- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,428
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Within the canon of Alfred Hithcock's 50+ films, which goes back a hundred years, a small number have been considered prime Hitchcock.
I referring to North by Northwest, Rear Window, Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes and a few others. Then there are those that seldom get discussed.
Within the upper sector of that middle ground - those films that are recognized and appreciated, but not in an exalted manor - falls his remake of his own 1934 The Man Who Knew Too Much, a film shot during the summer of 1955 on location in the UK and Morocco, and one of only five films shot in Paramount's extraordinary VistaVision process.
As a huge Hitchcock fan as a kid, I saw it originally in 1956, and then again around 1962-63 -both times via original 35/4 dye transfer VVLA prints.
Later on, I attempted to add an original 35 to my little collection of favorites, but had to settle for a 16.
The film was shot by Robert Burks, and original prints were magnificent to behold.
In 1982-83, my co-conspirator Jim Katz, talked a friendly exec at Universal to license the package of five films from his estate, virtually putting his job (with Universal Classics) on the line if he failed.
He didn't.
But while there were no major obstacles in creating printing elements for Rope, there were for the other four films - all shot on varying 5248 emulsions, for which both the basic emulsion and the way that negatives were processed changed in minor ways over the years.
The generally accepted theory is now that the earlier films were more resistant to fade, with the later, ending c. 1960, the most problematic.
That meant that Rear Window, shot in late 1953, should have answered back without any real problems. It didn't, because of other problems.
The 1954 Trouble with Harry also should not have been extremely problematic, and problems were solved in reasonable fashion.
But the last two The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo, had major fading problems.
To make matters worse, 90% of the film elements on the five films had been junked c. 1970 to avoid storage costs, and the remaining rolls of film had been placed in storage - but not film storage. They went to a warehouse generally used for storing papers.
The junking orders listed those elements to be saved and stored:
The original camera negatives;
black & white masters;
1 16mm sound track negative
1 35mm sound track negative
and five prints each in 16 and 35.
Everything else - world-wide was to be junked, inclusive of all the original magnetic stems and final masters.
Fortunately, original music stems somehow survived deep in Paramount's vaults, but had gone vinegar. Interestingly, while all of the stems were monaural, the Storm Cloud Cantata was listed on the can as Stereo. But, alas, when the can was opened, it was empty. I'll not comment further.
When discussions occurred in 1983, there was little to be done as there were no budgets, and restoration was the furthest thing from the corporate agenda. That would not occur for another six years.
When it did occur, the first film to receive attention would be Spartacus, linking to the theatrical success of Lawrence. And that occurred through the auspices of Tom Pollock, who understood both the needs as well as the commercial possibilities of making the investment.
Around 1996 we were invited back for another project, and selected Vertigo, which gave us the ability to make full inspections of the Eastman films in the estate package.
The worst original negative - by a mile - was The Man Who Knew Too Much. One can only surmise the reasons, but at the top of my list is that it probably sat on a high shelf, and received most of the heat year-round.
After Vertigo, came Rear Window, for a number of reasons - the most important being that we needed very precise digital technology to make the process work. And that technology did not yet exist, but was perfected in 2k, not 4k c. 2005-6, and used in Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot.
2007 saw the first two major 4k restorations. The Godfather films, with work performed at WB MPI facility in Burbank, and in New York, where Grover Crisp was restoring Dr. Strangelove at Cineric.
Man Who Knew came back into discussion just before Covid hit, and at that time Universal moved two scan the original 8-perf negative.
After Covid, things began to move again, the Y record, which had its own problems was also scanned in 4k, and I was kindly asked to consult on the project, with Universal's Cassandra Moore and her team performing all of the tech work at Universal.
While the OCN wasn't in terrible condition, it did exhibit normal wear, as well as something seen on numerous Vista shows, cut-though emulsion gauges on the left side of the frame in picture area.
Over approximately a year's time, all the pieces began fitting together. Color, density were dealt with using two original prints as reference. One odd anomaly was removed during the penultimate sequence at the embassy - where an errant mike boom had taken residence within the frame during production.
Years ago, while going through the inventories, I made note of a set of rolls listed as OSTN-P, and wondered if the original Perspecta printing neg might have survived. It had, and was sent over to Audio Mechanics for test decoding. It worked, and returns for the first time since 1956.
When Universal Home Entertainment heard about the track, they came back with an affirmative.
Having seen numerous Vista shows over the years, I never realized that the Perspecta track affects the films from the very beginning. As the VistaVision logo spreads across the screen, the side channels become active. The process isn't true stereo, but it works, and adds measurably to the film viewing experience.
So...
Problems first discovered in 1983, and first discussed for restoration in 1989 and 1996, have finally come to fruition, thanks to the incredible team of films lovers at Universal.
How do I feel about the final 4k UHD version?
He likes it.
Color and density are spot on. The image is clean, stable, grain is absolutely perfect. Black levels are gorgeous, along with shadow detail.
HDR has been wafted over the image much akin to vermouth over a nice martini. Nothing overpowering. Just enough to help.
Happy camper.
I've saved the most important for last.
The slipcover is glossy, has metallic silver at the top of the image, and has pretty colors, replicating what's to be found inside.
Image – 5 (HDR10)
Audio – 5 (DTS-HD MA 3.0)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k - 7.5
Upgrade from Blu-ray - Without a doubt!
Worth your attention - 10
Slipcover rating - 2
Very Highly Recommended
RAH
Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.
