Straker

I vote they include a couple of good cigars, wrapped up to look like toothpaste...

NoirFan

Sorry!

MTRodaba2468

Doesn't bother me. I'll pick 'em both up.

porieux

Thread title had me worried you were talking about a remake

doctorthodt

This doesn't mean there won't also be regular editions available day-and-date. We didn't know about the Oz or GWTW trinket-free versions until very close to the release date.

BuckNaked2k

Yea, I'll hold out until it's available sans junk.

PopcornTreeCt

Yeah I like extra things here and there but the Warner Ultimate Editions are unnecessarily big.

kstublen

Agreed. I love my extras, but Warner just includes too much junk in too large a box. I'll pick this and Ben-Hur up in the inevitable regular releases, just like with The Wizard Of Oz, Gone With The Wind, etc.

GenPion

Same here. These giant sets, for one, just take up WAY too much shelf space. I would never have any idea where to put them and space is a huge commodity right now with a big film collection.

Doctorossi

They take up zero shelf space for me, 'cause I never buy 'em.

GenPion

Neither do I. Thank goodness!

aynrandgirl

How did they restore Citizen Kane for Blu-ray? I thought it was already restored for the excellent WB DVD release of Citizen Kane.

Cartload

They should package this in a f***ing sled!

Rypro 525

I know sometime in 2011 in CA as part of a TCM film festival, they are premiering a brand new restored print of Kane, which is prob what the source will be of the new Blu

Groucho

I would buy this set if it included an actual cane.

Doctorossi

Thankfully, they went back and tried again because that master was problematic (the rain is supposed to be there, etc.).

Doctorossi

Ssssh! Don't give them terrible but idiot marketing department-friendly ideas!

obscurelabel

Lowry Digital was too aggressive with their digital scrubbing and removed too much detail, including the frequently mentioned raindrops in one scene. The image also had an unnaturally grain-free, digitized look. I would presume in the years since this work was done, that the technology has improved and perceptions have changed enough that they can get a more film-like transfer created.

The negative of the film was destroyed by fire, but I think there is a solid existing original master positive that is the source for the recent transfers.

One thing that isn't mentioned that much about CK is that there are a lot of process shots all the way through it, and not just ones that are easy to pick out as "special effects" shots. Because of all of the optical printing that was done, much of the film is going to have a grainier and softer look than it would have otherwise. This may have been why Lowry went overboard; the film probably should look grainier than others of similar vintage that didn't have as much optical printing.

lamphorn

Excited for Kane. Would like to see Ben Hur someday. As is my wont, I bought the 4 disc DVD extravaganza of Ben Hur years ago but have still not even cracked it open. Now that I know there's a Blu on the way with a new transfer, I know I won't touch the DVD and will probably netflix the Blu so I don't feel guilty for double-dipping when I never even tasted the first dip!

But I'll buy Kane. Fuckin' A, I will buy Kane.

davidh777

Warner has said their Ultra Resolution process is insufficient for Blu-ray so even their remastered stuff has to be reworked. That might have been in regards to GWTW and WoZ.

Boba Fett

Awesome, now I can buy it, let it set on my self for three years before watching it like I did with it on DVD.

Doctorossi

Wha?!

They use Ultra-Resolution to create the new digital masters for the involved movies, so if it's insufficient for Blu-ray, I don't know what's going on.

What does this have to do with Citizen Kane, anyway? Kane is black-and-white.

Adam Tyner

Citizen Kane's digital remastering was done at standard-def resolution...the same as Lowry's work on North by Northwest, which also had to be retransferred/remastered for Blu-ray.

Doctorossi

davidh777, perhaps you're confusing terms (thinking of a different WB trademark?). Ultra-Resolution is their process for using spatial correction measures to re-combine individual scans of Technicolor separation masters (no relation that I can think of to Citizen Kane).

davidh777

Maybe not for Kane specifically, but I know they've said that some films they recently remastered had to be redone for Blu. Don't have the exact quotes in front of me.