Robert Harris on The Bits - 10/25/05 column - OFFICIAL THREAD (1 Viewer)

[Mark-P]

Technically, I don't think you can actually call it the Ultra-Resolution process since that only applies to films photographed in the 3-strip Technicolor process. Separation masters are made using filters to extract out the 3 primary colors from the original print (or negative) and are therefore a generation away from the original print. Ultra-Resolution scans the 3-strip original camera elements and digitally combines them.

However, using separation masters for restoration purposes can have very good results in achieving the original colors. Walt Disney's Pollyanna is an example of a film that was restored using the separation masters. The "vault Disney" 2-disc edition has a short documentary showing how the film was restored and also shows how the technician screwed up the separations of one reel in 1960 by making 2 blue records and no green record, but the restoration artists found a way around this by going back to the original negative and re-extracting the green record which had not faded and combined it with the other two records with very satisfactory results.

 

[Robert Harris]

Ultra-Resolution has the same function, whether from original three-strip negatives or any other three-strip element.

Would Robin Hood not be considered an Ultra-Resolution project because certain reels were derived from fine grain masters?

RAH

 

[Member 323668]

Great interview, great article, many thanks Robert!

(btw: just subscribed to the American Cinematographer... )

About the planned "The Searchers" DVD release: WB, please give us an open matte version again as an alternative! I love to see the movie in the open matte version, showing the glorious Monument Valley scenery even better than the overcropped 1,85:1 formatting. (just my opinion... )

A little off-topic, but speaking about John Ford's "Searchers": Ford's "Two Rode Together" has been released by Sony/Germany in a glorious high-definition-based transfer. So, good things to come for R1 soon.

 

[Patrick McCart]

The Searchers was shot in VistaVision. If it were "open matte", it would be 1.50:1. Most VistaVision films were shot with the foresight that it would be shown anywhere from 1.66:1 to 1.85:1. I think the recommended AR for The Searchers was 1.75:1, which would mean 1.78:1 would be fine for a DVD. It's possible that the old DVD was just framed incorrectly. Before the DVD for North by Northwest came out, every video master cropped the image wrong. The DVD has a ton of horizontal picture not visible in the letterboxed laserdiscs.

 

[Member 323668]

I just checked my DVD of "The Searchers" and the "opened" 4:3 version fills the frame with a lot more picture information at the top and bottom, but contains (almost) the same horizontal information as the 1,85:1 "widescreen" presentation. This indeed suggests that the framing is incorrect and the 1,85:1 version is vastly "zoomed-in" and overcropped.

 

[oscar_merkx]

rereading the interview, I came upon the following

Does this mean a new dvd of Treasure will be released ?

 

[Johnny Angell]

They talked about not removing the "sticks" in reference to the airplanes. What is this referring too?

As for which edition of KK to buy, if you want the Tin with the printed supplements you only get KK and its related extras. If you also want Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young, there's a different set to buy? Almost sounds like I've got to double dip on release day to get what I want.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Judging from the context of the review, it was probably found prior to the 2-disc SE, especially since Top Hat, The Public Enemy, and The Women were also mentioned. Two years ago would be 2003 and the DVD was released at the end of September 2003.

 

[Richard M S]

Now this really intrigues me, what are the other films?

And was I surprised to see Ned Harris mention City For Conquest! I love that film, it was such an ambitious picture for Warners. James Cagney and (especially) Ann Sheridan were both superb. I hope a DVD release is imminent.

In regard to Top Hat, I believe the end credits features the names of the performers and their deleted film characters in the end credits, however I think the DVD is the "standard" release without any additional scenes.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the interview with the team at Warners, it was fascinating to learn of their efforts to bring us the very best presentation of "King Kong" anyone has seen for decades.

And in regard to the various King Kong DVD versions, LOL on November 22 I plan on purchasing whatever is the most deluxe version to be sold.....along with the extra disc of "The Last Days of Pompeii" of course.

 

[Phil JC]

Hopefully there will be a Cagney boxset in the near future and if so City For Conquest would be a welcome addition. Cagney stated in his biography that it was heavily edited and he disliked the finished product, so it'll be interesting to see what the located footage consists of.

 

[Mark Lucas]

A commentary track created from snippits from interviews? This has almost always resulted in disaster. The commentary track on the T2 UE was good though but that had over 50 people on it. Every other commentary track I've heard that was derived from interview snippits has been really really bad (ie Planet of the Apes 20th Anniversary Edition).

 

[Ed St. Clair]

The major damage I see to the element that was used for the WB R1 DVD of Kong is called what? Emulsion? Where it looks like the film is melting into just blobs of shading instead of, in most cases or the most obvious cases, backround. Wish there was a feature on the hunt & restoration of this element. A great adventure in itself.