Olive Films

[hearthesilence]

David, have you seen the Johnny Guitar Blu-Ray, and if so, what do you think of it?

Curious because I think I can get the Spanish DVD for pretty cheap, and if I do, I may try to re-author it and re-do it at 1.66:1, something I wouldn't be able to do with the Blu-Ray.

[Calvin]

It's just baby steps but *shock* *horror* Olive have actually responded to some comments on Facebook!

[Frankinho007]

Ramrod will be released on November 20 on DVD/Blu-ray.

[Gregory]

Hard to say exactly how bad it is without the printed cover in hand, but her hair and eyes were not those colors. Ugly and a little unnerving.

Ramrod itself is in great shape and the transfer ought to look superb.

[domino harvey]

Norman Panama's excellent solo outing the Trap on November 20th

[Murdoch]

beav on Letter from an Unknown Woman

[Emilio]

That looks great!

[peerpee]

There's something very digital and processed about the look of JOHNNY GUITAR's Blu-ray (not every shot, but many). Noticeable damage remains, so it looks to me like automated HD-DVNR. I'm not really seeing grain, I'm seeing noise that's been created by DVNR attacking grain. Which is a polar opposite observation to the Blu-ray.com review by James Kauffman (which said grain was healthy with an overall hands-off approach), and a harsher assessment even than Robert Harris's.

Up and close, this didn't look like film. Pixellated mush for the most part.

Having said that, if you sit well back, it resolves into the best version yet seen on home video. It could have been much better though.

[HJackson]

There's something very digital and processed about the look of JOHNNY GUITAR's Blu-ray (not every shot, but many). Noticeable damage remains, so it looks to me like automated HD-DVNR. I'm not really seeing grain, I'm seeing noise that's been created by DVNR attacking grain. Which is a polar opposite observation to the Blu-ray.com review by James Kauffman (which said grain was healthy with an overall hands-off approach), and a harsher assessment even than Robert Harris's.

Up and close, this didn't look like film. Pixellated mush for the most part.

It can't be worse than the UK DVD, which looks like absolute shit. I'll be upgrading unless somebody can point to a good DVD of it, or unless a new blu is going to come from somewhere.

[peerpee]

It can't be worse than the UK DVD, which looks like absolute shit. I'll be upgrading unless somebody can point to a good DVD of it, or unless a new blu is going to come from somewhere.

I just added: "Having said that, if you sit well back, it resolves into the best version yet seen on home video. It could have been much better though."

[triodelover]

That looks great!

It does? It's marginally better that the Second Sight, but I'm not sure it's enough to warrant the upgrade.

[Kauno]

It can't be worse than the UK DVD, which looks like absolute shit.

The continental release is way much better.
http://www.amazon.es/Johnny-Guitar-West ... 0053C9JPW/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hearthesilence]

It can't be worse than the UK DVD, which looks like absolute shit. I'll be upgrading unless somebody can point to a good DVD of it, or unless a new blu is going to come from somewhere.

I just added: "Having said that, if you sit well back, it resolves into the best version yet seen on home video. It could have been much better though."

Still massively disappointing, given the recent home video release history of this title. They really should've done a better job, otherwise, why bother buying the Blu-Ray? I might as well download an inferior hi-def rip from the web if the source is already compromised.

[Fred Holywell]

Anyone know why "Three Secrets", a Warner Bros. film, is being released by Olive, rather than Warner Archive? Just curious...

[JonasEB]

Looks like it was a co-production headed by United States Pictures, who must have retained copyright. There was a 1988 VHS from Republic Pictures, which would place this right in Olive territory.

[swo17]

I asked them about Moonrise, along with Siodmak's The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry and de Toth's Pitfall, and they said that all 3 films are no longer part of the Republic library so they can't release them. I'm not sure if the rights reverted to another company or perhaps to a producer, but whomever has them I wish Olive would license from them. Especially Moonrise.

I just noticed that Pitfall is coming out on DVD in December from a company called Film Chest.

[JonasEB]

It can't be worse than the UK DVD, which looks like absolute shit.

It's not, it's the same master used for the well received Spanish DVD, now presented in 1080p. Just got around to this one. When I first saw the caps I thought something looked off and indeed it does appear to have had digital treatment but the colors look pretty fine, particularly the reds, and it's still unambiguously an "HD" image (I agree that it doesn't look like film but I wouldn't call it pixelated mush - it's perfectly watchable up close.) Yes, it can definitely look better, but overall I find the presentation well worth while. I never owned any of the DVDs but TCM's frequent showings are from this same master so I can easily imagine that this is a justifiable improvement for those who have the Spanish DVD and a major improvement for owners of the UK and German discs.

