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Why Must They Release Colorized Versions?

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Why Must They Release Colorized Versions?

Old 03-13-06, 11:58 PM
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Why Must They Release Colorized Versions?

When Bewitched S1 came out, it took me quite a while to find the original black and white version. Then Best Buy had a sale on S2 a few weeks back, but Best Buy doesn't carry the black and white one, at least not the ones by my house, and the colorized version on BestBuy.com was on sale but not the black and white version.

Now, I Dream of Jeanie is coming out in the original black and white and the stupid colorized version.

Why do they do this? It drives me nuts! I'm going to be pissed when I can't find the black and white version tomorrow!
Old 03-14-06, 01:39 AM
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Originally Posted by The Monkees
When Bewitched S1 came out, it took me quite a while to find the original black and white version. Then Best Buy had a sale on S2 a few weeks back, but Best Buy doesn't carry the black and white one, at least not the ones by my house, and the colorized version on BestBuy.com was on sale but not the black and white version.

Now, I Dream of Jeanie is coming out in the original black and white and the stupid colorized version.

Why do they do this? It drives me nuts! I'm going to be pissed when I can't find the black and white version tomorrow!
That's an easy question: they sell colorized versions because some people want to buy colorized versions.
Old 03-14-06, 01:46 AM
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At least they are giving us an option (for now). I would be extremely pissed off if the b&w versions were unavailable.
Old 03-14-06, 02:26 AM
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Are these 16:9 anamorphic?

I want the choice.
Old 03-14-06, 02:06 PM
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Colorized versions of black and white TV shows is the same thing as making a movie Full Screen when it was shot widescreen. It's changing what was originally made. It's made for people who can't handle black and white, because black and white has been done and over with for 40 years. I can't stand it when I hear people complaining about black and white movies. I actually heard someone say they didn't want to watch Good Night and Good Luck because it was in black and white. It just drives me nuts!

I went to Best Buy today and was actually shocked when I saw that they had the black and white version. But, it wasn't on the new release table, it was over in the TV aisle. So I go up there and it rang up $5 more than the colorized version. That pissed me off. So, I had a big deal out of it because the sign said $29.99 it said nothing about color or black and white. So I got it for $29.99.

Last edited by The Monkees; 03-14-06 at 02:08 PM.
Old 03-14-06, 02:22 PM
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I'm sorry, but the pan-and-scan butchering of films has absolutely nothing to do with the colorization of films and television shows. That's just going out on a limb.

I own a few colorized DVDs, and I got to say that I enjoy these films in either format, wheras, there are many films that I can't bear to watch in pan-and-scan (the fullscreen version of "Blue Velvet" I watched for 3 minutes, and then turned it off because the damn aspect ratio butchering hurt my head).

At least with issues like the colorized TV box sets, and of cult films like "Reefer Madness," you get to see the film with all the image intact.

Sometimes, colorization can even add a new level to black and white productions (again, "Reefer Madness" comes to mind), wheras pan-and-scan adds nothing.

Nonetheless, I think that it was a stupid move for Sony to offer the color and black and white versions of some of their older TV shows in SEPERATE box sets -- the reason many of the new colorized DVDs (such as, again, "Reefer Madness", and, for a change, the colorized Three Stooges collections) sell so well is because you get both versions in the same package.
Old 03-14-06, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by thing-fish24
I'm sorry, but the pan-and-scan butchering of films has absolutely nothing to do with the colorization of films and television shows. That's just going out on a limb.

I own a few colorized DVDs, and I got to say that I enjoy these films in either format, wheras, there are many films that I can't bear to watch in pan-and-scan (the fullscreen version of "Blue Velvet" I watched for 3 minutes, and then turned it off because the damn aspect ratio butchering hurt my head).

At least with issues like the colorized TV box sets, and of cult films like "Reefer Madness," you get to see the film with all the image intact.

Sometimes, colorization can even add a new level to black and white productions (again, "Reefer Madness" comes to mind), wheras pan-and-scan adds nothing.

Nonetheless, I think that it was a stupid move for Sony to offer the color and black and white versions of some of their older TV shows in SEPERATE box sets -- the reason many of the new colorized DVDs (such as, again, "Reefer Madness", and, for a change, the colorized Three Stooges collections) sell so well is because you get both versions in the same package.
Repeating what The Monkees said, "It's changing what was originally made." Some people don't like black bars, so they buy pan-and-scan. Some don't like black and white, so they buy colorized. Some don't like swearing, so they buy edited Wal-Mart CDs. They're not the same changes, of course, but they're all altered versions of the original source material. "Adding" something like color, in many people's opinions, is just the same as taking something away...if not worse.
Old 03-14-06, 03:28 PM
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Not long ago, TCM aired Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933). I tuned in but was horrified to discover that it was the colorized version!
Old 03-14-06, 03:51 PM
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Of course he's joking....

Fry's had both b/w and color versions of IDOJ on the shelf today. I'm glad the original version is available, and the color version for those who want it.

