SPARTACUS 4K UHD Blu ray & SUPER TECHNIRAMA 70 Review
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- Опубликовано: 10 янв 2021
- Stanley Kubrick's 1960 masterpiece starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmonds, Peter Ustinov, Charles Laughton, John Gavin and Tony Curtis. Filmed in Super Technirama 70 which is the reason for the exceptional image quality along with dye transfer Technicolor. Original 70mm six track magnetic sound has been replicated as closely as possible for the home market within a DTS X soundtrack.
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Unbelievably happy your channel exists. I await each release!! Thank you sir
Thank you Will. We're in the cinema again tonight watching a 4K for inclusion in the next video. John.
I am now on that wagon as well. I believe I'm addicted. John has inspired me to make my own movie reviews on my channel as well. No one's perspective is like his though, truly unique and enjoyable!
Absolutely love your reviews. No fluff... your enthusiasm for films truly comes through. Keep it up!
And I love your comment Leslie V. Thank you so much.
John.
Really good review. I love cinema, true celluloid film and physical media. I’m only 22 but its the only way I can watch these old classics for the first time to give them respect to how they’re originally be shown. Always hope I can see a re release of these classics in their original format👏
The 4K discs are [usually] very close to a 35mm copy of a film Dean so worth a punt more so than a standard Blu-ray which were usually more than good enough themselves. But films are polyester stock these days. Not sure when celluloid went out but it was a long time ago. Polysester is thinner (more film on a reel) and it doesn't break like acetate (celluloid) stock has a tendency for.
Nice to know a youngster appreciates the old greats.
John.
I was never able to see Spartacus at a theater, missing out on a couple of screenings of a 70mm print that made the rounds back in the 90's. My classic 70mm experiences include Vertigo, Patton, Lawrence of Arabia and 2001. Lawrence had mind blowing clarity, but 2001 was a true jaw dropper. The film had always bored me on at home and I couldn't understand what the critics were talking about. Once I experienced it in 70mm, I was completely on board.
That makes a lot of sense. 2001 in 70mm should be compulsory viewing for the entire world population! Then again, that may be going a bit far.
John.
These reviews of older movies are brilliant. Lots of great information regarding the original movie and subsequent releases up to the present day. Lot of work has gone into these videos, many thanks.
Thank you Stephen. They do seem to be taking longer and longer to put together now but I think it's been worth it. Next up might be 'Ad Astra' so there won't be so much of a back story/history there but I hope to make it a good 'un nevertheless. Hoping to watch the 4K on Saturday night.
John.
Agreed!
another good review.with good technical background knowledge as always.
I felt Spartacus was a good excuse for a look at Super Technirama 70 which anyone would think was a 65mm/70mm filming process. But Spartacus is a great film so it was wonderful to be able to scrutinize it so closely after last seeing it in 1991.
John.
Just found this channel and subbed immediately. Fantastic review and background on the tech. I just got my copy of this. You’re so lucky you got see it projected in 70!! These widescreen formats from the 50s-60s will remain mind-blowing for the rest of time. My hometown (Las Vegas) just opened an independent theater showing 35mm projections exclusively and it’s like a dream come true.
That is a wonderful thing to know that Las Vegas has a real [reel] film cinema again. Let's hope they get 70mm projection installed sometime too. John.
@@moviecollector5920 yes it has been great. We ask many times about that, it would be amazing if they did get a 70 projector. I’ve been lucky enough to see a handful of 70mm presentations in my life (most I had to drive to LA for) and each one is a high-point cinema experience.
@@poopstainhotdog1 Kenneth Branagh's Death On The Nile is a 70mm release this October so see if you can find out about a 70mm screening anywhere near you. I'll be heading for Leicester Square in London I think and I can't wait. John.
Great epic classic. I have it on Blu-ray but I was planning on picking it up on 4K someday. Now with your blessing John, I will definately do. Thanks!
I hope it looks as good on your system as it does on mine.
John.
I love the widescreen epics of the 50's and 60's and am so delighted your review of the brilliant "Spartacus" on 4K does justice to it. It's tragic several epics of that era have been forgotten, or even lost, in their original, visual glory. Notably George Stevens' Ultra Panavision production of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965), a film which has been so butchered by re-releases and edits the original 'Road Show' version is lost to us, and the one we have now on Blu Ray is a shadow of the original. Incomprehensible a major studio could be so negligent. Michael - South Africa.
I know what you mean Michael but you've got to put your mindset back to that time when a film was released and that was generally it unless it was considered successful enough for a re-release a few years later. Films were not considered in the same reverence as they are today and were primarily business and a way to make money for a company involved in producing motion pictures. Once the initial release was over, that was usually it and an unsuccessful film could then be lost forever.
@@moviecollector5920 You are right, but still a great loss....
