A PEEK AT HIGH AND LOW FROM BFI (1 Viewer)

[haineshisway]

To start at the very beginning - a very good place to start - High and Low is one of my all-time favorite movies, certainly my favorite Kurosawa. For those who may not know the film, it's based on an 86th Precinct novel entitled King's Ransom by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter). It is obviously not a costume drama nor a samurai movie. It's about a kidnapping and a man who is put in an untenable dilemma. It is two hours and twenty-four minutes long - it feels like it's under two. It is black-and-white TohoScope. I discovered the movie in the 1970s - it first played the US in New York in November of 1963 and then LA in February 1964. I would love to have seen it back then at the Toho La Brea - they had a very nice-sized screen there - the Beverly Canon was also a great theater with a smaller but ample-sized screen. I have owned every home video iteration. They've ranged from terrible to pretty okay, but none seemed really right to me, even the Japanese Blu-ray of many years ago.

And now, BFI has released it on Blu-ray from a brand new 4K transfer and it's fantastic. It finally feels like you're watching film - the photography is amazing, as are the performances, as is the score by Masaru Sato. It is fascinating in its structure. Toshiro Mifune dominates the first part of the film and then, when the police investigation takes over (after the amazing scene on the train) he just about disappears from the film until near the end. I'm surprised BFI didn't also do a 4K on it unless Toho wouldn't allow it. I'm sure this same transfer will make it to 4K and probably through Criterion - for those who cannot wait, if you have an all-region player I cannot recommend this highly enough.

 

[titch]

I'm betting on Criterion releasing it as a 4K UHD - Toho released it themselves as a 4K UHD in Japan.

 

[Douglas R]

I don't know the film but it sounds intriguing so I may take a risk on it. If I hate the film I'll blame you Bruce

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I don't know the film but it sounds intriguing so I may take a risk on it. If I hate the film I'll blame you Bruce

I’ll buy it from you if you don’t like it.

 

[Robert Harris]

Wonderful film. Totally share your sentiments. I’ve always wanted to examine an original print see if if was hand colored.

 

[haineshisway]

Wonderful film. Totally share your sentiments. I’ve always wanted to examine an original print see if if was hand colored.

That moment is so brilliant, but the whole film just crackles. The set-up is slow but mesmerizing because of the way Kurosawa shot it with three cameras. But once the plot kicks in - it is just amazing. I never tire of watching it.

 

[haineshisway]

I don't know the film but it sounds intriguing so I may take a risk on it. If I hate the film I'll blame you Bruce

Take the chance - it's really great!

 

[Allansfirebird]

My copy of this and Stray Dog arrived yesterday. Can't wait to check out both with the new commentary tracks!

Even though I already have all of Criterion's releases of Kurosawa's filmography, I don't mind getting these BFI discs for the additional features.

 

[Douglas R]

The High and Low BFI master is available on Amazon Prime in the UK so I watched it as a rental. Very enjoyable film. Intriguing and engrossing. I always enjoy police procedural scenes, which form a large part of the film. Great widescreen black and white photography. I found it remarkable that back in the early 1960s it was possible to receive (and make?) telephone calls from a booth on the train. Very long film but it doesn't seem long, unlike so many of today's films.

 

[Robert Harris]

The High and Low BFI master is available on Amazon Prime in the UK so I watched it as a rental. Very enjoyable film. Intriguing and engrossing. I always enjoy police procedural scenes, which form a large part of the film. Great widescreen black and white photography. I found it remarkable that back in the early 1960s it was possible to receive (and make?) telephone calls from a booth on the train. Very long film but it doesn't seem long, unlike so many of today's films.

I always return to (as I recall)n Samuel Goldwyn’s comment when asked how long a film should be.

“As long as it’s good.”

And then there’s was The Brutalist.

 

[haineshisway]

I always return to (as I recall)n Samuel Goldwyn’s comment when asked how long a film should be.

“As long as it’s good.”

And then there’s was The Brutalist.

And then there's The Brutalist is right. Whatever joys the film may hold for some viewers, three and a half hours is absurd. I called an editor friend after seeing it and told him that we could go in for a week and take out an hour and NO ONE would miss a thing.

 

[Robert Harris]

And then there's The Brutalist is right. Whatever joys the film may hold for some viewers, three and a half hours is absurd. I called an editor friend after seeing it and told him that we could go in for a week and take out an hour and NO ONE would miss a thing.

One of (Two of) my pet peeves about the film are that it was shot in 35/8 for no apparent reason other than to announce that it was shot that way. And the fact that the filmmaker has little understanding of what film is.

What possible rationale might there be to print in OCN dirt except to make sure that you can point to it as fine.

When Real filmmakers work toward never having a bit of minus density.

So…

Film. VVLA. Dirt. 3 1/2 hours plus 15 minute Intermission - to me spells affectation.

