Restored "The Searchers" in 70mm (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Leave us mere mortals out of your possible misinformation beef and tell it to Martin Scorsese and the Film Foundation’s board of directors.

There’s no “misinformation beef.” As a Foundation, they could use a bit more transparency with the public. The goal remains noble. They’re fully aware.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Wow! The Man I Love. The DVD-R is poor but the film is good so I'd love that movie to be restored and preserved.

Some other titles that caught my attention were Act of Violence and Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

 

[Robert Crawford]

There’s no “misinformation beef.” As a Foundation, they could use a bit more transparency with the public. The goal remains noble. They’re fully aware.

What exactly do you want them to be more transparent about with the general public?

 

[Robert Harris]

What exactly do you want them to be more transparent about with the general public?

This is HTF. Not the Washington Post.

They’re a wonderful organization. Can you tell me what they do?

 

[OliverK]

Vertigo

Very nice but those 70mm prints weren't too shabby either.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This is HTF. Not the Washington Post.

You're the one calling out "cut and pasted" information from TCM's and The Film Foundation websites on the HTF.

They’re a wonderful organization. Can you tell me what they do?

I think they're a foundation similar to Packard Humanities Institute that provides funding to various film preservation efforts.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Very nice but those 70mm prints weren't too shabby either.

From what I've seen, the 70mm prints were indeed nice, but I think the point RAH is trying to make is that once you go digital for restoration, there's not much point in presenting in 70mm when a 4K DCP will more accurately reflect the restoration. Any back and forth between digital and analogue is going to introduce unavoidable artefacts.

 

[Alan Tully]

...& doesn't making a print from a 4K DCP cost a small fortune (70mm probably more!).

 

[Robert Harris]

...& doesn't making a print from a 4K DCP cost a small fortune (70mm probably more!).

Six figures.

 

[OliverK]

From what I've seen, the 70mm prints were indeed nice, but I think the point RAH is trying to make is that once you go digital for restoration, there's not much point in presenting in 70mm when a 4K DCP will more accurately reflect the restoration. Any back and forth between digital and analogue is going to introduce unavoidable artefacts.

I fully agree with that point and posted as much earlier.

From what I know there is no film-out of Vertigo and I was actually watching a print from the 90s re-release. Back then 70mm was still state of the art and at that point the best option.

Today not so much any more and I would have preferred to see that money for the 70mm film-out spent elsewhere like for example for a new "real" 70mm print of Ryan's Daughter if they want to produce a 70mm print to show some support for the photochemical process.
Or they could also do it for another John Ford Western that gets very little attention and produce a 70mm print of Cheyenne Autumn.

In any case maybe it was less expensive than 6 figures for some reason but whenever I read of a film-out of a classic production I feel like I will be watching a weird hybrid of something that was originally supposed to stay in the analog domain for all of its life and once it has been taken to digital it may as well stay there.

 

[JPCinema]

Why is there still no word about THE SEARCHERS on a disc and digital released in 4K or being shown on MAX in 4K? Last year RIO BRAVO and EAST OF EDEN were both shown on MAX.
There is also no news for NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
Very concerning.

 

[Lord Dalek]

As I said in the AFWA thread...

70mm seems like a waste for a movie in mono.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Why is there still no word about THE SEARCHERS on a disc and digital released in 4K or being shown on MAX in 4K? Last year RIO BRAVO and EAST OF EDEN were both shown on MAX.
There is also no news for NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
Very concerning.

Last year, even though the TCM Film Festival took place around April 15th, Rio Bravo’s 4K/UHD announcement didn’t happen until around May 20th. This year, North by Northwest is being shown at their film festival on April 20th while The Searchers is being shown the next day April 21st. Let’s see if Max updates their streaming files on both films this weekend or next week. I don’t expect any 4K/UHD announcements until next month at the earliest.

 

[OliverK]

As I said in the AFWA thread...

I am pretty sure this is more about the picture quality and indeed they have gone the extra mile with a very high resolution filmout:

"The Searchers" Restored by Warner Brothers and Released in 70mm

"The source files were P3 6K and filmed out at FotoKem."

