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A Few Words About A few words about...™ The City of the Dead -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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John Llewellyn Moxey's The City of the Dead (1960), is an odd film, as it's set in Massachusetts, here in the Colonies, but it's very much a UK production, with British actors.

It was photographed by Desmond Dickinson, a quality British cinematographer, whose work goes back to the '20s, and includes classics such as the 1948 Hamlet, The Browning Version, and the Technicolor Importance of Being Ernest (1952).

Mr. Dickinson knew his way around cameras and photographic stocks.

And that's what makes VCI's Blu-ray release of City of the Dead, all the more disturbing.

We're reminded before the film that it has been "restored," and I had high hopes that were immediately dashed at the first frame.

To my eye, The City of the Dead is an attempted up-rez to Blu-ray of what appears to have been a very decent standard definition interlaced master. It might have produced a decent DVD, except for the fact that it's (what appears to be) 3/2 pull-down makes the entire process a jerky disaster. Add to that digital artifacts...

You get the idea.

Audio is also problematic as it gives us wonderful hiss and pops, probably carried over from the old SD video master.

Some will be reminded that I've referred to Blu-ray as a bucket. It looks like what you put into it. And it all began with "the look and sound of perfect..."

Unfortunate.

Image - 0.5

Audio - 2.5

4k Up-rez - Don't try it.

Pass / Fail - Fail

RAH
 
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lark144

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May be. I'll have to try it without an uprez, whilst slightly squinting.

One of my very favorite British Horror films. It was released Stateside under the title HORROR HOTEL. Sorry to hear about the abysmal condition, as I was waiting for reviews. If you've never seen it, try to get a decent DVD. It's well worth watching. Visually, it's closer to DEAD OF NIGHT than CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Very atmospheric and subtle, with a very fine performance from Christopher Lee.
 

Robert Harris

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One of my very favorite British Horror films. It was released Stateside under the title HORROR HOTEL. Sorry to hear about the abysmal condition, as I was waiting for reviews. If you've never seen it, try to get a decent DVD. It's well worth watching. Visually, it's closer to DEAD OF NIGHT than CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Very atmospheric and subtle, with a very fine performance from Christopher Lee.

I was able to get several minutes into it, with the townspeople cranky about perceived witchcraft, but something kept pinching me, and making me blink, which may have seemed like repeating frames.

Then this goat appeared...
 

aPhil

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One of my very favorite British Horror films. It was released Stateside under the title HORROR HOTEL. Sorry to hear about the abysmal condition, as I was waiting for reviews. If you've never seen it, try to get a decent DVD. It's well worth watching. Visually, it's closer to DEAD OF NIGHT than CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Very atmospheric and subtle, with a very fine performance from Christopher Lee.

I really agree — A really good film that has a same-year (1960) Psycho-type relationship with the main character's adventure. This release is a big disappointment.
 

SAhmed

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Damn it! This was a blind purchase based upon the pedigree of the actors involved and one that I had never heard of - haven't got round to watching it yet as other releases are in the pipeline. Assuming the availability of good source(s) why do have this going well into a decade of "High Def" presentations ? People who don't know what they are doing ? People who don't care what they are doing ? Bigger bonuses for the powers that be ? ....

Regards
 

Brent Reid

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I avoided VCI's lacklustre BD as it looked like a sideways or even downwards step from their excellent 2001 DVD. Now Arrow have brought out their version and sadly, despite the touted "4K restoration", there doesn't appear to be that much of an improvement overall. Check out Caps-a-holic and the Beaver's screenshots; definitely not one of Arrow's best HD transfers. I've no idea what elements each company had to work with but if the results are so unexceptional, it hardly seems worthwhile putting it on BD at all... :mellow:
 
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Dick

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May be. I'll have to try it without an uprez, whilst slightly squinting.

I would imagine this is the same transfer as the UK edition -- has anyone knowledge of whether or not this is the case for certain?
 

haineshisway

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Accurate and the beaver is an oxymoron. I'm guessing the Arrow is much better. The beave doesn't know from waxiness or any other ness, so one has to take that with a grain of salt.
 

Thomas T

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so one has to take that with a grain of salt.

Indeed! I've learned long ago that screen grabs aren't necessarily an accurate indicator of how a blu will actually look. I've seen great screen grabs, only to be disappointed when I've got the blu ray ..... and vice versa (weak looking screen grabs but great looking blu ray)
 

Stephen PI

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I avoided VCI's lacklustre BD as it looked like a sideways or even downwards step from their excellent 2001 DVD. Now Arrow have brought out their version and sadly, despite the touted "4K restoration", there doesn't appear to be that much of an improvement overall. Check out the Beaver's screenshots; definitely not one of Arrow's best HD transfers. I've no idea what elements each company had to work with but if the results are so unexceptional, it hardly seems worthwhile putting it on BD at all... :mellow:

I supervised the 2001 dvd transfer, for VCI, in London.
The film elements came from the BFI.
There were two film elements to choose from. One, a 35mm composite fine-grain. Two, a 35mm mute fine-grain.
I chose the latter as it had hardly been used and was in great condition.
Apart from a few full frame shots, the element was matted a little over 1.66:1, which gave an opportunity to fine tune the vertical framing.
I supervised the grading from start to finish. The audio was a positive optical track from the composite fine-grain.
Regretfully this was not mastered in HD. It was mastered at 480p direct to NTSC, rather than PAL (as we were in the UK) and have to go through a conversion which I wanted to avoid.
Fortunately, no additional processing was done by VCI and, which I was grateful for, there have been nothing but positive comments ever since.
Apart from one mis-framed shot at the beginning, which somehow got past me, I was happy with the results.
 