I just got the Paramount Presents of that but haven't watched it yet. It looks like it was scanned are 6K or so. When I do watch it, I'll do a review.
Agree completely re the Zulu Blu Ray - of all the discs that came out when blu ray was in its infancy, this was the one that blew me away for richness of colour palate, and how fresh it looked.
It's that large format squeezed VistaVision process called Technirama that results in the superior imagery. Then there's the added richness of the Technicolor process for the exaggerated colours which people always loved years ago and now quite successfully replicated with OLED tellies. Funny things is that I don't particularly care for the enhanced colours of modern televisions and that's possibly because people tend to turn the colour up too much to make everything look a little fake. John.
@@moviecollector5920 any others you can think of on blu ray or 4k that had a similar process? I faintly recollect ‘How the West was Won’ had a similarly rich colour palette and image.
Keep up the great work. Watched four of your videos tonight top notch stuff!
Thank you Beeblbrox. Great ID!
John.
Me too! I get on a roll and keep watching John's videos I haven't seen yet. Great and unique stuff for sure!
Thanx for your great work! Best from Norway. 👍
Thank you!
At 6:40 - The film this gentleman picks out is known as _Le Mans '66_ in the UK, but was released in the USA as _Ford vs. Ferrari._
Correct. Apparently both versions are identical so rest assured you're not missing anything with the lesser title which was only chosen because 'Le Mans' doesn't carry the same legend to it in the Americas as it does in Britain and much of Europe. John.
Fantastic! I have "ZULU" on Blu-ray. It's a good transferred to Blu-ray. Thank you, sir for the informative and professionally presented.
Zulu is one of my favourite films. One of my earliest cinema memories actually so that has something to do with it I think. John.
I wasn't particularly interested in the review of this disc, but Movie Collector always has some of the best technical information and history on these movies and I just love it. Totally addicted. Need more.
Thank you Alex. Right now I'm trying to sort out my 1917 4K review which may appear as a new RUclips video this evening but it's almost identical to how it was. John.
Haha me too for some other ones he has done. I think "that's not a movie I'm interested in but I still love to hear John's thoughts regardless."
Brilliant technical aspects (pun intended) with what seems to be superior knowledge compared to other reviewers, much appreciated and glad I subscribed!
One thing I found when 4K reveiwers first started appearing on RUclips was that no one knew or appreciated the reasons why one cine transfer would look better than others. Having a film background it was obvious to me but still today I get people sending me messages extolling the virtues of a particularly good 'transfer' and it's usually from a VistaVision, Technirama, 65mm or genuine IMAX 15/70 or other large format film so I reply to advise them that it's not so much the transfer it's the large film format the film was originally shot on. I'm not sure everyone fully comprehends that even when I say because the indoctrination since the big downgrade in 2011 has been that 4K video is best. It's not quite up there with the level of 35mm but just occasionally a shrink down from a 6K or an 8K video surpasses the clarity of a 35mm. Video has improved so much recently that it's getting difficult to tell a movie shot on video to a real film as they've got the faux film grain just about sorted now. If only cinemas didn't think that the brightest possible image was the best possible image we might almost get back to the more natural look of film. But there's a way to go yet and I fear it's too late now.
John.
So true, there is warmth in film grain and the enjoyment of a cinematic experience. While 4K is crisp and amazing in it's own regard, it could sometimes be considered too clinical depending on the film/movie of course. If I understand correctly from what you say, 35mm film and above shot in good quality is the business, and true 4K or above (reduced to 4K) gets close to replicating this original cinematic film experience in your home, ideally without too much cleansing of the film grain on older classics.
That said, I recall watching Spartacus, or possibly Ben-Hur at a drive-in, so compared to crackly mono window speakers, or stereo (one each side), any digital release will be an improvement, or at least the sound... 😅@@moviecollector5920
I was on the fence about buying this movie yet again. This review helped me decide, so thanks for that. Still waiting for Ben Hur to get a 4K release.
Ben-Hur should be another top-notch 4K release simply because it was shot on 65mm film. So even bigger than the horizontal 35mm Technirama format used for Spartacus. John.
Great review. Also I thought it was clever that you did a super quick intro in the beginning.
Thank you Andreas. 'Superman The Movie' on 4K disc will be next if all goes to plan.
John.
Zulú is on my list! Thanks. What a great cast with Kirk and Laurence... I picked up the steelbook version.
I should have got the steelbook Trainop. Didn't realize quite how much I was going to enjoy the film again.
John.
Great review, I love learning more about the different kinds of film. I believe the last time I saw this movie was in high school film class. I'd love to see Ben Hur restored in 4K. I'm glad you liked Call of the Wild, I've been wondering what anyone thought of it. So maybe I'll give it a go now. Also you're the 2nd person to mention Zulu recently, so I'll need to see that too. I really enjoy The Four Feathers 2002 remake with Heath Ledger (great book also!). Thanks again for the great content. Bye bye for now.
