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Author Topic: REAL Technicolor - 10 Commandments rules, African Queen sucks Joe Tommassello Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 547 From: Coatesville, PA, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 04-03-2010 06:33 PM                  Every year I look and every year I have been disappointed until now. I am fifteen minutes into the first HD broadcast of "The Ten Commandment" (east coast). Of course it has compression and DNR and any other anomalies inherent in cable TV delivery. Still it has at least the quality of an upconverted DVD and is by far the best I have ever seen it look on TV. Also this is the first year the original aspect ratio is used. If you read this in time you may enjoy taking a look. What struck me most was the gorgeous Technicolor. Unlike "Gone With The Wind", "The Godfather" films and more recently "The African Queen" there is no brown tint to the picture. I am increasingly believing that the people "restoring" films are making "artistic" decisions. I have seen GWTW in every conceivable film and video format. It wasn't until the "restoration" it turned brown! The Derann Super 8 had better color! I watched AQ on a disc from Netflix. As phenomenal a movie as it is I will NOT be buying it at any price. Hepburn constantly looks like she just got out of one of those old spray-on tanning booths that turned you orange. Everytime I see it I will be annoyed thinking how great it could have been. (Note to Paramount...When you put out the BR of Ten Commandments don't fuck it up like you did Godfather and African Queen.) Gotta run...Moses' mom is about to get crushed between two giant stones! Oooohhhh...the suspense!  |  IP: Logged Mark Ogden Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 943 From: Little Falls, N.J. Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-03-2010 07:55 PM                     quote: I am fifteen minutes into the first HD broadcast of "The Ten Commandment" (east coast). . . . Still it has at least the quality of an upconverted DVD I dunno if this is really an HD transfer. In fact, what you went on to say is probably closer to the truth, it looks to me like a broadcast upconversion of the standard-def DVD master. I know ABC has been hocking Paramount for a real HD copy of this title, but there was some resistance on the studio's part because they didn't think some of the existing elements would do it justice. At least they got them something better than the old 4:3 copy they ran for years. Oh, and pesach shalom to all.  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 04-03-2010 08:57 PM                        Joe, When you posted yoUr remarks about THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, it was only 12.32 in the afternoon and it is 3:58 right now here in Hawaii and the show will not air for another two hours. on our ABC affiliated station. I will take a look at it before I watch some Blu Ray discs I just received in the mail from Blockbusters. Yes, I agree with you about the up converted DVD image in HD. I do not agree with you about THE AFRICAN QUEEN however. In my opinion, Paramount did a fantastic job with the restoration and I was more than pleased. For many years, I thought the color of the film was drab but I was very surprised to see how vibrant it was. Please keep in mind, I grew up with three strip Technicolor and I know how it should look and TAQ does look like IB. I do agree with you about the screwed up color with THE GODFATHER films on Blu Ray.. I hate those red hues with a deep passion! -Claude  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-04-2010 10:34 AM                     Don't forget William Friedkin's redux on "The French Connection" in Blu-ray.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-04-2010 06:44 PM                     Joe, GWTW was intended to have a muted color look to it. There is nothing about the days in that story that were colorful! I have the preview to Ten Commandments in I.B., it's almost as long as the movie is... color is saturated and magnificent. But those were colorful times... Mark  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 04-04-2010 07:17 PM                     When I watchedd it last year, it was only the "8 Commandments" - They cut two out to make room for commercials. . . . .  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 04-04-2010 08:55 PM                        Mark, Although many DP's considered her a big pain in the ass in 1939, Natalie Kalmus had a lot of power making sure Technicolor was subdued and not as bright and colorful as it became in later years when others took over the job as Technicolor Consultant. Regarding THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, I still find it kind of odd to listen to the overture - Mr. DeMille's Speech and finally the Movie in that order. I feel the speech should have been first and the curtain closes and the house light turned up a little bit while the overtiure plays and the curtain opens slowly as soon as the specially designed Paramount logo flashes on the screen. I know many of you will differ with me but I think it would have been better and more dramatic if they did it the way I prefer. If you went to a musical play or a opera, you will never hear the overture played first and than someone make a public announcement before the musical or opera resumes. -Claude  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-04-2010 09:06 PM                        I saw The Ten Commandments on our screen, from a near-new print, in 1990. I haven't been able to enjoy it on the small screen since... too bad we didn't have our current sound system then.  |  IP: Logged Fred Georges Master Film Handler Posts: 257 From: Lombard, IL, USA Registered: Jun 2000 posted 04-05-2010 10:59 PM                     The Original LaserDisc release of The TEN COMMANDMENTS had Demilles Curtain call at the beginning. Then the overture & The Movie. I agree with Claude. This seems to be the logical way to present this. When I ran the "new & Improved" Super VistaVision version (Anamorphic 2:35) in the late 80's I duplicated this presentation order & got patron complaints as they said it was jarring. I didn't think so but,thats me. The only cool thing about this scope release is it started with the Demille segment windowboxed 1:37. The screen then opened up & widened to Scope. A very ohhh & ahhh effect even if it was wrong.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 04-06-2010 10:46 AM                     This is how "The Ten Commandments" should be shown or presented. From the man  |  IP: Logged Joe Tommassello Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 547 From: Coatesville, PA, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-11-2010 11:20 AM                  I've had a little more experience with the color in AQ so I thought I'd stir it up again. After Claude's review - and before I returned the disc to Netflix - I readjusted my TV a bit to make the color a little cooler. Upon reviewing the disc it was a little better. However... TCM showed it in the last week or so and the color was MUCH BETTER than the "restored" disc. I am still not convinced someone didn't make an overly-artistic choice in browning it up. I am curious to take another look at Gone With The Wind since changing my color settings...but I don't think it will at all help the hopelessly orange "Godfather" set.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-02-2010 11:52 PM                        quote: Claude S. Ayakawa I feel the speech should have been first and the curtain closes and the house light turned up a little bit while the overtiure plays and the curtain opens slowly as soon as the specially designed Paramount logo flashes on the screen. I'd have to disagree there. The overture is supposed to make sure people realize the movie is about to start and to take their seats. If you started out cold with the speech, people would be milling about and talking, and ruin the first part of the speech.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-03-2010 02:19 PM                     I have a 35mm I.B. preview to Ten Commandments. It's a long preview in itself... about 10 inutes in length. Narrated and a short history lesson by the master himself... C.B. DeMille. You can see all the good parts of the film in this one reel and no need to sit though 12 reels of boreing soap opera! Oh, and did I say the color is incredible???? Mark  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-03-2010 05:03 PM                     I have some clips from my 1972, 12 reel running of the movie (had to repair some real cheesy 'wet' splices that were horribly done) where it was still IB dye transfer stock, and it was a joy to run it for it was totally sharp to focus on the screen. Just amazing how sharp the image was on the film itself.. ..and I had my masking tabs to 1.85:1 for this run. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 07-03-2010 10:33 PM                        The DVD of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is just absolutely stunning when it is up converted and viewed on my Samsung 1080p HDTV. If it can look this good from a DVD, I wonder how much better it will be on Blu-Ray because it is almost near perfect as it is. -Claude  |  IP: Logged

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