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BARRY LYNDON : an appeal to WHV for restoration (1 Viewer)

Richard--W

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Many fans of Stanley Kubrick are expressing their disappointment that BARRY LYNDON has not been remastered in the forthcoming collection.

There are many reasons why this film merits special attention by Warner Home Video, but let's mention the single most important reason. Remember, it is shot using NASA space lenses mounted on a modified camera to capture natural light in a way that had never been done before. Now, many films are shot in natural light, but not with these lenses or with this camera. All perceived light is reflected light off the surface of things, but the light in BARRY LYNDON is genuinely unique. Traditional lenses don't normally see this much or this way. Most films are shot between f8. to f11. in normal light situations, either artificial or natural. But the outer space lens has an opening of f0.7 to look through the dark at distant planets from a satellite, and Zeiss grinds it extra fine to facilitate the sharpest image possible. Kubrick mounts this ultra-fast, wide-open, fine-grain lens on a specially modified Mitchell camera, and augments the sunlight with reflectors and the night time with actual candles instead of artificial. The combination of space lens and organic light endows the landscape and the human face with a perspective, a texture, and an aesthetic quality that is different from every other movie. Something wonderful is on display in BARRY LYNDON that can't be seen anywhere else, not even in DAYS OF HEAVEN.

Who else but Stanley Kubrick would even attempt such a thing.

BARRY LYNDON is one of the great experiments in the history of cinema, an experiment that is 100% successful creatively, technically, and dramatically. It is different from other costume epics in the Warner Brothers catalog. It deserves special consideration and special treatment, regardless of whether or not it's the least profitable of Kubrick's films. It was profitable. Warner Home Video can afford to work from the raw elements to bring out the best in BARRY LYNDON so that people can see how uniquely beautiful it is. WHV can also afford to promote the DVD / HD in carefully chosen language that makes Kubrick's approach more accessible to the masses. A technical commentary, one that talks about lensmanship, how this film is lit and photographed, and why Kubrick stages scenes the way he does, is called for. True, the film speaks for itself, but sometimes audiences need a little explanation when confronted by an artist who operates on a different set of rules.

If BARRY LYNDON is remastered and properly marketed, I'm sure it would be a profitable home video. Perhaps other members of HTF will join me in this recommendation and give their own reasons why BARRY LYNDON merits a remastered edition.
 

Michael Harris

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I'll be honest, "Barry Lyndon" is one of two Kubrick films I've never seen but I would buy an restored HD version in a heartbeat.
 

Patrick McCart

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Count me in for wanting a special edition. Beautiful film, but also just as interesting and entertaining as his other films. The duel near the end is one of the greatest scenes in film history. I know it's not as popular as others, but it has enough release strength if just for the 4 Oscars it won.
 

Josh Steinberg

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Count me among those who would buy a remastered, anamorphic re-release in a heartbeat!
 

PattyFraser

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I, too, would buy this restored or in high def. The copy I have isn't great, and this is a beautifully filmed story worthy of the best treatment. A commentary would definitely be icing on the cake.
 

David_B_K

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I thought an anamorphic remastered Barry Lyndon was in the offing. Not part of the latest incarnation of The Kubrick Collection, but forthcoming nonetheless. Is there no new release of Barry Lyndon this year? Are you guys saying WB is re-releasing the same old version again?
 
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Much as though I'd like to see an extras-packed edition of BARRY LYNDON, I'd have been very happy with just a remastered Blu-Ray in the interim.

Actually, I fully believe Warner will release this (and LOLITA) but a clear statement of intent would tide me over as I shell out literally hundreds of pounds on their discs over the next few months.
 
C

Chris*Liberti

I would love to see a full restoration of this for Blu-ray. I watched it when it was on HD Net a while ago and although it is not my favorite Kubrick film it is a lot more beautiful in HD, even if not a full restoration, than it is on SD
 

JonJJ

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So has it been confirmed that the Barry Lyndon and Lolita discs coming out in October are the same as the ones we already own? That would be a shame. They could have at least given us an anamorphic transfer...
 

Gordon McMurphy

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Just to clarify:

The boxed set is SD only? There will be no Blu-Ray or HD-DVD boxed sets?

There will be no Blu-Ray or HD-DVD editions of Lolita or Barry Lyndon?

All of the extras that the SD editions have will be on the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD editions?
 

ErichH

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Certainly an important part of the collection - I'd Buy.
An amazing excercise on how to be still (by today's standards at least)
 

Richard--W

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Let's stay on topic. The two posts above belong in the Kubric SE edition thread.

This thread is an appeal to WHV to restore and remaster BARRY LYNDON for all formats. Do Brandon Conway and Gordon McMurphy support this idea? Will they buy it?

I can't see WHV paying much attention if more members don't voice their support
 

Jarod M

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I'm a little confused-are you saying that Barry Lyndon needs a restoration because the current master is inadequate, or are you saying that the most recent DVD release is inadequate? The high def version on HDNET Movies was very good, though I am not enough of an expert on the film to say that it couldn't have looked better.
 

Brandon Conway

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As I posted earlier, I certainly support the idea of a remastered Barry Lyndon. I also felt there was nothing wrong with answering another person's questions - particularly when one was specifically seeking clarification about Barry Lyndon in the context of this Fall's Kubrick releases - and tried to keep it as simple as possible in order to allow the conversation to take it's proper course.

I don't see the need to be ever-so-slightly snippy about it by calling us out by name, especially since with the questions answered we had thus moved on anyway.
 

rich_d

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Fair Point.

Warner Home Video,

A lot of us have considered you the class act of the studio video producers.

Don't let us down by second class treatment for a Kubrick (of all people) video release.
 

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