UHD Review Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ War of the Worlds -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray & When Worlds Collide -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[ScottHM]

What I didn’t know if what I’m reading is true, is that painting was rough concept art. Not meant as a final piece. But someone decided it looked great and decided to use it as is.

View attachment 158175

That's not surprising, since it looks like a painting and not a landscape. I always just assumed it was a budgetary thing.
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[jayembee]

This is a tough one. Kind of like To Catch a Thief. This disc looks great. But if you have the Imprint disc, then you’re either kind of spoiled or misdirected. Maybe the Imprint disc is not properly presenting the film. One now has an option to watch either if one owns both. I may defer to the Paramount disc because I like the color during the climatic escape sequence.

Since I'm perfectly satisfied with the Criterion BD of The War of the Worlds, I felt no special reason to get Paramount's new two-fer release. I also have the Imprint release of When Worlds Collide, which, while not perfect, is good enough for me. I certainly don't feel the need to get the Paramount release just for what may or may not be an improvement on the Imprint.

Whether the Imprint of When Worlds Collide is "properly presenting the film" or not isn't an issue for me. It's an improvement over every previous viewing I've had of the film. Since I'm not quite old enough to have seen it when it was first released (not that I'd remember how it looked if I had) I have no opinion about whether it's properly presented.

 

[Reed Grele]

I finally got around to watching both of the new Paramount releases: War of the Worlds and When Worlds Collide.

Since I don't own the imprint transfer of When Worlds Collide I wasn't able to do a side by side comparison. I thought Paramount's transfer looked wonderful. So no complaints with this film.

War of the Worlds in 4K didn't look any better than my Criterion 1080 BD release. In fact, in addition to the bluish "red" planet at the beginning, I noticed some banding in a few of the darker scenes. Not sure if I remember seeing that on the criterion. I'll have to check sometime.

 

[Worth]

 

[Reed Grele]

Shouldn't Mars be blue??

 

[Capt D McMars]

Shouldn't Mars be blue??

No, you're thinking of the "Other" Mars!!!

 

[B-ROLL]

No, you're thinking of the "Other" Mars!!!

 

[Nelson Au]

Nick, that’s really cool shot of Mars. I gather that’s not the actor Andrew McCarthy? I’ve thought about trying astrophotography and getting one of those types of telescopes.

 

[Robert Harris]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS X4

Paramount Pictures DVD, Paramount Pictures DVD, Criterion Collection Blu-Ray, Paramount Pictures 4K + WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE Blu-RayReviews by Roy FrumkesTHE WAR OF THE WORLDS 4K + WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE BLU-RAY set is available at retailers everywhereIt’s all about the wires, really.Producer George...

www.filmsinreview.com

 

[Lord Dalek]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS X4

Paramount Pictures DVD, Paramount Pictures DVD, Criterion Collection Blu-Ray, Paramount Pictures 4K + WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE Blu-RayReviews by Roy FrumkesTHE WAR OF THE WORLDS 4K + WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE BLU-RAY set is available at retailers everywhereIt’s all about the wires, really.Producer George...

www.filmsinreview.com

"Well, this is the one I was looking forward to, despite the fact that they had damaged CITY LIGHTS by making that purely budgetary decision regarding the visibility of the wires, and then asked me if Chaplin had personally told me that the wires shouldn’t show. I was friendly with Jerry Epstein, Chaplin’s producer on LIMELIGHT, A KING IN NEW YORK, A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG, and THE FREAK. I brought him into class when I was doing a History of Film Comedy semester on Chaplin’s work and he had a great time reminiscing. But why, at any juncture back then, should I have, out of nowhere, posed the question “Hey Jerry, did Chaplin want us to see those wires in CITY LIGHTS?” Why would I have done that?"

...what is he talking about?

 

[Robert Harris]

"Well, this is the one I was looking forward to, despite the fact that they had damaged CITY LIGHTS by making that purely budgetary decision regarding the visibility of the wires, and then asked me if Chaplin had personally told me that the wires shouldn’t show. I was friendly with Jerry Epstein, Chaplin’s producer on LIMELIGHT, A KING IN NEW YORK, A COUNTESS FROM HONG KONG, and THE FREAK. I brought him into class when I was doing a History of Film Comedy semester on Chaplin’s work and he had a great time reminiscing. But why, at any juncture back then, should I have, out of nowhere, posed the question “Hey Jerry, did Chaplin want us to see those wires in CITY LIGHTS?” Why would I have done that?"

...what is he talking about?

The fact that a rep from Criterion wanted to know if he discussed the wires with Chaplin.

 

[Capt D McMars]

The fact that a rep from Criterion wanted to know if he discussed the wires with Chaplin.

nice!!!

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks RAH for that link to the reviews of the WotW’s DVD and blu ray releases. Interesting theory that the blue-ish Mars could be due to a 3D test print used erroneously for the 2D version.

 

[Douglas R]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS X4

Paramount Pictures DVD, Paramount Pictures DVD, Criterion Collection Blu-Ray, Paramount Pictures 4K + WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE Blu-RayReviews by Roy FrumkesTHE WAR OF THE WORLDS 4K + WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE BLU-RAY set is available at retailers everywhereIt’s all about the wires, really.Producer George...

www.filmsinreview.com

Ah! Films in Review. I used to love that magazine and looked forward to receiving each new copy in the mail. I still have many of them on my shelves.

 

[Robert Harris]

Ah! Films in Review. I used to love that magazine and looked forward to receiving each new copy in the mail. I still have many of them on my shelves.

One of the all-time finest film publications. How many had articles written by Carl Th. Dreyer?

 

[Tino]

On sale for $18.99

Amazon product ASIN B0B4SPLVDS

 

[Nelson Au]

Guys- a friend asked me about a discrepancy he read about in the 2020 War of the Worlds restoration and compare the 1999 DVD to the new high definition restoration. It concerns the atomic explosion when the Air Force drops the bomb on the Martian machines. I made some screen caps from the 1999 DVD and the 2020 Criterion blu ray.

On the 1999 DVD, there is a white flash when the bomb goes off. On the new restoration, the white flash is gone and the fireball is visible. In looking at the screen caps, it looks like the fireball was there on the 1999 DVD film source, it just had a white overlay. I checked the Paramount 4K blu ray and the explosion looks the same as the Criterion blu ray, no white flash.

So, did the Paramount restoration team not realize there needed to be a white flash as the bomb went off? Perhaps people in 1951 knew what an atomic explosion looks like or and the 2020 crew did not have any notes to go by for the restoration. Or perhaps that white flash was not meant to be there? What do the War of the Worlds expert know about this? I wasn’t aware if this was discussed on any of the War of the Worlds threads. My gut says the white flash was supposed to be there. ( similarly in the 1968 film, Bullitt, there should be black frames present when one of the cars crashes into another, but have been removed on the Blu ray)

1999 Paramount DVD:

2020 Criterion blu ray

 

[Nelson Au]

No WotW experts with comments to my post above?

 

[Wayne Klein]

No WotW experts with comments to my post above?

Looks like another goof up by Paramount.

 

[Robert Crawford]

No WotW experts with comments to my post above?

I'm sure you're right but I don't have the time nor inclination to go back comparing discs. I find that it takes away from my enjoyment of this hobby. There are just too many movies to watch and not enough time to do so.