Yes, I believe it is differential shrinkage. Warner Home Video's DVD contains various glaring examples of Technicolor misregistration - regrettable for a film as beloved and enjoyed around the world as Anchors Aweigh. But WB seems to have fallen behind the times of late where their classic film...
Yesterday, I saw The Godfather on the big screen, in all it's cinematic glory. That was something that, as a 36-year-old, I had presumed would never happen. Now, The Godfather is not my most favorite movie of all time, but I do rate it very highly. And of course it's cultural and cinematic...
I'd like to learn a little more about the introduction of single-strip Technicolor in the 1940s. We all know that 3-strip (and sequential exposure) were used by the motion picture industry well into the 1950s until it was replaced by Eastman color. What I have recently discovered is that...
Dear Mr. Harris:
I had the opportunity to prescreen MY FAIR LADY on Blu-ray and was frankly mortified by what I saw. All your fine efforts in the 1994 restoration and subsequent lavish laserdisc box set have been reduced to little more than a wan ghostflower of what the film ought to look like...
We've seen stickers and comments on Blu-ray Discs saying that they contain a 'Director Approved Transfers', or some similar wording. There's recently been discussion about the new Blu-ray Disc of Pulp Fiction - a release which says QT approved the transfer, but which some people don't like the...
I took some time and compared the General Release DVD to the Roadshow Version Laserdisc to isolate the differences between the two. Often there were entire scenes that were cut for the General Release version, but there were times when only a line or a shot here and there was cut.
I compiled the...
Mr Harris,
It is a great thrill to be able to correspond with you, being such a great admirer of your work over many years.
Your 70mm restorations have played very successfully here in Melbourne, Australia, many of them at the Astor Theatre in St Kilda, wherein I have had a long association...
Just like its fun to know which films had a huge impact and influence on starting any director's career,i think it would definitely be fascinating to know if any specific event,film or studies that could've contributed in your life's work. I could've looked it up (if available at all ) but i...
I just watched the Kino DVD again this evening and it made me wonder if there was anything happening with this title. Has anyone mentioned restoring it?
Someone told me that the Library of Congress has a pristine 35mm print. Any plans to release a DVD or Blu-Ray using that print?
This article is from Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy blog, the details are at the end of the article:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/archives/the_fruits_of_film_preservation/
As a life long Laurel and Hardy fan, this news is like finding the Dead Sea Scrolls -- unfortunately after...
I need to restore my family's 8mm footage. I'm looking at my movie transfer.com for scanning. They offer uncompressed 2K. Question 1 Should I even bother with a HD transfer 8mm elements. I should add that they have been mostly un played and in an attic in NC which has hot summers...
Hello Mr. Harris. I recently bought the new Blu-Ray disc of Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, a film directed by Jacques Tati in 1953. It comes from a restoration made in 2009 and it looks very good indeed. I couldn't make a proper technical description of it, as I do not have the neccessary...
Just recently I went through the rather exhaustive Hyperion Studios documentary on the Snow White blu-ray, and I was surprised to see that Disney had included in remastered 1080p several of their old shorts from the 20s and 30s. They were both stunning and disappointing at the same time...
Hello Robert! There is a bit of a controversy in another discussion forum that I frequent concerning the Universal made for television supernatural thriller Fear No Evil (1969), which starred Louis Jourdan and Lynda Day George. Two writers in this other discussion forum both claim that they...
Are there any plans for "Tora! Tora! Tora!" on Blu-ray? It's always been one of the Fox classic war film trio ("The Longest Day" and "Patton" being the other two) and has generally come out at the same time in the various formats. Now it's the only one without a Blu-ray release, while "Battle of...
I recently viewed Iron Man 3. It appeared to be a aging film print. Just about all the movies I have seen in the past year were described as being digitally projected and looked great. I understand that film has greater resolution, but it seems to me that we lose more than we gain when its...
A message for Robert Harris You worked extensively on My Fair Lady resulting in a beautiful 70mm restoration back in the early 90's. As I am sure you are aware, his landmark musical has since been taken over by Paramount for home distribution. I hear ,although consider this rumor dept, that...
Robert, I was wondering if you'd had a chance to view the new Studio Canal version of "The Ladykillers."
The comparison at the Beaver shows extreme differences in color between the Anchor Bay and this new BD...
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews49/ladykillers_blu-ray.htm
Do you have...
Mr. Harris, there seems to be a resounding silence about whether or not Anthony Harvey's The Lion in Winter will ever make its way to blu ray. I thought someone might make an effort with it after the Becket release a while back but no one seems to be even trying. And I've no idea who would...
I'm honestly a bit surprised/confused that Spartacus hasn't found it's way over to blu-ray yet. It was an early HD-DVD release given its age, and I'm surprised it wasn't quickly ported over to blu-ray (like the Errol Flynn Robin Hood).
Is any sort of ambitious undertaking delaying its release...
Mr Harris, have you ever been approached for the "Porgy and Bess" restoration. The rights are available, but the studios feel the restoration will cost more than the video sales.
I was told the Samuel Goldwyn company restored/worked on the film in 1985 but then the rights were an issue. The...
Mr. Harris,
I have recently discovered that you have been behind the restorations of my favorite films such as Spartacus and Lawrence of Arabia and am wondering if the process of digital restoration can compare to what can be done on film. I know digital restoration is better...
1. I really enjoyed your article on The Digital Bits on DNR in Patton. In that article, you mentioned half a dozen Blu Rays that you felt had been transferred without reducing grain or detail (and also, I suppose, that look beautiful to the informed cinephile):
Bullitt
The Sting
Reds
Sand...