A Few Words About A few words about...™ Lawrence of Arabia -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Andy_G]

They may possibly been able to get one more off, as we had replaced and repaired much of what survived.  If this is correct, it would have been SOP for Mr. Crisp, who not only takes no prisoners, but protects assets by whatever means possible.
RAH

Thanks. It sure looks like they did a great job. Here's the quote:

The process began with a thorough inspection of the negative a frame at a time, a splice at a time and making a protection element out of it. "We then made a new IP at FotoKem, and that exercise proved to be quite useful," he said. "Prior to making that, we had made a dry print and that showed us the kind of issues we were going to face."
The 65mm original negative was scanned on two large format 65mm Imagica XE scanners at FotoKem at 8K to capture the resolution of the 65mm negative, resulting in a file size of 8192x3584 pixels. "I reserved half of 2010 to do this work," said Crisp. "If you do the math, it's over 325,000 frames at 13 seconds per frame, which equals about 1,200 hours of scanning alone." The files were then reduced to 4K and moved to Sony Pictures Studios' digital image restoration/digital intermediate facility Colorworks for color grading and restoration

I think the language is a little unclear, but it sure does seem like they printed something off of the negative.
Also, on an entirely different subject: aside from the errant missing frame or two, the only thing that really stuck out for me was Alec Guinness's re-recorded dialog in the scene where Prince Faisal meets with Jackson Bentley. And I wasn't listening for it. Sad to say, he really didn't manage to recreate the accent in 1988. Hannibal Lecter is also noticeable in the middle of Spartacus for me, so maybe I just have an ear for such things.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Andy_G /t/324904/a-few-words-about-lawrence-of-arabia-in-blu-ray/180#post_4004241
Thanks. It sure looks like they did a great job. Here's the quote:
I think the language is a little unclear, but it sure does seem like they printed something off of the negative.
Also, on an entirely different subject: aside from the errant missing frame or two, the only thing that really stuck out for me was Alec Guinness's re-recorded dialog in the scene where Prince Faisal meets with Jackson Bentley. And I wasn't listening for it. Sad to say, he really didn't manage to recreate the accent in 1988. Hannibal Lecter is also noticeable in the middle of Spartacus for me, so maybe I just have an ear for such things.

Possibly you've seen Lust for Life too many times.

RAH

 

[Andy_G]

Hah!

 

[Ray H]

In the scene where Lawrence first meets Brighton, both actors have what appears to be grey makeup around their eyes and mouths. Is this a makeup effect designed to make them seem more desert-weary or is it supposed to serve a more functional purpose?

 

[Steve Tannehill]

My $49.99 copy showed up today from DDD. My frame number is 24912, and it shows Lawrence in filthy desert garb at Allenby's desk, just as he is talking about his feelings when people died by his hand.

 

[Garysb]

Someone is determined I not get my copy.
Your Item's Status Your item was misrouted. The error has been corrected and every effort is being made to deliver it as soon as possible. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.
It doesn't even say where it was sent. I can imagine what condition it will be in when i finally receive it.

 

[TonyD]

Won a little extra dough at a slot machine last week so went out yesterday and bought
Lawrence and Heavens Gate.

I would have liked to see the entire frame in the holder to just the image.
Very happy otherwise with this great set.

 

[nikonf5]

I would have liked to see the entire frame in the holder to just the image.

From most of the shots people have posted of their frames, it does seem that the holder is blocking a part of the image on all sides somewhat like what 35mm slide mounts used to do.
The shot of Lawrence on a camel at the beach earlier on this page is the best example of it although your frame also exhibits this at the top.

 

[Stefan Andersson]

Finally I´ve received my LOA gift set (No. 26761), watched the film and looked at the major new bonus features.
A superb rendering of the film, with magnificent video and audio. Kudos and heartfelt thanks to all involved in creating this wonderful home theatre copy of the film. In a layman´s eyes, the colour especially stands out on my 46 inch Panasonic Viera plasma monitor.
The deleted scene was a joy to see. Excellent screenwriting giving a few new insights into both Lawrence and Allenby.
The hardback book was a great read. At last I know André de Toth was responsible for at least one train crash scene. (Though in the In Love with the Desert docu there is a b & w photo where one can see somebody vaguely looking like DL, back to camera).
Dear Mr. Harris -- a few questions:
- The nighttime dialogue between Lawrence and Tafas ("my father didn´t marry my mother") seems very dark. Did the materials for this scene have the same deficiencies as the "English blasphemer" scene discussed in the other thread?
- In In Love with the Desert, Mr. Fowlie doesn´t mention the location for Allenby´s arrival in Damascus. Where was it shot?
- In your opinion, what film or films (large format or not), if it would be restored, would benefit the most from any special technological advances made during this restoration of LOA?
My 70mm film frame seems to be from the "Lawrence oversleeping" scene.

