Olive Films

[Drucker]

Wait, surely at least Johnny Guitar is coming from the new 4k restoration that toured theatrically right?

[domino harvey]

Yes, but it's not one of the titles they're referring to as it's billed as newly remastered from a 4K restoration

[Noiradelic]

High Noon
Mastered from new 4K restoration

Johnny Guitar
Mastered from new 4K restoration

[FrauBlucher]

High Noon and Johnny Guitar packaging photos. Looks lovely.

[FrauBlucher]

Films I'd like to see Olive upgrade to their Signature Series are Letter From an Unknown Woman, Force of Evil, Dark City, Body and Soul, Pursued and Indiscreet.

[Big Ben]

I'd love to see The Devil, Probably upgraded. The current transfer is....yikes.

[domino harvey]

I guess Olive really is trying to compete with Criterion with that color timing

[feihong]

Wow. I really don't like the look of the 1.66:1 frame. Or the Fincher–style contrast boosting. I mean, the detail is good and all. I might end up keeping 2 Olive blurays of this film.

[Moshrom]

Paramount did the scan and digital restoration, not Olive.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Anyone ever figure out the story with the aspect ratio? I've seen this three times in the theater, and each time it was projected in 1:37. As for the color timing, the prints I saw were much closer to the original Olive release. I hope this doesn't sound crazy, but the colors always look firey to me. The new transfer tones down the colors. Anyway, I'd like to see the 4k in motion.

[sabbath]

Anyone ever figure out the story with the aspect ratio? I've seen this three times in the theater, and each time it was projected in 1:37. As for the color timing, the prints I saw were much closer to the original Olive release. I hope this doesn't sound crazy, but the colors always look firey to me. The new transfer tones down the colors. Anyway, I'd like to see the 4k in motion.

from DVD Savant review(http://trailersfromhell.com/johnny-guit ... -JRqiiLSUl) :

Olive Films’ Olive Signature Blu-ray of Johnny Guitar is a dream disc in every respect. Back on the 2012 release the image behind the menu was a handsomely composed scene in widescreen. But when I looked look at the old flat transfer, it often didn’t seem appropriate for a 1:66 extraction. I wondered if it had been enlarged a bit, as was suggested by expert Bob Furmanek:

Hi Glenn, I’m not sure if you’re doing the review, but here’s the data. Republic officially announced their widescreen cinematography policy on August 8, 1953. It was the last studio to do so. Johnny Guitar began filming on location in Sedona on October 19. Variety lists 1.66:1 as the ratio. Looking at frame grabs, this Blu-ray transfer appears to be zoomed in a bit. Best, Bob

I saw a restoration DCP screening last month in a local theater and it was projected in 1.66:1. I like the 1.37:1 aspect ratio and it's possible that the filmmaker or the cinematographer framed the movie for both at the same time (as ON THE WATERFRONT does: https://youtu.be/s7-aMi4Rr-4), but considering the general tendency of the era, 1.66:1 would be the major one.

As for the color, I'm not sure. I like the color of previous version more, but I know that's just a layman's personal preference.

[tenia]

Anyone ever figure out the story with the aspect ratio? I've seen this three times in the theater, and each time it was projected in 1:37. As for the color timing, the prints I saw were much closer to the original Olive release. I hope this doesn't sound crazy, but the colors always look firey to me. The new transfer tones down the colors. Anyway, I'd like to see the 4k in motion.

From what I gathered on HTF, 1.37 would be an open matte presentation rather than the preferred AR. Republic had changed to widescreen in summer 1953 so 1.66 should be better than 1.37 anyway.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/communi ... st-4287598" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Drucker]

I held off on the original JG release because I was under the impression it had bad grain, some DNR, and a load of other issues. Was that not the case? Was it pretty par for the course with other Olive releases?

[Drucker]

To me, it looks like a winner at Beaver.

[domino harvey]

Looks awful, so glad I kept the original release for the different aspect ratio. I don't regret my purchase of the new edition, as I'm eager to explore the extras, but those colors... woof

[captveg]

Just going by the screengrabs (and that's always a shaky proposition) the old transfer looks too bright and slighty too blue. The bluish tint in the black clothing in the 2nd to last comparison is where it's most noticeable, IMO.

The 1.66 framing also looks far more natural to my eyes. And the increase in detail is rather obvious.

[Cremildo]

So... Not only was the first release in the wrong AR, but also zoomed in. Splendid, Olive. You're never getting my money again.

[Ashirg]

I don't think Olive does their transfers, but usually use whatever transfer was provided by studios.

[captveg]

So... Not only was the first release in the wrong AR, but also zoomed in. Splendid, Olive. You're never getting my money again.

Well, it's what Paramount provided. Many studios have for decades been totally confused about their widescreen history. Bob Furmanek's research in the last 5-8 years has really clarified a lot of what happened in the mid-50s and when each studio switched over, with specific documentation. A lot of films from this era shot with widescreen as their primary intended ratio are finally being seen on in widescreen again for the first time in decades. Still there are some that don't get the widescreen release they deserve, such as Criterion releasing Riot in Cell Block 11 at 1.37 instead of 1.85.

Of the 100s of Olive releases since 2012 this was one of only three titles released open matte instead of properly widescreen. The other two are The Atomic Kid and Hell's Half Acre.

[Moshrom]

Having actually watched the new disc, I can say that I much prefer the film in 1.66:1. In 1.37:1, there's usually way too much vertical dead space.

Plus the image has now also been stabilised, and the annoying vertical jump that marked every damn cut is now gone. And no DNR, of course, although many shots retain a waxy/blurry look that I would attribute to the dupiness of the surviving film elements.

[FrauBlucher]

Dr Svet's take on Johnny Guitar

[captveg]

12/6/16:

Borderless (2014) (DVD only)
Brazil (1944) (BD/DVD)
Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941) (BD/DVD)

[hearthesilence]

Olive has finally won over Robert Harris. He was not a fan of their first BD disc of Johnny Guitar (partly to stabilization problems alluded to in this review). Loves the new Signature Edition's transfer.

[feihong]

I definitely changed my mind, and have been won over after watching the new disc. I missed the color that seemed to be lost in the screencap comparison; what I think has happened is that the color is more subtle, varied and rich, rather than diminished in any straightforward way. I was uncertain about the aspect ratio on the new disc, which, although it's clearly the correct ratio, seemed very tight to me (I've also seen the film projected in 1.33:1, which made me less convinced by the screencaps of the new disc); In fact, the framing seems more consistent with Ray's other films on the whole. It plays up the angles of architecture and lighting in the backgrounds, and it makes the drama tenser and less stage-like. The whole experience of the film is richer and more immersive than it was on the previous Olive disc.

[FrauBlucher]

Signature Series... The Quiet Man ....Bluray.com