- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 19,963
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
I've bundled these three films together, as they all have the same qualities.
And those qualities are extraordinary.
Of the three films, only the earliest - Dirty Harry (1971) - was released via dye transfer prints. The others - The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Pale Rider (1985) - were not.
But here's where it gets interesting.
The three have a synchronicity of colors and textures of dye transfer in these new 4k UHD releases, and while they're quite different - especially Dirty Harry, a modern tale taking place in San Francisco, from the others, which are westerns, each is a masters class in bringing film to home theater.
Colors, densities, black levels, grain structure are not what would have been found in original prints.
Each, in its own way, is better - especially when it comes to Dirty Harry, for which the dye transfer prints could never replicate what was held on the OCN.
Now we're seeing it.
Each of these new releases from Warner Bros. captures precisely how far we have come in our ability to replicate or better what was seen in original prints.
My advice is to grab these 4k releases, and see for yourself how far things have come.
Each one is reference quality in its own right.
But not to simply make a statement with image quality, each has been updated, presumably from the original stems to Dolby Atmos, and I love what I'm hearing.
For slipcover lovers, there's also a nice surprise in store, as each is elegantly printed atop a reflective base. But rather than simply take some stock image, each has been massaged, taking full advantage of precisely how the foreground and background imagery interacts with the reflective layer. These are beautifully designed covers.
As extras, each contains both previously released, as well as new content, placing them fully in the Collector arena.
Final point. Some may be disappointed that a second disc has not been included for those who may not yet be 4k enabled. Each comes with a 4k digital streaming code.
So to bring that to the fore in advance, I'm not seeing a problem.
Strangely, all three will also be available in Steelbook variants, but at different prices. In normal packaging each is streeting at $24. For Steelbooks Dirty Harry will run $30, which is fair (the cost is around $4), but the other two will be $35, which to me seems like a bit of a jump.
I'd be in for all three at $24 per title.
Image (HDR)
Forensic - 10
NSD - 10
Audio – 10 (Dolby Atmos)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k - 9
Upgrade from Blu-ray - without a doubt
Worth your attention - Yup
Slipcover rating - 7
Looks like Film - 10
Very Highly Recommended
Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.
Dirty Harry 4k
Pale Rider 4k
The Outlaw Josey Wales 4k
And those qualities are extraordinary.
Of the three films, only the earliest - Dirty Harry (1971) - was released via dye transfer prints. The others - The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Pale Rider (1985) - were not.
But here's where it gets interesting.
The three have a synchronicity of colors and textures of dye transfer in these new 4k UHD releases, and while they're quite different - especially Dirty Harry, a modern tale taking place in San Francisco, from the others, which are westerns, each is a masters class in bringing film to home theater.
Colors, densities, black levels, grain structure are not what would have been found in original prints.
Each, in its own way, is better - especially when it comes to Dirty Harry, for which the dye transfer prints could never replicate what was held on the OCN.
Now we're seeing it.
Each of these new releases from Warner Bros. captures precisely how far we have come in our ability to replicate or better what was seen in original prints.
My advice is to grab these 4k releases, and see for yourself how far things have come.
Each one is reference quality in its own right.
But not to simply make a statement with image quality, each has been updated, presumably from the original stems to Dolby Atmos, and I love what I'm hearing.
For slipcover lovers, there's also a nice surprise in store, as each is elegantly printed atop a reflective base. But rather than simply take some stock image, each has been massaged, taking full advantage of precisely how the foreground and background imagery interacts with the reflective layer. These are beautifully designed covers.
As extras, each contains both previously released, as well as new content, placing them fully in the Collector arena.
Final point. Some may be disappointed that a second disc has not been included for those who may not yet be 4k enabled. Each comes with a 4k digital streaming code.
So to bring that to the fore in advance, I'm not seeing a problem.
Strangely, all three will also be available in Steelbook variants, but at different prices. In normal packaging each is streeting at $24. For Steelbooks Dirty Harry will run $30, which is fair (the cost is around $4), but the other two will be $35, which to me seems like a bit of a jump.
I'd be in for all three at $24 per title.
Image (HDR)
Forensic - 10
NSD - 10
Audio – 10 (Dolby Atmos)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k - 9
Upgrade from Blu-ray - without a doubt
Worth your attention - Yup
Slipcover rating - 7
Looks like Film - 10
Very Highly Recommended
Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.
Dirty Harry 4k
Pale Rider 4k
The Outlaw Josey Wales 4k
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