UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ Universal Classic Monsters -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Has anyone done a critical comparison of the UHD of Frankenstein to the 4K stream on Apple TV? Curious if that encoding has the same loss of detail that‘s been mentioned.

Also when when these classic movies were remastered did they go back to the negative or were these done from something else?

To the best of memory, although several reels of original exist ( or did ten or so years ago), they are in poor condition.

The prime usable element is a nitrate lavender struck from the OCN around 1939, and is the cut version of the film.

 

[Johnny Angell]

To the best of memory, although several reels of original exist ( or did ten or so years ago), they are in poor condition.

The prime usable element is a nitrate lavender struck from the OCN around 1939, and is the cut version of the film.

What are we seeing on the current 8(?) movie blu ray collection. Have all the censored parts been restored?

 

[compson]

What are we seeing on the current 8(?) movie blu ray collection. Have all the censored parts been restored?

If you mean the censored parts of the 1931 Frankenstein included in the previous Blu-ray set (Complete Legacy Collection), the answer is yes—not only Maria’s unfortunate swimming lesson but also Frankenstein’s blasphemy when he discovers the monster is alive.

 

[Robert Saccone]

Anyone know what source was used for the return of the censored parts?

BTW I read Karloff didn’t want the scene of him throwing Maria into the water to be in the film. He thought it would make the monster look less child like and the audience would lose sympathy for it. I think he was right.

 

[Johnny Angell]

If you mean the censored parts of the 1931 Frankenstein included in the previous Blu-ray set (Complete Legacy Collection), the answer is yes—not only Maria’s unfortunate swimming lesson but also Frankenstein’s blasphemy when he discovers the monster is alive.

Dracula had his moans when he was being stalked removed or shortened. I believe those were restored.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Anyone know what source was used for the return of the censored parts?

BTW I read Karloff didn’t want the scene of him throwing Maria into the water to be in the film. He thought it would make the monster look less child like and the audience would lose sympathy for it. I think he was right.

It’s still clear to me that his childish innocence is why he throws her in the lake and then doesn’t know how to save her. He’s just killed a child so it could still cost him sympathy.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Would anyone know if owned Apple HD versions automatically upgraded to 4K streams? I just checked and it looks like it and Dracula looks aMAYzing!
I asked because I was told by others awhile back that even though it may say so it’s not necessarily accurate?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Would anyone know if owned Apple HD versions automatically upgraded to 4K streams? I just checked and it looks like it and Dracula looks aMAYzing!
I asked because I was told by others awhile back that even though it may say so it’s not necessarily accurate?

The three titles I bought on iTunes years ago upgraded to 4K.

 

[Robert Saccone]

It’s still clear to me that his childish innocence is why he throws her in the lake and then doesn’t know how to save her. He’s just killed a child so it could still cost him sympathy.

I don’t know if this is the right word but its very startling when he grabs her, picks her up, swings her and violently throws her in all while she is clearly screaming in protest. It just felt out of character for something with childish innocence. Would have played better if he had just gently placed her In the water and then had a surprised reaction that she didn’t float like the flowers. Before seeing this restored scene that’s how I always imagined it would have happened.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don’t know if this is the right word but its very startling when he grabs her, picks her up, swings her and violently throws her in all while she is clearly screaming in protest. It just felt out of character for something with childish innocence. Would have played better if he had just gently placed her In the water and then had a surprised reaction that she didn’t float like the flowers. Before seeing this restored scene that’s how I always imagined it would have happened.

I agree with Johnny's take on that film sequence as his reaction to not knowing what to do after seeing her sink in the water tells me all I need to know about his child-like mentality.

 

[Nelson Au]

This is an interesting discussion, first about the image quality between the blu ray and the 4K of Frankenstein. I am in the process of getting a 4K set so I hope to be able to compare for myself when it is in my home.

The discussion of the childlike nature of the creature is interesting in that it made me realize that Whale or Boris Karloff made a choice for the character to be different in the Bride of Frankenstein. In the first film, it was a child in a man’s body. It didn’t seem to know what was right or wrong, of course due to the bungling of Fritz. As the creature is tormented by Fritz, it’s angered and goes on a murderous rampage. In Bride, the creature was learning some bad habits from Pretorius. But would a child be able to or want to have a girl friend? Maybe in the creature’s mind, all he wanted was a friend. Not a girl friend in the sense of marriage. I guess Whale, the screen writer and Karloff all agreed to adjust the character of the creature as it matured a bit in the second film. I never considered this before. This is the fun part of movies, or any art form, we as the viewer can interpret it in our own ways. Don’t get me wrong, I think The Bride of Frankenstein is a masterwork and in ways superior to the first.

