A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Man Who Knew Too Much -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Reed Grele]

Viewed on my smaller LCD screen, I can notice the slight yellow/ blue pulsing effect on the bus ride at the beginning, and in the other places mentioned. Probably wouldn't have if I hadn't read about it first.
On my 65" Panny plasma, I really looked hard for it, but I wasn't able to see the same effect reproduced. Undoubtedly it's there, but perhaps it may be lessened to some degree with different display technologies, or user settings.
I'd like it to be perfect, but I am able to watch it without any pain. Not so with "My Fair Lady", which gets my vote for the worst Blu-Ray transfer ever.

 

[haineshisway]

Okay, here it is: Terrible. There is no way around this. Let me start by saying it's a huge step up from the grotesque DVD in the velvet box. Let me finish by saying I don't find it sharp at all - in fact, it's clear from frame one that this is not off the VistaVision negative or anything close to it. The color pulsing is so odd it's not to be believed, actually. The bazaar scenes are completely faded. I had to laugh when someone said that's what the skies should look like in that kind of place. No. They should be blue - they were always blue. Otherwise at its best its middling and at its worst it's truly awful. A major botch job and I'm afraid not the only one in this set.

 

[rsmithjr]

I see all of the issues noted but after some tuning (including color adjustments), I find the Blu-ray to be the most watchable version. I have the LD, one of the DVD's, and had a DVR from HDNet Movies. The DVD and DVR had truly hideous EE.
I am using a 1080P DLP front projector with a 10 foot screen. I do find that DLP projection "smooths out" problems that are more painful on LCD flat panels.
The yellow flashing is annoying to be sure.
The film is a sentimental favorite. While it is not the first Hitckcock I saw, it is the one that "hooked" me, bringing me back on opening day for all subsequent Hitchcock films. Incredibly impressed by vistaVision, Bernard Herrmann, and the whole pacing of the film. Still holds up.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by rsmithjr /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/90#post_3995870
I see all of the issues noted but after some tuning (including color adjustments), I find the Blu-ray to be the most watchable version. I have the LD, one of the DVD's, and had a DVR from HDNet Movies. The DVD and DVR had truly hideous EE.
I am using a 1080P DLP front projector with a 10 foot screen. I do find that DLP projection "smooths out" problems that are more painful on LCD flat panels.
The yellow flashing is annoying to be sure.
The film is a sentimental favorite. While it is not the first Hitckcock I saw, it is the one that "hooked" me, bringing me back on opening day for all subsequent Hitchcock films. Incredibly impressed by vistaVision, Bernard Herrmann, and the whole pacing of the film. Still holds up.

You should not be forced to make adjustments. The Blu-ray is from an HD master set to a pre-established standard.

Once you start fiddling with these things...

RAH

 

[Cineman]

The film is a sentimental favorite. While it is not the first Hitckcock I saw, it is the one that "hooked" me, bringing me back on opening day for all subsequent Hitchcock films. Incredibly impressed by vistaVision, Bernard Herrmann, and the whole pacing of the film. Still holds up.

I find the Albert Hall sequence to be as close to a cinematic religious experience as any in film history. When you factor in everything that led us to that sequence, how it is handled in every detail and what it all means from the standpoint of character, plot, theme, mood, production concept, suspense and the rare pleasure of "sharing" a movie experience with our fellow audience members and the filmmakers themselves, this is one of those times that can be held up for all time as an illustration to the otherwise casual film goer for what a film director does, what a screenwriter does, what a film composer does, what a cinematographer does, what an editor does, what star quality means, casting, costumers, props, you name it in the business, this illustrates what it can do at its best.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by Cineman /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/90#post_3995895
I find the Albert Hall sequence to be as close to a cinematic religious experience as any in film history. When you factor in everything that led us to that sequence, how it is handled in every detail and what it all means from the standpoint of character, plot, theme, mood, production concept, suspense and the rare pleasure of "sharing" a movie experience with our fellow audience members and the filmmakers themselves, this is one of those times that can be held up for all time as an illustration to the otherwise casual film goer for what a film director does, what a screenwriter does, what a film composer does, what a cinematographer does, what an editor does, what star quality means, casting, costumers, props, you name it in the business, this illustrates what it can do at its best.

I couldn't agree more. It's as perfectly a conceived and executed sequence as there is in the movies.

 

[rsmithjr]

You should not be forced to make adjustments.  The Blu-ray is from an HD master set to a pre-established standard.
Once you start fiddling with these things...
RAH

Certainly agree with this. I have presets for my standard settings and then can make adjustments in extreme cases like this one.
This is just the best thing that I have on this film, and it may well become the way the film is remembered forever, which is the really scary part of this.

