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Gone With The Wind Reborn
I've just watched the first half of the new Gone With The Wind Bluray, and I'm truly dazzled. No, levitated. This is by far the most beautifully rendered old-time Technicolor film I've ever seen on a high-def system -- razor-sharp, pulsing with color, pretty close to grain-free and significantly upgraded over the 2004 DVD version, which was excellent for what it was.
I haven't talked to Robert Harris or George Feltenstein or anyone else in the know, but I do know what my eyes tell me. This Gone With The Wind is amazing -- a candy-store Technicolor eye-bath like nothing I've ever sunk into before. The key element is "next to no grain." I haven't come up with a term that conveys the opposite of a "grainstorm" but this delivers that. Hallelujah -- somebody finally heard!
The grain levels are roughly at par with WHV's Casablanca Bluray, which didn't have a digitally scrubbed-down look but a naturally clean quality. Why didn't WHV deliver the same nearly-grain-free quality (or an approximation of same) in the sepia-tone sections of The Wizard of Oz?
My approving-but-not-exactly-blown-away reactions to Warner Home Video's other two "Murderer's Row" Blu-ray titlles -- Oz and North by Northwest -- led me to expect that GWTW would be of a similar quality, which is to say noticably but not mind-blowingly better than the last DVD. Riper, sharper and more fully rendered, okay, but not in a way that would make anyone gasp or drop their pants. Well, the GWTW Blu-ray is a serious gasper and pants-dropper.
That's all I'm going to say for now except that for my money DVD Beaver's Gary Tooze was too restrained in his recent review of this disc. He said that "there are times when it makes you gasp" and that "detail advances to as high a degree as we are likely to see for this 70-year old classic," okay. But he didn't convey sufficient excitement. He didn't jump and down and say "this is the kind of Blu-ray of a Hollywood golden-age film that you've always dreamed of but not never quite saw."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 11, 2009 at 12:41 PM
comment #1
Stringer Bell
says ...
Did you watch the whole thing or skim it?
Posted by Stringer Bell
at November 11, 2009 2:21 PM
comment #2
Chase Kahn
says ...
That's good to hear, I'm a fan of both "Oz" and "North by Northwest" transfers -- the latter in particular -- and reading that DVDBeaver review earlier this week, I figured the trifecta of Warner catalog releases would end with a bit of a whimper.
The only problem is, I'm not sure I want to spend $60 for it -- I only spent $30 on the "Oz" BD, purchasing Target's 3-Disc Emerald Edition. I think I'll just take the hit.
Posted by Chase Kahn
at November 11, 2009 2:22 PM
comment #3
Chase Kahn
says ...
Um, stringer: "I've just watched the first half"...
Posted by Chase Kahn
at November 11, 2009 2:22 PM
comment #4
Stringer Bell
says ...
Scratch that. First half. Sadly, I skimmed your post.
Enjoy!
Posted by Stringer Bell
at November 11, 2009 2:23 PM
comment #5
SpinDozer
says ...
Chase:
Oz & Wind will both be available on Black Friday from Target at $12.99 each. I assume these are the special editions created for Target.
Posted by SpinDozer
at November 11, 2009 2:26 PM
comment #6
Chase Kahn
says ...
Yes, you're right, but a Target employee took a picture of their alternative to the Ultimate Collector's Edition and it's a sorry single-disc set with terrible cover art.
Here's the link:
http://forum.blu-ray.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8650&d=1257641206
Posted by Chase Kahn
at November 11, 2009 2:37 PM
comment #7
Morbo
says ...
Jeff, Robert Harris weighed in on the new GWTW Blu on Home Theater Forum a few days ago. He pretty much agrees with you. In his words:
"David O. Selznick's Gone with the Wind on Blu-ray -- one doesn't use the directorial possessive for this one -- has arrived from Warner Bros.
For this Event I'll use one or two more than a few words.
Majestical
Epic
Timeless
Gorgeous
Perfect
and on Blu-ray, Extremely Highly Recommended.
Available in a Limited Edition boxed set that defines home video quality."
Here's the thread link:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/294605/a-few-words-about-gone-with-the-wind-in-blu-ray
Posted by Morbo
at November 11, 2009 7:47 PM
comment #8
Bob Violence
says ...
Why didn't WHV deliver the same nearly-grain-free quality (or an approximation of same) in the sepia-tone sections of The Wizard of Oz?
Because the sepia sections of Oz weren't shot in three-strip Technicolor, which is as close to a "grain-free" film process as anything ever invented. This is an apples-and-oranges situation.
Posted by Bob Violence
at November 12, 2009 2:34 AM
comment #9
Bob Violence
says ...
Sorry, I see you were talking about the Casablanca disc there (which I've never actually seen) -- but the point remains that a 1939 audience would've seen the same differences in grain structure that exist on the BD. Technicolor was really just in a league of its own.
Posted by Bob Violence
at November 12, 2009 2:44 AM
comment #10
62Lincoln
says ...
Thank you for your comments, Jeff. I don't spend much $$ on discs to own any more, but this one will go on my Christmas list. I hope you'll have more to add after watching the second half of the movie.
Posted by 62Lincoln
at November 12, 2009 7:37 AM
comment #11
Aladdin Sane
says ...
That's a pretty swank set. I picked up the Oz set. Never did get Casablanca set, but I will get this for sure. The only DVD version I have is the cardboard case one from way back when. Time to upgrade!
Posted by Aladdin Sane
at November 12, 2009 10:20 AM
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