Silent Horror DVDs: Image vs Kino?
09-13-10, 02:33 AM
#1
DVD Talk Special Edition
Thread Starter
Silent Horror DVDs: Image vs Kino?
This has been on my mind for a while, but I don't care if I end up sounding absurd or primitive...
Is there anyone who finds the old Image Entertainment DVDs of Nosferatu/Caligari/Jekyll & Hyde preferable, either wholly or partially, to Kino's?
Here's my perception as a technical layman: simply stated, Kino's DVDs of Nosferatu & Caligari strike me as too color saturated. Nosferatu's the only one I've done direct comparisons with, having hung on to my 2001 Image DVD after acquiring Kino's 2007 "Restored" edition. What I noticed was, in addition to the oversaturation, I actually kind of missed the crackles and pops that were digitally removed. How can I describe it.... watching Kino's edition, I felt all too aware that I was watching a 21st century digital restoration (the squeaky-clean new intertitles added to this feeling). I felt as if I was watching a technical exercise more than a film and didn't get sucked into its world the same way I had with my many previous viewings of the Image DVD, which makes me actually feel like I'm watching a film, warts and all, rather than a distancing technical artifact. I've gotten so used to the flickering light levels and jerky, decayed frames. What I would like to know is if this is merely a sentimental preference, or if anyone else has found the Kino DVDs oversaturated (or flawed in any other way). And the I liked Image's organ score on Nosferatu at least equally as much as Kino's 5.1 orchestral.
I don't have the Image DVD of Caligari for comparison, but with the Kino DVD I felt like the blue tint was wayyy too saturated, like someone spilled the blue paint bucket from Microsoft Paint.
So I'm thinking, since I (rightly or wrongly) prefer Image's Nosferatu, maybe I should pick up the Image versions of Caligari & Jekyll while they're still in print. Like Nosferatu, Caligari's audio commentary wasn't carried over to the Kino release (even if Kino has those great documentaries).
Thanks in advance for any insight/opinion that is shared.
Is there anyone who finds the old Image Entertainment DVDs of Nosferatu/Caligari/Jekyll & Hyde preferable, either wholly or partially, to Kino's?
Here's my perception as a technical layman: simply stated, Kino's DVDs of Nosferatu & Caligari strike me as too color saturated. Nosferatu's the only one I've done direct comparisons with, having hung on to my 2001 Image DVD after acquiring Kino's 2007 "Restored" edition. What I noticed was, in addition to the oversaturation, I actually kind of missed the crackles and pops that were digitally removed. How can I describe it.... watching Kino's edition, I felt all too aware that I was watching a 21st century digital restoration (the squeaky-clean new intertitles added to this feeling). I felt as if I was watching a technical exercise more than a film and didn't get sucked into its world the same way I had with my many previous viewings of the Image DVD, which makes me actually feel like I'm watching a film, warts and all, rather than a distancing technical artifact. I've gotten so used to the flickering light levels and jerky, decayed frames. What I would like to know is if this is merely a sentimental preference, or if anyone else has found the Kino DVDs oversaturated (or flawed in any other way). And the I liked Image's organ score on Nosferatu at least equally as much as Kino's 5.1 orchestral.
I don't have the Image DVD of Caligari for comparison, but with the Kino DVD I felt like the blue tint was wayyy too saturated, like someone spilled the blue paint bucket from Microsoft Paint.
So I'm thinking, since I (rightly or wrongly) prefer Image's Nosferatu, maybe I should pick up the Image versions of Caligari & Jekyll while they're still in print. Like Nosferatu, Caligari's audio commentary wasn't carried over to the Kino release (even if Kino has those great documentaries).
Thanks in advance for any insight/opinion that is shared.
09-13-10, 09:38 AM
#2
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Silent Horror DVDs: Image vs Kino?
