A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
I've actually seen this three times from some excellent 35mm prints (one of which may have been an IB tech print - I think it was but couldn't get confirmation) and the color in that trailer feels a touch muted as it doesn't quite bloom like the way it's supposed to. Hard to say, watching from a computer screen isn't ideal.
- filmyfan
- Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:50 am
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
Saw last night at the BFI. Was frankly jaw droppingly good compared to how i have seen it before.
Cant wait for a lavish BR set from someone..anyone know who will be doing it?
ITV in UK and Criterion US do we think?
Cant wait for a lavish BR set from someone..anyone know who will be doing it?
ITV in UK and Criterion US do we think?
- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
- Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
Since it is Sony, could very well be Criterion in both continents.filmyfan wrote:Saw last night at the BFI. Was frankly jaw droppingly good compared to how i have seen it before.
Cant wait for a lavish BR set from someone..anyone know who will be doing it?
ITV in UK and Criterion US do we think?
- The Fanciful Norwegian
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Teegeeack
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
I don't think Sony has any UK distribution rights. ITV released the DVD(s) and Park Circus (who are theatrically releasing the Sony restoration in the UK) list ITV as the rights holder. So presumably Criterion would have to work out a separate deal with ITV to do a UK edition.
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- Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:48 am
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
I've also wondered why Criterion hasn't reacquired the rights to THe Tales of HOffmann, since it was restored not long ago by the same people who handled The Red Shoes and Colonel Blimp.
Could it be Criterion might be holding out for a two-fer release, of this and AMOLAD, much as they did with Red Shoes and Black Narcissus?
Could it be Criterion might be holding out for a two-fer release, of this and AMOLAD, much as they did with Red Shoes and Black Narcissus?
- The Fanciful Norwegian
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Teegeeack
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
The thing about Hoffmann is that it's owned by Canal, who don't generally license to Criterion. That said, Thelma Schoonmaker said in 2015 that Criterion would be releasing the restoration.
- Ribs
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
FWIW, the version of Hoffman currently streaming on Filmstruck is the old DVD version despite obviously being licensed by StudioCanal (presumably to include the audio commentary for the shorter cut). There's an HD version of AMOLAD up but I'd imagine it's not the newly restored version for obvious reasons.
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- Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2013 12:27 pm
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
Not quite, according to Post Magazine:david hare wrote:As far as I know this 4K was managed entirely within Grover Crisp's team at Sony, without any input from Thelma or Scorsese.
"Throughout the re-mastering process, Crisp and Eisenberg strove to maintain a consistent and authentic approach to color. As reference, they had the previous photo-chemical restoration, which had been prepared in consultation with Jack Cardiff, the film’s cinematographer. They also consulted with Academy Award-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who had been married to Powell, and remains actively involved in the preservation and restoration of her late husband’s work."
It's not even the DVD transfer, it seems to be from the laserdisc era.Ribs wrote:FWIW, the version of Hoffman currently streaming on Filmstruck is the old DVD version despite obviously being licensed by StudioCanal (presumably to include the audio commentary for the shorter cut). There's an HD version of AMOLAD up but I'd imagine it's not the newly restored version for obvious reasons.
- FrauBlucher
- Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
- Location: Greenwich Village
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
I saw this yesterday and it is indeed quite a beautiful presentation. Looking forward to the blu for sure.
- chiendent
- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2016 12:32 pm
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
I caught this at the Castro Theatre over the weekend. I'd started it on Filmstruck last week (not realizing the 4K would make it here so soon) and only made it 10 or so minutes before getting frustrated by the quality and turning it off. I regret having stated that version at all; the opening scene still had me sobbing but damn I wish I'd seen the restored version first. This looked great, though. I could imagine the colors maybe popping more in earlier prints but I wouldn't call this muted. It was great seeing this on a big screen with a crowd, too. There was a fun moment when
Plus Roger Livesey crushes it.
Anyway, I loved it and even though I didn't come away as awe-struck as when I saw Red Shoes, Colonel Blimp, or I Know Where I'm Going! it's still a wonderful film and I'm looking forward to a Blu (or ideally ultra HD) release.
SpoilerShow
Time froze during the ping-pong and half the audience (including me) was audibly worried there was a DCP issue
Anyway, I loved it and even though I didn't come away as awe-struck as when I saw Red Shoes, Colonel Blimp, or I Know Where I'm Going! it's still a wonderful film and I'm looking forward to a Blu (or ideally ultra HD) release.
- diamonds
- Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 2:35 pm
Re: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell/Pressburger, 1946)
Caught the restoration today and happy to say it's miles better than the current Blu I had seen prior. There was one brief shot where the Controller was introduced that looked a little rough, but otherwise it looked stunning. Sincerely hope they can get a disc out by the winter holidays.