Nosferatu on Blu

[Doug Sulpy]

What's particularly silly is that they continue this nonsense with the full knowledge that anyone who really wants to can easily obtain a multi-region player (or hack).

[Derek Gee]

I thought the digital era was a perfect opportunity for the tv powers to unite the world and do away with regions and PAL/Secam/ntsc etc.

They did get rid of NTSC/PAL/SECAM with digital broadcasting, none of those standards exist any more. It's the region coding on DVD's that got carried over to Blu-ray. I'd prefer they got rid of the region coding as well.

all that was cold war clutter.

It had NOTHING to do with the Cold War! All three systems were engineered by Western companies eager to improve television and get the patents for themselves.

But leave it to the bilderbergs or whoever the illuminati are calling themselves to continue on the regions dividing the world. maybe Oceania, Eurasia & Eastasia would be better names for the Orwellian games.

The Bilderbergs are still the Bilderbergs and meet annually. The Illuminati haven't existed since 1785, despite numerous Internet rumors.

Derek

[David Alp]

Anyway; so getting back on topic, (rather than discussing different Blu-ray players), do we know what kind of restoration this new release has had? Considering that it's in Public Domain and any old Tom, Dick or Harry could release it, do we know if this will be finally be the "ULTIMATE" edition of "Nosferatu"?

I have got two DVD versions..

1; The EUREKA 2-Disc version from 2001.

2; The BFI / Photoplay Production for Channel 4 Silents version from 1997/ 2001, (tinted).

Both claim to be "Fully Restored", but they can tack on "Fully Restored" to anything these days! I'm wondering (as I said), what kind of restoration this new Blu-ray version will have done to it? Does anyone know?

[Michael O'Regan]

I have the Eureka and it's "ultimate" enough for me, head-cropping or no head-cropping.

In all fairness, lads and lassies, how many versions of how many movies have we been promised the "ultimate" version of, only for a more "ultimate" version to turn up later??

[Rick Lanham]

I have the Eureka and it's "ultimate" enough for me, head-cropping or no head-cropping.

In all fairness, lads and lassies, how many versions of how many movies have we been promised the "ultimate" version of, only for a more "ultimate" version to turn up later??

I understand your thoughts, but I am always glad to see some company attempt to improve upon the past releases. It means they are making another effort to get it right. In the case of a popular movie like Nosferatu, they will probably make enough money to help them with other efforts, etc.

I have been rather harsh in the past on a release of Nosferatu (a posting I made in alt.movies.silent) because I thought it had some errors, one of which was the framing or editing of the scene where Nossy come to town and cruises across the little canal/creek/open sewer. I no longer have the VHS recording which framed it a lot better, fuller framed as I remember it being. And spookier. I don't remember what else I said about that version.

So, I will almost certainly buy a blu-ray edition of a fascinating film, although I own several DVDs of it already.

Rick

[Michael O'Regan]

I have the Eureka and it's "ultimate" enough for me, head-cropping or no head-cropping.

In all fairness, lads and lassies, how many versions of how many movies have we been promised the "ultimate" version of, only for a more "ultimate" version to turn up later??

I understand your thoughts, but I am always glad to see some company attempt to improve upon the past releases.

Rick

Oh, sure. So am I.
It's just the overuse of the word "ultimate" that makes me smile.

[Rick Lanham]

I have the Eureka and it's "ultimate" enough for me, head-cropping or no head-cropping.

In all fairness, lads and lassies, how many versions of how many movies have we been promised the "ultimate" version of, only for a more "ultimate" version to turn up later??

I understand your thoughts, but I am always glad to see some company attempt to improve upon the past releases.

Rick

Oh, sure. So am I.
It's just the overuse of the word "ultimate" that makes me smile.

Here's what in my index...

