Blu-ray Review To Catch a Thief Blu-ray Review (2020) (2 Viewers)

[OliverK]

I think there's a bit of sharpening on the older disc, but I still prefer it to both the new disc and the 4K iTunes stream.

Yes there is some sharpening that overamplifies textures a bit but with sharpening turned off everywhere else in the signal chain it is still OK and not causing too much trouble.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I think the reason you're not seeing as much shimmer on the 4K stream is due to the fact that they've scrubbed the fine detail from the image with excessive use of DNR.

Yeah, there's definitely less detail and sharpness in the 4K stream than the old BD. As I've said in the past, the 4K stream looks more like 720p most of the time and sometimes even just <=480p. Definitely less than most any decent BD, NVM 4K, even though the 4K digital might still be noticeably better than the recent BD.

When RAH says it probably has lower rez to yield little-to-no shimmering (compared to the old BD), he's right. It does actually have less real rez (despite being offered via a 4K "bucket")... though probably also not the kinda (oversharpening, compression and/or aliasing or interlacing) artifacts of older formats like DVD, LD, et al, which would explain that particular diff.

_Man_

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

A 35mm print is playing later this month in LA if someone wants to see what the colors look like.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN / TO CATCH A THIEF - American Cinematheque

www.americancinematheque.com

 

[Robert Harris]

A 35mm print is playing later this month in LA if someone wants to see what the colors look like.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN / TO CATCH A THIEF - American Cinematheque

www.americancinematheque.com

Colors relevant in what way?

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Isn't this the title where there was debate over the color of the night scenes between various transfers?

 

[SD_Brian]

A 35mm print is playing later this month in LA if someone wants to see what the colors look like.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN / TO CATCH A THIEF - American Cinematheque

www.americancinematheque.com

Is it a newly-struck 35mm print or one that's been run through a projector a few hundred times? My experience of attending revival-house screenings of much-ballyhooed 35mm prints has been that projection of those prints tend to make a very compelling argument in favor of digital projection. I saw a 35mm screening of Auntie Mame at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles last summer: the print was faded, damaged, and broke at least twice during the presentation. Then one of the projectors conked out and there was nobody on hand who knew how to fix it, so they had to stop the movie at each reel change so they could load up the next reel on the sole working projector. By the halfway mark, I was wishing for a DCP.

 

[Robert Harris]

Isn't this the title where there was debate over the color of the night scenes between various transfers?

Yes, but it’s doubtful that they’re running an almost 70 year-old print, and nothing else is relevant. I had an original on this, and night skies were not blue, and dfn was dark.

 

[AlexNH]

Yes, but it’s doubtful that they’re running an almost 70 year-old print, and nothing else is relevant. I had an original on this, and night skies were not blue, and dfn was dark.

I wonder if Cary Grant looked like a caucasian in the original print.

 

[roxy1927]

Well he looks similar in Indiscreet. One of those early New Wave films with attractive people where nothing happens.

 

[VisionMan]

Is it a newly-struck 35mm print or one that's been run through a projector a few hundred times? My experience of attending revival-house screenings of much-ballyhooed 35mm prints has been that projection of those prints tend to make a very compelling argument in favor of digital projection. I saw a 35mm screening of Auntie Mame at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles last summer: the print was faded, damaged, and broke at least twice during the presentation. Then one of the projectors conked out and there was nobody on hand who knew how to fix it, so they had to stop the movie at each reel change so they could load up the next reel on the sole working projector. By the halfway mark, I was wishing for a DCP.

The Warner Archive blu-ray of Auntie Mame, based, Mr. Harris explained, on an image harvest from an 8 perf
Technirama IP, is simply gorgeous.

 

[SD_Brian]

The Warner Archive blu-ray of Auntie Mame, based, Mr. Harris explained, on an image harvest from an 8 perf
Technirama IP, is simply gorgeous.

Yes, I have a copy. I wish they would have projected that instead of the print they used!

 

[roxy1927]

Mr Brian you had a rare bad night. I can't tell you the number of time I went to NY revival houses. The duds were rare. Auntie Mame was beautiful. The friend I was with was immediately taken by the title sequence.
I saw a very scratchy Funny Face, The Pink Panther at the Moma was a TV print( the Moma! :can you imagine!) and The Boys From Syracuse for which the only time I asked for and got my money back.

 

[Nelson Au]

Greenish is more correct. And keep in mind, many of the roof tiles are green.

Last weekend I was in one of those obsessed modes for Vertigo and watched it from the 4K disc.

Then last night, I wanted to stay in the Hitchcockian mode and watched the 2012 blu ray of To Catch a Thief. I chose it over the 2020 disc. I don’t know if Hitchcock has a reason for using green. I read an analyses of the use of green in Vertigo as it represented something mysterious and sinister. I don’t know if Hitchcock had that in mind for Madeleine. He did use green for the dress Scotty first sees her wearing and against the red wall paper behind her of Ernies restaurant marks a strong color contrast visually. They are complimentary colors. Her car is green too. So it carries over to her car too to symbolize her as a mysterious character. Or it was a simple color chose as it works visually against her blond hair and the red wall paper. I can see that as a reasonable reason to use green. It stood out as well as the green car stood out in the street scenes as Scotty is following her. The cars of the day are pastel colors, so it does contrast against the cars too.

So for To Catch a Thief, a film that was made before Vertigo, Hitchcock uses green for the night scenes. I don’t know why. But then I had a new insight, in Francie’s room where she invited John to join her for drinks and dinner to watch the fireworks, I noticed after she turned off the lights, there is that green light coming in to light Francie. There’s even a profile shot of Grace Kelly and the green light highlights her blond hair just like it did in Judy’s hotel room in Vertigo.

Is there a connection? Is Hitchcock just experimenting with color and liked the way green was working so he uses it more prominently in Vertigo? I’m just having some fun observations.

I chose to watch the 2012 blu ray version of Thief because it’s just a better looking version. Whlie this is the second or third time I watched it on my new Sony OLED that is calibrated, I was simply amazed how good it looks! The scenes in Francie’s mother’s room when John and Hughson are discussing the robberies and then Francie and John go for a swim off the beach at Canne really look amazing, the colors and the image quality stood out to me. I stopped at the point where John meets Hughson as he is hiding to discuss plans to catch the thief. I’ll resume tonjght. I’m still hoping for a 4K disc.

 

[dpippel]

I’m still hoping for a 4K disc.

If we get a physical 4K release it will undoubtedly be based on the same flawed 4K source files that are currently available for streaming. If that's the case, I'll just stick with the 2012 Blu.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Since we’re in a repetitive mode, I’m a fan of the 4K digital and would make a first day purchase of any 4K/UHD release.