- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 13,587
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Olive's new Blu-ray of Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar (Trucolor - 1954) would be about as good as the film is apt to look on Blu-ray, were it not for some tiny, yet annoying tech problems.
A problem film for decades, with it's Eastman negative no longer extant, the most recent incarnations of the film have been struck from separation masters.
When working from masters derived from production photography, the film can look very good, and natural. When derived from dupes of varying kinds, quality drops precipitously. But this isn't Olive's doing. It is what it is.
There quite a bit that can be discussed about this film, which works on many levels. A superb cast, led by Joan Crawford, as the gun-slinging saloon owner, Vienna, who waits for the railroad to arrive. Mercedes McCambridge plays the supremely dykish rancher, Emma Small, and the two work beautifully together. Great film. There are westerns. There are oaters. This is a true horse opera, in the best sense of the term.
There seems to be some question regarding where these masters actually come from, whether created by Paramount or Olive, but this is another case where just a bit of hand-holding would have led to a far more pleasing final result on Blu-ray.
For whatever reason, whether problematic splices, repairs -- it's irrelevant -- this films bumps its way from shot to shot, with the first frame in many shots problematic, and out of registration with the remainder of the shot. This, once again, could have been an easy fix, but no one did anything about it.
In the final analysis, color and densities look fine when the records are good, and far less so when they're not. Many shots seem to have a red push. Audio seems fine.
And once, again, while I'd prefer to give the film a recommendation, I can't. And that little bit of extra care would have gotten it over the top.
Image - 2
Audio - 4
RAH
A problem film for decades, with it's Eastman negative no longer extant, the most recent incarnations of the film have been struck from separation masters.
When working from masters derived from production photography, the film can look very good, and natural. When derived from dupes of varying kinds, quality drops precipitously. But this isn't Olive's doing. It is what it is.
There quite a bit that can be discussed about this film, which works on many levels. A superb cast, led by Joan Crawford, as the gun-slinging saloon owner, Vienna, who waits for the railroad to arrive. Mercedes McCambridge plays the supremely dykish rancher, Emma Small, and the two work beautifully together. Great film. There are westerns. There are oaters. This is a true horse opera, in the best sense of the term.
There seems to be some question regarding where these masters actually come from, whether created by Paramount or Olive, but this is another case where just a bit of hand-holding would have led to a far more pleasing final result on Blu-ray.
For whatever reason, whether problematic splices, repairs -- it's irrelevant -- this films bumps its way from shot to shot, with the first frame in many shots problematic, and out of registration with the remainder of the shot. This, once again, could have been an easy fix, but no one did anything about it.
In the final analysis, color and densities look fine when the records are good, and far less so when they're not. Many shots seem to have a red push. Audio seems fine.
And once, again, while I'd prefer to give the film a recommendation, I can't. And that little bit of extra care would have gotten it over the top.
Image - 2
Audio - 4
RAH
