Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
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Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
from Variety
MPI/Dark Sky Films will be releasing a restored version Tobe Hooper’s 1974 “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary.
The restoration will be unveiled at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas on Monday at 9:30pm at the Topfer Theatre. The new version of the film will be released in theaters this summer with a new 4K transfer from the original 16 millimeter prints.
Hooper shot the original film in 1973 with a crew of Austin film students and recent graduates in Round Rock, Texas. The move debuted in drive-ins and eventually grossed $30 million, was invited to the 1975 Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight and was acquired as part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
The restoration was overseen by Todd Wieneke of Dark Sky Films and took place at NOLO Digital Film in Chicago and needed five months of 40-hour workweeks to complete the color grading and the restoration. All 120,960 frames were transferred to a 4K scan.
Hooper, who helped score the film and did the sound design, was also involved with the audio restoration.
“I haven’t seen ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ on the big screen for many, many years,” he said. “This 40th anniversary restoration is absolutely the best the film has ever looked. The color and clarity is spectacular, displaying visual details in the film that were never before perceptible.”
Details regarding the film’s theatrical re-release this summer will be announced in the coming months.
The most recent dvd/blu doesn't look all that bad, granted a 4K restoration will probably look better
MPI/Dark Sky Films will be releasing a restored version Tobe Hooper’s 1974 “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary.
The restoration will be unveiled at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas on Monday at 9:30pm at the Topfer Theatre. The new version of the film will be released in theaters this summer with a new 4K transfer from the original 16 millimeter prints.
Hooper shot the original film in 1973 with a crew of Austin film students and recent graduates in Round Rock, Texas. The move debuted in drive-ins and eventually grossed $30 million, was invited to the 1975 Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight and was acquired as part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
The restoration was overseen by Todd Wieneke of Dark Sky Films and took place at NOLO Digital Film in Chicago and needed five months of 40-hour workweeks to complete the color grading and the restoration. All 120,960 frames were transferred to a 4K scan.
Hooper, who helped score the film and did the sound design, was also involved with the audio restoration.
“I haven’t seen ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ on the big screen for many, many years,” he said. “This 40th anniversary restoration is absolutely the best the film has ever looked. The color and clarity is spectacular, displaying visual details in the film that were never before perceptible.”
Details regarding the film’s theatrical re-release this summer will be announced in the coming months.
The most recent dvd/blu doesn't look all that bad, granted a 4K restoration will probably look better
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
Got a line on this a while back, and I'm really glad to see it's finally been announced. Hopefully they carry over all the previous bonus stuff they can because I know there's some new stuff planned. Either way, I can't wait to see how good this looks assuming they didn't completely fuck it up somehow.
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
Oddly enough I don't own the original on Blu-ray. I have The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 Remake), and Texas Chainsaw 3D but never picked up the original. I'll probably get this when it's out.
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
I can't wait to see how glossed up a original shot 16mm film will look after a 4K scan. seems a tad excessive - ya think? The movie was supposed to look like battered up shitty lookin' print.
Last edited by Giles; 03-06-14 at 10:38 PM.
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
Yeah just because something is getting a better master it doesn't necessarily mean that a film that's supposed to have a specific look will have that look altered. I know that it happened with The Terminator but I think there's other factors than just the mastering process at play in that case.
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
Has a 16mm film gotten a 4K scan before?
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
I also hope they remaster the audio in 7.1 DTS Surround so my home theater can get a workout.
Last edited by inri222; 03-07-14 at 01:47 PM.
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
While discussing the new restoration with Entertainment Weekly director Hooper noted: "It's great on the big screen. It's in 7.1 sound that completely wraps around you and in 4K [resolution]. The film works as well, if not better, than it originally did."
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
I've the original BD. it's a fair image remaster. Could be better, I remember the image being a bit jagged at times. Needed some vibrancy to it but it was good at the time. I'd be game for a much more stable image... And keep the original sound too. Also... Port over all the features cuz the features alone make it worth owning.
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
Say what you will about its narrative now. But the film is a goddamn important piece of film history. I'd argue that it has every right to be given professional care for. I might not jive with lazy fatass in wheelchair or the dialogue or etc but its existence is a fucking big deal for the genre and film, in general,
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
Say what you will about its narrative now. But the film is a goddamn important piece of film history. I'd argue that it has every right to be given professional care for. I might not jive with lazy fatass in wheelchair or the dialogue or etc but its existence is a fucking big deal for the genre and film, in general,
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
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Re: Orig Texas Chain Saw Massacre gets 4K restoration, blu late 2014
Say what you will about its narrative now. But the film is a goddamn important piece of film history. I'd argue that it has every right to be given professional care for. I might not jive with lazy fatass in wheelchair or the dialogue or etc but its existence is a fucking big deal for the genre and film, in general,
I understand that 4K is sexy from a marketing perspective but it's largely wasted on a movie of this nature.