It's becoming increasingly puzzling that Sony, whose consistently high standards are rivalled only by Warner Archive, have not yet produced a high definition master for Barabbas. I believe there's a new rumour that Kino-Lorber have come to an arrangement with Sony. If so, I very much hope Kino will request, indeed demand, a dazzlingly good HD master for this film.
"31 films....7 are new to blu ray in the US." Hmmm "Barabbas" is out on blu ray in France and it is not a stellar transfer. "Cromwell" is also out in France, that transfer is excellent. Sony has released many films on blu ray in Europe...."Mackenna's Gold" is another .
All 4 large format productions from Sony that are out in France should be avoided by people who expect the usual Sony quality:
Thay must have done a "pop and drop" I hate when they do that. Doing nothing to improve the film but at the lowest cost just passing the buck!! Very lazy, and says a lot about that company when they don't step up and do a decent job!! Lord Jim is another film needing some love and remastering!! Is this the Spanish import?
I purchased the french MacKenna's Gold, and it was a fair copy, definatly better than the DVD edition in my collection, any additional info on Lord Jim? I see it's a BRD-R from Spain...thoughts?
If it's a BRD-R from Spain, work on the assumption that it's a bootleg!
Lord Jim comes close to the top of wide format films which I want on Blu-ray. I didn't bother getting the French version but I still have the DVD. It's another film where I can't understand the bad reviews and lack of audience interest. I still remember how great it looked in 70mm at the Odeon, Leicester Square. But it's only one of numerous films shown in 70mm which I fear will never get released. It's obviously expensive to master them for HD and outside those of us who were around in that wonderful age of roadshow presentations, how many people have even heard of Lord Jim or Barabbas - even TV channels seldom ever show them.
The reasoning behind the Pana-vision and other formats was to bring people back to the theaters. They were losing to TVs and created a format that TV just couldn't deliver!! And it worked for a while. We've all seen the horrendous butchered TV versions of Ben Hur for example!! Yet today, with the ability to view such widscreen formats in our homes, although not uite the same as in a darkened movie Palace, studios seem unwilling to step up and deliver...why?
It was an official French release boxset with a book included.
This was an official French blu ray release from at least 5 years. A pricey boxset with a book included.
that'snot saying much if the response it luke warm. What does that say about the quality of the HD Transfer?? Asking for a friend LOL!!
It was DVD quality ...very disappointing
On Amazon Prime in the U.K. it looks even worse than DVD and unbelievably is 1.78:1.
A a lot of Columbia titles are like that.....Cromwell ( which is in its proper aspect ratio on blu ray in France). Song Without End is another
It's the same for the Barabbas and The Long Ships.
Are we talking about Barabbas?