Now I want to re-watch both!

 

[Johnny Angell]

But would a child be able to or want to have a girl friend?

Keep it mind it was an adult brain that Igor…er Fritz stole. The Creature is very demanding that Frankenstein create a mate for him, so it seems to me he wanted more than a friend.

One could also wonder that since it was an adult brain that was brought back to life, what happened to all those memories, to that particular soul?

BTW, the “little people” segment of bride is so farcical it always takes me out of the movie.

 

[RobertMG]

Anyone know what source was used for the return of the censored parts?

BTW I read Karloff didn’t want the scene of him throwing Maria into the water to be in the film. He thought it would make the monster look less child like and the audience would lose sympathy for it. I think he was right.

Mr. Harris had answered that question when I asked it a while back maybe he will reply again? Also does any of the deleted footage on Bride exist

 

[Nelson Au]

Keep it mind it was an adult brain that Igor…er Fritz stole. The Creature is very demanding that Frankenstein create a mate for him, so it seems to me he wanted more than a friend.

One could also wonder that since it was an adult brain that was brought back to life, what happened to all those memories, to that particular soul?.

Hi Johnny-

Those are good points that I’d always thought too, that the Abby normal brain that Fritz took was an adult. So it should have the memories of that person still and as an adult. But I guess after death, the brain was wiped clean, reset so to speak.

I thought though that Pretorius was the one to put the idea of a mate in the creature‘s mind.

I have not seen Young Frankenstein in a super long time. I will have to do that as I specifically I got the blu ray last year.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Now I want to re-watch both!

I love this double feature. You can see the evolution of the talking picture in just four years. Same director, star and studio and yet Bride is such a polished Hollywood production compared to the original. I enjoy both movies, but Bride is a masterpiece.

 

[Johnny Angell]

that the Abby normal brain that Fritz took was an adult.

That’s A-B Normal brain. Was there ever a better and affectionate sendup of a genre than “Young Frankenstein”? “My gosh, what knockers!”

 

[RobertMG]

That’s A-B Normal brain. Was there ever a better and affectionate sendup of a genre than “Young Frankenstein”? “My gosh, what knockers!”

I missed the chance of a lifetime one Thursday night I was at a Cosby show taping on his last series where Madeline Kahn played the neighbor - that night I was able to take myself and my three guests backstage to visit the Cos in his dressing room and as we were talking thru the doorway there was Ms. Kahn doing the Macarena at that point I should have asked her for her autograph or at the least do the Macarena with her of course I would have mangled a few questions about Young Frankenstein!

 

[TravisR]

I love this double feature. You can see the evolution of the talking picture in just four years. Same director, star and studio and yet Bride is such a polished Hollywood production compared to the original. I enjoy both movies, but Bride is a masterpiece.

It's amazing how quickly movies changed in under a decade. I've been watching the majority of the old Universal horror movies for the HTF Horror Challenge and you can see the rapid technical growth from Dracula in 1931 to Bride in '35 to Dracula's Daughter in '36 or Night Key in '37. There's a night and day difference between them.

 

[B-ROLL]

Hi Johnny-

Those are good points that I’d always thought too, that the Abby normal brain that Fritz took was an adult. So it should have the memories of that person still and as an adult. But I guess after death, the brain was wiped clean, reset so to speak.

I thought though that Pretorius was the one to put the idea of a mate in the creature‘s mind.

I have not seen Young Frankenstein in a super long time. I will have to do that as I specifically I got the blu ray last year.

Perhaps with a frosty beverage ...

!

 

[mskaye]

It's amazing how quickly movies changed in under a decade. I've been watching the majority of the old Universal horror movies for the HTF Horror Challenge and you can see the rapid technical growth from Dracula in 1931 to Bride in '35 to Dracula's Daughter in '36 or Night Key in '37. There's a night and day difference between them.

And James Whale was a visionary talent who obviously poured everything he had into BRIDE. Frankly, it's a singular piece of art that he never exceeded. It's a foundation stone for so much that followed in culture - the camp, the goth, the hyperbolic visuals. You have to look to Murnau and Lang and Leni for such stylish and over the top camera technique. It's German Expressionistic visuals taken to the extreme. Only Welles, Ford, and a few others at the height of noir pushed things further.