RAINTREE COUNTY on Blu? (1 Viewer)

[RolandL]

They didn’t make 35mm réduction prints from 35mm negatives.

They did if the 35mm negative was horizontal eight perforations VistaVision or Technirama. Both had a frame size of about 1.5 by 1 inch. The frame on a 35mm scope print was vertical four perforations and about .84 by .7 inches so it was a reduction.

 

[AlanP]

I never thought I would see "One Eyed Jacks" released the way it was intended and Criterion gave us one a few years back. It is a magnificent and one of my favorite films also. I still have not watched my copy even though I have it. I did watch the opening of the film and it looks spectacular to me.
Therefore, I remain hopeful that eventually we will get "Raintree County" one day.

 

[Thomas T]

Not that a blu ray release of Raintree County was imminent but looking at the current backlash of GWTW. films about the antebellum South don't seem very popular now. Hopefully this wouldn't impede any possible plans for a Raintree County release.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The only thing impeding a physical media release of Raintree County is the same thing that has been all along: Warner is unwilling to release it on disc or license it to a third party unless it is in pristine, perfect condition, and the cost of restoring it to that condition is currently leaps and bounds beyond what a disc release could reasonably be expected to earn.

I think the real question will be, will the cost of data processing for a digital restoration decrease faster than the physical media market declines? And there’s certainly the possibility that it will.

 

[DVBRD]

Not that a blu ray release of Raintree County was imminent but looking at the current backlash of GWTW. films about the antebellum South don't seem very popular now. Hopefully this wouldn't impede any possible plans for a Raintree County release.

If I recall, RC is more slanted towards the North and doesn't really have a rose-tinted depiction of the South like GWTW. It's explicitly anti-racist and much of the film revolves around the Taylor character's conflicted feelings towards black people, given her Southern upbringing. I'm pretty sure that there's some parts of the film that might be considered problematic today, though.

 

[Arthur Powell]

The only thing impeding a physical media release of Raintree County is the same thing that has been all along: Warner is unwilling to release it on disc or license it to a third party unless it is in pristine, perfect condition, and the cost of restoring it to that condition is currently leaps and bounds beyond what a disc release could reasonably be expected to earn.

I think the real question will be, will the cost of data processing for a digital restoration decrease faster than the physical media market declines? And there’s certainly the possibility that it will.

Which begs the question as to why they can't release a "best we can currently do" dvd-r. They've done that for scores of esoteric films already (to my hearty approval). Surely the master currently used on TCM would suffice for that. Of course, down the road, they can still release a super-duper 4K+blu-ray+DVD+LD+CED+Discovision+Castle 8mm digest box of junk with loads of paper reproductions and fire singed dolls, but for the time being a humble dvd-r can suffice.

 

[richardburton84]

Which begs the question as to why they can't release a "best we can currently do" dvd-r. They've done that for scores of esoteric films already (to my hearty approval). Surely the master currently used on TCM would suffice for that. Of course, down the road, they can still release a super-duper 4K+blu-ray+DVD+LD+CED+Discovision+Castle 8mm digest box of junk with loads of paper reproductions and fire singed dolls, but for the time being a humble dvd-r can suffice.

True, but that still leaves the issue of the roadshow version, which is probably just as much of a holdup as the costs of a restoration.

 

[DVBRD]

Which begs the question as to why they can't release a "best we can currently do" dvd-r. They've done that for scores of esoteric films already (to my hearty approval). Surely the master currently used on TCM would suffice for that. Of course, down the road, they can still release a super-duper 4K+blu-ray+DVD+LD+CED+Discovision+Castle 8mm digest box of junk with loads of paper reproductions and fire singed dolls, but for the time being a humble dvd-r can suffice.

You can contact George Feltenstein here.

[email protected]

He'll probably read your missives on the next Warner Archive podcast, and you'll likely get the same answer from him: "as good as it can be given the circumstances" is not good enough for this title. And I'll leave it at that, because I'll sound like a broken record if I go on.

 

[OliverK]

I never thought I would see "One Eyed Jacks" released the way it was intended and Criterion gave us one a few years back. It is a magnificent and one of my favorite films also. I still have not watched my copy even though I have it. I did watch the opening of the film and it looks spectacular to me.
Therefore, I remain hopeful that eventually we will get "Raintree County" one day.

Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg decided that they wanted to do something about One Eyed Jacks. Only after that Universal and the film foundation went to work on it:


I never heard one of the two mention Raintree County so the chances of that happening for Raintree County are very small. There is a much bigger chance that Martin Scorsese will throw his weight behind new Blu-ray versions of Fall of the Roman Empire and El Cid which would also be very welcome!

