A Few Words About A few words about...™ High Noon -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

The changeover to acetate was not as simple as one might surmise. Early acetate elements, c. 1951-2, can be extremely problematic. Far more so than nitrate, which is more stable in some ways. RAH

 

[Lromero1396]

The changeover to acetate was not as simple as one might surmise.  Early acetate elements, c. 1951-2, can be extremely problematic.  Far more so than nitrate, which is more stable in some ways. RAH

I seem to recall you mentioning this in the 3-strip Technicolor thread. So the state of High Noon's OCN could be even more dire than if it were nitrate. That is, if it's not stored properly.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Lromero1396
I seem to recall you mentioning this in the 3-strip Technicolor thread. So the state of High Noon's OCN could be even more dire than if it were nitrate. That is, if it's not stored properly.

Most likely in regard to early acetate having much greater registration problems, especially in pre-digital era. Do a search for surviving release prints, c. 1951-52. Slim Pickins'.
RAH

 

[Lromero1396]

Any word on a Sergeant York Blu-ray?

I'd certainly like to hear something from Warner concerning Sergeant York. It's one of my favorite films and I've been wanting it released on BD for a while.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Originally Posted by JoshZ
Unfortunately, many people who frequent Blu-ray forums like this (more so on other sites than HTF specifically) fail to distinguish between "problematic" and "unwatchable." If a disc is not what they perceive to be 100% "perfect" in every pixel of every frame, they want to rip it out of their Blu-ray player and set it on fire.
Back to the Future, for example, is a problematic transfer, but is not unwatchable. It's clearly an older master that's had some DNR and sharpening applied. It has edge ringing artifacts in some scenes, and a loss of textural detail. Yes, it could be better. But it's not terrible. In fact, for a lot of the movie, it's a very pleasant viewing experience. I would personally rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars, which is a solid recommendation. Yet I can't believe the arguments I got into about the horrors of that disc. People advocated watching recordings of the (admittedly, DNR-less) ancient HD broadcast transfer, which is swamped in noise and looks horrible. I find that ridiculous.
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly is another problematic Blu-ray, but not unwatchable. It looks pretty bad in some scenes, but pretty good in others. Overall, I think it comes out as a net positive. Maybe the Italian release is better, but until somebody matches that transfer up with the English soundtrack, I will continue to make do with the current American disc.

Agree. I rented the "High Noon" Blu-ray and just watched it. I agree with RAH's assessment - actually, I was relieved to read it, since it confirmed what I saw though other reviews didn't comment on the "frozen grain" and whatnot.
However, none of this makes the BD unwatchable. Is it a disappointment? Certainly, but it's still a watchable rendition of a great film...

 

[Lromero1396]

Agree. I rented the "High Noon" Blu-ray and just watched it.  I agree with RAH's assessment - actually, I was relieved to read it, since it confirmed what I saw though other reviews didn't comment on the "frozen grain" and whatnot.  However, none of this makes the BD unwatchable.  Is it a disappointment?  Certainly, but it's still a watchable rendition of a great film...

I believe Mr. Harris was disappointed because of what it should have been considering this film's status. Honestly, I may purchase the disc at some point, but I feel that that money would be better spent on a properly done Twilight Time release and not a half-a**** effort by Olive/Paramount.

 

[David Weicker]

I believe Mr. Harris was disappointed because of what it should have been considering this film's status. Honestly, I may purchase the disc at some point, but I feel that that money would be better spent on a properly done Twilight Time release and not a half-a**** effort by Olive/Paramount.

You do realize that if Twilight Time had gotten it, it would have looked the same. Twilight Time does not do transfers - they only take what they are given. I'm tired of all this bitching and moaning by people who don't even own the disc, and have not seen the disc. Its just wrong.

 

[Dick]

I say again -- I found the HIGH NOON Blu to be an exponential improvement over any video release I've ever owned (I bought them all -- even CED!), so I have no complaints. Looks terrific to me.

 

[Lromero1396]

You do realize that if Twilight Time had gotten it, it would have looked the same. Twilight Time does not do transfers - they only take what they are given. I'm tired of all this bitching and moaning by people who don't even own the disc, and have not seen the disc. Its just wrong.

I'm not saying it would have looked any better from TT. Whether I own the disc or not is beside the point; the release has not been furnished with a proper image harvest and restoration.

 

[FoxyMulder]

I'm not saying it would have looked any better from TT. Whether I own the disc or not is beside the point; the release has not been furnished with a proper image harvest and restoration.

If Sony/Columbia held the rights to it then i think it would have looked its very best.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

It's now $11.22 at Amazon, and worth it at that price.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/305947-blu-ray-movie-price-drops-today/page-75#entry4066063

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Is this honestly the case? The industry wouldn't do such work using the most "state of the art" equipment? Sounds about as appropriate as mixing and mastering CDs on Radio Shack speakers.

Wouldn't surprise me. When I started doing DVD/BD work at PBS Video, all I had to do QC on was a 13" monitor and headphones! (I left in 2009...just after they bit the bullet and added a single 30" monitor for additional QC.) Granted, PBS isn't Paramount or any of the other major studios, but it doesn't surprise me. When I visited other small distributors as well as authoring houses around that time period, I didn't see anything larger than 40" or 50" being used, and most monitors were a lot smaller.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Sadly, HIGH NOON's Academy Award winning Editor (A most deserved win, in my opinion!), Elmo Williams, has passed away at the age of 102!


Here is his Hollywood Reporter Obituary: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/elmo-williams-dead-high-noon-843992