Press Release SPHE Press Release: The Guns of Navarone (1961) (4k UHD) (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

As what we're going to be getting in the Fall in native 4K is derived from the same source, my caution here would be 'don't expect a miracle'. Guns of Navarone is a movie that egregiously suffered for decades from improper archiving, resulting in a movie that, for all intent and purposes was nearly lost to us.

Through Grover Crisp's due diligence the film was saved, albeit in a condition that does not replicate its original splendor, again, owing to lost opportunities to properly curate the original elements before Mr. Crisp's involvement in 'restoring' the movie to its feature length. Expect to see the drop outs to lower quality still present.

The only improvement here can be in grain resolution, and perhaps, color saturation. But the dupes scattered throughout this movie are what they are, and since Sony has not advertised this one as being sourced from 'newly discovered original elements' (total wish fulfillment on my part) but rather the previously created 4K master, what you're going to get is likely the same anomalies all over again.

The uptick in resolution will be welcome and 'resolve' a few issues, though not all. I'm still looking forward to this one. But I'm not expecting anything close to perfection.

C. 1989 UCLA’s Robert Gitt did quite a bit of analogue preservation on GoN, at which time the original stereo tracks were found to problematic. They were produced on Zonal clear edge stock, which over time picked up some odd attributes. I had previously found the precisely same problem with El Aurens, which was that the mags were not uniformly 35mm, and would ride up and over rollers during playback.

With the expertise of the wonderful John Bonner, we had overcut rollers produced, solving the problems, which exacerbated themselves as extremely evident wow and flutter.

My original UK 4-track stereo dye transfer print is available at AMPAS as reference.

 

[Malcolm Bmoor]

I once knew a theatre sound equipment supplier who had previously worked for Westrex and RCA servicing cinema sound systems.

A cinema showing THE GUNS OF NAVARONE was having sound problems and John discovered that they had something with a massive magnet next to the projectors and lifting the reels onto the machines partially wiped the mag tracks.

 

[Joseph Goodman]

Didn't the Sony 4K restoration use more of the OCN (inclusive of the dupes cut in to it) than was able to be used by Gitt at UCLA?

 

[RICK BOND]

Here is my Original LP, CD, and Bluray. Can't wait for the 4K

 

[darkrock17]

Here is my Original LP, CD, and Bluray. Can't wait for the 4K View attachment 107422

Oh no, not Sing A Long With Mitch

 

[Douglas R]

Oh no, not Sing A Long With Mitch

Wonderful lyrics:

Come from the sea with nitro glycerine,
Nitro glycerine and a ladder of rope…..etc etc

They don’t write them like that anymore.

 

[MovieBill]

Great! Love this. Now, how 'bout a 4k of that other little movie
from 1961--WEST SIDE STORY.

 

[darkrock17]

Great! Love this. Now, how 'bout a 4k of that other little movie
from 1961--WEST SIDE STORY.

Different studio did that

 

[Bartman]

I bought the laserdisc back in the 90s and IMHO the story could be better and the image was terrible, considering it came from Columbia. I watched the laserdisc once or twice and after that experience never bothered with later media.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Great! Love this. Now, how 'bout a 4k of that other little movie
from 1961--WEST SIDE STORY.

It's available in 4k and Dolby Vision on iTunes. It still has the premature fade to black in the overture. But that venting is for another thread.

 

[roxy1927]

I saw it at the Loew's Jersey maybe late 90s early aughts. It was a very good print. More than acceptable for a movie theater. Certainly not an opening day print but I was surprised at how good and enjoyable it was.

 

[cinemel1]

I saw it at the Loew's Jersey maybe late 90s early aughts. It was a very good print. More than acceptable for a movie theater. Certainly not an opening day print but I was surprised at how good and enjoyable it was.

I saw it at the Criterion in its opening week. It was impressive with a great cast, lots of action and, if I remember correctly, excellent sound, especially during the early storm sequence and scaling the cliff. I don’t recall an overture or intermission.

 

[Robert Harris]

Intermission came at 87 minutes.

 

[Robert Harris]

 

[Robert Harris]

Kwai also had an interval (Intermission)

 

[darkrock17]

Intermission came at 87 minutes.


View attachment 108027

Isn’t 87 minutes rather early for the intermission?

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Gone With The Wind don’t happen until after the first 2 hours.

 

[Robert Harris]

Isn’t 87 minutes rather early for the intermission?

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Gone With The Wind don’t happen until after the first 2 hours.

It's less about time, and more about creating a roadshow event.

 

[TravisR]

It's less about time, and more about creating a roadshow event.

I've basically lived in an entirely different moviegoing era but the only thing an intermission creates for me is an interruption.

 

[cinemel1]

Isn’t 87 minutes rather early for the intermission?

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Gone With The Wind don’t happen until after the first 2 hours.

Guns was on a continuous performances basis in NY. River Kwai was a reserved seat roadshow at the RKO Palace. I don’t think that overture/intermission was very common with continuous performance first runs.

 

[Robert Harris]

I've basically lived in an entirely different moviegoing era but the only thing an intermission creates for me is an interruption.

Most intermissions are thought-provoking designed into the productions.

They are not simple break-points.