A Few Words About A few words about...™ Dracula aka Horror of Dracula -- in Blu-ray (2 Viewers)

[Peter Apruzzese]

Those stills from Doc Savage on the back of the Curse of Frankenstein LD are a riot.

 

[Worth]

I think, at this point, which release is better simply comes down to what is more important to the viewer, more correct color or better black levels, since neither of the two versions we're talking about is anywhere near perfect nor definitive...Until we have a release with both the right color and proper black levels, watch whichever one you prefer

I ended up getting both discs and after comparing the two, my preference is for...the version on iTunes. Although I suspect it's sourced from an older master, it's 1.78 instead of 1.66, it has the "Horror of Dracula" title card, the black level isn't crushed and the colour is closer to the Warner disc.

 

[Bryan^H]

I ended up getting both discs and after comparing the two, my preference is for...the version on iTunes. Although I suspect it's sourced from an older master, it's 1.78 instead of 1.66, it has the "Horror of Dracula" title card, the black level isn't crushed and the colour is closer to the Warner disc.

I think I will do the same. Thank you for you insight on the iTunes version. The WA version is just too dark for me to enjoy it.

 

[titch]

I noticed over at caps-a-holic that there was a limited German edition, (on Amazon.de it looks like it was released last year) which seems in the screen captures to have the colour of the Warner Archive, but not the crush. Otherwise no apparent restoration.

https://caps-a-holic.com/c_list.php?c=5033

Don't suppose anyone has actually seen this version?

 

[Will Krupp]

I noticed over at caps-a-holic that there was a limited German edition, (on Amazon.de it looks like it was released last year) which seems in the screen captures to have the colour of the Warner Archive, but not the crush. Otherwise no apparent restoration.

https://caps-a-holic.com/c_list.php?c=5033

Don't suppose anyone has actually seen this version?

I haven't, but it's referenced a lot as the "Anolis Version" in online discussions so I'm sure someone here has. If not, there is a lot of discussion about it on the Blu-ray.com thread (if you can get through nearly 50 pages of arguing and back and forth insults, lol)

 

[titch]

(if you can get through nearly 50 pages of arguing and back and forth insults, lol)

Thanks - but I'll stay far away from that!

 

[Will Krupp]

Thanks - but I'll stay far away from that!

Hahah, well, to summarize, the Anolis version from Germany falls between the UK and the US version in terms of release dates and is the longest cut available because it adds back in slightly more footage from the Japanese reels than the UK release did.

 

[haineshisway]

The Anolis is too bright and the color doesn't quite do it and is not as good as the Warners.

 

[titch]

The Anolis is too bright and the color doesn't quite do it and is not as good as the Warners.

Good to know. It's out of print anyway and going for over $50 from third-party sellers.

 

[PMBen]

Although the color timing seems correct in the Warner Blu Ray, where the Lionsgate disc was way too blue, I'd say that the shadow detail was better in the UK edition, dark areas don't look as crushed in it as they do in the US disc.

 

[aPhil]

Although the color timing seems correct in the Warner Blu Ray, where the Lionsgate disc was way too blue, I'd say that the shadow detail was better in the UK edition, dark areas don't look as crushed in it as they do in the US disc.

I think that a new scan from the best element(s) is badly needed. This is the Hammer Film that is most remembered, and it should look better.

 

[Robert Harris]

I think that a new scan from the best element(s) is badly needed. This is the Hammer Film that is most remembered, and it should look better.

Truer words...

 

[Randy Korstick]

Although the color timing seems correct in the Warner Blu Ray, where the Lionsgate disc was way too blue, I'd say that the shadow detail was better in the UK edition, dark areas don't look as crushed in it as they do in the US disc.

True but for a hammer film like this I think the color is much more important. At least for shadow detail you can adjust the brightness of your TV to gain something acceptable. For the UK disc I cranked the color all the way up and it still looks faded and awful like a bargain bin public domain DVD. I find the UK disc unwatchable. I only kept it for the extras. The deleted footage at the end did nothing for me after hearing about it for decades. The fact that they were missing the audio and it is badly out of synch with the patch job they did doesn't help.
A new restoration would be most welcome.

 

[lark144]

True but for a hammer film like this I think the color is much more important. At least for shadow detail you can adjust the brightness of your TV to gain something acceptable. For the UK disc I cranked the color all the way up and it still looks faded and awful like a bargain bin public domain DVD. I find the UK disc unwatchable. I only kept it for the extras. The deleted footage at the end did nothing for me after hearing about it for decades. The fact that they were missing the audio and it is badly out of synch with the patch job they did doesn't help.
A new restoration would be most welcome.

I just tried to look at it again, and I had the same experience. I don't know that it looks faded and awful, but weird; electronic, even, as if they drained the color out of those images the way Drac drains people's blood. While the shadow detail is "better", it's difficult to watch because it doesn't look like film, or anything resembling what stuff in a movie is supposed to look like. Maybe if you hadn't ever seen it, it would look ok. But even ignoring the way the color is supposed to look, it still looks cloned, not duped exactly, but as if we're getting all those details second hand, so there's no real specificity to objects and buildings and rooms and people, though there is shadow detail, which makes it even weirder. The WA, on the other hand, is very organic and detailed, while having the proper color, though things are a bit rough. But it's easier to watch--and way more accurate--then the UK disc, which is a very Twilight Zone kind of experience.