Gone With the Wind -- 2009 or 2010 ? (1 Viewer)

Warner Brothers Home Video released Gone With the Wind on Blu-ray three times. First time, The 70th Anniversary Edition on November 17, 2009: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XF9C54/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013N7FZ6/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= Second time, The Scarlet Edition on May 4, 2010: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038ZITIY/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= Third time, the steelbook edition in Canada on October 18, 2011 with cover art the same as The Four-Disc Collectors Edition DVD released November 9, 2004 DVD: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005IVT2H8/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002V7TZ6/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller= My question, is there any difference in the transfers? Which transfer is best, and which transfer most represents the film? What makes them different, or are they all the same? Are all the editions sourced from the same HD transfer made for the 2004 Four-Disc Collectors Edition DVD?

WB did a new scan of the materials, so no, it's not the same version as the 2004 dvd set. All of the blu-rays feature the same HD transfer and look/sound the same. The blu-ray is better than the dvds. The only downside to every edition of GWTW since 1954 is that a dozen or so shots were vertically cropped and those portions of the negative lost. The 2004 edition got around the problem by zooming in on the frames. The blu-ray version uses a vertical pan/scan on said frames. Other than those shots, the blu-ray features more of the frame on all four sides. The colors on the blu-ray are beautiful.

Thanks for your prompt reply. Would you say the color in the Blu-ray is different than the color in the 2004 DVD? When was the new scan done, is that known? Was it 2K or 4K?

I've just seen the screengrabs at DVDbeaver -- http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare6/gonewiththewind.htm which shows what I wanted to know. The oversaturation of yellow which gives the color pallet a green and orange bias on the DVD appears to have been corrected on the Blu-ray. Observes Gary Tooze:

Most notable may be the colors - flesh tones are warm at times but lose that yellow-orangey look of the SD transfers. Beside the Blu-ray screen grabs the 4-disc DVD package looks very green.

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Too bad there aren't screen captures of the sunset behind Rhett and Scarlett when he pulls her off the wagon to kiss her goodbye. That was the DVD's most grievous offense and if the Blu-ray corrects it, it would be worth buying. Now, if Warner Brothers can undo the damage done to Gone With the Wind, what prevents them from repairing the injury inflicted on The Searchers?

Originally Posted by eric scott richard

WB did a new scan of the materials, so no, it's not the same version as the 2004 dvd set. All of the blu-rays feature the same HD transfer and look/sound the same. The blu-ray is better than the dvds. The only downside to every edition of GWTW since 1954 is that a dozen or so shots were vertically cropped and those portions of the negative lost. The 2004 edition got around the problem by zooming in on the frames. The blu-ray version uses a vertical pan/scan on said frames. Other than those shots, the blu-ray features more of the frame on all four sides. The colors on the blu-ray are beautiful.

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I think they did something similar in the infamous 1998 restoration where the film was in full frame but occasionally there was a black bar on the bottom.


That 1998 version was a terrible reissue, less said the better.