MY FAIR LADY 4K restoration completed! Dec. 9th release announced (Post #299) (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Pennington]

Fotokem did the work. I bet it'll come out through CBS at Paramount. I did like when Warner issued it for a while.

 

[Kevin EK]

OTOH, the idea of RAH as a dentist interrogator fills me with indescribable terror...("Next time Dusty, try 4K...")

 

[lukejosephchung]

OTOH, the idea of RAH as a dentist interrogator fills me with indescribable terror...("Next time Dusty, try 4K...")

I'm wondering if Laurence Olivier would have been his dental assistant, Kevin...

 

[Ethan Riley]

Final touches still going in. It will be a safe purchase.

A very safe purchase.

RAH

You know what I always wanted to ask you; do stereo masters for the underscoring still exist? Also, would there be a possibility of a music-only track, or an alternate track (or extras) that include Audrey Hepburn's original vocals like on the LD? Thanks for doing this, by the way!

 

[OliverK]

Final touches still going in. It will be a safe purchase. A very safe purchase. RAH

That'll be the day!I am looking forward to another large format movie that looks the way that it should on Blu-ray and I am especially looking forward to the colors looking after recent disappointments with other titles.

 

[GMpasqua]

I hope someone can restore Audrey Hepburn's singing voice. The laserdisc gave you the option to hear the film with Audrey singing or Marni Nixon.

Many of Audrey's vocals can be heard on the web and with some digital help from Auto Tune she would sound fine. Audrey's voice was charming, though less than polished, but still it would be nice to have the choice

 

[ahollis]

This news is SO AWESOME!I have been saying since the beginning of this year that "My Fair Lady" needed a touchup on the 1994 restoration so that it actually looks good on Blu-Ray, and it looks like that is actually going to happen.But does anyone actually believe that CBS has completely financed and will completely distribute the film themselves?I think they're splitting the costs and profits with Warner Bros, cause out of all the major studios, WB does the best job of restoring films.Plus WB will be a lot more willing to put together a wonderful retail package as well.

I think it will still be a BR through Paramount. Remember Murdock is still ticked off at Warner's for not taking Fox's buy out offer.

 

[MatthewA]

Isn't it nice to actually be talking about this film in a thread that's actually about it?

I hope someone can restore Audrey Hepburn's singing voice. The laserdisc gave you the option to hear the film with Audrey singing or Marni Nixon.

Many of Audrey's vocals can be heard on the web and with some digital help from Auto Tune she would sound fine. Audrey's voice was charming, though less than polished, but still it would be nice to have the choice

I've heard the one of "I Could Have Danced All Night," and it sounds like it was just a piano track, unlike the others. How were they able to get the two vocal tracks that were on the laserdisc synced up with the orchestra without Marni Nixon's vocals? Based on what RAH said in the "More Loverly Than Ever" documentary, as well as the expanded CD soundtrack that took cues directly off the film soundtrack (but somehow managed to find one that was not in the film), I assume they don't have separate music tracks.

One thing about the film that has always struck me as weird is when Marni comes in on "The Rain in Spain." She sounds doubletracked a la Lesley Gore or Annette Funicello, and this is the only spot in the film where it sounds like that.

 

[Michael1]

"Many of Audrey's vocals can be heard on the web and with some digital help from Auto Tune she would sound fine."

I disagree. Hepburn sounds fine singing "Moon River" in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S and "How Long Has This Been Going On?" in FUNNY FACE, and her charm helps carry those vocals, but most of the MY FAIR LADY score was well beyond her capabilities. Also, Marni Nixon has said she feels it was a great disservice to Hepburn that her vocal tracks for this movie have been made public, because they really were more or less "first draft" vocals. If they had decided to use her real singing voice throughout the completed film, she would have redone them all, and much more care would have been taken to get them to sound good.

P.S. I don't think Auto Tune would have helped because, as I recall, Hepburn's singing on her tracks isn't off pitch. That isn't the problem.

