Age of Consent & A Matter of Life and Death (Sony)

[Cronenfly]

Looks brilliant indeed! If I'm not mistaken, it's the first Powell disc that actually has a picture of the director on the front cover. He clearly deserves it, of course, but it's perhaps an indication that his name has become a bit more 'marketable' than in former times.

Given that Sony was willing to give Boetticher such prime real estate on the cover of that boxset (instead of, say, a big Randolph Scott C/U), I think it speaks more to the auteurist slant of the marketing for Sony's "Collector's Choice" titles than any particular increase in stock of Powell in the public eye as of late. In any case, I'm just glad that they picked a decent shot of Powell, unlike Boetticher.

[peerpee]

The R2 Sony AGE OF CONSENT has some of the shittiest encoding on a major label disc I've seen in ages. It's single layer, but the compression is at "Ruscico STALKER" levels. Doesn't bode well for these other UK Sony discs. Looks like they're being popped out without a care in the world.

The R1 has a Kent Jones commentary doesn't it? I'd strongly advise waiting to see how that disc looks, and certainly try and avoid this sucky barebones UK disc.

[fiddlesticks]

Aside: welcome back, David. Your absence has been keenly felt. =D>

[Finch]

Beaver's compared the new Sony disc of A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH with the Carlton and German disc:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... ddeath.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(if any of the mods could PM me and let me know how to link properly, that'd be great, cheers).

I've never seen A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH theatrically so have no reference point as to whether the colours are spot on or if they could be improved still on this new release but I'm a bit surprised that the Carlton was so far off and is not only less detailed but also contrast-boosted. The film is a personal favourite and I'm thrilled that Sony have given it the care and attention it warrants. I also look forward to seeing Age of Consent for the first time - the screen caps look quite good. Bring on January the 6th!

[HarryLong]

There's also a Michael Powell double feature (of sorts) on MPI's "Classic British Thrillers" disc.

http://www.mpihomevideo.com/?p=25467&pi ... cid=&ccid=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Two of the films (RED ENSIGN and THE PHANTOM LIGHT) are from fairly early in his career. RED ENSIGN isn't all that terrific (mostly due to a dull script), but PHANTOM LIGHT is lots of fun and wonderfully directed. If I recall correctly, it was made just after one of my favorite early Powell films, THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY.
From various things I've read, Powell was supposedly only doing Quota Quickies at this point, but RED ENSIGN looks to have had a fairly decent budget.

[HerrSchreck]

I've seen the film many times from a variety of sources, and the Sony disc looks completely out of left field. It's not even-- a la the Inst. Lumiere's beautiful resto of Black Narc-- a 21st century digitized restoration of a PP film without genuine IB elements, which maintains the same color scheme for the most part but cools the candycoatedness of the pallette. It seems to totally revamp the color schematic.

I have the full cut of the film on an old VHS, which I now will hold on to for dear life.

[Finch]

Thanks for the feedback on the colours, Schreck and david: I've seen the film only once on a tape of so-so quality while at university and then a few times on the Carlton so I genuinely felt that I didn't have a proper point of reference as to how the film ought to look. To my untrained eye, the captures of the Sony looked more natural initially so it's quite deflating to hear from you guys that the R1 apparently looks all wrong. Still, the set should be worthwhile for Scorsese's intro, Christie's commentary and Age of Consent.

Can anyone clarify if Scorsese was in any way involved in the creation of the new transfer?

[Zazou dans le Metro]

I have just seen the Sony screen caps and am aghast. I have seen projections of the print at the time of restoration and since which gleam with the warm rich saturated hues so obviously missing in the Sony issue.

When I first left Film school in the mid 8o's I had the fortune to work alongside people like Alex Thompson and Hugh Salisbury, Jack Cardiff's assistants at Technicolour and who cut their teeth on films like AMOLAD. I would badger them endlessly for anecdotes about Powell and the early productions in Technicolour . On the cinematography front one thing was paramount: Cardiff's use of AMBER FILTERS to enhance warmth and richness.
For all its other faults at least the Carlton attempts to emulate this look and since Jack Cardiff was featured on the dvd one wonders whether the transfer ,given the limits of TK technology at the time, had at least some tacit approval from him.

From the outset we are thrown into a red hot cauldron of Peter's blazing cockpit that is echoed passionately around the haloed June on the RT. Looking at the Sony she looks like she's sitting in a freezing corner of a sombre NAAFI.
It looks like a colourist has been given carte blanche to give it a pseudo contemporary look. Whereas the flesh tones no longer look like everyone is having menopausal hot flushes it seems otherwise to be a rampant dismissal of the original look. Cardiff is still around and active, was he not consulted ? And where the fuck was Ian Christie in all this?... surely as P&P's representative on earth he could have exerted some influence? Or,horrifyingly, maybe he did.
Anyone had a chance to listen to the commentary to see if any mention is made of the new timing?

[HerrSchreck]

If Gary's caps are literal reps of what's sitting on the VOB's, this is just the most astronomical fuckup of a badly-needed film restoration... not to mention that they came in and pre-empted CC, who I'm certain would have gladly released this thing and done a better job.

Ditto all the above, esp regarding the amber filters. The interior of the blazing plane now looks like a fucking frozen meat locker... and we might as well rename the film "A Matter of Death & The Morgue" because everyone looks like a fucking grey, blood-drained, bluelipped corpse after autopsy. It's literally disgusting. Purple & blue lips abound.

When you can put the two warmest filmmakers into a visual deep freeze, it's time to quit the biz-- fire that telecine doucheknuckles awready.

[Tommaso]

When I first looked at the caps I wasn't sure about the colour timing of both editions (as indeed I always found the Carlton as being too orange-ish anyway), but Schreck's highlighting of the blueish lips finally convinced me that the Carlton must be much closer to the original look. Too bad that the Sony seems to be much cleaner and also sharper. Well, I'll buy this nevertheless for the commentary and of course "Age of Consent", but I'm glad I haven't already given away my Carlton disc.
I haven't seen "Age of Consent" at all, of course, but for a 1969 film the few caps that Gary presented look surprisingly mediocre, too, especially in the sharpness department. They also seem to have a rather 'glossy' and somwhat contrast-boosted look to me. Well, guess I'll have to see it in motion, but surely this set is a far cry from what could have been reasonably expected of brand-new transfers of films that important.

[Person]

doucheknuckles

Brilliant word combo there, brother!

[foggy eyes]

I saw a new 35mm print (struck from the restoration, presumably) recently, and it didn't have anything like the hideous icy blue bias of this Sony transfer. I'm flabbergasted that the colour scheme is so off, and will be holding onto the Carlton for dear life.

[Tommaso]

DVD Talk. The reviewer seems to be quite pleased with the set. hmmm... At least the audiocommentaries seem to be good.

In any case, he watered my mouth even more about "Age of Consent". I didn't know there was a Gamelan soundtrack for this one...

[HerrSchreck]

A Matter of Life and Death has been so long sought after on Region 1 DVD that it would be positively churlish to complain about much of anything. The good news is, there's not much to complain about in any case. The film's 1.33:1 image is strong and vibrant, especially in the Technicolor sequences. Saturation in these portions is extremely good, with registration looking correct (if just a wee bit on the purple-green side of things), and certainly head and shoulders above the VHS release of many years ago.

What's the point of being a fricking dvd reviewer then, pal? To instruct the public to obediently fork over their cash to lazy studios with no expectations whatsoever? To condition the buyer not to dare to expect quality control and research on the part of the producers, simply because they've done us the honor of placing their glorious mitts on a title? Talk about a disinterested, disengaged studio's dream.. jeez.

What rampant lunacy. I suppose if the MoMa spills hot chocolate all over Starry Night, and doesn't clean it before hanging it, we should be grateful because they have at least given us the chance to see the painting.

[Zazou dans le Metro]

After reading that review I am honing my trusty rasoir a main,running a hot bath and opening a fresh bottle of gin. Barring a celestial administrative fuck up I'll see you all in the next world.

[Tommaso]

What's the point of being a fricking dvd reviewer then, pal? To instruct the public to obediently fork over their cash to lazy studios with no expectations whatsoever? To condition the buyer not to dare to expect quality control and research on the part of the producers, simply because they've done us the honor of placing their glorious mitts on a title? Talk about a disinterested, disengaged studio's dream.. jeez.

All true, of course. But then, I have a certain understanding for his point of view, not re:AMOLAD of course - if someone wasn't able to see that film because they're R1-locked, it's really not an excuse. But I for one have been dying to see "Age of Consent" for years, and would probably have bought an edition far shittier than the Sony could ever be if there had been one (apart from one seemingly totally abominable bootleg taken during a screening of the film). So the "it's positively churlish"-bit fits for me, but he just picked the wrong film.

I don't want to excuse the guy, but if he hasn't seen the Carlton, it's no big wonder he isn't unhappy with this version of AMOLAD. But of course he should have seen it, especially if he claims he's such an admirer of P&P.
But I'm not about to say anything definitive about the Sony AMOLAD before I haven't seen all of it. I wonder especially about the scene where Goring comes to earth and talks about how much he is 'starved for technicolor". That one has pretty 'cold' colours on the Carlton already, so if Gary's caps are representative for the whole of the film, that scene must be pretty unwatchable with Sony's colour scheme. Much more of a litmus test than those scenes Gary selected (although the Sony rendering of the beach scene looks extremely dubious in his caps already, apart from the blue lips elsewhere).

[Finch]

Some screen caps with the DVDTalk review would have been welcome just to see if they support the Beaver's. Could kick myself for making a premature statement about Sony treating this title with appropriate care and the Carlton looking "far off" (though, like Tommasso, I didn't like the skin tones on the Carlton) without knowing myself what the film ought to look like, ideally. Though, in terms of extras at least, I doubt Criterion would have added that much more on top of the intro and commentary, perhaps they'd have ported the Jack Cardiff featurette over from the Carlton and put together the usual booklet.

[Props55]

Just so I'm on the same page with regard to AMOLAD, the Carleton version is the same as the one on the 11-disc ITV boxset, no? I keep putting off ordering this (I have half the titles on CC) for various reasons but #1 was the promise of it's release in R1. Now I think I better get it while it's still cheap and available.

[foggy eyes]

Just so I'm on the same page with regard to AMOLAD, the Carlton version is the same as the one on the 11-disc ITV boxset, no? I keep putting off ordering this (I have half the titles on CC) for various reasons but #1 was the promise of it's release in R1. Now I think I better get it while it's still cheap and available.

Yes. I have the 9-disc set, and the 11-disc is exactly the same with a couple of extra discs (Hoffman and something else).

[Florinaldo]

My only point of reference for this film is the Carlton disc. Am I to understand that the theatrical release is closer to it than to the new Sony release? The original would thus be rather garish, wouldn't it? Perhaps not quite in the order of Black Narcissus' chromatic hysteria, but some way towards it then?

I realize it may be unfair to ask people to judge a DVD that is not widely available yet and with only DVDBeaver's captures as a source.

[Tommaso]

Thanks, David. The way you describe it I take it as something along the lines of the 'adaptations' of Asian music into the western classical idiom in some of the works of Lou Harrison or Colin McPhee, both composers whose work I really like. Looking forward to hear that soundtrack for myself soon, then. Good to see that they restored it for this version of the film.

[reaky]

My only point of reference for this film is the Carlton disc. Am I to understand that the theatrical release is closer to it than to the new Sony release? The original would thus be rather garish, wouldn't it? Perhaps not quite in the order of Black Narcissus' chromatic hysteria, but some way towards it then?

I realize it may be unfair to ask people to judge a DVD that is not widely available yet and with only DVDBeaver's captures as a source.

I have the Sony disc, and I have to say I'm surprised at the negative reaction here: I find the colours rich, vibrant, but not freakishly pushed towards red as those on the Carlton (which I owned as well) were. I did flip first to the "starved of Technicolor" scene and found it delicious. One thing to bear in mind about the opening scene between June and Peter is that the backdrop changes constantly, flickering and flashing, and the captures do not cover the "hotter" shots. As DVD Beaver says, skin tones are natural. Additionally, the image is pin-sharp and superbly detailed.

Mine is a layman's view, but I would urge readers of this thread not to write off the DVD as a botch job on the basis of grabs - I'm very happy with it and have no regrets about ditching the Carlton. Plus there's the Ian Christie commentary, and however ropey Age Of Consent might be (haven't watched it yet), Kent Jones is always worth listening to. Throw in the various interviews and featurettes, and I think you have a fine package.

[HerrSchreck]

Can you jump over to the screen caps thread and pop a cap of this shot of Livsey for comparison against Gary's caps? The guys blue-purple lips and hands in this capture is almost creepy.

[reaky]

Sorry, HerrSchreck: R1 disc, unhackable R2 Mac.

I'm not disputing the accuracy of Gary's grabs - it's just that watching the film, it looks fine to me.

[Florinaldo]

I have the Sony disc, and I have to say I'm surprised at the negative reaction here: I find the colours rich, vibrant, but not freakishly pushed towards red as those on the Carlton (which I owned as well) were. I did flip first to the "starved of Technicolor" scene and found it delicious. One thing to bear in mind about the opening scene between June and Peter is that the backdrop changes constantly, flickering and flashing, and the captures do not cover the "hotter" shots. As DVD Beaver says, skin tones are natural. Additionally, the image is pin-sharp and superbly detailed.

Mine is a layman's view, but I would urge readers of this thread not to write off the DVD as a botch job on the basis of grabs - I'm very happy with it and have no regrets about ditching the Carlton. Plus there's the Ian Christie commentary, and however ropey Age Of Consent might be (haven't watched it yet), Kent Jones is always worth listening to. Throw in the various interviews and featurettes, and I think you have a fine package.

Thanks for the divergent point of view on AMLOD, which only underscores once again how subjectivity comes into play when judging movies and their technical realizations in digital media.

I too was suprised at the highly emotional hand-wringing regarding the Sony edition. I'll be able to judge for myself in a few days; perhaps my view will be closer to your appreciative one. I may report on the results if I find them relevant.

Thanks also to David Hare and others for the info regarding the score of Age of Consent. I guess we can expect something along the lines of the gamelan recreations on Western instruments attempted (and achieved) by the likes of Canadian composer McPhee and by Benjamin Britten (in Prince of the Pagodas for example).