 

[DVBRD]

Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg decided that they wanted to do something about One Eyed Jacks. Only after that Universal and the film foundation went to work on it:


I never heard one of the two mention Raintree County so the chances of that happening for Raintree County are very small. There is a much bigger chance that Martin Scorsese will throw his weight behind new Blu-ray versions of Fall of the Roman Empire and El Cid which would also be very welcome!

One Eyed Jacks is a very influential film that is also in the public-domain, which means that the film has had wider exposure. On the other hand, Raintree County 's reputation has long been overshadowed by the fact that it was an ambitious attempt to make another GWTW, and disappointed. Other than the story about Montgomery Clift's car accident, not much has been talked about concerning this film.

 

[OliverK]

One Eyed Jacks is a very influential film that is also in the public-domain, which means that the film has had wider exposure. On the other hand, Raintree County 's reputation has long been overshadowed by the fact that it was an ambitious attempt to make another GWTW, and disappointed. Other than the story about Montgomery Clift's car accident, not much has been talked about concerning this film.

Universal actually has the rights to One Eyed Jacks, Scorsese talks about how the restoration came to be from about 7:26 on and touches on it.

Other than that I agree and my impression over the years has been that just about everybody brings up GWTW when something is written about Raintree County which does not help.

 

[DVBRD]

Universal actually has the rights to One Eyed Jacks, Scorsese talks about how the restoration came to be from about 7:26 on and touches on it.

Well, it was in the public domain prior to the restoration. I don't know if Universal used legal loopholes to reclaim the rights like what happened with It's a Wonderful Life, but One Eyed Jacks was for the longest time available on DVD through low-budget distributors who could only afford PD material, with horrendous picture quality. That played a large part in the restoration being done, and Scorsese does mention it in the same video.

 

[Ernest]

I asked the Warner Archive on FB whether we'd get more Elizabeth from the Archive, and for an update on 'Raintree County,' This was their response:





Here's hoping 'Raintree County' WILL be released on Blu-ray and not part of the Archive.

Cross your fingers, everyone!

I can remember sometime ago recording Raintree County on DVD when it was playing on one of the movie channels in HD. I am going to watch it this week to see how good the recording is but I would really love this movie on Blu-ray.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I can remember sometime ago recording Raintree County on DVD when it was playing on one of the movie channels in HD. I am going to watch it this week to see how good the recording is but I would really love this movie on Blu-ray.

Hi Ernest, if you want to watch Raintree in HD, TCM will air it tomorrow at 4:00 pm EST.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I just went to set up my Tivo to record Raintree County.

Was quite upset to see that Verizon Fios only has TCM in SD. No HD channel as far as I can see.

I know I have a downloaded copy from years ago on an older Tivo in HD. However, I don't know the channel source.

Does this movie get shown in HD on other channels?

 

[Robert Harris]

The Camera 65 logo was on 16mm prints and I have a frame of it somewhere.
Shame it disappeared on video.

As for 2.55 :1 Raintree prints, you are right about that format was being superceded by 2:33:1 by "57,

However I thought some of the Ben Hur 35mm Mag prints were printed with larger black frame lines to widen the picture for 2.55 on a 2.35 screen. It certainly could have been done that way in 1957 for Raintree.
Trust my explanation makes sense.

You’re correct re Ben-Hur. I had a mag, dye transfer 35 (now at AMPAS) with broader frame lines.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I just went to set up my Tivo to record Raintree County.

Was quite upset to see that Verizon Fios only has TCM in SD. No HD channel as far as I can see.

I know I have a downloaded copy from years ago on an older Tivo in HD. However, I don't know the channel source.

Does this movie get shown in HD on other channels?

I'm sorry to hear that, Ron! PBS affiliate stations showed Raintree in HD in spring 2018 (and the now-defunct FilmStruck had it up for streaming around the same time), but I haven't heard of any other channels airing it other than TCM.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

You’re correct re Ben-Hur. I had a mag, dye transfer 35 (now at AMPAS) with broader frame lines.

One of the local film collectors has (had?) an optical-only 35mm British IB of Ben-Hur, it also had the wider frame lines.

 

[Paul Rossen]

I just went to set up my Tivo to record Raintree County.

Was quite upset to see that Verizon Fios only has TCM in SD. No HD channel as far as I can see.

I know I have a downloaded copy from years ago on an older Tivo in HD. However, I don't know the channel source.

Does this movie get shown in HD on other channels?

TCM on Verizon Fios has always been in SD.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

Reminder! Raintree County will air this afternoon on TCM at 4:00 pm EST!