Luckily as the series was shot in color starting the second year, there will be no further debate.
Old 03-14-06, 04:20 PM
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I'm not a fan of colorization of black & white movies either. I won't buy them. But if someone else likes them it's their choice to buy them. I was a bit upset when they did this to The 3 Stooges shorts a while ago so I did the only thing I could do, didn't buy them.
Old 03-14-06, 10:04 PM
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This past weekend they showed "Plan Nine From Outer Space" here in San Francisco. It was a premiere of a brand new print and it was COLORIZED! I stayed away but it was scary to see that they were showing it in a movie theatre and even staged a "premiere" with special guests from the film.
Old 03-14-06, 10:11 PM
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you can always just buy the colorized version and then just turn off the color on your tv
Old 03-14-06, 10:32 PM
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I went to buy I Dream Of Jeannie today at Target and they only had 4 copies and they were all colored.

They aren't taking rainchecks either.
Old 03-15-06, 06:51 AM
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Have the gotten any better at colorization? The first movies they did this to looked terrible. Bright honking primary colors, every person had the exact same skin tones, etc. I don't think I'd be a big fan of it in any event, but if I have to see it, I would like it to at least be well done.
Old 03-15-06, 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by esc24
you can always just buy the colorized version and then just turn off the color on your tv
It's not the same. Colorized movies viewed in black and white often alter the lightness or darkness of certain areas and add a false "texture" to some images.
Old 03-15-06, 09:07 AM
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Why Must They Release Colorized Versions?
For Ted Turner and his minions.
Old 03-15-06, 09:26 AM
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Originally Posted by esc24
you can always just buy the colorized version and then just turn off the color on your tv
i didn't even know that was an option
not that i plan on doing it, just curious, but do most tv's have this option?
Old 03-15-06, 09:32 AM
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Because there is a demand for them?
Old 03-15-06, 09:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Jason
Have the gotten any better at colorization? The first movies they did this to looked terrible. Bright honking primary colors, every person had the exact same skin tones, etc. I don't think I'd be a big fan of it in any event, but if I have to see it, I would like it to at least be well done.
Yes, they've gotten MUCH better. I wanted "March of the Wooden Soldiers" and the only copy I could find was colorized. So I held my nose and purchased it. But I was quite impressed with the quality of the print itself (sharp, minimal nicks and scratches). The colorizing was very subdued. Although the intensity of the colors were a little too "even" (ie. there were no colors that really "popped") it was tastefully done, IMO, and not distracting.

I also purchased the colorized 1st season of Bewitched. There were no B&W copies available so I just shrugged and bought the colorized version. Obviously it is subjective, but I thought that it too was well done.

I don't think colorizing should become a "habit", but the recent stuff I've seen is leaps and bounds beyond first wave of Turner's colorizations.
Old 03-15-06, 09:55 AM
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Originally Posted by BustaCones
i didn't even know that was an option
not that i plan on doing it, just curious, but do most tv's have this option?
My lord...ok, let's see if you can figure it out - pick up your remote and give it a try.

Do come back and let us know how you got on now, y'hear?
Old 03-15-06, 10:14 AM
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For the millionth time, turning the color off on the remote just gives you a muddy mess, not the original B/W.
Old 03-15-06, 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Steve Phillips
For the millionth time, turning the color off on the remote just gives you a muddy mess, not the original B/W.
And considering a lot of people here spend a lot of time fine tuning their settings, I don't think they'll want to throw that out the window just to watch Derwood bumble around for a half hour.
Old 03-15-06, 11:56 AM
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I'm betting that most people never saw these in anything but color so why would they want to buy something different then what they remember? I know I've never seen B/W Bewitched, Jeanie & Giligan's Island (which is another that had some color and others B/W) in anything but color. I have no interest in buying these series but if I did, I know I wouldn't want B/W versions that I always saw in color. I never had a problem with the episodes coloring. If something was off, I just attributed it to the production not being as good as today.

It's not like WS where the director intended stuff to be seen. They didn't really have a choice when these shows were made. It was B/W or no show. Later when color came around, they obviously didn't have a problem with them in color so they filmed new ones in color. Its not like these shows have anything in them that needs to be B/W.
Old 03-15-06, 12:17 PM
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Someone abov ementioned colorized films looking a bit off and using "mostly primary colors." For those who might want to see a comparison of b&w versus colored, check out this review of The House on Haunted Hill:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev...dvd_review.htm

I may be reading the review incorrectly, but it looks like it's saying that the b&w AND color versions are both available on the same DVD.
Old 03-15-06, 12:29 PM
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The black and white episodes of BEWITCHED and JEANNIE were only recently colorized; most viewers saw the black and white shows in black and white for thirty years. The colorized versions have mostly aired outside the U.S. While Hallmark did run them a few times, TV Land runs them in black and white.

Funny how many people think the switch to color happened all at once; it did not. It took many years to be phased in, whith some shows shooting in color as early as 1953 and others not making the transition until 1966! It's not all the different than what is going on now with HDTV.

In any case, why all the debate? BOTH VERSIONS ARE ON THE MARKET. NO ONE IS MISSING OUT ON WHAT THEY WANT. Can't find the black and white version in stores? Boo hoo, buy it from Amazon. It's not like you have to order it from the Moon! Besides, some stores do have them, shop around a bit.

I'm just glad they didn't crop it to 16 X 9 !

Last edited by Steve Phillips; 03-15-06 at 01:00 PM.

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