Astaire & Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition - Barkelys Of Broadway/Carefree/Flying Down To Rio/Follow The Fleet/Gay Divorcee/Roberta/Shall We Dance/The Story Of Vernon And Irene Castle/Swing Time/Top Hat/Partners In Rhythm
Battleship Potemkin (The Ultimate Edition) (2pc) (Full B&W)
Battling Butler / Go West (Ultimate 2-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray]
Buster Keaton - Short Films Collection: 1920 - 1923 (3-Disc Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]
A Christmas Carol (Ultimate Collector's Edition)(B/W & Color)
Citizen Kane (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]
The General (The Ultimate 2-Disc Edition) (1926)
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Ultimate Edition)
Joan Crawford - The Ultimate Movie Star
The Navigator: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray]
Nosferatu (The Ultimate Two-Disc Edition)
Our Hospitality: ULTIMATE EDITION [Blu-ray]
The Phantom Of The Opera - The Ultimate Edition (1925 Original Version and 1929 Restored Version)
Seven Chances (Ultimate Edition) [Blu-ray]

[Michael O'Regan]

There ya go...

[sc1957]

So what's better than Ultimate?

How will they describe the 100th anniversary edition of Citizen Kane?

[David Alp]

I have been rather harsh in the past on a release of Nosferatu (a posting I made in alt.movies.silent) because I thought it had some errors, one of which was the framing or editing of the scene where Nossy come to town and cruises across the little canal/creek/open sewer.

"Nossy"... Ha ha, Love it LOL!! It's a bit like "Nessie" from the Loch Ness Monster LOL!

[Kelly]

HMM I wonder they going show this version this movie going be on TCM this October for Silent Sunday night

[JumpingFrog]

Theatrical trailer for the 2013 HD restoration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LOOhc2eML4

[David Alp]

Theatrical trailer for the 2013 HD restoration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LOOhc2eML4

But it's still full of tramline scratches! And the film also seems to jump around a bit! And whatever do they mean by "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ITS ORIGINAL VERSION" ? What does that mean? Oh it's all just hype if you ask me... They could surely have gotten rid of those tramline scratches running through a lot of those scenes on the trailer.

[Scoundrel]

Well, at least they didn't crop the top of his head this time.

[silentfilm]

So what's better than Ultimate?

How will they describe the 100th anniversary edition of Citizen Kane?

The Penultimate version? Then they'd still have room for one more...

[CoffeeDan]

So what's better than Ultimate?

How will they describe the 100th anniversary edition of Citizen Kane?

The Penultimate version? Then they'd still have room for one more...

You could do it by years (THE 2041 VASTLY IMPROVED ULTIMATE CENTENNIAL EDITION OF CITIZEN KANE!). Then you'd know it was the very best they could do at that time . . .

[Kelly]

BTW I hear this movie going be schedule on Silent Sunday night I wonder show that restored blue ray version on TCM that weekend

[Nosferatu]

Super Ultra Mega Turbo Edition hasn't been used.

[All Darc]

I remamber a years ago or so I downloaded a 720p vídeo, looking better than DVD, from the Digital restoration of Nosferatu.

From where they got such HD before the Blu Ray release???

[All Darc]

The HD transfer reveals that the digital restoration performed on the FW Murnau's reconstruction (mostly based on Luciano Berriatua found of a first generation print) was not very satisfatory. Many scratchs speacialy film abrasion still persist.


http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRevie ... feratu.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank


Since the original print was very well restored by the Bologna Cinemathec, I presume that most abrasions was already printed in when this copy was made in early 20's from the original câmera negative.
Deep scratches can persist even after wetgate (in cases when reach the emulsion layer), but the presence of abrasion, tinny sctraches in apperance, indicates that it's a deffect printed in, a defect. that was already on camera negative.

So it's logic to prewume Nosferatu had many copies made from original câmera negative, to the point of the negative get in bad shape in the end. Indeed we need to imagine this print before digital restoration, to get a idea of how the câmera negative was when the print was made.

[DShepFilm]

Actually it would be a reasonable guess that Bologna didn't scan with wet gate. We had, shall we say, very heated exchanges before they finally used wet gate on the Chaplin Mutuals. Their argument is that wet gate hastens deterioriation of the original film; ours is that a gazillion people will see the restored versions and they should look as good as possible. Blackhawk devised wet gate printing long before it was commercially available, and originals printed that way 50 years ago are still fine. Of course the chemicals used have changed over the years, as one after another has been banned by the EPA; still I think the argument that wet gate hastens deterioriation is (a different kind of) bologna.