Zulu is another Super Technirama 70 so it looks pretty special. There is also the addition of it being a dye-transfer Technicolor so the red tunics look better than you'd think possible. If that one gets a 4K disc release then it should look rather special. And that goes for anything shot on large format film of any kind. Technirama was a 1.5x anamorphic derivative of VistaVision so anything made with those horizontal 35mm formats, 65mm for 70mm release, Cinerama or genuine IMAX, then there the ones to look out for. John.
@@moviecollector5920 at this point, I'd blind buy large format films on 4K. This really does seem to be a great time for 4K and large format films. I still need to get caught up on the ones I've ordered. 10 Commandments was a treat.
@@MyFireVideos Oh, The Ten Commandments is fabulous. I don't suppose the VistaVision Technicolor prints for the few theatres in the world that had an 8 perf. horizontal 35mm projector looked as colourful as the 4K disc. Amazing work. Christopher Nolan's recent IMAX films are all terrific on 4K (as they should be) but TENET is probably the stand out of them all. Murder on the Orient Express by Kenneth Branagh is still the best that I've seen on 4K though. John.
Hi John
I saw your review of Spartacus last mouth and really know it was on 4k so l got on 4k . I watched this classic all my life . Saw at NFT in 92 was incredible experience. Last night l watch my 4k copy brilliant quality sound and picture quality was 100 % . Its always been big favourite. The end scene always gives me goosebumps . All the John
It's the 1.5x squeeze VistaVision known as Technirama that gives it the wonderful image quality Jonny. Most people don't understand why it look so good on 4K home video but that's basically why. What a treat to have a copy of it in this quality to keep forever. John.
Call Of The Wild is on 4K. You can get it from Amazon. Though it a US release but as far as I know 4K discs are region free and work on all players but I could be mistaken. Great review as always.
I did reply to this soon after you posted the comment but it seems to have bounced back. Sorry about that. I wish I'd known about the 4K of Call of the Wild before getting the Blu-ray but the Blu-ray is exceptional as I'm sure you know if you have the 4K pack. John.
Very good, understandable and accurate.
In your review you see also the VistaVision publicity card.
Vistavision was like Technirama from Technicolor, but created by Paramount Pictures in 1954.
Thank you Marniks. I think the only difference was the 1.5x squeeze to produce a final aspect ratio of 2.20:1 in the final 70mm prints. That was cropped a bit top and bottom to give 2.35:1 for 35mm anamorphic 2x 'Scope prints. I love all the film history so hopefully my videos are informing some people on that front.
John.
Hi John. I've just picked up Spartacus 4k UHD blu ray for 2 for 30 at Hmv. Appreciate your reviews old and new :)
What a bargain. One of the greatest 4K discs so far owing to its Technirama origins. I wish they'd do Zulu because that was the same slightly squeezed 8 sprocket wide 35mm process which was then blown up onto 70mm film for release prints. No wonder Spartacus looks so good. John.
Nice review 👍👍👍.... never seen spartacus but will pick it up on 4k as heard so much positive reviews on it....
Please let me know what you think Roy. I had to watch it twice to work out why some of it didn't look good and it was for the reasons I cited.... or at least I'm pretty sure it was for those reasons - out of focus shots and optical/matte effects.
John.
Call of the wild is 4K on us great visuals
Hey! I have been watching all your videos recently and love learning about film, lenses and cinema screens. Would be really cool to see some videos from you about the history of these aspects for example explanations on film, projectors, cinema screens, different mm film. Looking forward to more videos. Thanks.
You're not the first to ask for something like that dicksi12345 so I will bear it in mind for future videos when I have an excuse to run the same film on 4K and a gauge or two of film. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks John. I am a massive film lover and seem to share quite a few of your favourites too. I shoot and edit as a job but don't know enough about actual film and projection so that is why I ask! Keep up the great work.
@@dicksi12345 I grew up with Super 8 film and was always fascinated by it. That's the home movie gauge; then 16mm was mainly for education, business and television; 35mm was the standard for cinema but 70mm for big roadshow releases and exclusive premiere house runs. Later this year Kenneth Brannagh's Death on the Nile is to be released in 70mm and if it's as good as his earlier Murder on the Orient Express we're in for a treat. So find a cinema that's capable of screening 70mm and sit there and take in the majesty of it all. It should be a helpful part of learning about film. IMAX 70mm theatres are always worth a look too providing they are actually screening film. IMAX is three times the image area of standard 70mm film - 70mm has a frame that is five sprockets high whereas IMAX has 15 sprockets. Any cinema claiming to be IMAX but screening video should be avoided in my opinion.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Great, thank you. I saw Lawerence of Arabia, 2001 and Apocalypse Now in 70mm in Southbank and they were amazing.
