Hollywood Reporter: 'Star' to be born in new light

[silentfilm]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/con ... b88ae9ec44

'Star' to be born in new light
Warner Bros. restoring George Cukor's 1954 film
By Carolyn Giardina

May 23, 2008, 01:00 AM ET

"A Star Is Born"

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging is restoring George Cukor's 1954 "A Star Is Born" in 6K resolution.

The film, starring Judy Garland and James Mason, is believed to be the first restoration project where the scanning, restoration work and mastering will be completed at that resolution.

Digital film restoration is most commonly accomplished at 2K, though an increasing number have been using 4K. A 4K file contains four times as much picture information -- measured in pixels -- as a 2K file, and 6K contains 2 1/4 times as much as a 4K file.

Ned Price, vp mastering, Warner Bros. Technical Operations, said that the facility's reason to go to higher resolution was because "The original camera negative contains more information than 2K, though 2K is today's typical display resolution. But we anticipate higher display resolution in the future. So we are attempting to preserve the asset, rather than just create an element for exhibition."

The key goal of the project is preservation, but the restored version of the film will also eventually be released on Blu-ray Disc and standard DVD.

"There has been photochemical work done on this particular title, but with new digital tools we are able to retrieve the original color balance of the faded negative in a way that we could not reproduce photochemically," Price said. "We made film preservation elements since the film had differential fading, meaning ... the edges of the film had more oxygen and deteriorated quicker. By scanning it, we're able to get a completely flat field of color."

Numerous restoration industry leaders share the belief that the community needs to step up to a resolution higher than 2K for restoration and preservation. Still, opinions vary, as more storage and bandwidth is needed to handle these larger files, which along with cost, is a challenge.

"6K is typically a costly proposition, so that's why we are testing the waters on 'A Star is Born,' " Price said. "As the size of data is more easily managed and the tools become more accessible, we will increase our resolution."

Restoration of "A Star Is Born" is expected to take four to six months. Said Price: "Our expectation is that the restoration would live for easily 100 years."

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, the studio's digital post and restoration facility, has recently restored such titles as "Bonnie and Clyde," "Dirty Harry," "Cool Hand Luke" and "How the West Was Won."

[WaverBoy]

A pity that WB and the collector who owns the elements with the still-missing footage haven't mended their fences. Will this film ever be completely complete?

[gjohnson]

I feel like this film has been restored every 10 years since the 70's.

But irregardless of it's restoration status it is well worth remembering for one of the greatest moments of film musical history when James Mason enters the small jazz club after hours and witnesses Judy Garlands' performance of "The Man That Got Away."

It was basically her London Palladium comeback triumph put on film.

Gary J.

[marknyc]

A pity that WB and the collector who owns the elements with the still-missing footage haven't mended their fences. Will this film ever be completely complete?

There are no fences to be mended, because this is an urban legend. If a complete print existed, WB could simply seize it, as they seized the "Lose That Long Face" number back in 1983.

If a complete print does exist somewhere, no one knows about it - but we can dream, can't we?

[Richard P. May]

To see the extremely interesting story of the previous restoration, and the quest for a complete print, find a copy of "A Star is Born - the making of the 1954 movie and its 1983 restoration" by Ronald Haver. Published by Alfred Knopf in 1988.

The late Mr. Haver was the head of the film department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and with the support of Warner Bros. and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did the rebuilding of this movie using still photos where necessary to fill in for missing footage.

It is worth reading.

[JFK]