 

[titch]

What possible rationale might there be to print in OCN dirt except to make sure that you can point to it as fine.

It's become a trend for hipsters and not confined to analogue film either. Alexander Payne recently shot The Holdovers with ARRIRAW 3.4K digital, but then put in dirt and scratches throughout the entire movie for theatrical and home media presentation - to make it resemble...er...a worn, battered print from the 70's? (A detail that seems to have completely escaped clueless reviewers). I saw the same with the Babygirl DCP.

Obviously a rather misguided attempt to make film look like film. Similar to a digital music recording with crackle, clicks and scratches inserted, to recreate a worn vinyl record. For the hipsters.

 

[Robert Harris]

Possibly the message is that films should no longer be restored. Simply take an average used copy, missing shots, splices, scratches - and release.

We seem to have had it wrong all these years. No reason for Warner Archive or the studios to return to original elements. This seems to not be what either the average consumer or filmmakers desire.

 

[titch]

This seems to not be what either the average consumer or filmmakers desire.

We appear to have completely have left Kurosawa at the moment. But at least he didn't insist that his films looked like they had been subjected to distress, before they received their theatrical premiere. I rewatched both the Criterion and BFI restored 4K UHD Seven Samurai releases and much preferred the Criterion, where visible damage on the Toho 4K scan was painstakingly removed. I've enjoyed all of Criterion's Kurosawa's since LaserDisc days, but visible film damage has always drawn me out of the viewing experience and reminded me that I'm just watching a piece of celluloid.

One mustn't lose heart.

1. The average consumer desires a pristine viewing experience, with nary a hint of grain, nor letterboxing, in sight. To them, a film should look like a video game. Best enjoyed on a laptop or mobile phone, while updating their social media feeds.
2. The cognoscenti relish gorgeously restored movies from original elements, marvelling at how old films now often look better than they ever did originally.
3. Then you have a bizarre little subgroup, which started with Rodriguez/Tarantino's Grindhouse experience, which enjoys a "performance-art" approach to film presentation. Don't worry - it will never be widely adopted.

Be aware that 50% of people who purchase vinyl records, do not own a record player. These are people with less interest in music, but more concern with appearances. Now I wouldn't go so far as to say that Mssrs Tarantino and Payne are only concerned with appearances - far from it - but what they did, was a one-off stunt. And, sadly, Mr Corbet has wasted an enormous amount of 16 mm film, because he so badly wants to be hip like them.

And I'm hoping that Criterion release High and Low as a 4K UHD, to resolve the Toho master just a little bit more, for us who like to project and pretend that we are at an ultra-exclusive screening of a brand new print.

 

[titch]

Mr Harris - I suggest you go out and buy a new outfit. You would fit right in with the hip-hop crowd.

 

[Robert Harris]

Mr Harris - I suggest you go out and buy a new outfit. You would fit right in with the hip-hop crowd.

View attachment 244327

Just purchased that precise outfit. Almost $1.300 in distressed form. Under $200 not distressed. I paid almost 4k for more tears.

But it goes perfectly with my Elvis (bought at auction) hairpieces. And most important, the twins love the look.

 

[Robin9]

Mr Harris - I suggest you go out and buy a new outfit. You would fit right in with the hip-hop crowd.

View attachment 244327

In my circle that's known as "shabby chic," and some idiots pay good money for stuff like that.

 

[PatrickDA]

"High and Low" is one of the great achievements in film. I have the Japanese 4K and it looks amazing!

 

[cda1143]

It's become a trend for hipsters and not confined to analogue film either. Alexander Payne recently shot The Holdovers with ARRIRAW 3.4K digital, but then put in dirt and scratches throughout the entire movie for theatrical and home media presentation - to make it resemble...er...a worn, battered print from the 70's? (A detail that seems to have completely escaped clueless reviewers). I saw the same with the Babygirl DCP.

Obviously a rather misguided attempt to make film look like film. Similar to a digital music recording with crackle, clicks and scratches inserted, to recreate a worn vinyl record. For the hipsters.

I take your point, but must defend this choice for The Holdovers. In addition to the minimal added dirt and scratches, the entire film was graded to look like what would have been the typical prints all of us outside of Manhattan and LA were seeing during the time period. One can like this effect or not, but it was done very well.

Payne was quite open about this in advance. Any reviewers who were clueless were simply unprofessional.

I rarely read promo material, knew nothing about, and I confess that as an HTF geek, towards the beginning I checked my projector to make sure I didn’t have some setting wrong. (Of course my wife said “whadaya mean something’s wrong? Looks fine.) After a 10 second google about the film, I was on my way. Having viewed this superb film twice now, I’m sold on the effect for this film.

It was a gamble, but I believe taken with the most sincere intentions, rather than a mere hipster gimmick.

Perhaps the film would have worked even better without it, I can’t guess. But the film does work brilliantly with it.