It's a Wonderful Life in colour?
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Hi everyone, was looking for some advice.
My Mum has asked for the new remastered colour edition of It's a Wonderful Life as she bloody loves this film (and why not? It's amazing). She already owns the B/W edition and I'm a little bit confused as to how they could suddenly make a colour version of this film (I know next to nothing about digital remastering so I don't know what's possible and what isn't) - given that the original would've been in black and white?
So in sum, is it something that's worth getting? And how has it been done as a matter of interest?
Thanks...
My Mum has asked for the new remastered colour edition of It's a Wonderful Life as she bloody loves this film (and why not? It's amazing). She already owns the B/W edition and I'm a little bit confused as to how they could suddenly make a colour version of this film (I know next to nothing about digital remastering so I don't know what's possible and what isn't) - given that the original would've been in black and white?
So in sum, is it something that's worth getting? And how has it been done as a matter of interest?
Thanks... 0
Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Wonderful_Life
Capra thought they were *** so I wouldn't hold out much hope
The point is that films made in black-and-white are intended to be watched in black-and-white so although it may seem more "normal" to watch them in colour you're not seeing what the director wanted you to see.
I believe the original black-and-white version is also on the new DVD in a remastered version so it might be worth getting the new one anyway.
But over the last few years Legend Films have introduced a new process which is light years ahead of the old process and can produce quite startling results.
However - Legends new colour versions of It's A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Steet are still disappointing and do not look natural compared to the work they did on the Ray Harryhausen films like Earth V The Flying Saucers.
The recent restoration has both colour and restored B&W versions so its safe to buy and let people see what they think.
There is also a Bluray out with both but if you want the film in HD go for the US release which puts each version on a separate disc unlike the UK one .
The making of documentary is also missing from the UK Bluray although it may be on the dvd - the US Bluray is region free
Whatever you think about the rights and wrongs of the process it is certainly allowing for tv broadcasts of many old tv shows and films that would otherwise remain hidden away.
The first 2 seasons of Bewitched for example would not be shown on Living if they were not colourised
Regards
Mark
A few years ago I bought the colorised VHS Version and it was disappointing with smudgy color and grain galore.
The BLu-Ray version is quite outstanding in my view, very well done. Some critics still condemn it though; well, it is their choice, but I thought it was brilliant.
Might not suit everyone, but you should see it first before condemning it. Picture detail for an oldie was outstanding. And the soundtrack was very good too.
dug this up
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare/wonderfullife.htm
weird
However, I have the recent Blu-ray that contains both editions. I have to say the technology has come on leaps and bounds and this is the best use of colourisation that I've seen.
The DVDBeaver review linked above contains some good screenshot comparisons (it's a long page and you'll have to scroll down a bit to see them).
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we went back and re-wrote all the books in history to say "and this is what they actually meant". Oh wait...
The Miracle on 34th Street colourisation received such a warm welcome that its been missed out altogether on the US Bluray - although the packaging seems to think otherwise
The VHS was the old 80's colour version and the Bluray is the new one. There is no comparison
Like Capra, Stewart only ever saw the old colour version which was awful .
The new version is better but still awful
Very interesting results there - I'm definitely going to check out the colourised version, although there is still a tendency to over-saturate the skin colour (for example, the shot of Jimmy Stewart holding his hands up).
Best version I saw was the remastered version that toured the cinemas a couple of years ago. Quite magical on the big screen. Pity they don't do that every year.
White Ribbon looks absolutely stunning in black-and-white on a big screen. Some scenes - the ones filmed in snow, for example, are so beautiful it's impossible to imagine that it could have looked better in colour.
I've come to the conclusion that this is because we are used to most women "colourising" themselves with make-up in real life, so the brain accepts the artificial look more readily.
Having looked through the colourised It's a Wonderful life, Donna Reed looks even more ravishing in colour while Jimmy Stewart does look a bit David Dickinson in places...
Strangely, the alternative neon-washed nightmare version of the town looks scarier in the original black and white, in my opinion.
http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/11351031/It-A-Wonderful-Life-Colourised-amp-Original-Black-And-White-Special-Edition/Product.html
Surprisingly pleasing results there, although given the usual argument that it was shot in black and white and hence meant to be seen in black and white I don't see the point in colourising films.
Also, adding colour to a black and white film changes the atmosphere rather dramatically. Colour balance in a film is extremely important, witness the variable colour balance and lighting in modern films and how they affect the mood.
Leave the black & white originals as black & white says I. The studios won't listen of course, it's just another way of double-dipping and screwing more money out of the consumer.
Regards
Mark
Or The Elephant Man or Manhattan...
I'm intrigued by the Blu-ray option but she doesn't have a player or an HD TV - something to consider if my family does progress with the technology though
My family all love this film and have the DVD from a few years back - we are considering replacing it with this new version (colour will be interesting) but I would really like to know whether the b&w version is finally the proper 'remastered' version that has been out on region 1 for a few years (rather than the sub-standard region 2 that has been available here upto now). Many thanks for any guidance.
As a previous poster noted, after a couple of minutes you really do forget you're watching a digitally-coloured film, and any strange colourings are down to it being an early colour film.
I also recently got a couple of the Laurel & Hardy discs that were some of the first to be colorised. There really is no comparison between the two systems, and the L&H films appear to have been done by a colour-blind 6 year old.
The new version is restored so for the best quality buy the Bluray.
The US one has the colour and B&W versions on separate discs and includes the making of documentary.
The UK Blu has both squeezed onto one disc and no documentary
The new release is better than the R2.
The current restoration was released in the US last year as a 2 disc set but the Blu is new