A few words about…™ The Thin Man – in Blu-ray

4 Stars It appears that the wonderful folks at Warner have put almost a year into this project, to do everything possible to reclaim it from the grip of old nitrate and dupes of dupes.

This one that has concerned me.

I’ve never seen a quality print in any gauge.

The original negative of this W. S. Van Dyke classic was gone decades ago, which left extant a couple of well used fine grains, and a duplicate printing negative. Old stock didn’t dupe well in the early days.

Which means that going in, I was prepared to grade on a curve. Not that one should, but the film is too important to give it short shrift.

After all, it’s William Powell and Myra Loy in The Thin Man (1934), with Mr. Powell playing not the titular character, but one Nick Charles.

Once past the main title, which had that normal early ’30 appearance, I expected things to continue in that manner.

I was wrong.

It appears that the wonderful folks at Warner have put almost a year into this project, to do everything possible to reclaim it from the grip of old nitrate and dupes of dupes.

While my eyes can see through certain attributes, I’m going to pretty much guarantee that even the most cinephiliac viewer, will have zero problems with this release.

It’s that good.

With 90% or thereabouts derived from the fine grains, and the rest from dupes, with months of digital clean-up, I found myself amazed at the way the disparate elements matched one another, going from cut to cut.

There’s a tiny bit of residual wear, very light scratches, that are all but covered and massaged away, but there are no real problems here.

I defy viewers to find it.

And that’s a miracle.

One of the great films of the early ’30s…

I take that back.

One of the great films, is once again available for your viewing pleasure.

And now, if you’d please serve the nuts…

Image – 4.5

Audio – 4.5

Pass / Fail – Pass

Upgrade from DVD – You’d better believe it!

Very Highly Recommended

RAH

Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.

His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.

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Trancas

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Thin Man.jpeg



The Thin Man is $14.39 right now on Amazon (Prime Day discount?).
https://www.amazon.com/Thin-Man-Blu...08d36c64b22e2f2f1f22b&creativeASIN=B07T6S1CKT
At checkout it takes $3.58 off of the $17.97 posted price.
 
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Thomas T

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I was curious if Warners would be able to provide a quality upgrade as I too have never seen a really decent transfer of the film. So I'm really looking forward to this.

Not to bring up a sore spot (too late!) but to all those complainers about Warners not releasing "classics" like X, Y or Z. It's obvious that it's not because Warners isn't interested or doesn't want to. But they take the time to do it right and that might literally take years. So before you do the next "Why is Warners releasing ABC when classics like XYZ aren't on blu ray yet?" post, remember it takes time to get gems like The Thin Man or Seven Brides For Seven Brothers in shape for a proper HD release. We'll all be rewarded for our patience.
 
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PMF

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It's reviews like this that inspires me to pay the full and supportive price.:)
Bravo to WAC, and all who labored upon this work.:cheers:

[I know, I know...I was hoping for an emoji with a martini glass, as well;
but hey, at least The Thin Man wasn't released as an Olive.];)
 
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Robert Harris

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Thomas T said:
I was curious if Warners would be able to provide a quality upgrade as I too have never seen a really decent transfer of the film. So I'm really looking forward to this.

Not to bring up a sore spot (too late!) but to all those complainers about Warners not releasing "classics" like X, Y or Z. It's obvious that it's not because Warners isn't interested or doesn't want to. But they take the time to do it right and that might literally take years. So before you do the next "Why is Warners releasing ABC when classics like XYZ aren't on blu ray yet?" post, remember it takes time to get gems like The Thin Man or Seven Brides For Seven Brothers in shape for a proper HD release. We'll all be rewarded for our patience.
Click to expand...

It isn’t simply a Blu-ray. They’ve created all new preservation elements, along with the ability to run a DCP theatrically.

A class act!
 
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Astairefan

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Trancas said:
View attachment 60695


The Thin Man is $14.39 right now on Amazon (Prime Day discount?).
https://www.amazon.com/Thin-Man-Blu...08d36c64b22e2f2f1f22b&creativeASIN=B07T6S1CKT
At checkout it takes $3.58 off of the $17.97 posted price.
Click to expand...

Jay_Z_525 said:
Thanks for the heads up- ordered!
Click to expand...

