UHD Review 3D Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ -I, The Jury -- in 3D Blu-ray & 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

So I've read Mr. Harris' thoughts and Mr. Hough's review and have pre-ordered the disc. Thank you for bringing this to our attention; there's no way it would have been on my radar otherwise.

But I'm a little confused as to why there is no mention about the UHD disc that is in the package... I'm wondering if it's just because the real draw of this movie is the 3D presentation or if it's a clue that the 4k transfer is subpar.

Another non-mystery.

Since the entire restoration process was 4k, why not offer it to customers in a 4k 2D version as what I would consider an extra.

Like virtually all films of the era, it’s 2k in a 4k bucket, but it’s included nonetheless, and it’s not an inexpensive extra. To my eye, it’s Classic Flix doing right by their customers and giving them everything possible.

The 4k is lovely, but the star of the release is obviously the 3D version, and it’s the 3D that gets the shelf space.

 

[Matt Hough]

I mentioned in my review of the video qualities of the package that the 4K looked wonderful and was without HDR enhancement. I also mentioned in the special features section that the 4K disc contained the commentaries but no other bonus material. As RAH said above, the 3D is the real calling card here though those without 3D ability will still enjoy what's available.

 

[madfloyd]

I mentioned in my review of the video qualities of the package that the 4K looked wonderful and was without HDR enhancement. I also mentioned in the special features section that the 4K disc contained the commentaries but no other bonus material. As RAH said above, the 3D is the real calling card here though those without 3D ability will still enjoy what's available.

Oh crap, my bad, I must have missed that, sorry.

 

[Robert Harris]

Someone just pointed me to an older thread over at that other site regarding I, The Jury, and a comment made that if the forthcoming Classic Flix 3D release wasn't perfect it would be the fault of Mr. MacQueen and yours truly.

As the release has now been brilliantly reviewed, on behalf of Mr. MacQueen and myself, we are taking full credit for the superb quality.

I'm pleased that folks are happy with all the efforts involved.

It was a rough project, but something in which we take great pride.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Someone just pointed me to an older thread over at that other site regarding I, The Jury, and a comment made that if the forthcoming Classic Flix 3D release wasn't perfect it would be the fault of Mr. MacQueen and yours truly.

As the release has now been brilliantly reviewed, on behalf of Mr. MacQueen and myself, we are taking full credit for the superb quality.

I'm pleased that folks are happy with all the efforts involved.

It was a rough project, but something in which we take great pride.

I'm looking forward to watching the 3-D disc on Tuesday morning as part of our "Noirvember Challenge".

 

[Camps]

I just watched my 3D disc for the third time in as many days -- the 2nd and 3rd times to take in the Max Allan Collins and (archived) Biff Elliott commentaries.

And the viewings never get old. This is an outstanding restoration. You think you're watching a B/W '50s landscape thru a well-cleaned window, and the audio sounds like it was recorded yesterday. The movie was clearly filmed with a lovingly devoted attention to the 3D process; the depth, separation and use of objects can be mesmerizing at times. It's not heavy on in-your-face pop-outs and gimmicks but the few instances (even Elliott flinging a cigarette toward the screen) are enjoyably effective.

As for the commentaries: While multiple commentaries on the same disc can often lead to redundancy, these are wonderfully informative and complementary. Collins of course knows his stuff about all things Spillane. Biff is even more likeable when listening to his reminiscences (as provided to his tape-recorder-bearing nephew many years ago), and it's a plain-spoken education into the filmmaking process. Listeners will enjoy recollections of the physical tribulations (on him and his stunt partners), including his (likely exaggerated but nevertheless fascinating) weight-loss story.

As has been noted, Alton's cinematography is the quintessence of classic noir. My avatar clearly betrays my favorite Mike Hammer movie (and one of my all-time favorite movies), so it probably comes as no shocker that I fantasize as to what Robert Aldrich, A.I. Bezzerides and Ralph Meeker might have done, in concert with Alton, with the same material.

I'll reiterate what I said on the earlier "Jury" thread -- namely, that this package is a no-brainer for any suitably equipped classic-3D enthusiast, or Spillane fan, or noir connoisseur -- and I'm proudly guilty on all 3 counts.