 

[Howard Tom]

My $49.99 copy showed up today from DDD. My frame number is 24912, and it shows Lawrence in filthy desert garb at Allenby's desk, just as he is talking about his feelings when people died by his hand.

The frame in my set is from the same scene, but I believe it is from the very beginning, with Allenby at the far left and Lawrence at the far right. Yours is after the camera has moved into a tight closeup of Lawrence, then? Much closer to the chilling line, "I liked it."
One thing I've noticed is that many sets get some light damage as bumping the corners of the box even slightly (in transit, I guess) tends to crack the plastic slipcase....

 

[Jeff F.]

I only splurged for the two disc set but can't seem to find the deleted scenes. I really want to see the talked about balcony scene. Where is it located on the discs?

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I only splurged for the two disc set but can't seem to find the deleted scenes. I really want to see the talked about balcony scene. Where is it located on the discs?

That's only on the 3rd disc which is exclusive to the big boxed set.

 

[Jeff F.]

Of course it is...
Thanks.

 

[Dr Griffin]

.

 

[Stefan Andersson]

Found a detailed biography about Howard Marion-Crawford, the medical officer in LOA:
http://www.sardimpex.com/articoli/crawford2.htm
The site covers his life and family history beginning in the 1690s.
I wonder if there are any stories about how Mr. Marion-Crawford was cast in LOA and about his work with DL.
Among other things, he also played a hero in several 1960s Fu Manchu films, and Dr. Watson in a 1950s TV series.

 

[John Hodson]

Saw this at a local cinema last night; absolutely wonderful to see 'Lawrence' again on the big screen, but son James and I were two of only half a dozen. Hardly surprising given Vue's almost total lack of publicity - they only gave it a slot over the weekend, sneaking it out.
I miss curtains. I miss them pulling back when an overture finishes to announce the start of the film, the anticipation mounting (I miss programmes). Vue just let the disc run, so there was no intermission as such, despite the on-screen announcement, which caught a couple of folks out. I miss that too, a small libation then the ringing of the bell to let you know the second half is on the way. *Sigh*. A Roadshow screening. With no 'Roadshow'. The whole sense of theatre is missing from theatres.
Did I say the restoration is *fantastic*? Really glad I caught it. Where it belongs.

 

[AdrianTurner]

John - Out here in darkest, deepest Norfolk we don't get things like that. I went to see Skyfall (IMAX version) in Norwich on Monday and asked Odeon staff if Aurens was coming. Never heard of that one, mate. But it was showing in relatively nearby Cambridge, so I rang and asked if it was 2k or 4k. The young woman said it was digital. So I persisted. 2k was the answer. Huge saving on petrol, then.

 

[Charles Smith]

Oy!

 

[Cinescott]

Wow. I will be eternally grateful to Mr. Crisp, Mr. Harris, et al. for this magnificent Blu-ray! LOA is without question my favorite film of all time, although few in my immediate circle can understand why (too long and boring in their opinion).

Yet when I put this disc in my player and saw the images come up on my 55" Samsung, I nearly wept with joy. Everything is there in magnificent detail: the sand, the sky, every hair on Peter O'Toole's head. Fantastic. This is as close to the 70mm screening I attended in '89 as I will ever likely get and I am not disappointed.

Hardly a day goes by when I sometimes think how a quote from this film is applicable to some aspect of everyday life. The script is brilliant and I've undoubtedly committed the majority of it to memory.

"What is it, Major Lawrence that attracts you personally to the desert?"
"It's clean."
"Now that's a very illuminating answer."

So, a hearty congratulations and thank you to everyone involved with this project. It will be appreciated by this fan and hopefully many others for many years to come.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Cinescott /t/324904/a-few-words-about-lawrence-of-arabia-in-blu-ray/210#post_4007708
Wow. I will be eternally grateful to Mr. Crisp, Mr. Harris, et al. for this magnificent Blu-ray! LOA is without question my favorite film of all time, although few in my immediate circle can understand why (too long and boring in their opinion).

Yet when I put this disc in my player and saw the images come up on my 55" Samsung, I nearly wept with joy. Everything is there in magnificent detail: the sand, the sky, every hair on Peter O'Toole's head. Fantastic. This is as close to the 70mm screening I attended in '89 as I will ever likely get and I am not disappointed.

Hardly a day goes by when I sometimes think how a quote from this film is applicable to some aspect of everyday life. The script is brilliant and I've undoubtedly committed the majority of it to memory.

"What is it, Major Lawrence that attracts you personally to the desert?"
"It's clean."
"Now that's a very illuminating answer."

So, a hearty congratulations and thank you to everyone involved with this project. It will be appreciated by this fan and hopefully many others for many years to come.

Thank you, Scott. Will pass along.

RAH