---------------------------------------------------- Hollywood at the Pantages
------
George Fisher - Host #1 ----Rosemarie Stack ----Paula Raymond ----Amanda Blake ----Ann Robinson ----Louella Parsons ----Jimmy McHugh ----Mamie Van Doren ----Kevin Delroy ----Dean Martin ---- Jeanne Martin----Gloria Grahame ----Cy Howard ----Edward Arnold ----Cleo Arnold ----Jon Hall ----Hedda Hopper ----Raymond Burr ----Evelyn Russell (the "beard")----Frank Vitti ----Jean Hersholt ----Via Hersholt ----Edward G. Robinson ----Katherine Anderson ----Jack Carson - Host #2 ----Donald Crisp ----Virginia Mayo ---- Marilyn Maxwell ----Jerry Davis ---- Katy Jurado ---- Elizabeth Taylor ----Michael Wilding ---- Liberace ----Frances Liberace ----Ann St. John ----Dennis Morgan (Greeted as "Stanley" by Carson)) ---- Karen Sharpe ----John Smith ---- Debbie Reynolds ----Joey Forman ----Kim Novak ---- Suzan Ball ----Richard Long ----Gordon MacRae ---- Sheila MacRae ---- Dorothy Lamour ----Bill Howard ----Clark Gable - in crowd ----Andy Devine ----Dorothy Devine ----Peggy Lee ----Tommy Noonan ----Ray Bolger ----Gwen Bolger ----Gordon Scott ----Mitzi Gaynor ---- Danny Thomas ----William Bendix ----Sophie Tucker ----
James Dean -in crowd (around 17:05) ----George Jessel - Host #3 ----Joan Crawford ----Cesar Romero ----Marie Wilson (out of character) ----Jack Palance ----Doris Day (awkward moment with ex-bf Carson) ----Martin Melcher ----Vera-Ellen ----Victor Rothschild ----June Haver ----Fred MacMurray (out of wig) ----Judy Garland ----Sidney Luft ----Jack L. Warner ----Van Heflin ----Pat O'Brien ----Eloise Taylor O'Brien ----Larry Finley - Host #4 ----Ben Alexander ----Leslie Alexander ----Shelley Winters ----Sonja Henie ----Ann Sheridan ----Jacques Mapes ---- Lauren Bacall ---- Janet Leigh ----Tony Curtis ----Sue Carol ----Alan Ladd ---- Lucille Ball ----Desi Arnaz ----Claire Trevor ----Greer Garson ---- Sheilah Graham ----Earl Wilson ----Virginia Baker - with Jack Palance ----Jack Bean - with Mitzi Gaynor ----Robert Fallon - with Marie Wilson ----Frances Langford - with Jon Hall
[archive]http://www.archive.org/details/aStarIsB ... _1954_512k[/archive]
---------------------------------------------------- New York City at the Paramount

Click to Hear "BEST OF ALL" 59:42 Minutes (10-11-1954)
Skitch Henderson; Jinx Falkenburg (14:25-25:23) live interview with
Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle; Judy Garland & Sid Luft;
Milton & Ruth Berle; Johnny Ray & Georgia Gibbs; Elsa Maxwell

[precode]

For the record, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was scanned at 8K for its most recent restoration. Of course, it was shot in 65mm, but still...

Mike S.

[Scoundrel]

" A pity that WB and the collector who owns the elements with the still-missing footage haven't mended their
fences. Will this film ever be completely complete? "

http://www.thejudyroom.com/asib/asib-article.html

[ClayKing]

" A pity that WB and the collector who owns the elements with the still-missing footage haven't mended their
fences. Will this film ever be completely complete? "

http://www.thejudyroom.com/asib/asib-article.html" target="_blank

I wouldn't put too much stock in that article. I knew Caporiccio some years ago, and let's just say he has a reputation for being very "inventive." There are also some questionable statements in the article, for instance the "suggestion to theaters" to cut a film to gain more showings. Most theaters I worked in had at best only rudimentary editing gear such as power rewinds and a splicer to set up and break down reels. They wouldn't be able to trim any films for time, unless they selectively omitted entire reels.

[marknyc]

A noted film restorer recently told me he thinks that there is a good chance that Michael Arick has a complete print. Someone should confront Arick!

[WaverBoy]

A noted film restorer recently told me he thinks that there is a good chance that Michael Arick has a complete print. Someone should confront Arick!

That's the collector to whom we were referring before, when you called it an urban legend. Unless you're being ironic/sarcastic. My detector is a bit off this evening.

[marknyc]

It did sound like an urban legend, until he was named and a noted film restoration expert told me he felt there was a good chance the print does exist.

I'm still skeptical, but now I feel that Arick should be confronted on this. Unfortunately, no one seems to want to do it.