 

[Michael1]

"Based on what RAH said in the 'More Loverly Than Ever' documentary, as well as the expanded CD soundtrack that took cues directly off the film soundtrack (but somehow managed to find one that was not in the film), I assume they don't have separate music tracks."

Interesting! Which track on the expanded CD soundtrack is actually in the film?

"One thing about the film that has always struck me as weird is when Marni comes in on 'The Rain in Spain.' She sounds doubletracked a la Lesley Gore or Annette Funicello, and this is the only spot in the film where it sounds like that."

I've never noticed that. Will have to give it another listen.

 

[classicmovieguy]

Audrey's pitch was fine; her difficulty was finding the necessary lung-power to carry her through the more demanding, sustained parts of Eliza's songs.

 

[MatthewA]

"Based on what RAH said in the 'More Loverly Than Ever' documentary, as well as the expanded CD soundtrack that took cues directly off the film soundtrack (but somehow managed to find one that was not in the film), I assume they don't have separate music tracks."

Interesting! Which track on the expanded CD soundtrack is actually in the film?

There's a longer version of the music that plays over "The End" credit, that plays over the scene where Eliza walks back in as Higgins is playing the record he made when she walked into his office.

 

[haineshisway]

A safe purchase indeed, as Mr. Harris says. I was his guest at Fotokem on two occasions and saw the beauty of this transfer for several hours. Everyone is in for a rather spectacular treat.

 

[JoHud]

I think it will still be a BR through Paramount.

More specifically, wouldn't it be CBS? As a CBS property, it's assured that only Paramount will distribute it.

By the way, we haven't gotten any deep catalog blu-rays from CBS for quite a long while. I wonder why?

 

[Alan Tully]

Audrey's pitch was fine; her difficulty was finding the necessary lung-power to carry her through the more demanding, sustained parts of Eliza's songs.

Yes all those cigarettes didn't do her any favours (but then Frank Sinatra seems to get away with it).

 

[ahollis]

More specifically, wouldn't it be CBS? As a CBS property, it's assured that only Paramount will distribute it.By the way, we haven't gotten any deep catalog blu-rays from CBS for quite a long while. I wonder why?

My statement "BR through Paramount" meant distributed by Paramount.

 

[GMpasqua]

"Many of Audrey's vocals can be heard on the web and with some digital help from Auto Tune she would sound fine."

I disagree. Hepburn sounds fine singing "Moon River" in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S and "How Long Has This Been Going On?" in FUNNY FACE, and her charm helps carry those vocals, but most of the MY FAIR LADY score was well beyond her capabilities. Also, Marni Nixon has said she feels it was a great disservice to Hepburn that her vocal tracks for this movie have been made public, because they really were more or less "first draft" vocals. If they had decided to use her real singing voice throughout the completed film, she would have redone them all, and much more care would have been taken to get them to sound good.

P.S. I don't think Auto Tune would have helped because, as I recall, Hepburn's singing on her tracks isn't off pitch. That isn't the problem.

I work in the recording industry and we are able to fix a singer voice. It's not just pitch that can be fixed with Auto Tune. There are other ways - fixing the lenght of notes and the tonal quality. A lot of Hepburn's singing is fine. The higher notes would require work and maybe some dubbing. Plus unlike 1994 when her tracks were first attached to the film, digitally we can lenghten the notes to match her mouth in the film and present a cleaner and smoother performance

 

[FoxyMulder]

I work in the recording industry and we are able to fix a singer voice.

That does makes me wonder just how many modern singers can actually sing live without the aid of digital technology.

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

With the distribution of MFL as others have pointed out it is owned by CBS and they distribute thru Paramount... but this could be a what if situation because we don't know all the details... but what it WB got together with CBS when the original BLU was released and maybe got involved with helping with the restoration and maybe struck a deal to distribute an upcoming release. It is possible. I doubt the work that was done for the new master was cheap.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

Fotokem did the work, not Warner. Hard to imagine that part of the original deal was for the rights to the film were to revert back to CBS after a number of years.Which makes me wonder: if the rights had stayed with Warner along with the elements, would it have needed such restoration?