TJPC
Senior HTF Member
Be warned however, it is mostly advertising, and strange to relate, everything they talk about is WONDERFUL!
I think the TCM broadcast of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a better transfer than the laserdisc: marginally sharper and with better color. I recorded a TCM showing some years ago onto the hard drive of my DVD recorder but never got around to burning DVDs from it. When I want to watch the movie, I just watch it off the hard drive. It's also a lot more convenient than watching the laserdisc.
I think something we often forget to take into account as well, when wondering why certain films haven't been released, are the limitations imposed by the work that goes into a film to video transfer. There are only a relatively small number of people who are capable of performing the high quality of work that is necessary to do a really nice digital transfer/restoration. Even transfers of non-problematic elements involve color timing, compression, etc. With all of the films that currently lack decent digital scans, rights-holders have to prioritize which films can be put into the pipeline. Once a film is in the pipeline, it still has to wait until there is an opening in the schedules of the people who have to perform the necessary work. Sometimes a film may be in the pipeline but has to take a back seat to a more important (in the eyes of the studio, at least) film. Everything takes time and resources are limited. We've heard many times on this forum from people within the industry that they want to put out a particular film but that, given current circumstances, it isn't possible. By all means, we should voice our desires and support actual releases of films that do come out but we have to temper our desires and expectations as film fans and be persistent but patient. We also need to be realistic. Some films will never be re-released and, sadly, many will eventually disappear entirely.
I am a big fan of Cinerama and was disappointed that Brothers Grimm wasn't easily accessible. I finally bought a used copy of the laserdisc so that I could see it. It looks terrible. I searched for a decent digital copy of one of TCM's airings, because I had heard that the transfer they show at least looks better than the laserdisc. Alas, even that search has been fruitless. I would love to see a really nice HD copy of Brothers Grimm, even though I don't think anybody would classify it as a great film, but I just don't think it's ever going to happen. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I totally understand the many reasons why such a release is unlikely.
I'm not quite sure what your comment means. Recording television broadcasts for private home use with no intention of using them for commercial profit was found to be legal during the VHS era. Unless I missed it, I don't think anything has changed.But it ain't legal,is it?
Having seen it in cinerama many times, I may be in the minority , but I consider it to be a great movie and having unforgettable music. I have lost count of the times that I watched it on disc. I do believe that it will eventually emerge on bluray. It's one of the most requested titles wanted by movie buffs. It's part of cinema history and needs to be restored for future generations to enjoy. A new Cinerama print would be a revelation. The film was made for Cinerama, so watching it on a tv screen detracts everything that made seeing it in a cinema ,such an memorable experience.
....But, HTF's own David Strohmaier has done a brilliant job of remastering the Cinerama travelogues for HD and BD, and has managed to do so at a fraction of the cost of what Warner spends. He has the experience and the knowledge to do the job at a cost that Warner could reasonably hope to recover. If it might not be at the level of "How The West Was Won," based on Strohmaier's other Cinerama work,based on Strohmaier's other Cinerama work, I don't think it's a stretch to say that it could still look better than anyone would have imagined.
I talked to Dan Sullivan of Image Trends at the 60th Anniversary of Cinerama film festival in 2012. He thought his company, David Strohmaier and other staff, could have done a better job on the How the West Was Won restoration.
Well, that didn't last long. It is now Temporarily out of stock and the price is back up to $22.99.Amazon dropped the pricing to $14.72 for The Bridge on the River Kwai!
Lousy guess, and an even more ridiculous notion—as if it costs more to hire someone with an interest in movies. Of course they hire people who are fit for whatever position. As for 'many major film studios', how many of the, let's see, 6 or 7 do you think are using the McDonald's hiring metric?Really good write up .............my guess is that many of these major film studios employ numerous young people with little or no interest in the movies of yesterday and who have zero interest in the Golden Age of Cinema and additionally films that are most wanted on Bluray ........they probably think the name errol flynn is a shaving cream......
I think the TCM broadcast of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a better transfer than the laserdisc: marginally sharper and with better color. I recorded a TCM showing some years ago onto the hard drive of my DVD recorder but never got around to burning DVDs from it. When I want to watch the movie, I just watch it off the hard drive. It's also a lot more convenient than watching the laserdisc.
The only 3 panel Cinerama print of Brothers Grimm in the world is screening in Bradford this weekend.
I have seen it twice and it looks fab on screen.
Hi Roland, that's correct the print is ok but not perfect and has shrunk pretty bad in some sections, so when its projected it needs to beI think that was the same print they showed at the 60th Anniversary of Cinerama in LA at the Cinerama Dome in 2012.