I would welcome another stab at this from anyone else who wants to give it a try but I doubt it will happen; it would require a new master. Paramount probably aren't itching to revisit it and how many labels can afford to do it on their own?

[peerpee]

Up close, on certain shots, JOHNNY GUITAR Olive Blu exhibits the stippled watercolour filter. This is digital detritus from overprocessing. It's simply not representative of anything that has ever been shot on film. I wouldn't be surprised if the automatic "grain management" was applied at the scanning stage.

Joan's hairline often looks like it's riddled with festering mites, her forehead smooth:

[hamsterburger]

Hi. I have the Universal DVD (UK), and the Paramount DVD (Scandinavian release, same as the Spanish), in addition to the Olive blu, and just thought I would chime in with a slight disagreement with David Hare regarding the relative quality of these releases.

In my oppinion The Universal UK release is noticeably inferior to both the Paramount DVD, and the Olive blue. The colour balance on the Universal is especially problematic, but it is also less sharp and cropped. I saw the film screened theatrically, in Bologna this year, and in Norway a couple years ago and the colours on the UK DVD are most certainly wrong.

The Blu-ray shares similar colours with the Paramount DVD, but the increased resolution puts it ahead when I compare the two on my Sony projector played from an Oppo blu-ray. All though I agree with peerpee that there is a digital “look” to the blue, I also agree that

it resolves into the best version yet seen on home video. It could have been much better though."

BTW, I see on the Beaver grabs that some of the damage visible on the the German Kinowelt DVD is also visible on the olive blu.

I guess this could indicate either that the Paramount is from a different source than the Kinowelt and Olive, or that the Paramount has gone through some sort of digital restoration.

A last point to add is that the Paramount does not have the Scorsese intro, but does contain a number of subtitles, including English.

Perhaps a future European blu-ray release from the same source as the Paramount DVD would be the ultimate version of Johnny Guitar?

[peerpee]

If we all just "lived with it", nothing would ever get improved. If we point out objective deficiencies and collectively argue that we'd like to see better, there's much more chance of something happening (Criterion getting involved when Olive's licence runs out, etc).

Olive are putting minimum effort into sourcing better masters, they're putting out windowboxed title sequences, not even doing a modicum of cleanup, etc -- and then selling them at a pretty penny. I'd argue they should be half the price, or invest $5,000 per title in some cleanup and research, and charge the price they currently are. Blu-ray is a demanding format, and they're skimping too much (no subtitles, etc).

They argue they're doing it all on a budget, so why not start by ditching the wasteful cardboard slipcase, and get the price down?

re: "Live with it". Same reason I won't just live with the PEEPING TOM restoration, or the DON'T LOOK NOW Blu-ray. The rave reviews for these Blu-rays are a pat on the back for those who did terrible work, and they're now dicking around on computers arsing up other films:

[peerpee]

I know we're in agreement, David -- Before you, or Nic Roeg, die though, let's keep pushing! Bestest.

[Calvin]

Coming January 2013

NEWLY REMASTERED AND RESTORED IN 2012
4K SCAN FROM THE ORIGINAL NITRATE NEGATIVE

SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Printed Booklet: Joseph McBride on THE QUIET MAN (15 to 20 Pages)
Adapted from his biography: SEARCHING FOR JOHN FORD
• The Making of THE QUIET MAN (1992 | 28 Minutes)
Written and hosted by Leonard Maltin – Includes interviews with Michael Wayne, Toni Wayne LaCara and Andrew V. McLaglen

O card slipcases for the DVD and BLU

Come on Olive, there's still time for you to get some extras from Tag Gallagher on there!

[Peacock]

Unbelievable!
I was under the impression that Gallagher had gotten in contact with Olive about doing a visual essay for this release. Come on Olive, it would be a wasted opportunity to miss out on one for this film.

EDIT: Please consider spending just 1 minute of your time asking Olive to include a visual essay from Tag.

[andyli]

All the money scraped up by not hiring a subtitle man finally affords them a 4k scan. :-"

[Calvin]

All the money scraped up by not hiring a subtitle man finally affords them a 4k scan. :-"

According to misterlime at the hometheaterforum, they've also afforded 4K scans of William Castle's Shanks and Robert Siodmak's The File on Thelma Jordon. Hopefully they'll give The Sun Shines Bright the same treatment but there's no word on that one.