Classic films colorized? Hitchcock boring? There is many a reason why I don't post in this forum much anymore.

At the same time that the colorized Eraserhead is coming out.

When will the colorized "Manhattan" and "Ed Wood" be released...?

;)

ok so i've only seen vertigo, the birds, rear window, psycho and the lady vanishes. i just find him very overrated and a one trick pony.

back to the colour debate, would you not mind having a colour version as well? nobody moans about a 5.1 mix as long as the original audio is there. its the same thing. a agree with the welles theory that all the best performances are in black and white. colour films just distract you from the actors. i always wondered how do they know what colour to use? is it guess work?

Rear Window is my favourite out of the Hitchcock films that I've seen. I own a ton of them and I've been attempting to watch all of them, but I've been busy.

I've seen:

Psycho
The Birds
Vertigo
North by Northwest
Rear Window
Rebecca
Dial 'M' For Murder
Rope
Lifeboat

I just couldn't imagine seeing colorized versions of: Raging Bull, and The Elephant Man (two superb movies.) This will be detrimental to the history of films.

Quibble (just to be anal): Raging Bull does have color sequences.

You know what I mean!

Didn't Jimmy Stewart say before Congress that it broke his heart when he viewed the colorized version of 'It's a Wonderful Life'? I know Frank Capra called the process an "insult" to the artists who created the movies.

not sure, but I would love to read both of those actual quotes and where they stem from. It would be nice to have statements from the dead to back up what I feel most people already feel/

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...075237,00.html

This is the best I could find. :shrug:

So if remixing Sgt. Pepper with assistance of George Martin is okay, then colorizing It's a Wonderful Life with the assistance of Joe Walker can't be much worse, right?

I honestly don't see much of a difference. In both cases, a group of artists do the best job they can do with the technology available at the time. In both cases, someone else comes by 35 years later with computers and rearranges things to suit the current popular taste. In both cases, just one of the several key people who created the original is trotted out to give it a veneer of respectability.

Yeah, I'm yowling.

I do think remixing an audio track and altering a films appearance are one in the same. Since they are both altering the original work to suit someones viewing preference. ie- "I hate B&W and want all things in color/ I hate mono and want my speakers filled,since I spent alot of money on my HT system!".


Just because they may be working with the original audio and spreading it out to multiple channels,does not make it 'less bad' and 'ok'. Since 99% of the time,they do sound inferior too the original mono or stereo mix.

This is one of the reasons I won't be jumping on the HD bandwagon anytime soon. Since the majority of the films being released only contain the remix only when it comes to older titles.

Not necessarily, because original soundtracks, and visual cinematography in motion pictures are two different elements of a film. If inferiorly altered, one can be a major distraction more to it's viewer than the other.

I agree that movies are primarily a visual medium. But a good audio track is essential. Have you heard the soundtrack on the Madacy DVD version of Metropolis? It has Beethoven's triumphant Ode to Joy for music while the villain hunts the heroine in dark caverns.

That's an extreme example. But, while it's more subtle than the visual track, the audio track has a great effect on the viewer. Altering the audio track alters the effect on the viewer.

i would agree, and I think you hear as much about original audio tracks as colorization. (Jaws is a prime candidate, as well as the recent superman recall)

I got my 60th AE of IAWL today. There are some wierd "clips" that hold the keepcase shut - never seen them before :confused:

they are security tabs. if you open them and give a twist they come off

Just watched this. I noticed there were sound pops in around 3 or 4 places in the movie that are not in the original release. I'm willing to let it slide though because the video quality is better. I noticed the sound pops around 57 minutes, 1 hour 24 minutes, and 1 hour 31 minutes. Can't remember the exact seconds on those. I believe there was one other one as well, but I don't remember where.

It's A Wonderful Life CE 11/13/07
 

I guess the main selling point is that it includes the colorized version, and it says a restored B+W version.

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/1...1customrw1.jpg

The re-releases upon re-releases of this film are beyond absurd. I like it very much but the release I have about 4 re-releases prior suits me fine.

A pox on the colorised version but if it is a genuine restoration of the film then maybe, just maybe ths could be worthwhile indulging again.

Otherwise, just how many versions of the film on DVD do we need?

Every time you buy a DVD, an angel gets his wings.

Give it some special features worth mentioning, and I'll buy it.

Otherwise, this gets the raspberries.

Yes, I agree that the concept of re-releasing constantly really makes ones brain hurt but from a business stand point, what should one do? You have a product that you must keep fresh and with DVDs I can think of only one way to do that. :scratch2:

We shouldn't feel obligated to purchase the "newest" version....its not like the one we may have is obsolete or something. And a new re-release gives the studio/label a chance to perhaps catch the eye of a new consumer since its...well, new. Anchor Bay mined the ARMY OF DARKNESS thing beyond belief and none of the later releases had ANYTHING to offer that made the first release undesirable. And I never bought any of them.

In the case of a new-to-DVD title, yes...the studio's tactic IS to offer a barebones release to be followed by a better one, or in the case of WB offering them at the same time (THAT is a good move...WB is the BEST). I suspect the average movie buyer doesn't care much about special features. Only DVD maniacs...like me :banana: