Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

[Matt]

It seems unlikely that a UHD would offer a substantial improvement over Blu-ray. The last restoration was scanned in at 4K but finished in 2K, and the best surviving film element is several generations away from the original negative. And all the optical effects shots are one or two steps further from that.

A new scan and HDR grade would be expensive and only help so much, but I also wouldn’t doubt the appeal for WB to cash in as much as they can on the film before it ascends into the public domain on January 1, 2029.

[EddieLarkin]

It seems unlikely that a UHD would offer a substantial improvement over Blu-ray. The last restoration was scanned in at 4K but finished in 2K, and the best surviving film element is several generations away from the original negative. And all the optical effects shots are one or two steps further from that.

A new scan and HDR grade would be expensive and only help so much, but I also wouldn’t doubt the appeal for WB to cash in as much as they can on the film before it ascends into the public domain on January 1, 2029.

The new HDR remaster of Frankenstein (and by all accounts, the other 3 Universal Monsters released on UHD) is much improved over the 2012 Blu-ray, despite the best surviving elements being similarly removed from the OCN (though granted, it doesn't have the same issues with special effects).

At this point it's becoming clear that, just like with Blu-ray a decade ago, everytime someone says "UHD won't offer much improvement for x film", they end up being wrong.

[hearthesilence]

The new HDR remaster of Frankenstein (and by all accounts, the other 3 Universal Monsters released on UHD) is much improved over the 2012 Blu-ray, despite the best surviving elements being similarly removed from the OCN (though granted, it doesn't have the same issues with special effects).

At this point it's becoming clear that, just like with Blu-ray a decade ago, everytime someone says "UHD won't offer much improvement for x film", they end up being wrong.

Eddie, do you find that even when similar transfers or sources are used, you can still see the differences of an upscaled BD on a 4K display compared to a UHD? Granted the artifacts may be minor and not much of an issue for most, but without too much effort I feel like they're still noticeable when switching back and forth between discs.

[EddieLarkin]

The new HDR remaster of Frankenstein (and by all accounts, the other 3 Universal Monsters released on UHD) is much improved over the 2012 Blu-ray, despite the best surviving elements being similarly removed from the OCN (though granted, it doesn't have the same issues with special effects).

At this point it's becoming clear that, just like with Blu-ray a decade ago, everytime someone says "UHD won't offer much improvement for x film", they end up being wrong.

Eddie, do you find that even when similar transfers or sources are used, you can still see the differences of an upscaled BD on a 4K display compared to a UHD? Granted the artifacts may be minor and not much of an issue for most, but without too much effort I feel like they're still noticeable when switching back and forth between discs.

Well, in the vast majority of cases it's very easy to tell the difference between something that's in PQ/BT2020 vs Gamma/Rec709, even when the source is the same overall transfer.

But if you just mean resolution, then it's 50/50. Depending on the way the film was shot, 1080p may be enough to resolve all detail fully, and then it's just a matter of the fineness of the grain. But it's not like I've ever done a blind test, I've always known when I'm watching a UHD and when I'm watching a Blu-ray, so who knows.

[Ribs]

To go back to the word of Feltenstein, one title he was asked about for 4K on that podcast was Nightmare on Elm Street, which while he admitted would sell and would probably have some type of improvement over previous releases probably would not be one of the better uses of their resources for a UHD release considering the materials the film was shot on and what currently exists (I believe he also admitted that title was more something that falls into a WHV purview then something he would more particularly oversee, and obviously he isn’t the sole decision maker). But I would take from that the materials of these given movies are definitely being given heavy consideration before 4K releases or even new scans altogether are being greenlit.

[Matt]

At this point it's becoming clear that, just like with Blu-ray a decade ago, everytime someone says "UHD won't offer much improvement for x film", they end up being wrong.

I guess what I was saying without really saying it is that the Blu-ray already looks pretty bad despite the restorers throwing everything they had at it. I'd be very happy to be proven wrong in the future.

[FrauBlucher]

That’s why I left King Kong off my earlier post. Would Warner waste resources on something that would be marginal at best compared to what was already produced.
Isn’t the Frankenstein bluray far and away better than the King Kong blu?

[EddieLarkin]

I've always known King Kong was limited by its elements situation, but I've certainly never considered the Blu-ray to look bad. If you focus on the non-dupe/sfx shots then I'd say King Kong was almost on par with the Frankenstein Blu-ray.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was just re-released by Kino, in what turned out to be a new restoration. This is despite (to my knownledge) the best surviving element being a 16mm show at home print, which is about as bad as it gets, and the old Flicker Alley Blu-ray remaster was already sourced from this same element. And yet, the Kino is blatantly an improvement. Now that's obviously got nothing to do with UHD/HDR and everything to do with advancements in scanning/restoring methods over the last 7 years (and probably the much deeper pockets Universal have vs Blackhawk films), but it always seems to me that once enough time has past, no matter the film, the restorers always manage to get a superior result than before. And I don't expect King Kong to be an exception (unless they do the really cheap thing and just reuse the old Blu-ray master, but I doubt they will).

[FrauBlucher]

The very underrated Glenn Erickson reviews the Some Came Running blu

[What A Disgrace]

I forgot that Some Came Running was coming out on Blu-ray, so I get to be happy all over again.

[reaky]

Some Came Running is a film I’ve seen a number of times, and feel I should love, but it’s never resonated with me. Great director, fabulous cast (at the peak of their allure), but Erikson’s review nails what I think is my problem with it - it’s ultimately a handsome soap with a self-regarding lead and a contrived ending that pops out of nowhere.

[Drucker]

Agreed! I followed a few people hyping it up on this forum for a number of years, and caught in in 35mm a couple of years ago, but ultimately I found it to be really good but not jaw-dropping. I found Home From The Hill way better and more effective.

[domino harvey]

The key to the film is how every character is suffocated by their imposed social roles. When they transgress or attempt to transcend these roles, tragic results occur. It’s a film wholly of the era in which it was made (though subtler in its messaging than contemporary films like the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit or No Down Payment), but when you watch it with an eye for the parts everyone is stuck playing, it transcends “soap” dramatics

[senseabove]

I was going to say that you'd never expect the "Movie: Excellent" rating at the bottom of that review. Some Came Running shot to the top as my favorite Minnelli on my one watch for the 50s list, easily, but I like Minnelli most when he's at his most visually and emotionally excessive, and I don't look askance at some soap anyway. MacLaine's schoolroom scene alone would probably put it in the top tier for me.

[therewillbeblus]

Sinatra's role within the system, and his tracked aura connecting to similarly-rejected peers, nails a very specific tone of romanticized despair from an alienated sense of belongingness that feels like the closest melodrama to Wes Anderson's thematic strategy made during that era

[reaky]

For Overwrought Minnelli, Two Weeks in Another Town is my go-to film.

[Maltic]

Sinatra's role within the system, and his tracked aura connecting to similarly-rejected peers, nails a very specific tone of romanticized despair from an alienated sense of belongingness that feels like the closest melodrama to Wes Anderson's thematic strategy made during that era

I read this sentence a few times.

Not saying I disagree

[Finch]

I Walked With A Zombie is getting a German Blu-Ray release in April 2022 on what appears to be a single layer disc and a MPEG/AVC encode. Hopefully Feltenstein has told WAC to get on with it and release Zombie and Seventh Victim sooner than later.

[pistolwink]

"Alienated sense of belongingness"?

[FrauBlucher]

On a recent podcast Feltenstein said 2022 will be the best year and early on they will have some great titles. It could be hyperbole but based off of the last several months of announcements maybe he is right on

[beamish14]

On a recent podcast Feltenstein said 2022 will be the best year and early on they will have some great titles. It could be hyperbole but based off of the last several months of announcements maybe he is right on

Well, fingers crossed we finally get The Fixer and Last Summer

[therewillbeblus]

"Alienated sense of belongingness"?

Alienation *from* a sense of belongingness to dominant groups, or more concisely “thwarted belongingness” would be the clinical term taken directly from suicidal assessments. Also probably helpful to quote the post if you’re on the next page and asking for clarification

[What A Disgrace]

On a recent podcast Feltenstein said 2022 will be the best year and early on they will have some great titles. It could be hyperbole but based off of the last several months of announcements maybe he is right on

Hopefully they finally release some silents.

[Finch]

Queen Christina, Sea Hawk, Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond and Air Force plus the aforementioned Lewtons are my wanted still-to-happen upgrades.

[ford]

Air Force

One of Hawks's greatest and severely underrated. I've also been waiting forever for it to hit blu.