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 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.

Yes, this 3-D disc is impressive as the great John Alton’s cinematography is on full display.

 

[Robert Harris]

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

It’s going to be a short list of very high-end restored product this year. I’d agree that this is on that list.

Probably don’t need a Best of the Best.

Decades ago my partner had gone to (as I recall) The Sinking Creek Film Festival.

He told me about the film winning Best xxx. The filmmaker went to the podium, spoke, applause…

And before he was back in his seat, the host uttered the word’s “And now the award for the Very Best xxx…

 

[sbjork]

I didn't need a best of anything to decide to order this disc based on what everyone is saying about it!

 

[Robert Harris]

Going along with the old saying, “Everything comes in twos,” I was contacted by two congresswomen yesterday relevant to my comments here regarding Intermission breaks in films and 3D. I’ll not mention them, but can say that they come from both sides of the aisle.

The first involved the concept of 3D films in general, and she admitted that she’d only recently discovered them. There was an overlapping concern that if new 3D films were to be released, and more older productions hit home theater, that it could possibly trigger the Americans with Disabilities Act in that Americans with monocular vision were being set aside and deprived of entertainment. And as a result she wanted each of them to receive payments from the Federal government as well as publishers.

I was asked if I would be her expert, and go out on her tour, using the concept to bring in the tens of millions she needed toward a new run. Yes, I was offered a percentage, a new car (on loan) and a golf club membership.

I told her that A. I was not an expert in 3D, and B. asked had she ever heard of Andre De Toth. She had not.

The second involved my comments re Intermissions, and that I had averred that it was my feeling that 3D films were only forced to have Intermissions because of the technical limitations of venues with only a single set of projectors.

She seems to have attached her brain to the concept, and even having never seen a true Roadshow presentation, desired my help in fundraising toward making Intermssions legally binding upon studios and theaters based upon health.

She liked the idea of intermissions being used as a tool against the problems of obesity in America. Her campaign would promote breaks at multiple times throughout a program - anywhere from 40-50 minutes, whereby everyone - not merely those with potential health / weight issues - would have a chance to stand, walk to the lobby and get a bit of excercise.

This is where it got interesting as I explained, and one her aids agreed, that during intermissions most people went to re-load on candy, popcorn and soda.

Not a problem. Part of her campaign would be to locally legislate specific healthy areas of the concession area and have trained state or federal employees, able to detect those with weight issues and herd them to the healthy area.

Further to her cause, she would build a staff - probably not more than a few hundred - whose job it would be to find and create specific break points, generally not more than three for a normal feature, and then a secondary staff, spot-checking venues to make certain that the new laws were being followed.

That was when another staff member suggested that the break could be at reel ends, and that the intermission tags could be simply glued wherever needed. I suggested that it was a great idea, but there were no longer reels onto which things could be glued.

This was an interesting concept, and while I don’t make investment advice, I’m looking into certain purveyors that might be of interest.

What all this seems to mean, is that we’ll be seeing fewer 3D films and more intermissions.

See you on the campaign trail.

 

[RichMurphy]

Going along with the old saying, “Everything comes in twos,” I was contacted by two congresswomen yesterday relevant to my comments here regarding Intermission breaks in films and 3D. I’ll not mention them, but can say that they come from both sides of the aisle.

The first involved the concept of 3D films in general, and she admitted that she’d only recently discovered them. There was an overlapping concern that if new 3D films were to be released, and more older productions hit home theater, that it could possibly trigger the Americans with Disabilities Act in that Americans with monocular vision were being set aside and deprived of entertainment. And as a result she wanted each of them to receive payments from the Federal government as well as publishers.

I was asked if I would be her expert, and go out on her tour, using the concept to bring in the tens of millions she needed toward a new run. Yes, I was offered a percentage, a new car (on loan) and a golf club membership.

I told her that A. I was not an expert in 3D, and B. asked had she ever heard of Andre De Toth. She had not.

The second involved my comments re Intermissions, and that I had averred that it was my feeling that 3D films were only forced to have Intermissions because of the technical limitations of venues with only a single set of projectors.

She seems to have attached her brain to the concept, and even having never seen a true Roadshow presentation, desired my help in fundraising toward making Intermssions legally binding upon studios and theaters based upon health.

She liked the idea of intermissions being used as a tool against the problems of obesity in America. Her campaign would promote breaks at multiple times throughout a program - anywhere from 40-50 minutes, whereby everyone - not merely those with potential health / weight issues - would have a chance to stand, walk to the lobby and get a bit of excercise.

This is where it got interesting as I explained, and one her aids agreed, that during intermissions most people went to re-load on candy, popcorn and soda.

Not a problem. Part of her campaign would be to locally legislate specific healthy areas of the concession area and have trained state or federal employees, able to detect those with weight issues and herd them to the healthy area.

Further to her cause, she would build a staff - probably not more than a few hundred - whose job it would be to find and create specific break points, generally not more than three for a normal feature, and then a secondary staff, spot-checking venues to make certain that the new laws were being followed.

That was when another staff member suggested that the break could be at reel ends, and that the intermission tags could be simply glued wherever needed. I suggested that it was a great idea, but there were no longer reels onto which things could be glued.

This was an interesting concept, and while I don’t make investment advice, I’m looking into certain purveyors that might be of interest.

What all this seems to mean, is that we’ll be seeing fewer 3D films and more intermissions.

See you on the campaign trail.

Sadly, this is one time when I cannot discern if Mr. Harris' wonderful sense of humor is on display yet again, or if instead he had two unfortunate encounters with passengers from the clown car of 2022 politics.

