Second Sight Films (UK)

[GaryC]

I'm confused on Heimat. If they're using a widescreen master for the full frame TV program due to its theatrical exhibitions, why then also use 1080i/50?

I suspect because it was shot at 25fps and there wasn't an alternative 24fps sound mix - it was simply just projected at 24 fps in cinemas. That would have added about 37 minutes to the running time. Most people (including me) didn't notice PAL speed-up when watching films on my television set, so most would not notice cinema/NTSC-slowdown either.

The BBFC cinema listing for Heimat from 1984 is something of a mystery as the running time matches the DVD certifications (the Tartan DVD, which I have, is definitely 25fps) and the footage count matches that running time if it were shown at 24fps. I didn't see Heimat in the cinema, but I wonder if the Glasisch recaps were intact in that version? Removing them would have shaved 35-40 minutes and the running times would then match.

That said, some London cinemas could show films at 25fps. I don't know if the Lumiere (where Heimat was shown) was one, but the Curzon Mayfair was - it was used for test-screening television material and commercials in the mornings and sometimes they didn't switch the projector back to 24fps before the public afternoon showings began. That happened at a couple of showings I went to, and I only found out because I'd stopwatched the film.

As for the Second Sight Blu-ray, I have checkdiscs here as I'll be reviewing it for The Digital Fix. It is 25fps and 1080i50.

[TMDaines]

Apprently the subtitles are forced on Heimat too right? What a shame.

[EddieLarkin]

I'm confused on Heimat. If they're using a widescreen master for the full frame TV program due to its theatrical exhibitions, why then also use 1080i/50?

Same logic as Dekalog 5 and 6. Hard matted widescreen because of planned theatrical distribution, but still shot and mixed at 25fps.

[jsteffe]

Review of The Colour of Pomegranates by Lee Broughton on Cinesavant.

[Lost Highway]

Apprently the subtitles are forced on Heimat too right? What a shame.

You could always get the German Blu-ray. It’s also cheaper.

[swo17]

Looks like Colour of Pomegranates has already sold out from Amazon UK.

[Adam X]

Yeah, I ended up buying it from Diabolik.

The latest episode of The Projection Booth examines The Colour of Pomegranates, featuring interviews with Daniel Bird & James Steffen (it’s not yet listed at the above link).

[jsteffe]

The latest episode of The Projection Booth examines The Colour of Pomegranates, featuring interviews with Daniel Bird & James Steffen (it’s not yet listed at the above link).

Thanks! Here is the direct link to the podcast.

[TMDaines]

Looks like Colour of Pomegranates has already sold out from Amazon UK.

I bought it from Take Time Out the other day for £15.99 after I noticed it keeps disappearing on Amazon. Came well packaged in a cardboard mailer with a cardboard insert further protecting it.

http://www.taketimeoutentertain.co.uk/T ... th=blu-ray" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Pepsi]

Looks like Colour of Pomegranates has already sold out from Amazon UK.

Back in stock at Amazon.uk (In stock on May 8, 2018).

[L.A.]

The Changeling @ Beaver.

[pzadvance]

and Berlin Alexanderplatz

[kekid]

Why does the Blu Ray version of "Berlin Alexanderplatz" look so different from both the Criterion and the Second Sight's own PAL version? (based on DVDBeaver's screen-caps)

[MichaelB]

Aside from the characteristic heavy 16mm grain being much more visible (as you’d expect it to be), does it really look that different?

[Rayon Vert]

I had the same reaction - the difference, mostly in color/tint, is very modest to my eyes

[fdm]

I thought the blu-ray captures looked kind of dreadful, but perhaps it's just the jpeg compression. I'm curious to see other (uncompressed) snaps to see if they turn out differently.

[Adam X]

Aside from what looks like slightly elevated blacks (though my Macbook isn't calibrated, so not sure how true this is), I'd really love to see it outisde of those DVD Beaver screen caps, because the grain in some of them is verging on solarisation - especially the forehead of the guy in #6.
I've unforetunately not seen it before, but there's definitely something off with the Blu-Ray screencaps - even if it's just the process used by the site. Given Second Sight's recent history, I'd be giving them the benefit of the doubt over DVD Beaver's checkered history, but it'd be nice to have more to go on before buying the set.

[nitin]

David M did the encode, I place much more faith in that than in dvdbeaver caps.

[MichaelB]

Aside from what looks like slightly elevated blacks (though my Macbook isn't calibrated, so not sure how true this is), I'd really love to see it outisde of those DVD Beaver screen caps, because the grain in some of them is verging on solarisation - especially the forehead of the guy in #6.

Hand on heart, I'm not seeing this "verging on solarisation". The image is certainly fractionally brighter, but I can't see anything untoward about it.

[Adam X]

Well, maybe solarisation isn’t exactly the right word?, but there’s definitely something off with the compression of those screen caps in regard to the grain; to my eyes anyway.

I dunno, I’m not trying to convince anyone they’re wrong though I’m surprised; maybe my internet provider’s recently started doing something weird. What I’m seeing looks nothing like anything I’ve seen that’s passed through David Mackenzie’s workstation.

[dwk]

Adam are you talking about the shot of the guy with the hat? Can't enlarge that one, because it links to the previous picture, but that does look off to me too. However, it is DVD Beaver, so it is a good chance that it is just a bad screencap.

[nitin]

The caps do not great on my monitor either, I agree on that. I was just saying I trust David M’s work over dvdbaver’s caps.

[domino harvey]

I thought AG was crazy until I went back and looked at the cap he's talking about (click and drag the image to another browser window to see it full-size)



What's going on with the shadow under the brim?

[Adam X]

Glad I’m not (too) crazy, then. There’s issues in the others, but that’s the most obvious example. I’m still willing to believe the Beaver stills are dodgy; the Rewind review mentions Second Sight used an old master so maybe that’s involved too?

dwk, I just changed the number to 05 in the linked image to get the full-size version.

[fdm]

Aside from what looks like slightly elevated blacks (though my Macbook isn't calibrated, so not sure how true this is), I'd really love to see it outisde of those DVD Beaver screen caps, because the grain in some of them is verging on solarisation - especially the forehead of the guy in #6.
I've unforetunately not seen it before, but there's definitely something off with the Blu-Ray screencaps - even if it's just the process used by the site. Given Second Sight's recent history, I'd be giving them the benefit of the doubt over DVD Beaver's checkered history, but it'd be nice to have more to go on before buying the set.

The first one that caught my attention was the second set of scans, the headshot of Günter Lamprecht, just zoom in a little bit and see all the artifacts, particularly with his forehead, or the weirdness around his ear. The last one I was looking at just before posting above was the eighth set of scans, the headshot of Barbara Sukova, zoom into that one and look at the bottom of her nose and especially the lips and teeth for that set of artifacts. (Are these screen cap artifacts or actual artifacts of some sort?) And that hat shot too now that you remind me...