Ziggy
Auditioning
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2010
- Messages
- 7
- Real Name
- Ziggy Adolph
I have recently purchased the Blu Ray Discs of the first four James Bond movies – Dr No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball – released by Fox/MGM and advertised as being restored and cleaned up by Lowry Digital. While the video quality of the first three movies is breathtaking, I have irrefutable proof that the Thunderball Blu Ray transfer was not done from the restored Lowry master but from an earlier digital master.
While some movie reviewers have picked up on the poorer video quality of Thunderball as compared to the other three Blu Rays, they all blame the Lowry restoration process, saying that the original print was damaged too badly for Lowry to fix. Now I know this to be untrue as the Ultimate Edition DVD restored by Lowry is spotless and gorgeous.
The following are some of the defects on the Blu Ray Disc which are all but absent from the Ultimate Edition DVD:
There are thin vertical lines throughout most of the film but particularly noticeable against the blue (or grey) backdrop of sky and sea. These vertical streaks are absent from the Lowry restored Ultimate Edition DVD. There are large specs of dirt and blemishes in various scenes, notably during the scene when Bond and the girl’s boat come out of the water after they first meet. Again these blemishes are absent from the Lowry restored Ultimate Edition DVD. There are also gate hairs visible in several scenes which have been cleaned up in The Lowry restorations.
The colour grading on the blu ray – so nicely evened out in the Lowry restoration – are inconsistent. At the beginning of the film the fleshtones appear natural, but after that – especially during the Bahamas sequences – they veer towards red/orange. On the Ultimate Edition DVD Bond and the girl appear tanned and not red. During screen wipes and dissolves the black levels are uneven, starting from grey before turning to black. Once again these flaws were all corrected by the Lowry restoration team and are not visible on the Ultimate Edition DVD. After the main titles sequence (2.20:1 ratio) the aspect ratio is not changed for 30 seconds whereas in the Ultimate Edition DVD the aspect ratio enlarges immediately after the titles sequence.
It is really sad that Thunderball, which contains some of the most exotic scenery and spectacular cinematography in the James Bond series, should be so marred.
The audio soundtrack is also not the same as that on the Ultimate Edition DVD which had a wider surround soundstage and was souped up with newly recorded enhancements: footsteps, background noise, etc. This is most noticeable with the “silent trap door” at Palmyra which is heard opening and closing on the Ultimate Edition DVD but is once again silent on the Blu Ray.
The main point is that the Ultimate Edition DVD of Thunderball cleaned by Lowry is a great transfer and there’s no reason the Thunderball Blu Ray Disc should have defects that the DVD doesn’t.
I can provide screenshots in order to prove my contention, but before embarking on that tedious task, I would just like some opinions as to whether Fox/MGM can rectify this matter or would I just be wasting my time? If Fox/MGM used the wrong master by mistake can it be re-pressed using the correct master? Or was the Lowry master intentionally overlooked? If so why?
While some movie reviewers have picked up on the poorer video quality of Thunderball as compared to the other three Blu Rays, they all blame the Lowry restoration process, saying that the original print was damaged too badly for Lowry to fix. Now I know this to be untrue as the Ultimate Edition DVD restored by Lowry is spotless and gorgeous.
The following are some of the defects on the Blu Ray Disc which are all but absent from the Ultimate Edition DVD:
There are thin vertical lines throughout most of the film but particularly noticeable against the blue (or grey) backdrop of sky and sea. These vertical streaks are absent from the Lowry restored Ultimate Edition DVD. There are large specs of dirt and blemishes in various scenes, notably during the scene when Bond and the girl’s boat come out of the water after they first meet. Again these blemishes are absent from the Lowry restored Ultimate Edition DVD. There are also gate hairs visible in several scenes which have been cleaned up in The Lowry restorations.
The colour grading on the blu ray – so nicely evened out in the Lowry restoration – are inconsistent. At the beginning of the film the fleshtones appear natural, but after that – especially during the Bahamas sequences – they veer towards red/orange. On the Ultimate Edition DVD Bond and the girl appear tanned and not red. During screen wipes and dissolves the black levels are uneven, starting from grey before turning to black. Once again these flaws were all corrected by the Lowry restoration team and are not visible on the Ultimate Edition DVD. After the main titles sequence (2.20:1 ratio) the aspect ratio is not changed for 30 seconds whereas in the Ultimate Edition DVD the aspect ratio enlarges immediately after the titles sequence.
It is really sad that Thunderball, which contains some of the most exotic scenery and spectacular cinematography in the James Bond series, should be so marred.
The audio soundtrack is also not the same as that on the Ultimate Edition DVD which had a wider surround soundstage and was souped up with newly recorded enhancements: footsteps, background noise, etc. This is most noticeable with the “silent trap door” at Palmyra which is heard opening and closing on the Ultimate Edition DVD but is once again silent on the Blu Ray.
The main point is that the Ultimate Edition DVD of Thunderball cleaned by Lowry is a great transfer and there’s no reason the Thunderball Blu Ray Disc should have defects that the DVD doesn’t.
I can provide screenshots in order to prove my contention, but before embarking on that tedious task, I would just like some opinions as to whether Fox/MGM can rectify this matter or would I just be wasting my time? If Fox/MGM used the wrong master by mistake can it be re-pressed using the correct master? Or was the Lowry master intentionally overlooked? If so why?