Yes, the Ultra-Res Recombining was used to register the film. It combines two or more film records (most often YCMs). And yes, certain scenes in Chinatown are YCM re-combines.
Cardiff’s comments led us toward a better understanding of how the film was put together, what time of day certain shots were supposed to depict, and that the film should have a warm tone – but not too pretty. He also claimed that the riverbank bug infestation was an effect that he did in camera (!) with tiny feathers.
Rather than get into the intricate complexities of title ownership and licensing, which I don’t even fully understand, I can say that the film was not held in U.S. - which made a stateside restoration unusually challenging. The film was made and financed outside the U.S. and outside the studio system. We are just fortunate to have her back.
Sure to cause some controversy, here is the answer: The African Queen is presented with its original English mono audio track encoded at 224kbps Dolby Digital. It was encoded at a higher bit rate (224 vs. 192) than most other classic titles and has plenty of space for peaks encoded at 224kbps to cover the relative static dynamics of its range audio. Just to give this context, you wouldn’t construct a 100 gallon tank for 5 gallons of gas, there is no benefit in doing so and a higher bit rate ceiling provides zero benefits to the audio experience.
I don't believe they would spend so much time, energy and money to do the picture restoration correctly, and then hardly make an effort for the audio.
