A Few Words About While we wait for A few words about...™ Lawrence of Arabia -- in 4k/UHD Blu-ray (6 Viewers)

[titch]

I disagree with you entirely. That the 'image and sound quality these days is superior'?.Today even the best digital image is woeful and too many projectionists play the sound far too loud.There is NO comparison to digital as against film,especially the original IMAX when seen on film back in the seventies.70mm image was also immaculate.To-day,most cinemas show 70mm films on cinemascope sized screens in multiplexes and without any curtains or any screen curvature. Where I worked we had a 60 ft wide curved screen for 70mm films. Another cinema down the road had a 62 ft wide screen for 70mm. 70mm presentation was always perfect and without any scratches on the prints. SOUTH PACIFIC had already played for 7 months before we screened it and the print was still in immaculate condition when our 25 week season concluded.Same for THE SOUND OF MUSIC - not even a scratch after 41 weeks. Projectionists treated film with respect and seeing a 'roadshow ' film was always a special event. In fact every screening,whether it was in 70mm cinerama,superscope,cinemascope or 70mm , was a special event in the 5 cinemas where I worked. Cinema showmanship from projectionists is all but dead is most cinemas to-day.

Granted - if you were in one of the select cinema theatres in the world which had pristine prints, you had a connoisseur experience. The National Film Theatre in Oslo has a pristine 70 mm print of Lawrence Of Arabia, which still looks gorgeous projected - the projectionists there are pros. I never forget the terrible 70 mm blow-up prints of Jurassic Park, In The Name Of The Father and The Fugitive that were projected in quick succession on the early 1990's. Blurry and colourless, they in no way reflected what dye-transfer prints or large format prints looked like from the 1960s. By the time I saw The Tree Of Life projected from a rubbish print at a dingy cinema in Stockholm, compared to the fantastic blu-ray I saw projected at home, I was all for digital projection. I saw Dunkirk on a 70 mm print projected last year. My experience at home with a 4K projection was superior.

Looking forward to the day I can compare Lawrence on a 4K disc at home to the cinema.....

 

[RICK BOND]

What's the hold up with the 4K UHD Lawrence ??? Just River Kwai ? Why are they not releasing Classics in 4K UHD ? Only the new cgi trash movies they make today. : ( ? Where's the James Bond titles ????

 

[DP 70]

Granted - if you were in one of the select cinema theatres in the world which had pristine prints, you had a connoisseur experience. The National Film Theatre in Oslo has a pristine 70 mm print of Lawrence Of Arabia, which still looks gorgeous projected - the projectionists there are pros. I never forget the terrible 70 mm blow-up prints of Jurassic Park, In The Name Of The Father and The Fugitive that were projected in quick succession on the early 1990's. Blurry and colourless, they in no way reflected what dye-transfer prints or large format prints looked like from the 1960s. By the time I saw The Tree Of Life projected from a rubbish print at a dingy cinema in Stockholm, compared to the fantastic blu-ray I saw projected at home, I was all for digital projection. I saw Dunkirk on a 70 mm print projected last year. My experience at home with a 4K projection was superior.

Looking forward to the day I can compare Lawrence on a 4K disc at home to the cinema.....

As Jurassic Park was the first film in 35mm DTS i am sure they do not do any blow up prints to 70mm ?

I saw Dunkirk 5 times in 70mm in London last year and it looked and sounded fantastic , better at home
no way

 

[titch]

I thought Jurassic Park was only in 35mm DTS on release, i am sure they did not make any 70mm prints ?

Of course you're right - these films were the first 35 mm prints that used a rapid printing technique, which was of a much poorer quality than the previous Technicolor process. When I now view blu-rays mastered from the negative, the quality is vastly superior than almost all the cinema prints I saw theatrically. And unlike Quentin Tarantino, I don't miss the grindhouse experience.

 

[titch]

By the way - anyone seen Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s code of conduct for cinema going? Another reason why film is more enjoyable at home these days!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/films/code_of_conduct.pdf

 

[AcesHighStudios]

I quite agree with their Code of Conduct.

 

[PMF]

There was a sequence that involved (as I recall) Turkish officers viewing maps of destroyed railroad tracks, et al

Or, in this case, et El.

 

[PMF]

> 99% of what was shown was 35mm sourced. That the best digital image today is woeful compared to 35mm of the past is complete nonsense. IMAX and 70mm have no full digital equivalent for now (that requires 8K plus systems) but a top 4K DCP is no slouch at all for these formats too. What exactly is so woeful about a 4K DCP on a top quality digital projector??

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
My great experiences and long-standing memories of film going have included "The Sound of Music" and "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" in their 1965 Roadshows;
along with the 1980's restorations of both "Napoleon" at Radio City Music Hall and "Lawrence of Arabia" at the Ziegfeld;
and the 70mm restoration of "My Fair Lady" in Toronto @ 1993 or 4.
My only known 4K DCP experiences were of "LoA" and, quite recently, of "North By Northwest".
I can assure you that both of the latters were just as thrilling, satisfying and revelatory.

 

[Robert Harris]

http://www.cnn.com/style/article/spanish-church-restorer-st-george-intl-trnd/

 

[OliverK]

This is horrible but still not as bad as what they did to "Ecce Homo" !

 

[Robert Harris]

This is horrible but still not as bad as what they did to "Ecce Homo" !

Ecce Homo is more akin to the initial Blu of Patton.

 

[usrunnr]

By the way - anyone seen Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s code of conduct for cinema going? Another reason why film is more enjoyable at home these days!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/films/code_of_conduct.pdf

We hardly ever go to the cinema anymore for just the reasons mentioned. Exceptions? Of course. We saw Lawrence in 70mm not too long ago and were blown away by the quality of the restoration. But mostly we watch discs at home on our very good home theater setup. Our three dogs leave the room when we watch movies, however, and there is no way to coax them back while 7.1 sound is on.

 

[Charles Smith]

http://www.cnn.com/style/article/spanish-church-restorer-st-george-intl-trnd/

Whoa!

 

[Robert Harris]

https://www.dpreview.com/news/34278...d-500c-cameras-and-80mm-lenses-listed-on-ebay

 

[PMF]

Ecce Homo is more akin to the initial Blu of Patton.

​

From Ecce to Icky.

(or)
"When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do".
- George S. Patton
​

 

[Robert Harris]

https://www.eater.com/2018/8/8/17655446/joel-robuchon-michelin-latelier-mashed-potatoes-pommes-puree

 

[Robert Harris]

From Ecce to Icky.

(or)
"When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do".
- George S. Patton
​

I recall once placing my arm into a bucket containing the remains of The Blob.

 

[Charles Smith]

https://www.eater.com/2018/8/8/17655446/joel-robuchon-michelin-latelier-mashed-potatoes-pommes-puree

“Fortified with an astonishing quantity of butter...”

Wait. That’s my recipe, every Thanksgiving...

 

[OliverK]

Ecce Homo is more akin to the initial Blu of Patton.

Good intentions in both cases but not much more.

 

[B-ROLL]

Good intentions in both cases but not much more.