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- Feb 8, 1999
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- Robert Harris
While the depth of their characters remains sublimely equal, from a technical perspective The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus could not be more different.
For The Red Shoes the filmmakers searched out the most perfect practical locations on the continent and filled in with studio material shot at Pinewood.
Black Narcissus on the other hand, is almost entirely fabricated within the walls of Pinewood, using process shots and matte paintings to create its unique world in a "palace" built within the plateaus of a mountain at the top of the world.
One might compare these two productions with Laurence Olivier's King Henry V, which with the exception of a handful of sequences was shot (wartime) within the hopefully protective studio walls.
Color, again from the painterly camera of Jack Cardiff, plays a huge role in ways that need to be experienced and not explained, for much of it is pure and visceral.
An extremely erotic film, far more is occurring just beneath the surface than out in the windy world that is its location.
Here again is another of what I consider to be a perfect film from The Archers. There are more, which hopefully will find their way to Blu-ray, allowing the uninitiated to revel for the first time in their brilliance.
Black Narcissus comes to Blu-ray with a different technical path than The Red Shoes.
While Red Shoes was scanned from its original negatives in 4k, with all restorative efforts being performed at that resolution, Black Narcissus was scanned from a new Eastman interpositive, which I presume was derived optically from the original three-strip material. There is no mention of registration or fit of the records, which could have been dealt with via delicate re-alignment within the optical camera, or alternatively massaged once the interpositive reached the digital domain. Either way, there are no real problems.
What is interesting here, is to be able to contrast and compare the two methodologies on Blu-ray. And although Blu-ray is heavily down-rezzed from 35mm, those with larger displays should be able to pick out some of the differences. I'd be most interested in seeing these varying attributes discussed. I'll offer nothing more at this point.
Suffice to say that both The Red Shoes -- which I've spoken of as a perfect Blu-ray, as well as Black Narcissus, which while not "perfect" is still beautiful are terrific Blu-rays.
Would I have liked to see Black Narcissus go the digital route?
Without question, as it also could have reached perfection.
What a wonderful way to being a Powell / Pressburger collection.
Highly Recommended.
RAH
For The Red Shoes the filmmakers searched out the most perfect practical locations on the continent and filled in with studio material shot at Pinewood.
Black Narcissus on the other hand, is almost entirely fabricated within the walls of Pinewood, using process shots and matte paintings to create its unique world in a "palace" built within the plateaus of a mountain at the top of the world.
One might compare these two productions with Laurence Olivier's King Henry V, which with the exception of a handful of sequences was shot (wartime) within the hopefully protective studio walls.
Color, again from the painterly camera of Jack Cardiff, plays a huge role in ways that need to be experienced and not explained, for much of it is pure and visceral.
An extremely erotic film, far more is occurring just beneath the surface than out in the windy world that is its location.
Here again is another of what I consider to be a perfect film from The Archers. There are more, which hopefully will find their way to Blu-ray, allowing the uninitiated to revel for the first time in their brilliance.
Black Narcissus comes to Blu-ray with a different technical path than The Red Shoes.
While Red Shoes was scanned from its original negatives in 4k, with all restorative efforts being performed at that resolution, Black Narcissus was scanned from a new Eastman interpositive, which I presume was derived optically from the original three-strip material. There is no mention of registration or fit of the records, which could have been dealt with via delicate re-alignment within the optical camera, or alternatively massaged once the interpositive reached the digital domain. Either way, there are no real problems.
What is interesting here, is to be able to contrast and compare the two methodologies on Blu-ray. And although Blu-ray is heavily down-rezzed from 35mm, those with larger displays should be able to pick out some of the differences. I'd be most interested in seeing these varying attributes discussed. I'll offer nothing more at this point.
Suffice to say that both The Red Shoes -- which I've spoken of as a perfect Blu-ray, as well as Black Narcissus, which while not "perfect" is still beautiful are terrific Blu-rays.
Would I have liked to see Black Narcissus go the digital route?
Without question, as it also could have reached perfection.
What a wonderful way to being a Powell / Pressburger collection.
Highly Recommended.
RAH