A horizontal resolution of 13K instead of 6K also sounds like a lot but I guess it helps when they need to do some recombination with the scans from the separation elements.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I am pretty sure this is more about the picture quality and indeed they have gone the extra mile with a very high resolution filmout:

"The Searchers" Restored by Warner Brothers and Released in 70mm

"The source files were P3 6K and filmed out at FotoKem."

A horizontal resolution of 13K instead of 6K also sounds like a lot but I guess it helps when they need to do some recombination with the scans from the separation elements.

I'm more concerned about preservation elements. As digital is constantly evolving and codecs change regularly, WB needs to make sure they preserve elements in order to take advantage of improvements as they come along. How many of us still have obsolete technologies like LD or VHS/Beta hooked up to our HTs? I know there are some, but not many. Digital tech changes even more quickly, which is why the OCN and seps need to be maintained.

 

[Robert Harris]

I'm more concerned about preservation elements. As digital is constantly evolving and codecs change regularly, WB needs to make sure they preserve elements in order to take advantage of improvements as they come along. How many of us still have obsolete technologies like LD or VHS/Beta hooked up to our HTs? I know there are some, but not many. Digital tech changes even more quickly, which is why the OCN and seps need to be maintained.

I’ve a hunch you needn’t be concerned about the studios taking care of their assets.

 

[OliverK]

I'm more concerned about preservation elements. As digital is constantly evolving and codecs change regularly, WB needs to make sure they preserve elements in order to take advantage of improvements as they come along. How many of us still have obsolete technologies like LD or VHS/Beta hooked up to our HTs? I know there are some, but not many. Digital tech changes even more quickly, which is why the OCN and seps need to be maintained.

Agreed on digital only not being safe at all but did you read the interview I linked to?

They speak about the film-based assets and that they are in different loacations etc including ones that were produced just now.

I still have LD, Muse Hi-Vision, HD-DVD and D-Theater / D-VHS and (Super-) VHS which probably makes me a bit of a dinosaur...

 

[Robert Harris]

Agreed on digital only not being safe at all but did you read the interview I linked to?

They speak about the film-based assets and that they are in different loacations etc including ones that were produced just now.

I still have LD, Muse Hi-Vision, HD-DVD and D-Theater / D-VHS and (Super-) VHS which probably makes me a bit of a dinosaur...

All studios keep elements geo-separated.

 

[Into The Archives]

Why is there still no word about THE SEARCHERS on a disc and digital released in 4K or being shown on MAX in 4K? Last year RIO BRAVO and EAST OF EDEN were both shown on MAX.
There is also no news for NORTH BY NORTHWEST.
Very concerning.

Well, in the UK it was announced today.....

North by Northwest Ultimate Collector's Edition with Steelbook [4K Ultra HD] [1959]

Celebrate 65 years of Alfred Hitchcock's legendary North by Northwest with a brand new 4K restoration and Ultimate Collector's Edition featuring a Steelbook with new key art, theatrical poster lenticular, and other vintage premiums. Cary Grant is the screen's supreme man-on-the-run in his fourth...

shop.warnerbros.co.uk

 

[mskaye]

Well, in the UK it was announced today.....

North by Northwest Ultimate Collector's Edition with Steelbook [4K Ultra HD] [1959]

Celebrate 65 years of Alfred Hitchcock's legendary North by Northwest with a brand new 4K restoration and Ultimate Collector's Edition featuring a Steelbook with new key art, theatrical poster lenticular, and other vintage premiums. Cary Grant is the screen's supreme man-on-the-run in his fourth...

shop.warnerbros.co.uk

Well, in the UK it was announced today.....

North by Northwest Ultimate Collector's Edition with Steelbook [4K Ultra HD] [1959]

Celebrate 65 years of Alfred Hitchcock's legendary North by Northwest with a brand new 4K restoration and Ultimate Collector's Edition featuring a Steelbook with new key art, theatrical poster lenticular, and other vintage premiums. Cary Grant is the screen's supreme man-on-the-run in his fourth...

shop.warnerbros.co.uk

Who's concerned now?