One of my favorite filmmakers. Always been a huge fan of his subtle psychological horror films.
They began with The Cat People in 1942, and continued with I Walked with a Zombie, The Leopard Man, The Seventh Victim, The Ghost Ship (all 1943), The Curse of the Cat People (1944), The Body Snatcher and Isle of the Dead (both 1945), and Bedlam (1946).
Nine films, that in their own way, created their own category.
Over the past few years, all with the exception of the two in these Words, have become available in Blu-ray format.
For the final examples, Criterion has upped the anti, and presented Zombie and Seventh Victim in full-blown 4k UHD, derived from the OCNs.
For aeons, I’ve been making note of the fact that, at least in my opinion there is little (or nothing) to be gained from released films from the 1930s through 1960s in 4k. There are exceptions beyond large format, but generally, there just isn’t enough meat on the bone to warrant the extra expense of a 4k release.
With those 2 vs 4k thoughts in mind, I’ve sampled the new Criterions, and have come away even more convinced that 4k releases of older films generally aren’t worth the effort.
Both of these films have been lovingly harvested from the original Nitrate OCNs, and finished in the best way possible. Black levels, cleanliness, stability and grain structure are all exemplary.
But my final thoughts are that I actually prefer the 2k for critical viewing, and at a NSD, there is no discernible difference. Those who may wish to HDR or Dolby Vision aren’t going to find it here.
To me, with all due respect to those distributors who go to the trouble and expense of releasing older films on 4k, there just isn’t any there there. Zero increase in overall resolution.
Forensically, there’s an increase in grain.
That’s it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that every pre-modern film isn’t worth the 4k treatment, but in general, the same new image harvest in 2k will serve the same needs as the 4k. Off the top of my head one 35mm Panavision film that would be worthy of 4k would be The Great Race.
Image
Forensic – 7.5
NSD – 10
Audio – 10 (Monaural)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors – Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k – 5
Worth your attention – Yes
Slipcover rating – n/a
Very 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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