DVD Beaver wrote:Well, DVD deal of the year award is obvious - Paramount are offering this Bertolucci masterpiece with three featurettes (with the director and DP Vittorio Storaro) in a strong 1.66 progressive transfer for just over $10 US ?!? I do have one query though - the running time is 1:51:12 - the original US (director cut) was approx. 1:55:00 and the 1995 restoration was 2 hours. We will investigate the time discrepancy and report back here. NOTE: Bill tells us:
"Gary, when I saw The Conformist last year at the Cinematheque it ran 111 minutes (same as this DVD) including the restored scene of the blind wedding." (Thanks Bill!)
For the time being we assume it is the shortness of the exit music which usually runs beyond the Paramount logo.
This release is fabulous. Region coded for 1 + 4 (set to sell in South America as well) - there are subs and dubs in Portuguese and Spanish. The bold yellow subtitle font is a bit garish, but the transfer image is excellent - soft palette colors, crisp detail and very clean. Top marks to Paramount on the appearance.
I had seen 1900 in a movie theathre in Turkey in 1989. It was a cut version but there was a sex scene between Atilla and Reggina. That scene was missing in Paramount DVD
I have a uncut version on VHS. 300+ min. There isn't a whole lot of footage that added anything to the story. There is a masturbation scene and I don't remember the others. However, I must note that Bertolucci preferred the regular theatrical cut.
I apologize for being behind the bar in these regards, but how does this system for films being remade on blu-ray work? Does a company, like Criterion, need to buy the distribution rights in order for them to recreate it on DVD or Blu-Ray? And how exactly, from a technological standpoint, can older films be remastered into Blu-Ray anyways?
Sorry for being such a pest, but it's been bugging me for years that The Conformist isn't on Blu-Ray. I feel like I search for any news on it coming to Blu-Ray every month, but never to any avail. Does anyone know if there have even been rumors of it coming to Blu-Ray? How can we get them to remaster it? I'll do anything... I think it's the most gorgeous movie of all time and unfortunately I haven't even gotten to see it on print or Blu-Ray.
James Mills wrote:...And how exactly, from a technological standpoint, can older films be remastered into Blu-Ray anyways?
Any film can be mastered or remastered for Blu-ray, but image quality can vary depending on the source material. The 1080p resolution and (lighter) compression ratio of Blu-ray qualifies it as "high definition", but it still only approximates a very clean 16mm film print. 35mm films, or greater, already have more resolution (higher definition) than a Blu-ray can handle, so almost any release can benefit from being issued in the Blu format. Studios are now doing 2K and 4K scans of their films (this process transfers the image from the film elements being used to a digital format) which, again, offers a higher resolution than Blu-ray can provide. The higher the scan (and the care in which this is done) will result in a better Blu-ray image even though the image is compressed before being loaded onto the disc itself. Again, much depends on the condition of the film elements being used. The print Kino used of Keaton's THE GENERAL (1927), for example, reportedly came from an original camera negative and was in good condition; the resulting Blu-ray release looks fantastic and superior to many a modern film issued on DVD.
James Mills wrote:...And how exactly, from a technological standpoint, can older films be remastered into Blu-Ray anyways?
Any film can be mastered or remastered for Blu-ray, but image quality can vary depending on the source material. The 1080p resolution and (lighter) compression ratio of Blu-ray qualifies it as "high definition", but it still only approximates a very clean 16mm film print. 35mm films, or greater, already have more resolution (higher definition) than a Blu-ray can handle, so almost any release can benefit from being issued in the Blu format ... Studios are now doing 2K and 4K scans of their films (this process transfers the image from the film elements being used to a digital format) which, again, offers a higher resolution than Blu-ray can provide. The higher the scan (and the care in which this is done) will result in a better Blu-ray image even though the image is compressed before being loaded onto the disc itself. Again, much depends on the condition of the film elements being used. The print Kino used of Keaton's THE GENERAL (1927), for example, reportedly came from an original camera negative and was in good condition; the resulting Blu-ray release looks fantastic and superior to many a modern film issued on DVD.
This is very enlightening, thanks so much! Any idea about this aspect: "Does a company, like Criterion, need to buy the distribution rights in order for them to recreate it on DVD or Blu-Ray?"
Yes, yes they do. With anything the company doesn't outright own they have to go to the rights holders and pay a licensing fee to get it. So in the case of 1900 for example Criterion getting it depends on if they want it, if the holder is willing to license it, and if Criterion is willing to pay for their announced fee.
knives wrote:Yes, yes they do. With anything the company doesn't outright own they have to go to the rights holders and pay a licensing fee to get it. So in the case of 1900 for example Criterion getting it depends on if they want it, if the holder is willing to license it, and if Criterion is willing to pay for their announced fee.
Cool, thanks a bunch. Are there any rumors then about The Conformist getting bought by someone and redistributed under blu-ray? How can we petition Criterion to do it for us? And I saw earlier that someone suggested the film was actually out of print; is this true, and can they still make a blu-ray version of it if it's completely out of print?
James Mills wrote:...And I saw earlier that someone suggested the film was actually out of print; is this true, and can they still make a blu-ray version of it if it's completely out of print?
"Out-of-print" only means that no further copies are being manufactured by the company that issued that particular release. It does not prevent the same company, or another company, from reissuing the film in the same, or a different format, in the future. However, allowing a product to go out-of-print can indicate that a company is interested in releasing a new version in the near future (as Warner Home Video is doing with CITIZEN KANE) or that the company no longer has any interest in the selling the product. In other words, the term "out-of-print" is a sales term and does not mean that the film in question no longer exists.
James Mills wrote: Are there any rumors then about The Conformist getting bought by someone and redistributed under blu-ray? How can we petition Criterion to do it for us?
None that I know of. The DVD was released by Paramount and they own the rights.
You could always ask Criterion on their Facebook page, but I doubt whether that would do any good.
If you do ask them, you have to use a special idiot's language along the lines of "OMG, a Criterion Blu of "The Conformist" would be awesome!! You are the best company in the world!!" Something like that.
I just bought The Conformist (Blu-ray from Raro Video, restoration from the Cineteca di Bologna) it seems a little too much dnr involved in the resto or I don't know... the grain is just disappearing in every frame... any news from a Criterion release?