I hope you're happy enough with that price to be patient about how long it takes for your order to be fulfilled if you buy through Amazon, considering how bad it has been this year for WAC releases!
 
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Mike2001

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Very happy to hear this. I recently watched the iTunes stream in HD and it was obvious that much work was required. Can’t wait to watch this in late July (Best Buy pre-order).
 
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Jay_Z_525

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Astairefan said:
I hope you're happy enough with that price to be patient about how long it takes for your order to be fulfilled if you buy through Amazon, considering how bad it has been this year for WAC releases!
Click to expand...

I’ve got the set from a few years back so if it takes a while, so be it, I’m not in a rush.
 
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Jay_Z_525

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A technical question, probably best suited for another thread but I’ve always heard about how beautiful nitrate looks when it’s projected- the silver content glistening, etc. Since I’ve never seen nitrate projected, how closely does that experience get replicated in a top notch release like this?
 
Robert Harris

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Jay_Z_525 said:
A technical question, probably best suited for another thread but I’ve always heard about how beautiful nitrate looks when it’s projected- the silver content glistening, etc. Since I’ve never seen nitrate projected, how closely does that experience get replicated in a top notch release like this?
Click to expand...

No way to say in a general sense, as it’s quite dependent upon panel/projector/player setup and calibration.

Two physical analogue characteristics also come into play.

Nitrate films would have been projected with carbon arc as a light source. And just as important, especially for 3-strip, unlike acetate prints, which had slight color tints to the base, nitrate base was crystal clear, which permitted a purity to color.
 
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davidmatychuk

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AnthonyClarke said:
Definitely yes. but I'll chuck out the new BD cover and pop it into the old snapper case.
I have the complete Thin Man DVD set as well but will keep this as a stand-alone.
Click to expand...


To me, it's a Christmas classic, so I'll be filing the Blu-Ray in my Christmas section. My DVD box set will stay intact with the DVD box sets. This review is such good news!
 
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Jay_Z_525

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Robert Harris said:
No way to say in a general sense, as it’s quite dependent upon panel/projector/player setup and calibration.

Two physical analogue characteristics also come into play.

Nitrate films would have been projected with carbon arc as a light source. And just as important, especially for 3-strip, unlike acetate prints, which had slight color tints to the base, nitrate base was crystal clear, which permitted a purity to color.
Click to expand...
Thank you! So I gather it’s possible if the conditions are right. Someday I’ll have to make the effort to see nitrate properly projected to get the full effect!
 
Rob W

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Jay_Z_525 said:
Thank you! So I gather it’s possible if the conditions are right. Someday I’ll have to make the effort to see nitrate properly projected to get the full effect!
Click to expand...

Easier said than done - there are reportedly no more than 4-6 locations in the country that can legally project nitrate due to the stringent projection booth safeguards that must be in place.

I have seen nitrate ( both color and b&w ) at both George Eastman House in Rochester and The Egyptian in Hollywood and have to say I did not see the differences I was expecting to see from these prints. I have heard similar comments from others at these showings. I have no idea if these venues used carbon arc or xenon bulb projection, but I suspect that both locations have one set of projectors that likely use the modern Xenon lamps. They are not compatible with carbon arc, which works entirely differently.

Mr Harris, do you know if those venues are capable of running carbon arc?
 
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Jay_Z_525

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Rob W said:
Easier said than done - there are reportedly no more than 4-6 locations in the country that can legally project nitrate due to the stringent projection booth safeguards that must be in place.

I have seen nitrate ( both color and b&w ) at both George Eastman House in Rochester and The Egyptian in Hollywood and have to say I did not see the differences I was expecting to see from these prints. I have heard similar comments from others at these showings. I have no idea if these venues used carbon arc or xenon bulb projection, but I suspect that both locations have one set of projectors that likely use the modern Xenon lamps. They are not compatible with carbon arc, which works entirely differently.

Mr Harris, do you know if those venues are capable of running carbon arc?
Click to expand...
This is all so interesting. Living in Philly it’s not a terrible trek to Rochester and I’ve been wanting to go for a while. It’s still on my list but interesting to know you didn’t see much of a difference.
 
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