Both films begin with an explanatory preface explaining the horrible condition of the elements, presumably caused by multiple distributors over the decades and their mishandling of the films. The notes are long and set the stage for anything that might appear untoward while viewing the film. Normally one would find these notes as addendums to a booklet.
Both give us basically the same verbiage and details.
Then, even stranger, there appears the credit for the current licensor, Master Licensing, followed by an “above the title” credit for the entity that performed the restorations.
I’ve had some negative comments on the inter-web, complaining that either my company or I have been given credit for restorative efforts, which I’ve always found odd, as anyone who puts a year or more into a project should not go un-noted, and I always make note of the crews who put their labors into my projects.
But we always put them at the end of a film – actually after the end – with a couple of beats between end and restoration credits.
I’m not suggesting that TLE, a German entity, who did very nice work on these films, shouldn’t be credited. It’s deserved, and their work is nicely done.
It just seemed a bit odd to take name above the title.
As to the work performed on these wonderful films…
It’s top notch, with some very minor niggling exceptions. I did note examples of what I call magnetic grain (looks a bit like an old Etch A Sketch) or those toys that allow one to play with magnetic filings. The affect is one of making the grain appear to be racing away from an object as it moves. As I recall, there are some wonderful examples in Footloose. The other were small a clumping of grain, which just looked a bit odd.
Neither of these problems affect the enjoyment of the film, as they’ll be invisible from a nominal seating distance. And sometimes, dependent upon the damage being covered, there may not be a way around the look.
Grain appears generally natural, wonderful blacks, nice highlights, good stability.
As an aside, the film has always been promoted as being shot on location in Manhattan, but possibly because of the clarity of the newly restored element, some shots, for example a police office early in the film, has that look of a studio shot with a city background.
Audio is fine.
Image – 4.75
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from DVD – Absolutely
Highly Recommended.
RAH
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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