David S

[s.w.a.c.]

Makes me wonder how close we were to losing Nosferatu altogether, weren't all known copies supposed to be destroyed following the Widow Stoker's lawsuit? It's still amazing to me that we have a copy that looks this good, nearly a century later.

[All Darc]

Thanks for the imput David.
Maybe this is a good News.

Robert Harris is also against wetgate, or at least for simple transfers without a full restoration of the film. He said there was a important negative where wetgate was used for telecine but they did nt restore the film, and the negative base get some sort of cristalization due the chemicals.
He did not said specifically what kind of chemicals.

I once changed a couple emals with a guy who worked for Cintel (telecine & filmscanner company), he was manager or also a enginier. They had a special telecine's device called Oliver, that was able to capture basically only the film emulsion information without the film base defects.
It used no solventes of any kind, but only spetial optical devices to do not allow the usual light refractions that generates what we see as film base scratches.
According their samples it could work even a bit better than wetgate in few cases.
Maybe it's a possible solution to "make peace" with Bologna


Indeed I believe it could in theory help even heavy scratches that can't be completely removed, but just minimized, if they upgrade the system to adress masks for each detectated scratch, making easier to digital algorithms work on it.


By the way, I believe with the actual 3D conversion technology of today, it coud also be possible to quality restore the missing frames of the first generation print (Berriatua print) based in the respectivelly frames found in lesser quality prints.
The lesser quality frames would work a detailed scaffold, and the textures of the surround frames of the Berriatua print would work to fill the "gap".
The scene of Orlock leaving the ship have many missing frames. The projectionist probably got for hin... Also the scene where Orlock rises after try to drink the blood of Hutter. Both scenes have too many missing frames to conventional digital restoration softwares tools that interpolate frames, and the traditional reincertion of the frames from the lesser quality prints would create a very noticeable quality drop.

Actually it would be a reasonable guess that Bologna didn't scan with wet gate. We had, shall we say, very heated exchanges before they finally used wet gate on the Chaplin Mutuals. Their argument is that wet gate hastens deterioriation of the original film; ours is that a gazillion people will see the restored versions and they should look as good as possible. Blackhawk devised wet gate printing long before it was commercially available, and originals printed that way 50 years ago are still fine. Of course the chemicals used have changed over the years, as one after another has been banned by the EPA; still I think the argument that wet gate hastens deterioriation is (a different kind of) bologna.

David S

[bigshot]

I just got my copy and haven't watched it yet, but I heard that the version with German inter titles is a different transfer than the one with English inter titles. Does anyone know anything about this?

[David Alp]

Am I right in saying the KINO version does not have the 2 commentary tracks?? I am just on the DVD Beaver site and it states that only the Masters Of Cinema version has the two commentary tracks, so I am going to go for that one!

[Gaucho]

That's my understanding.
Just remember the MoC version is region B locked, it that matters.

[David Alp]

Okay! So I have bought the Masters Of Cinema/EUREKA blu-ray "one disc" version. Where the HELL is the "extra" all about the restoration process??????? I can't find it anywhere? Can someone tell me where it is on the disc? Is it hidden or something? This is the one I've bought; see below:

[avance]

Okay! So I have bought the Masters Of Cinema/EUREKA blu-ray "one disc" version. Where the HELL is the "extra" all about the restoration process??????? I can't find it anywhere? Can someone tell me where it is on the disc? Is it hidden or something? This is the one I've bought; see below:

Hi David

As far as I can tell there is no feature about the restoration on the disc, just a few pages in the booklet. This accords with the blurb on the back of the case and the DVDBeaver review.

Amran

[David Alp]

56 pages! WOW! I am just reading it now....

I like the last pages, where it tells you how to watch "Nosferatu" LOL! It says watch it in 4:3, and then gives pictures of a TV set with a stretched and distorted frame of Hutters F-A-T wife... Then another pic with her head lobbed off! And finally a pic of her with the black bars at left & Right saying "Correct Way Of Viewing" LOL!!