A big thumbs up to all involved.

My appetite for B/W classic-3D noir has been whetted anew -- and feverishly. Bring on The Diamond Wizard!

 

[Todd J Moore]

40 years ago when I first saw a 3D movie (Revenge of the Creature on local channel 48), if you had told me that not only would I see almost all of the 1950s 3D films in 3D like they were meant to be seen, but that I would own a bunch of them that way, I never would have believed you. But here we are and last night I watched my 21st American 50s 3D blu ray, with number 22 showing up in a couple of weeks.

I, the Jury was just a delight. John Alton's cinematography is amazing, especially with the contrast between light and shadows and how it plays with depth. This is a really deep 3D movie, like The Maze. Biff Elliot is serviceable enough as Hammer, but the supporting cast is sublime. Preston Foster gets Pat Chambers just right, officially telling Hammer to lay off while giving him clues to the killer. Peggie Castle is gorgeous and ranks up there with the best of the noir femme fatales. Margaret Sheridan might be the best screen representation of Velda, Hammer's loyal gal Friday. Add to that Elisha Cook Jr, Nestor Paiva, Alan Reed and Joe Besser.

My only (minor) complaints are the unskippable Raw Deal trailer at the beginning of the disc, and the fact that the Intermission card was removed. But those are minor quibbles. This is a wonderful 3D disc and I'm delighted to own it. Thank you, ClassicFlix, for such a fine release.

 

[Todd J Moore]

Someone just pointed me to an older thread over at that other site regarding I, The Jury, and a comment made that if the forthcoming Classic Flix 3D release wasn't perfect it would be the fault of Mr. MacQueen and yours truly.

As the release has now been brilliantly reviewed, on behalf of Mr. MacQueen and myself, we are taking full credit for the superb quality.

I'm pleased that folks are happy with all the efforts involved.

It was a rough project, but something in which we take great pride.

Mr. Harris, I can tell you the problems people in that other thread had.

First, by your own admission, 3D is not your area of expertise. You also seemed to suggest that misalignment should not be corrected. I can tell you from personal experience that misalignment in 3D causes massive headaches and is incredibly uncomfortable to watch. We know that the 3DFA would make sure that the 3D was easy on the eyes and not cause eyestrain or headaches. We did not know if you and Mr. MacQueen would do that, and so it was the cause for concern. There have been enough poorly released 3D titles in the past decade from places like Shout Factory and a film as important as I, the Jury only deserved the very best.

The other problem people had--and still do--is the arrogant dismissal of what are referred to as "the Kickstarter boys". There's some wonderful restoration work being done by people who don't have huge budgets but have tools that allow them to pull it off. The 3DFA happen to be among them. A prime example for me is their work on Gog. I saw Gog in 3D at the second World 3D Film Expo in 2006. It looked lousy. It was faded nearly to the point of being pink. Jump to nearly a decade later and when I watched the Kino blu ray, I nearly fell out of my chair. The restoration was fantastic and the movie looked like a brand new movie. Similarly, Eric Grayson is doing wonderful stuff restoring the 1929 Karloff serial King of the Kongo. Again, I've seen what's out there on this title and I've seen the clips of his restoration. They are night and day.

So when Mr. MacQueen made his disparaging remarks, it rubbed people the wrong way. You yourself have suggest that good restoration work can't be done without huge budgets. That suggests that you haven't seen the before and after work for some of these titles. It's the equivalent of saying that you can't make a good movie for under $200 million. Clearly a great many people have.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Mr. Harris, I can tell you the problems people in that other thread had.

First, by your own admission, 3D is not your area of expertise. You also seemed to suggest that misalignment should not be corrected. I can tell you from personal experience that misalignment in 3D causes massive headaches and is incredibly uncomfortable to watch. We know that the 3DFA would make sure that the 3D was easy on the eyes and not cause eyestrain or headaches. We did not know if you and Mr. MacQueen would do that, and so it was the cause for concern. There have been enough poorly released 3D titles in the past decade from places like Shout Factory and a film as important as I, the Jury only deserved the very best.