 

[JohnMor]

Originally Posted by Cineman /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/90#post_3995895
I find the Albert Hall sequence to be as close to a cinematic religious experience as any in film history. When you factor in everything that led us to that sequence, how it is handled in every detail and what it all means from the standpoint of character, plot, theme, mood, production concept, suspense and the rare pleasure of "sharing" a movie experience with our fellow audience members and the filmmakers themselves, this is one of those times that can be held up for all time as an illustration to the otherwise casual film goer for what a film director does, what a screenwriter does, what a film composer does, what a cinematographer does, what an editor does, what star quality means, casting, costumers, props, you name it in the business, this illustrates what it can do at its best.

Absolutely agree! Beautifully stated, too.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by rsmithjr /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/90#post_3995922
Certainly agree with this. I have presets for my standard settings and then can make adjustments in extreme cases like this one.
This is just the best thing that I have on this film, and it may well become the way the film is remembered forever, which is the really scary part of this.

Better to have left it.

RAH

 

[Cineman]

Absolutely agree!  Beautifully stated, too.

Thank you much. I should give more accurate credit for the musical soundtrack authorship during that sequence. It's Arthur Benjamin's Storm Cloud Cantata and not an original composition for the movie by Bernard Herrmann, of course. But it was Herrmann's wise choice to carry it over from the original rather than compose something new for the remake. And his input in terms of making it embellish the action and emotion rather than merely be heard in the background is evident throughout.
There are certainly many stellar examples of near un-improvable cinematic sequences in Vertigo, Psycho, Rear Window, North By Northwest and so on. But I don't think there was ever a clearer example of what each of a movie's collaborators can bring to the end result as that one, led by the Master filmmaker himself. No wonder that sequence was chosen for the final clip before Hitch was presented his Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute back in the 1970s.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Cineman /t/324714/a-few-words-about-the-man-who-knew-too-much-in-blu-ray/90#post_3995971
Thank you much. I should give more accurate credit for the musical soundtrack authorship during that sequence. It's Arthur Benjamin's Storm Cloud Cantata and not an original composition for the movie by Bernard Herrmann, of course. But it was Herrmann's wise choice to carry it over from the original rather than compose something new for the remake. And his input in terms of making it embellish the action and emotion rather than merely be heard in the background is evident throughout.
There are certainly many stellar examples of near un-improvable cinematic sequences in Vertigo, Psycho, Rear Window, North By Northwest and so on. But I don't think there was ever a clearer example of what each of a movie's collaborators can bring to the end result as that one, led by the Master filmmaker himself. No wonder that sequence was chosen for the final clip before Hitch was presented his Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute back in the 1970s.

Storm Cloud was recorded in stereo.

RAH

 

[slowtrain1]

Anybody know who to contact to demand a recall?

 

[slowtrain1]

Anybody know who to contact to demand a recall?

 

[Andy_G]

First I watched half of Vertigo, which was gorgeous. Then I put in MWKTM.
It does not improve after the blue-haoled credits. The bus scene--which was all I could bear to watch--gave the appearance of having been attacked by an incontinent animal.
The sticker on the package says "digitally restored." It lies.

 

[Scott Calvert]

Have any of you people watched this disc all the way through?

 

[Trentrunner]

Have any of you people watched this disc all the way through?

"
Who do you mean, "you people"?

 

[Scott Calvert]

"
Who do you mean, "you people"?

Who do you think I mean? People who are trashing the disc, demanding recalls, etc.
Sorry if that was vague for you.

 

[Mark-W]

I hate to even say this, but if this is an issue of high up corporate bean counters measuring net profits (as has been speculated),
could a "save TMWKTM" page be started with Paypal donations and even a link to a facebook page?
Is this a case where we could raise enough awareness among Hitchcock fans to donate to generate enough money for Universal to fix this and give the film a proper restoration and subsequent release?
Or, does this set a precedent for the studios to repeatedly come to the fans and ask for funds for restorations that they will turn around a profit off of?

 

[Andy_G]

Is Comcast hurting for funds these days?
They can afford it, they just haven't decided to do it, apparently.

 

[Robert Harris]

I hate to even say this, but if this is an issue of high up corporate bean counters measuring net profits (as has been speculated),
could a "save TMWKTM" page be started with Paypal donations and even a link to a facebook page?
Is this a case where we could raise enough awareness among Hitchcock fans to donate to generate enough money for Universal to fix this and give the film a proper restoration and subsequent release?
Or, does this set a precedent for the studios to repeatedly come to the fans and ask for funds for restorations that they will turn around a profit off of?

TMWKTM is not an orphan film. It's a money maker. Funds need not be collected.
RAH