Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ A Star is Born (1937) – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[MartinP.]

In my other post I forgot to mention there's also at least one x-rated version of this story, too:
A STAR IS PORN.

 

[compson]

In my other post I forgot to mention there's also at least one x-rated version of this story, too:
A STAR IS PORN.

Are you thinking of the 1985 original or the 2003 remake?

 

[Noel Aguirre]

I dunno, reboots come so quickly now we could have the next one in five years or less.

Well if they can reboot West Side Story into the Spielbergverse they can reboot ANYTHING.

 

[GerardoHP]

Maybe I am just craby on a Saturday morning, but, Wow, I love the original ASIB as much as the next guy, but how many copies of it are we expected to buy? I've gone through seeing it in B&W on early TV, to being astonished to see it was filmed in colour, to taping my own Beta copy, to buying a VHS copy, to getting a DVD to finally "the definitive" Blu ray on Kino. Now we are expected to buy it again because THE COLOUR TIMING IS DIFFERENT!?

I probably would not notice anyway unless I could play the Kino and the new one side by side. Tell you what, if you can get Janet and Fred to tour, I'll see it live.

In the old days we'd go back to the theater 2, 4, 20 times to see a movie we loved.

 

[TJPC]

I am 70. I have never seen the same movie more than once in a movie theatre.

There are only 2 or three that I have repeatedly viewed on TV.

 

[TravisR]

In the old days we'd go back to the theater 2, 4, 20 times to see a movie we loved.

I still do that.

 

[Matt Hough]

Right off the top of my head I can remember seeing Sleeping Beauty four times and The Parent Trap five times. I was a movie brat for days.

 

[TJPC]

I certainly went to every movie I could as a child. At 35 cents a pop for under 12 years old and later 50 cents, how could my parents resist it?!

 

[jayembee]

I am 70. I have never seen the same movie more than once in a movie theatre.

There are only 2 or three that I have repeatedly viewed on TV.

I don't do it often, and haven't in a good while, but I've done it with several movies back in the day. I think the one I saw the most theatrically was Aliens. After seeing it two or three times with various friends in major theaters, it eventually hit a second-run theater in the town I was living in at the time. I worked the midnight shift, and I passed the theater going to work. So for each night of the two weeks it played there, I'd stop at the theater, watch the movie, then continue on to work.

 

[octobercountry]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this disc looks! I haven't been overly impressed with the image on the Kino release, even if it does accurately portrays how audiences in 1937 would have seen the picture.

In the meantime, here's a really stupid question. Traditionally, the printing chain would have gone like this, correct? Original camera negative--->interpositive--->dupe negative--->release print. So, is the release print considered a fourth generation element, or a third generation element? (In other words---is the OCN first generation, or is that term used for the interpositive?)

 

[Robert Harris]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this disc looks! I haven't been overly impressed with the image on the Kino release, even if it does accurately portrays how audiences in the 1937 would have seen the picture.

In the meantime, here's a really stupid question. Traditionally, the printing chain would have gone like this, correct? Original camera negative--->interpositive--->dupe negative--->release print. So, is the release print considered a fourth generation element, or a third generation element? (In other words---is the OCN first generation, or is that term used for the interpositive?)

No.

Dye transfer Technicolor was akin to a lithography process, printing one layer of ink upon the previous, except in this case, the printing was done with metal dyes and silver.

Three original black & white negatives ran through the camera, each exposed to certain parts of the color spectrum.

The negatives were exposed to positive printing plates (matrices), which were inked and printed on top of the silver record.

The process is far more intricate, but that should suffice.

If we’re referring to generations, 1 is camera negs, 2 is matrices, 3 is print.

Your reference is to the Eastman tri-pack direct positive.

 

[octobercountry]

No.

Dye transfer Technicolor was akin to a lithography process, printing one layer of ink upon the previous, except in this case, the printing was done with metal dyes and silver.

Three original black & white negatives ran through the camera, each exposed to certain parts of the color spectrum.

The negatives were exposed to positive printing plates (matrices), which were inked and printed on top of the silver record.

The process is far more intricate, but that should suffice.

If we’re referring to generations, 1 is camera negs, 2 is matrices, 3 is print.

Your reference is to the Eastman tri-pack direct positive.

Ah, I understand---the Technicolor printing process is quite different than printing from a colour negative... But in both cases, the original cameral negative is the "first generation" element. Got it!

 

[Will Krupp]

But in both cases, the original cameral negative is the "first generation" element. Got it!

Unlike black and white films of the period, which usually had release prints struck directly from the camera negative due to the lack of good duping stock, Technicolor release prints were struck from the matrices. The camera negative was only accessed again once the matrices started to wear out and had to be replaced. Mr. Harris can likely give us the number of prints a set of matrices was "good" for, but I think it was in the neighborhood of something like 300-400 (?) As a result, Technicolor camera negatives remained in remarkably good shape (as a general rule) as compared to their black and white counterparts.

 

[RobertMG]

Unlike black and white films of the period, which usually had release prints struck directly from the camera negative due to the lack of good duping stock, Technicolor release prints were struck from the matrices. The camera negative was only accessed again once the matrices started to wear out and had to be replaced. Mr. Harris can likely give us the number of prints a set of matrices was "good" for, but I think it was in the neighborhood of something like 300-400 (?) As a result, Technicolor camera negatives remained in remarkably good shape (as a general rule) as compared to their black and white counterparts.

Another GREAT review! https://trailersfromhell.com/a-star-is-born-1937/

 

[Jimbo.B]

I’ve seen this movie well over a dozen times but as clichéd as it sounds this restoration is like watching it for the first time. I never really “got” Janet Gaynor’s appeal until now. Her beauty shines like a beacon throughout this movie and one completely understands why she was a major star.
The cartoon, “A Star is Hatched” is equally gorgeous looking.
What a joy this whole Blu-ray is!

 

[Gary16]

Just watched the new bluray restoration. In a word: WOW! Congratulations to everyone involved.

 

[RichMurphy]

I decided to sample the new Blu-Ray of the 1937 A STAR IS BORN I received yesterday, and wound up watching the whole thing. Restored and digitally recombined from the original three-strip Technicolor negatives, this film looked like it was made yesterday. This Blu-Ray belongs in every filmlover's collection. I noticed details I never saw before, such as the price of Cuba Libres at the boarding house's downstairs bar (to be honest, I didn't even notice there was a bar downstairs before.) Also, Danny McGuire (Andy Devine)'s wall decorations in his room were interesting, if not character developing.

However, the scene where a deranged actor walks up to the front of the Academy Award celebration and strikes the person on stage looked strangely familiar.

 

[ahollis]

It’s just beautiful and stunning.

 

[Joel Arndt]

Tough choices for me yesterday as I received A Star is Born (1937), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and The Little Rascals Vol. 5. all in the same day, so I decided to sample all three. A trifecta of restoration beauty.

 

[ahollis]

Tough choices for me yesterday as I received A Star is Born (1937), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and The Little Rascals Vol. 5. all in the same day, so I decided to sample all three. A trifecta of restoration beauty.

I received those three plus Ordinary People. Decisions, decisions, lol.