The other problem people had--and still do--is the arrogant dismissal of what are referred to as "the Kickstarter boys". There's some wonderful restoration work being done by people who don't have huge budgets but have tools that allow them to pull it off. The 3DFA happen to be among them. A prime example for me is their work on Gog. I saw Gog in 3D at the second World 3D Film Expo in 2006. It looked lousy. It was faded nearly to the point of being pink. Jump to nearly a decade later and when I watched the Kino blu ray, I nearly fell out of my chair. The restoration was fantastic and the movie looked like a brand new movie. Similarly, Eric Grayson is doing wonderful stuff restoring the 1929 Karloff serial King of the Kongo. Again, I've seen what's out there on this title and I've seen the clips of his restoration. They are night and day.

So when Mr. MacQueen made his disparaging remarks, it rubbed people the wrong way. You yourself have suggest that good restoration work can't be done without huge budgets. That suggests that you haven't seen the before and after work for some of these titles. It's the equivalent of saying that you can't make a good movie for under $200 million. Clearly a great many people have.

We’re not going to revisit those points of contention again with a lengthy discussion on this forum. Let’s move on!

 

[Robert Harris]

Mr. Harris, I can tell you the problems people in that other thread had.

First, by your own admission, 3D is not your area of expertise. You also seemed to suggest that misalignment should not be corrected. I can tell you from personal experience that misalignment in 3D causes massive headaches and is incredibly uncomfortable to watch. We know that the 3DFA would make sure that the 3D was easy on the eyes and not cause eyestrain or headaches. We did not know if you and Mr. MacQueen would do that, and so it was the cause for concern. There have been enough poorly released 3D titles in the past decade from places like Shout Factory and a film as important as I, the Jury only deserved the very best.

The other problem people had--and still do--is the arrogant dismissal of what are referred to as "the Kickstarter boys". There's some wonderful restoration work being done by people who don't have huge budgets but have tools that allow them to pull it off. The 3DFA happen to be among them. A prime example for me is their work on Gog. I saw Gog in 3D at the second World 3D Film Expo in 2006. It looked lousy. It was faded nearly to the point of being pink. Jump to nearly a decade later and when I watched the Kino blu ray, I nearly fell out of my chair. The restoration was fantastic and the movie looked like a brand new movie. Similarly, Eric Grayson is doing wonderful stuff restoring the 1929 Karloff serial King of the Kongo. Again, I've seen what's out there on this title and I've seen the clips of his restoration. They are night and day.

So when Mr. MacQueen made his disparaging remarks, it rubbed people the wrong way. You yourself have suggest that good restoration work can't be done without huge budgets. That suggests that you haven't seen the before and after work for some of these titles. It's the equivalent of saying that you can't make a good movie for under $200 million. Clearly a great many people have.

Understood. And thank you.

Let me be clear. I had absolutely nothing to do with the UCLA/Roundabout restoration. Merely bouncing a point off the comment that I saw. Nor would my involvement have improved the final product.

As far as correcting errors, there are several considerations. The first involves problems that are seen via highly resolved modern scans that were not seen in original prints, and never meant to be seen.

I’m referring to mattes, wires et al. They should be removed.

Problems - especially production problems - that have been part and parcel of films - especially AMPAS Best Pictures - should not be corrected.

3D becomes a bit of another world, and I may have misspoken or not gone deeply enough in whatever comment I made. Mea culpa.

I believe there have been situations where eyes had been reversed in neg cutting, or there were major alignment problems based upon technical anomalies.

Of course, correct them. No one wants viewers to walk away with headaches.

However, via digital tools, we now have the ability to change a myriad of minimal alignment issues that remove the viewer from what the film looked like as originally created. That becomes a bit of a sticky wicket, and possibly the correct position might be to offer two versions - one original with major errors corrected, and one using digital tech to create a slightly different work. But that involves cost.

I don’t have the answer.

I’ve always appreciated the quality golden age 3D films, and viewed them akin to a circus atmosphere. But thereafter, it seems that there have been far too many films that are of the lowest quality, and have used 3D as a hook, and not a factor that makes films better.

