FrauBlucher wrote: Tue Feb 26, 2019 4:39 pm
Is anyone else surprised that Atlantic City has not been released on bluray or at least licensed out? Not even sure if the Paramount DVD is still in print. Could there be a rights issue for this? This seems like it could be solid Criterion release.
This is one of the "limbo" titles. By that I mean Paramount has a policy to not license out titles they themselves released on DVD. (They have broken this policy for a handful of titles, but only with Criterion). So, titles like Atlantic City, Roman Holiday, Hud, Paper Moon, Bringing Out the Dead, The Court Jester, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, and The Tenant are languishing on the Blu-ray sideline in North America, because Paramount won't release them themselves, nor will they license them to Kino/Shout/Arrow. So while it's great that Kino (and Olive before them) were able to license so many Republic holdings and never-before-on-DVD titles from Paramount, these more prestigious/popular titles remain absent on Blu-ray.
Disney has the same archaic policy for their Touchstone/Hollywood Pictures titles they didn't previously package to Mill Creek.
With the new animated feature coming out, Paramount will finally be releasing Addams Family Values (1993) on Blu-ray on 10/1/19 (along with reissuing the first film).
Far more surprising, though, is the 9/24/19 release of the Holocaust (1978) Mini-Series.
Hopefully this means that the Paramount Vault is finally beginning to crack open. They've been holding too many great films hostage from being preserved on an HD disc for too long.
The Blu-ray was already poor and outdated quality wise when it was first released 10 years ago. A modern 4K transfer is long overdue. Making it available on UHD with HDR is a sweetener (the latter of which does not imply revisionism, as many will mistakenly think).
I appreciate their effort to put out IAWL in the best way possible, especially after several Anniversary editions of the same dated transfer. But where in the world are the other great Paramount catalogue titles that seem to be entombed like a bunch of mummies?
Just read through the description and this seems unusual: "The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack includes the black-and-white film in 4K high definition, as well as a colorized version on Blu-ray, along with three special features new to 4K Blu-ray disc: "Restoring a Beloved Classic," "Secrets from the Vault," and "It's A Wonderful Wrap Party." A 2-Disc Blu-ray set will also be available that includes the newly remastered film in black-and-white, along with a colorized version and the three special features listed above."
So you can get the B&W 4K + Colorized BD, OR you can get the B&W BD + Colorized BD. But there's no "future proofing" option if you want the B&W BD now and the B&W 4k disc for later.
And is this the first 4k release of a born-B&W, studio-era film (i.e. excluding the modern B&W de-colorizations like Mad Max)?
senseabove wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:58 pmAnd is this the first 4k release of a born-B&W, studio-era film (i.e. excluding the modern B&W de-colorizations like Mad Max)?
Yes. I believe the only other true B&W film on UHD is Schindler's List, though of course that isn't a studio era film nor is it completely B&W.
This won't be the oldest film on UHD for long though as The Wizard of Oz is coming around the same time.
senseabove wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:58 pmAnd is this the first 4k release of a born-B&W, studio-era film (i.e. excluding the modern B&W de-colorizations like Mad Max)?
Depending on how loosely you define 'studio-era', Gaumont's Les Tontons Flingueurs was released back in 2017, which is probably the first B&W classic film on 4K UHD.
EddieLarkin wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2019 10:39 pm
There's a good example of what is possible here.
Thanks! Now I'm going to spend my coffee time googling film stocks.
andyli wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:09 pm
Depending on how loosely you define 'studio-era', Gaumont's Les Tontons Flingueurs was released back in 2017, which is probably the first B&W classic film on 4K UHD.
I'd think that qualifies for the purposes of the question, but sounds like that 4k disc doesn't use HDR, which is where the hypothetical benefit would be, if I've understood things correctly.
Yes, due to the diminishing returns one experiences with every doubling of resolution, watching a 4K transfer in 2160p is not going to be hugely different to watching it in 1080p (and possibly not at all from the more common viewing distances). Certainly not anything like the revelatory difference between 1080p and SD. This is why UHDs of 2K films are just as worthy as a 4K, because HDR is what makes the real difference.
Texas Chain Saw Massacre is available on a non-HDR 4K disc in Germany, but due to the excellent encoding of the 1080p Second Sight disc of the same 4K transfer, the consensus is that the latter is superior.
senseabove wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:58 pm
Just read through the description and this seems unusual: "The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack includes the black-and-white film in 4K high definition, as well as a colorized version on Blu-ray, along with three special features new to 4K Blu-ray disc: "Restoring a Beloved Classic," "Secrets from the Vault," and "It's A Wonderful Wrap Party." A 2-Disc Blu-ray set will also be available that includes the newly remastered film in black-and-white, along with a colorized version and the three special features listed above."
So you can get the B&W 4K + Colorized BD, OR you can get the B&W BD + Colorized BD. But there's no "future proofing" option if you want the B&W BD now and the B&W 4k disc for later.
And is this the first 4k release of a born-B&W, studio-era film (i.e. excluding the modern B&W de-colorizations like Mad Max)?
Not studio-era but Schindler's List was "born-B&W".
Luke M wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:06 pm
I've always felt Paramount thinks Top Gun is their most essential movie. It's been released 14 different ways on blu-ray already.
I'm expecting the 4K UHD of Top Gun next summer when the sequel releases.
Hopefully the "essentials" include Hud and Roman Holiday, among others.