Brent Reid

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Indeed! I've learned long ago that screen grabs aren't necessarily an accurate indicator of how a blu will actually look. I've seen great screen grabs, only to be disappointed when I've got the blu ray ..... and vice versa (weak looking screen grabs but great looking blu ray)

Could you name some examples please, Thomas, along with links to said screen grabs? Seriously: I'm curious and would like to see for myself, if I have the same discs. :)

Apart from one mis-framed shot at the beginning, which somehow got past me, I was happy with the results.

Thanks for weighing in, Stephen, it's much appreciated. That really is one fine-looking disc and it's a credit to your work that so many years later, it still stands easily alongside both BDs. If only more folk working in this industry could show the same tasteful restraint and realise that very often, less is (far) more. DNR and artificial sharpening overload, anyone?

Incidentally, could you describe the misframed shot and give us its timing? ;)
 

Stephen PI

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Thanks for weighing in, Stephen, it's much appreciated. That really is one fine-looking disc and it's a credit to your work that so many years later, it still stands easily alongside both BDs. If only more folk working in this industry could show the same tasteful restraint and realise that very often, less is (far) more. DNR and artificial sharpening overload, anyone?
Incidentally, could you describe the misframed shot and give us its timing? ;)

Thanks Brent. The mis-framed shot I was referring to comes in at 02:29. It is a close shot of two women as they turn away from camera and back again. It was a full frame shot and it should have been raised to accommodate the character correctly on screen left.
If it looks this way on the blu ray, that would be the give away to the origin of the master. Please let me know if you have it.
I incorrectly stated it was progressive when it actually identified itself on my Oppo player as 60i.
 

Brent Reid

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Thanks Brent. The mis-framed shot I was referring to comes in at 02:29. It is a close shot of two women as they turn away from camera and back again. It was a full frame shot and it should have been raised to accommodate the character correctly on screen left.
If it looks this way on the blu ray, that would be the give away to the origin of the master. Please let me know if you have it.
I incorrectly stated it was progressive when it actually identified itself on my Oppo player as 60i.
Hi Stephen, I haven't bought either of the BDs; perhaps someone here who has can tell you? I've just rewatched the DVD and the shot you mentioned 'looks' perfectly framed to me; I certainly wouldn't know anything was amiss if you hadn't said!

I really want to buy a BD of this film but can't get past those terrible transfers. How on earth does a supposed 4K restoration in 1080p end up looking 'worse' than a 16-year-old DVD? Rather than going to the trouble of adding a third audio commentary, new featurette and booklet for both BDs, they should have focused on providing an improved transfer. It almost goes without saying that including an even lower quality copy of the shortened US version was completely unnecessary; just adding the alternate opening and closing credits to the extras would have been more than sufficient. Hell, even a decent vanilla BD would have been preferable – at least that would have sat well alongside the already extras-packed DVD.

There's far too much criticism of hardworking niche home video labels generally, but sometimes you gotta call 'em the way you see 'em. VCI have put out a fair few clunkers in their time and that's fair enough. Once again though, they've compounded their crime by encoding this in 1080i and at a paltry sub-14GB, cf. White Zombie. Sheesh. Arrow, however, usually maintain a much higher standard, yet this must be one of the worst-looking BDS they've released to date. It's at the level of those budget US labels – God bless 'em – who routinely release heavily DNRed 'restorations' of public domain films on BD.

I suppose there's always a slim hope that a third company, perhaps from Germany, might throw their hat in the ring. However, even if they do they're most likely to license one of the existing HD transfers. Ho hum.

Once again Stephen, thank you so much for your invaluable role in producing such a great-looking DVD. Truly one for the ages – whether we like it or not.
 
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Stephen PI

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I really want to buy a BD of this film but can't get past those terrible transfers. How on earth does a supposed 4K restoration in 1080p end up looking 'worse' than a 16-year-old DVD?
Once again Stephen, thank you so much for your invaluable role in producing such a great-looking DVD. Truly one for the ages – whether we like it or not.

Thank you for your appreciation Brent. I guess you answered your question.
From what I can gather they didn't go to the expense and start from scratch and scan the 35mm fine-grain at 2 or 4k, they took the cheaper route.
 

Brent Reid

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Well, turns out there is a German BD after all! Released last October in a Digibook, titled Stadt der Toten, it contains the UK version with an optional German dub, The US version, German Super 8 version (8min), German trailer and booklet.

No idea of the transfer(s) or other details as yet, but I'll keep digging.
 

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