Do I appreciate modern films like Avatar in 3D? Certainly. Especially in projection when one can walk up to the screen a have things still coming toward you.

Per Kickstarter, and those who use it, I won’t take a position. I’ve donated to a few projects. But I’ve also seen a project that totally misused the platform, bringing in major funds for a restoration project that never existed. Caveat emptor.

Final point. As far as restoration technologies and budgets are concerned, I applaud, acknowledge and appreciate those who work outside of the studio post arena. I personally enjoy programs like those from Diamant, which I’ve tried on my Mac.

I’ve seen some very nice work performed on a Mac or PC without dozens of backup personnel and the costs that go along. Some is quite nice. Some less so, especially when the example no longer mimics the appearance of the original film. But even if imperfect, it’s a positive when a film can be made to appear more palatable to a modern audience, especially toward making older, especially PD films accessible to fans. And if overall quality may drop a bit to accomplish this at a price, so be it.

At least fans can see the films.

 

[Robert Harris]

40 years ago when I first saw a 3D movie (Revenge of the Creature on local channel 48), if you had told me that not only would I see almost all of the 1950s 3D films in 3D like they were meant to be seen, but that I would own a bunch of them that way, I never would have believed you. But here we are and last night I watched my 21st American 50s 3D blu ray, with number 22 showing up in a couple of weeks.

I, the Jury was just a delight. John Alton's cinematography is amazing, especially with the contrast between light and shadows and how it plays with depth. This is a really deep 3D movie, like The Maze. Biff Elliot is serviceable enough as Hammer, but the supporting cast is sublime. Preston Foster gets Pat Chambers just right, officially telling Hammer to lay off while giving him clues to the killer. Peggie Castle is gorgeous and ranks up there with the best of the noir femme fatales. Margaret Sheridan might be the best screen representation of Velda, Hammer's loyal gal Friday. Add to that Elisha Cook Jr, Nestor Paiva, Alan Reed and Joe Besser.

My only (minor) complaints are the unskippable Raw Deal trailer at the beginning of the disc, and the fact that the Intermission card was removed. But those are minor quibbles. This is a wonderful 3D disc and I'm delighted to own it. Thank you, ClassicFlix, for such a fine release.

Agree wholeheartedly re the Raw Deal trailer, or Any unskippable trailer.

Per the Intermission tag, they were a solution to a problem that did not exist outside of theaters with only a single pair of machines. They are in no way essential to the program, are only used as an unnecessary mirror to the past, and interrupt the flow of the narrative.

That said, I understand that some people like them for that old time movie-going experience.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I just finished watching my copy of I, THE JURY.

Simply amazing!

It has been a long time since I have seen a 3D presentation as spectacular as this one.

It starts with the film's gorgeous photography that perfectly layers foreground and background objects. The level of depth is outstanding, providing a living diorama's look and feel.

There aren't enough adjectives to describe the transfer. It looks like something that came out of Warner's MPI facility. The image is immaculate. Even more impressive is the amount of facial detail in many of the closeups (which also look outstanding in 3D). This film is a marvel to behold and I can confidently say it's the best-looking 3D restoration I have ever seen without any alignment issues that are sometimes present in presentations from this era. This is a shining example of what restorationists are capable of doing.

Having a transfer that looks this good and is entertaining enough that I don't turn it off in the first 10 minutes is so refreshing. I'm not used to it as of late and as such, I have felt let down by the 3D format until now.

Later this afternoon I'll be updating my Top 30 Must-Own 3D Titles list for the first time in three years.

 

[Robert Harris]

I just finished watching my copy of I, THE JURY.

Simply amazing!

It has been a long time since I have seen a 3D presentation as spectacular as this one.

It starts with the film's gorgeous photography that perfectly layers foreground and background objects. The level of depth is outstanding, providing a living diorama's look and feel.

