with tom thumb).BTW, there is ONE Pal film that has already released on Blu ray: Houdini, in a release paired with Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Unfortunately, not much care was taken with it. Paramount's DVD is actually better.Many decades ago, I attended (at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, I think) an exhibit of matte paintings, including many of the classics you can think of. I was shocked at the roughness of these paintings-on-glass: the lack of detail, the broad brush strokes. The guide explained to us that these matte painters had an innate sense of just how much detail was necessary - factoring in film stock, focus, projection, etc. Any more would have been superfluous.Some of these - award-winning - matte paintings look absurd in HD. Should the matte painters have KNOWN that such technology would exist in the future, and painted their works accordingly?I remember reading (in that comprehensive Cinefantastique retrospective, I believe) that the technicians at work on War of the Worlds COUNTED on some degree of 3-strip Technicolor "registration error" to help mask the war machine wires; they never imagined the perfect registration made possible by today's technology. I don't think they can be faulted for relying, to some degree, on the limitations of the medium in which they worked (as the matte painters did).I count myself among the camp that says: "Improved technology created (or at least, exacerbated) this problem; improved technology should solve it." I'm all for a "seamless-branching" release - but I'm pretty sure I know which one I'll be watching more by default.Oh - and don't give up on that idea of a Puppetoons collection, dana; I've a feeling we may see that turn up in the next few years!

 

[David Weicker]

BTW, there is ONE Pal film that has already released on Blu ray: Houdini, in a release paired with Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Unfortunately, not much care was taken with it. Paramount's DVD is actually better.

Just to clarify - Houdini is paired with Those Daring Young Men In Their Jaunty Jalopies.

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines was released by Twilight Time.

David

 

[moviebuff75]

So, would the wires have been seen in The Wizard of Oz in 1939 Technicolor? WB says they were not. But many times, they were moving. How could they not be visible?

 

[Dick]

Because of the significant cult following this film has, a lot of fans would get angry if the wires were completely removed and the release wouldn't have as big of a market. If any digital work is done on them, it should only be to lessen the prescence of the wires (this can be done without any alteration to the wires) Like I said, the release should be color-timed accurately with correct brightness and contrast in any case. End of story. Why not reach a happy medium and just color it correctly?

One solution would be for the studio to offer both "with" and "without" the wires, which would be similar to what they did with the Blu releases of the STAR TREK OS episodes with original vs. new effects. You could even toggle back and forth between both versions for comparison.

 

[Lromero1396]

Well, Paramount/Warner blew it on this one. It's October and no announcement of a 60th anniversary edition has been made. I guess we'll just have to keep waiting...

 

[skylark68]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but has anyone heard any news on this film? I recently re-read the old story and it sparked my memories of this film.

 

[John Sparks]

Yes, 3D and 1.66:1. On the cusp of full screen and widescreen...