If politician A ever finds out that there are people who are totally blind or totally deaf, she might legislate the end of cinema.

I hope Mr. De Toth was greeted at the pearly gates with a second functioning eye and a box of paddle balls.

 

[jayembee]

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.

As I've said elsewhere, I don't have the player or TV to watch 3D movies, so I'm out on that score. But I was happy to finally see this, as it was the only one of the Mike Hammer films I hadn't seen before. The theatrical ones, anyway; I also haven't seen either of the two made-for-TV movies that did not star Stacy Keach.

 

[jayembee]

Going along with the old saying, “Everything comes in twos,” I was contacted by two congresswomen yesterday relevant to my comments here regarding Intermission breaks in films and 3D. I’ll not mention them, but can say that they come from both sides of the aisle.

By that, do you mean one from each side of the aisle? Or do both of them engage in egregious flip-floppery?

 

[DavidJ]

I really need to buy this disc.

 

[bujaki]

I'm sure the congresswoman had never heard of Raoul Walsh either...

 

[Robert Harris]

I'm sure the congresswoman had never heard of Raoul Walsh either...

Or Mr. Ford for that matter.

 

[bujaki]

Or Mr. Ford for that matter.

Alas!, Mr. Ford did not dip his toes in those deep, three-dimensional waters that Mr. Walsh and Mr. De Toth bravely swam in.

 

[Robert Harris]

Alas!, Mr. Ford did not dip his toes in those deep, three-dimensional waters that Mr. Walsh and Mr. De Toth bravely swam in.

But he was also monocular. I met Mr. De Toth years ago at a screening and asked him about directing a 3D film with one eye. He smiled and said that his DP had it covered.

Just noticed that this is post number 16,000. And it only took 23 years.

 

[bujaki]

But he was also monocular. I met Mr. De Toth years ago at a screening and asked him about directing a 3D film with one eye. He smiled and said that his DP had it covered.

Just noticed that this is post number 16,000. And it only took 23 years.

I know Mr. Ford was monocular. I still wish he had tried his one eye at a 3D epic (with the help of his DP, of course). Monument Valley and action sequences in 3D as composed by Ford and his DP could have been glorious!

 

[Robert Harris]

I know Mr. Ford was monocular. I still wish he had tried his one eye at a 3D epic (with the help of his DP, of course). Monument Valley and action sequences in 3D as composed by Ford and his DP could have been glorious!

Easy to convert them. May not be the same as true 3D, but someone might give a sequence a try, just for fun. There’s probably a $1.99 app for the iPad.

Just capture it right off your flat panel. A bit of stabilization, and you’re home.

 

[Dick]

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.

Yup, we're closing in on half the 50's 3D list. Some of the remaining will simply never happen, but it's always a pleasant shock to hear of another title comin' down the pike.

 

[Robert Harris]

Yup, we're closing in on half the 50's 3D list. Some of the remaining will simply never happen, but it's always a pleasant shock to hear of another title comin' down the pike.

Of those “golden age” productions what is the HTF consensus as to how many are worthy quality aside from simply being in 3D?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Of those “golden age” productions what is the HTF consensus as to how many are worthy quality aside from simply being in 3D?

TBH, not many of them.

 

[Robert Harris]

TBH, not many of them.

That‘s been my take and I lived through them. Not to try to take pleasure away from 3D lovers, but I just wish there were some very high quality films out there. So many seem like bargain basement B pictures or less.

And then of course, was it the ‘70s? 3D discovered the female breast and gave the world The Stewardesses.

What I’m asking is…

What are the truly important films that just happen to have been shot in 3D?

In that running…

Dial “M”
Kiss Me Kate
House of Wax
Hondo

As opposed to productions like Jury which exists almost solely for 3D, ie the technical process instead of the production.

Films like Avatar exist in 3D as a sort of showpiece or circus act.

Where are films like Rebecca, Best Years of our Lives, Chinatown - in 3D?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

TBH, not many of them.

Agreed.

And, it's not just The Golden Age. The resurgence that came 30 years later brought some real stinkers.

On the flip side, there are some real gems -- most of which RAH has listed in his post above.

While 3D has flourished in theme parks as a "showpiece" or "circus act," it is my opinion that the problem has always been that Hollywood has never taken 3D seriously right up to the present time.

Could you imagine "Rebecca," "Best Years of our Lives" and "Chinatown" in 3D where objects are being thrown at the audience? It would turn a serious production into something laughable.

So, for that reason, major studios passed on the format and 3D productions became mostly low-budget "B" movies. Some were pretty decent. Many were not.

All that being said, I love watching films from The Golden Age because you can see the passion of the filmmakers who put a concerted effort into properly staging their films for the format. When today's 3D films are mostly all upconversions, there's something to be said for those that were natively filmed. Certainly, when I am going to demo 3D for anyone, I am going directly to a title filmed during The Golden Age.

I still have immense love for the format. Ever since I saw Panasonic demo their 3D display back in the early 2000s, I had very high hopes that 3D would do well in homes. It was painful to see that not be the case.

I still purchase 3D movies -- but do so cautiously. I don't want to get burned on some of these low-budget titles that are difficult to sit through. And, to be clear, that's not the fault of the studio, distributor, or restorationists. I'm happy these less-than-stellar films are being made available to collectors that just want more 3D in their libraries.

We do have many HTF members that relish everything that gets released and has been kind enough to contact me when they see something that they feel I should watch and consider for my list.

 

[Robert Crawford]

There are a few movies like Charge at Feather River and The Glass Web. Of course, Hondo deserves a 3-D Blu-ray release.