There aren't enough adjectives to describe the transfer. It looks like something that came out of Warner's MPI facility. The image is immaculate. Even more impressive is the amount of facial detail in many of the closeups (which also look outstanding in 3D). This film is a marvel to behold and I can confidently say it's the best-looking 3D restoration I have ever seen without any alignment issues that are sometimes present in presentations from this era. This is a shining example of what restorationists are capable of doing.

Having a transfer that looks this good and is entertaining enough that I don't turn it off in the first 10 minutes is so refreshing. I'm not used to it as of late and as such, I have felt let down by the 3D format until now.

Later this afternoon I'll be updating my Top 30 Must-Own 3D Titles list for the first time in three years.

Closest 3D I've seen to this from the '50s are the WB/M-G-M MPI titles, taking into consideration the inherent problems of WarnerColor.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I just finished watching my copy of I, THE JURY.

Simply amazing!

It has been a long time since I have seen a 3D presentation as spectacular as this one.

It starts with the film's gorgeous photography that perfectly layers foreground and background objects. The level of depth is outstanding, providing a living diorama's look and feel.

There aren't enough adjectives to describe the transfer. It looks like something that came out of Warner's MPI facility. The image is immaculate. Even more impressive is the amount of facial detail in many of the closeups (which also look outstanding in 3D). This film is a marvel to behold and I can confidently say it's the best-looking 3D restoration I have ever seen without any alignment issues that are sometimes present in presentations from this era. This is a shining example of what restorationists are capable of doing.

Having a transfer that looks this good and is entertaining enough that I don't turn it off in the first 10 minutes is so refreshing. I'm not used to it as of late and as such, I have felt let down by the 3D format until now.

Later this afternoon I'll be updating my Top 30 Must-Own 3D Titles list for the first time in three years.

I’ll be watching it early tomorrow morning.

 

[ClassicFlix]

I just finished watching my copy of I, THE JURY.

Simply amazing!

It has been a long time since I have seen a 3D presentation as spectacular as this one.

It starts with the film's gorgeous photography that perfectly layers foreground and background objects. The level of depth is outstanding, providing a living diorama's look and feel.

There aren't enough adjectives to describe the transfer. It looks like something that came out of Warner's MPI facility. The image is immaculate. Even more impressive is the amount of facial detail in many of the closeups (which also look outstanding in 3D). This film is a marvel to behold and I can confidently say it's the best-looking 3D restoration I have ever seen without any alignment issues that are sometimes present in presentations from this era. This is a shining example of what restorationists are capable of doing.

Having a transfer that looks this good and is entertaining enough that I don't turn it off in the first 10 minutes is so refreshing. I'm not used to it as of late and as such, I have felt let down by the 3D format until now.

Later this afternoon I'll be updating my Top 30 Must-Own 3D Titles list for the first time in three years.

Thanks for supporting our label Ron and for the glowing review!

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[madfloyd]

For those of you who have already seen it, where did you order from? Amazon isn't giving me a ship date yet and am I'm wondering if I should order elsewhere.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

For those of you who have already seen it, where did you order from? Amazon isn't giving me a ship date yet and am I'm wondering if I should order elsewhere.

Classicflix.com

They shipped copies prior to street date which is a perk you sometimes get from ordering through them directly.

 

[Douglas R]

Classicflix.com

They shipped copies prior to street date which is a perk you sometimes get from ordering through them directly.

ClassicFlix only ship within the US so unfortunately some of us have to wait for the official release date.

 

[ClassicFlix]

ClassicFlix only ship within the US so unfortunately some of us have to wait for the official release date.

Have you tried importCDs?

I, The Jury (Special Limited Edition, 4K UHD/ BD/ 3DBD Combo) Limited Edition, 4K Mastering, With Blu-ray, Special Edition on ImportCDs

I, The Jury (Special Limited Edition, 4K UHD/ BD/ 3DBD Combo) / 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition, 4K Mastering, With Blu-ray, Special Edition / Mystery / Suspense, Suspense-Film Noir / 851968007835

www.importcds.com

- David
ClassicFlix Founder, Producer

 

[Keith Cobby]

I usually order from importcds or deepdiscount, so hopefully mine will be despatched on release date. Disc of the year.