The Last Emperor (limited 4K release from Arrow - UK) (1 Viewer)

[KeithDA]

many of the scenes used to illustrate this were not from the Theatrical Cut

I've now watched the extended version and got so lost in the story that I didn't really think about the fact that it was only on Blu Ray.

There is more of the Forbidden City, which I enjoyed seeing. It was this film that encouraged me to travel to China and visit the FC - an incredible space, even with plenty of tourists around (thank god none being led around by a guide with a noisy loud hailer) Yes, there are the great, empty state halls and vast courtyards, but there are also a lot of smaller, intimate spaces that feature a bit more in this extended cut. As a major 'character' in the film, this version gives a bit more.

The only only thing that sharply stood out was the censoring of the Red Guard at the end who instructs Pu Yi to 'f**k off', - here it has been dubbed to 'buzz off' - no doubt for TV....

 

[Peter Neski]

The Arrow in 4K produced an absolutely sumptuous visual experience. It's NOT dark and color saturation is extraordinary. It's also in the proper aspect ratio as seen theatrically. So, plus-plus-plus.

If this looks too dark on your display, it's your display that needs calibration - not the disc!

You can't make a statement like that without seeing the Univeral Japanese uncropped version.

 

[plektret]

Ι hope not. If Criterion had done this, we would have subpar encoding.

It's gotten to the point were I'm hoping that Criterion won't release any of my favorite movies, as I know they will always be ruined by bad compression, with film grain looking like Lego (also, Pixelogic often adds some additional DNR) plus strong noise reduction for the soundtrack. Criterion just don't care anymore. The underlying restoration can be gorgeous, but it ends up looking/sounding like a digital mess once Pixelogic and Criterion's audio staff gets their hands on it

 

[RolandL]

Arrow 4K from post #5

Universal Japan Blu-ray from caps-a-holic

 

[cda1143]

Arrow 4K
View attachment 179100

Universal Japan Blu-ray
View attachment 179101

Well they certainly are different

 

[JoshZ]

Are those actually screenshots from the disc, or photos taken off a screen? That first one looks horrible.

 

[RolandL]

Are those actually screenshots from the disc, or photos taken off a screen? That first one looks horrible.

First from screen (post #5), second from disc.

 

[JoshZ]

First from screen (post #5), second from disc.

Makes sense. First one is terribly blown-out. The camera probably couldn't get a good exposure off the TV.

 

[Peter Neski]

Arrow 4K from post #5
View attachment 179100

Universal Japan Blu-ray from caps-a-hol

Not a very clear picture of reality ,The Arrow disc is too dark! Caps a hol dosen't seem to have the arrow disc ,did you do this ?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Not a very clear picture of reality ,The Arrow disc is too dark! Caps a hol dosen't seem to have the arrow disc ,did you do this ?

In your opinion which doesn't necessarily mean others agree with you.

 

[JoshZ]

This could be a tone-mapping issue with the display. HDR is finnicky. I know I've watched things that were almost unwatchably dim on my projector only to have others tell me it looked fantastic on an OLED or something.

 

[RolandL]

Not a very clear picture of reality ,The Arrow disc is too dark! Caps a hol dosen't seem to have the arrow disc ,did you do this ?

Came from post #5 of this thread.

 

[Peter Neski]

In your opinion which doesn't necessarily mean others agree with you.

I yet to read a post by someone who has both discs and did a comparison. Like I said if all you have to go by is the Arrow disc, you could be fooled It does look great, but is darker than it should be This is a real shame ,I love the movie, and want it done right in 4k

 

[Robert Crawford]

I yet to read a post by someone who has both discs and did a comparison. Like I said if all you have to go by is the Arrow disc, you could be fooled It does look great, but is darker than it should be This is a real shame ,I love the movie, and want it done right in 4k

I don't need to watch that other disc as I'm perfectly happy with this Arrow 4K disc, especially after the Criterion Blu-ray fiasco. It looks beautiful on my OLED and that's all that I require from it. Your stated position about it being too dark compared to that previous Japanese Blu-ray is duly noted in this thread. I'm sorry you're not happy with what Arrow did with this 4K release.

 

[david hare]

I don't need to watch that other disc as I'm perfectly happy with this Arrow 4K disc, especially after the Criterion Blu-ray fiasco. It looks beautiful on my OLED and that's all that I require from it. Your stated position about it being too dark compared to that previous Japanese Blu-ray is duly noted in this thread. I'm sorry you're not happy with what Arrow did with this 4K release.

Amd you have the assurance of knowing the grading was done by Dave Mckenzie at FIM.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I have the Arrow 4K release and did my own a/b comparison to the Criterion release and the 4K disc looks better and happy with the result.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have the Arrow 4K release and did my own a/b comparison to the Criterion release and the 4K disc looks better and happy with the result.

It’s not the Criterion Blu-ray that’s in dispute with this Arrow 4K release. It’s the Japanese Blu-ray compared to the Arrow 4K/UHD.

 

[cineMANIAC]

It's gotten to the point were I'm hoping that Criterion won't release any of my favorite movies, as I know they will always be ruined by bad compression, with film grain looking like Lego (also, Pixelogic often adds some additional DNR) plus strong noise reduction for the soundtrack. Criterion just don't care anymore. The underlying restoration can be gorgeous, but it ends up looking/sounding like a digital mess once Pixelogic and Criterion's audio staff gets their hands on it

Criterion has been losing ground for some time now, sadly. I'm not just talking about things like poor encoding/compression (thankfully, I'm not as sensitive to those issues as many here are) - I'm referring more to overall presentation/quality of extras and, yes, title selection. That, coupled with their late entry into the 4K game, has made them less desirable as a label IMO. They've come a LONG way - down - from their LaserDisc glory days.

 

[JoshZ]

Amd you have the assurance of knowing the grading was done by Dave Mckenzie at FIM.

Isn't Mackenzie a compressionist? Does he do color grading now too?

 

[david hare]

Isn't Mackenzie a compressionist? Does he do color grading now too?

FIM was created by David, he’s also engaged in every aspect of the mastering.