I referring to North by Northwest, Rear Window, Psycho, The Birds, Vertigo, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes and a few others. Then there are those that seldom get discussed.
Within the upper sector of that middle ground - those films that are recognized and appreciated, but not in an exalted manor - falls his remake of his own 1934 The Man Who Knew Too Much, a film shot during the summer of 1955 on location in the UK and Morocco, and one of only five films shot in Paramount's extraordinary VistaVision process.
As a huge Hitchcock fan as a kid, I saw it originally in 1956, and then again around 1962-63 -both times via original 35/4 dye transfer VVLA prints.
Later on, I attempted to add an original 35 to my little collection of favorites, but had to settle for a 16.
The film was shot by Robert Burks, and original prints were magnificent to behold.
In 1982-83, my co-conspirator Jim Katz, talked a friendly exec at Universal to license the package of five films from his estate, virtually putting his job (with Universal Classics) on the line if he failed.
He didn't.
But while there were no major obstacles in creating printing elements for Rope, there were for the other four films - all shot on varying 5248 emulsions, for which both the basic emulsion and the way that negatives were processed changed in minor ways over the years.
The generally accepted theory is now that the earlier films were more resistant to fade, with the later, ending c. 1960, the most problematic.
That meant that Rear Window, shot in late 1953, should have answered back without any real problems. It didn't, because of other problems.
The 1954 Trouble with Harry also should not have been extremely problematic, and problems were solved in reasonable fashion.
But the last two The Man Who Knew Too Much and Vertigo, had major fading problems.
To make matters worse, 90% of the film elements on the five films had been junked c. 1970 to avoid storage costs, and the remaining rolls of film had been placed in storage - but not film storage. They went to a warehouse generally used for storing papers.
The junking orders listed those elements to be saved and stored:
The original camera negatives;
black & white masters;
1 16mm sound track negative
1 35mm sound track negative
and five prints each in 16 and 35.
Everything else - world-wide was to be junked, inclusive of all the original magnetic stems and final masters.
Fortunately, original music stems somehow survived deep in Paramount's vaults, but had gone vinegar. Interestingly, while all of the stems were monaural, the Storm Cloud Cantata was listed on the can as Stereo. But, alas, when the can was opened, it was empty. I'll not comment further.
When discussions occurred in 1983, there was little to be done as there were no budgets, and restoration was the furthest thing from the corporate agenda. That would not occur for another six years.
When it did occur, the first film to receive attention would be Spartacus, linking to the theatrical success of Lawrence. And that occurred through the auspices of Tom Pollock, who understood both the needs as well as the commercial possibilities of making the investment.
Around 1996 we were invited back for another project, and selected Vertigo, which gave us the ability to make full inspections of the Eastman films in the estate package.
The worst original negative - by a mile - was The Man Who Knew Too Much. One can only surmise the reasons, but at the top of my list is that it probably sat on a high shelf, and received most of the heat year-round.
After Vertigo, came Rear Window, for a number of reasons - the most important being that we needed very precise digital technology to make the process work. And that technology did not yet exist, but was perfected in 2k, not 4k c. 2005-6, and used in Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot.
2007 saw the first two major 4k restorations. The Godfather films, with work performed at WB MPI facility in Burbank, and in New York, where Grover Crisp was restoring Dr. Strangelove at Cineric.
Man Who Knew came back into discussion just before Covid hit, and at that time Universal moved two scan the original 8-perf negative.
After Covid, things began to move again, the Y record, which had its own problems was also scanned in 4k, and I was kindly asked to consult on the project, with Universal's Cassandra Moore and her team performing all of the tech work at Universal.
While the OCN wasn't in terrible condition, it did exhibit normal wear, as well as something seen on numerous Vista shows, cut-though emulsion gauges on the left side of the frame in picture area.
Over approximately a year's time, all the pieces began fitting together. Color, density were dealt with using two original prints as reference. One odd anomaly was removed during the penultimate sequence at the embassy - where an errant mike boom had taken residence within the frame during production.
Years ago, while going through the inventories, I made note of a set of rolls listed as OSTN-P, and wondered if the original Perspecta printing neg might have survived. It had, and was sent over to Audio Mechanics for test decoding. It worked, and returns for the first time since 1956.
When Universal Home Entertainment heard about the track, they came back with an affirmative.
Having seen numerous Vista shows over the years, I never realized that the Perspecta track affects the films from the very beginning. As the VistaVision logo spreads across the screen, the side channels become active. The process isn't true stereo, but it works, and adds measurably to the film viewing experience.
So...
Problems first discovered in 1983, and first discussed for restoration in 1989 and 1996, have finally come to fruition, thanks to the incredible team of films lovers at Universal.
How do I feel about the final 4k UHD version?
He likes it.
Color and density are spot on. The image is clean, stable, grain is absolutely perfect. Black levels are gorgeous, along with shadow detail.
HDR has been wafted over the image much akin to vermouth over a nice martini. Nothing overpowering. Just enough to help.
Happy camper.
I've saved the most important for last.
The slipcover is glossy, has metallic silver at the top of the image, and has pretty colors, replicating what's to be found inside.
Image – 5 (HDR10)
Audio – 5 (DTS-HD MA 3.0)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k - 7.5
Upgrade from Blu-ray - Without a doubt!
Worth your attention - 10
Slipcover rating - 2
Very Highly Recommended
RAH
Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.
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