Press Release PHE Press Release: War of the Worlds (1953) (4k UHD) / When Worlds Collide (1951) (Blu-ray) Limited Edition (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

The Criterion BD is pretty perfect in my eyes - I have no complaints.

 

[B-ROLL]

Going back in time would be great!

Just don't ask for a Pepsi Free

(unless its the mid 1980s) !

 

[Nelson Au]

And it’s Pepsi made with real sugar!

 

[B-ROLL]

And it’s Pepsi made with real sugar!

Pepsi (& Coca-Cola) made in Mexico has real sugar

!

The Facts About Your Favorite Beverages (U.S.) | product

www.pepsicobeveragefacts.com

 

[dpippel]

The Criterion BD is pretty perfect in my eyes - I have no complaints.

I couldn't agree more. It's a wonderful presentation IMO.

 

[Alex...]

 

[Josh Steinberg]

With respect, I don’t think it’s as simple as “Paramount doesn’t want to spend the money to correct the disc.”

They released this 4K digital master in 2018 and the color has been incorrect and in public view for four years now. They have declined to correct it at any point over the past four years.

I don’t think this is a money issue.

I think this is an issue of, they believe they are correct. It doesn’t matter if they are not correct, or if we believe they are not correct, because they believe the version they have is correct. And since they believe it to be correct, they will not change it.

I think it’s as simple as that.

 

[dpippel]

With respect, I don’t think it’s as simple as “Paramount doesn’t want to spend the money to correct the disc.”

They released this 4K digital master in 2018 and the color has been incorrect and in public view for four years now. They have declined to correct it at any point over the past four years.

I don’t think this is a money issue.

I think this is an issue of, they believe they are correct. It doesn’t matter if they are not correct, or if we believe they are not correct, because they believe the version they have is correct. And since they believe it to be correct, they will not change it.

I think it’s as simple as that.

I agree, Josh. It's obvious that whoever it is at Paramount signing off on their growing number of flawed releases doesn't know what in the heck they're doing. It really is unfortunate.

 

[Nelson Au]

To quote Bulldog from Frasier, This sticks!

The QC people must not be qualified or are given incorrect information.

Miss Kalas is doubling down again with the IB Technicolor print as reference. If only we can know this is what the film looked like in 1953. Perhaps Mars really was this blue and someone in the 1980’s made it red for home video releases?

 

[dpippel]

To quote Bulldog from Frasier, This sticks!

The QC people must not be qualified or are given incorrect information.

Miss Kalas is doubling down again with the IB Technicolor print as reference. If only we can know this is what the film looked like in 1953. Perhaps Mars really was this blue and someone in the 1980’s made it red for home video releases?

Mars has been known as "The Red Planet," and has been notable to us humans because of its reddish color, for a L-O-N-G time, and was described as such even in 1953. Heck, the very voiceover at the beginning of the movie intones, "Its rocks have absorbed almost all oxygen from its air, turning them red."

There's no way the filmmakers would intentionally give it a predominantly blue color during the opening sequence. Paramount screwed up.

 

[Malcolm R]

Apparently the color of Mars can vary in photos depending on the angle, light source, and equipment. There are some pics of the planet that do appear almost more blue than red/orange:

 

[Lord Dalek]

With respect, I don’t think it’s as simple as “Paramount doesn’t want to spend the money to correct the disc.”

They released this 4K digital master in 2018 and the color has been incorrect and in public view for four years now. They have declined to correct it at any point over the past four years.

I don’t think this is a money issue.

I think this is an issue of, they believe they are correct. It doesn’t matter if they are not correct, or if we believe they are not correct, because they believe the version they have is correct. And since they believe it to be correct, they will not change it.

I think it’s as simple as that.

Since they refused to fix what was wrong with The Godfather Parts I and II, we should have expected this response.

Once again, thank god I have the Criterion.

 

[JoeDoakes]

Too bad to read all these complaints about the disc. The case cover art is fantastic. Best ever.

 

[dpippel]

Apparently the color of Mars can vary in photos depending on the angle, light source, and equipment. There are some pics of the planet that do appear almost more blue than red/orange:

View attachment 155198

None of those photos existed in 1953, and in any case, only one of them is slightly bluish because it's enhanced to show atmospheric detail.

 

[RobertMG]

Since they refused to fix what was wrong with The Godfather Parts I and II, we should have expected this response.

Once again, thank god I have the Criterion.

So Criterion had their Summertime Paramount bascially doing the same -- we are right you are wrong. Wish someone had a original print that would set us all right!

 

[Capt D McMars]

So Criterion had their Summertime Paramount bascially doing the same -- we are right you are wrong. Wish someone had a original print that would set us all right!

or just understanding the audience in mind, this is a sci-fi movie not a science study....

 

[RobertMG]

or just understanding the audience in mind, this is a sci-fi movie not a science study....

it could all be ended if someone had an original print out there from 53

 

[Josh Steinberg]

That presumes every original print is exactly the same, which has never been the case with prints. There were good original prints and not so good original prints. It’s entirely possible the studio has a not so good original print.

I think there’s ample reason to presume that the red planet is meant to be red. Without going on a limb, I think one would be safe in accepting that the Criterion disc (which presents Mars as red) is correct.

The issue at hand isn’t really whether or not Paramount is objectively correct. They almost certainly are not. The issue at hand is that Paramount *believes* they are correct. They have been selling this version of the film for four years now. They believe they are right.

If you worked on a project and believed you were correct, you would be unlikely to change your mind either.

 

[ahollis]

Well when Paramount made and released ‘Robinson Caruso On Mars’ in 1964, the planet was pretty red.

 

[Paul Penna]

It doesn't matter what color the planet is, the only relevant issue is what color it was intended to be on Technicolor dye-transfer prints in 1953. The only way we could be reasonably certain of that today would be by referring to surviving archival or vault prints that had been signed off as being correct back then. I don't know if any original-release prints might still exist out in the wild, so to speak, but a survey of as many of those as possible would be better than nothing, I suppose, if conducted by people who knew what they were doing.