What Are The Chances Of A GREAT ESCAPE Upgrade? (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

I may be mistaken, but I think I read Criterion might be working on a new transfer of this classic. They just came out with MIDNIGHT COWBOY, also a United Artists/MGM/Fox title. I have never cared for previous video incarnations of the film, including the most recent Blu-ray. I do seem to recall that, theatrically, GREAT ESCAPE was largely earth-browns and dull greens, with almost no strong blues and reds until the final half-hour, but at least some shadow detail. Am I recalling this correctly (I was 13)? But I think a new 2k or 4k scan could work wonders with the color and contrast of this wonderful thriller.

 

[Alan Tully]

Some months back I reported that Kino had been asked about a 4K Great Escape (over at Blu-ray.com), & the answer was that it was coming, but not from them, & there was a few clues as to who was releasing it, & the consensus was that it was Criterion. I just hope that it's not as cold as the current Blu-ray. The Great Escape hasn't had much luck with home video. 1/non-anamorphic greeny DVD, probably from the VHS master. 2/re-mastered DVD, far too much contrast. 3/Blu-ray, too cold for me, maybe the colourist was rightly thinking that the camp was in a bleak part of Poland & it all happened in the winter...but the film didn't look like that, did it. Anyway, we'll see.

…& my favourite WW2 POW mass escape film featuring Richard Attenborough...Danger Within (1959), a much more successful escape, but it's never had any home video release.

 

[trajan007]

Filters were used in some scenes.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

Very excited if this gets a Criterion release. Were there any clues in the last cartoon they release hints in?

 

[Alan Tully]

Filters were used in some scenes.

Yes, but what do you mean by filters? I'd think some kind of filters are used in some shots in just about every film made. There is a weird defusing effect on the 4th of July celebrations, unless that's some kind of fault. Of course I can't remember exactly what a film looked like over fifty years ago, but I remember it looked good & rich as Hollywood films did (although this was shot in Germany). As history, this film is complete cobblers, but it's not a history lesson, it's a movie, & I love it.

 

[darkrock17]

Very excited if this gets a Criterion release. Were there any clues in the last cartoon they release hints in?

Here's the drawing for this year, I don't see anything that looks like a clue to The Great Escape, but there could be one it just might not be as obvious.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I think most of those releases are already out or announced, so it's probably not out this year.

 

[Bernard McNair]

This would be great news if it comes to reality.
The Great Escape is one of my all time favourite films.

 

[Mark-P]

RAH gave the current Blu-ray 4.5 picture and 5 sound, so I see no need for another release. If you guys want to buy it yet again, more power to you, but I’d rather spend my money on movies that I don’t already have quality Blu-rays of.

 

[Dick]

RAH gave the current Blu-ray 4.5 picture and 5 sound, so I see no need for another release. If you guys want to buy it yet again, more power to you, but I’d rather spend my money on movies that I don’t already have quality Blu-rays of.

Yes, I would buy it yet again. While I hold him in the highest regard, I do not agree with all of Mr. Harris' reviews and ratings, and certainly not in this case.

 

[Mark-P]

Yes, I would buy it yet again. While I hold him in the highest regard, I do not agree with all of Mr. Harris' reviews and ratings, and certainly not in this case.

Yeah, I guess I had forgotten that the Blu-ray was the subject of some heated controversy. However I do remember that I watched it on my projector and was extremely pleased with the result, but that's me.

 

[Alan Tully]

Yeah, I guess I had forgotten that the Blu-ray was the subject of some heated controversy. However I do remember that I watched it on my projector and was extremely pleased with the result, but that's me.

Yeah, the film is cooler than I'd like, but you get used to it after a couple of minutes & the flesh tones are good. I might look at it tonight (to celebrate Englands great escape in Russia last night & the 4th of July) , I haven't seen it for a couple of years. I was thinking, this 4K redo, will it mean a 4K UHD release? Criterion (or any of the smaller companies) have yet to release a 4K Blu-ray.

 

[RICK BOND]

The Great Escape can definitely use an Upgrade. One of my all time favorites. I was hoping Kino would do it sometime. Kino needs to do a few UA MGM Bluray releases. Vera Cruz (1954) western is one of them. Any news about For a Few Dollars More ?

 

[DP 70]

I have seen the 4K DCP and that looked fine so lets have a 4K UHD.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Still have my Criterion laserdisc. Speaking of the Great Escape I am currently reading Escape Artist, The Life and Films of John Sturges by Glenn Lovell. Good read so far and currently into his early years when he went to MGM.

 

[BRAD1963]

Yes, probably Criterion.

 

[Alan Tully]

I saw it last night & really enjoyed it as usual (although probably not as much as I did in 1963). It rides along on star power & that fantastic score by Elmer Bernstein. I think Steve McQueen's acting is pretty poor, but his charisma carries him through. I didn't know there was so many dupes in it, every time there's a dissolve the whole shots are duped, & there are a lot of dissolves. I'll be very interested to see what a new scan looks like.

The whole escape story & the epic story of the camp really needs an HBO ten part series to do it justice, maybe the actual true story will be filmed one day.

 

[Dave B Ferris]

^ have you read the book "Moonless Night" by B.A. James?

 

[Alan Tully]

^ have you read the book "Moonless Night" by B.A. James?

I'm not sure that I have, I'll have to look up that one. I haven't read the original book, The Great Escape either. I have read:

The Longest Tunnel by Alan Burgess
The Great Escape by Anton Gill
The Great Escapers by Tim Carrol
The Real Great Escape by Guy Walters

I enjoyed them all, but the last one is really contentious. Walters argues that the escape was a stupid idea & a waste of lives (not the idea of it & digging et cetera, but actually doing it at the end) & that it didn't effect the German war effort one bit. All the books agree that the commandant of the camp was a really good guy.

 

[PMF]

Yes, but what do you mean by filters? [...]

I believe that trajan007 was refering to any scene in which the prisoners were drinking coffee.