@@dicksi12345 I should have been there!
You got my sub buddy, love the behind the scenes technical jargon and choice of flicks
Thank you Jed. Glad to have you with me.
John.
Hi John! Takin a trip back in time here on a snowed in evening (not as far back in time as the Roman Empire but 2021 haha) as my wife picked this for an evening movie. funny she picked Cleopatra first on blu ray but when I put it in it didn't run for some reason the screen tried to boot up and kept going black so instead of trying to figure out the problem we went to this instead (her first time) Wow hard to believe as you suggest what the future for this film (picture quality wise) is considering the panarama details you've taught us here. Just an amazing 4k hard to believe it could be even better ....I will watch the feature on restoration soon but I did get in the interview with an elderly Kirk Douglas... I see I have the Proposition on our netflix so will give it a watch asap.. Cheers for now as I head back to the present time lol D in BC!!
It's the VistaVision process Dave. I know it's called Super Technirama 70 for Spartacus owing to the 1.5x anamorphic squeeze lens being used to give a final aspect ratio that almost exactly matches the 2.20:1 of 70mm. This meant Spartacus could be printed to 70mm and distributed as such. I saw the restoration print at the Odeon Marble Arch back in 1991 I think. That's what I judge all other 70mm presentations by and how I knew Death on the Nile in 2022 was a bit of a fake right from the opening frames.
I hope you enjoy The Proposition. Wifey may find it a little too violent so try to be prepared for that. It's a wonderful, powerful film though.
John.
Finally bought this; $9:99 during Prime Day!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's a very good reproduction of how the Technirama frame would have looked in cinemas, i.e. very sharp. Such a shame hardly anythng is being shot in such wonderful definition today... but there are a few genuine 70mm releases (Death on the Nile in October this year being the big one and the odd sequence shot in 15/70mm IMAX). John.
Le Mans 66 is titled Ford v Ferrari over in the US, either way it's an excellent film.
When it came out over here I was still on the lookout for 'Ford vs. Ferrari' but I suppose the film makers thought the 'Le Mans' title would be more relevant in the UK and other markets.
John.
Spartacus was the first HD-DVD I bought. Might have to try this 4k, considering I can no longer play HD-DVDs. Had a decent little stack of HD-DVDs, and I tried giving them away for free on the various movie and home theater facebook pages I'm on, and on the marketplaces, but couldn't find any takers, so I just threw them in the trash. Nice reviews!
That's a shame Darth. Players do still come up for sale so a replacement player might have been an option. Just the name 'HD DVD' would have meant the format would have been more successful because everyone would have understood it but even today, you mention Blu-ray to people and they haven't got a clue. Such a stupid, non-descriptive name did so much damage to the home video market that it's amazing it's survived at all. John.
Saw "Spartacus" in 2017(?) in the Gartenbau cinema in Vienna in 70mm - a sight to behold! This cinema had shown "Spartacus" on Dec. 19th 1960 as its first movie. Kirk Douglas was there with his wife as guests of honor.
Why the hell wasn't I invited!!! Wish I'd been there with you Daniel.
John.
I just watched Spartacus a few months ago on Blu-Ray for the first time. Now I want to watch the 4k copy. I am sure it's really good.
It is better than the Blu-ray but because it was a Super Technirama film, the Blu-ray is excellent. Just the colour that is perceptibly better with the 4K but HDR can also cause a film to look a bit washed out. Something I'll cover in my next review which should be the 4K of Speed because that needs to have HDR turned down a bit on my system. John.
The Time Machine on Blu-ray looks and sounds great. It's so cool to watch those old movies in good quality✌️
That's actually pretty good on DVD as I recall. Another title my wife and I have watched to death over the years.
The newer one with guy pierce is still not available on bluray 😟
Great review
Thank you. John.
Another great video John. Did you ever see the 2 disc DVD Criterion released in the formats early days?
I might have done Steve. I used to borrow LaserDiscs from my BFCC colleague Keith Wilton who had a massive/ernormous/gigantic library of LaserVision and LaserDisc. I remembered the damned script when I watched it this time in 4K but I thought the last time I'd seen it was the 70mm screening at the Odeon Marble Arch in 1991. Maybe I ran it a few times on LaserDisc but I just can't remember which is unusual so probably not. I bet it was a great LaserDisc though because Criterion releases were always special.
I enjoyed that very informative
Thank you Philip. John.
Great review... even though I'm no fan of this sort of movie. For some reason I don't seem to be receiving notifications of your reviews. Keep up the good work and stay safe John.
I'll try to make sure I remember to post a link in your Derann group in FaceAche in future Ged. Been a bit distracted this week and have neglected to do it.
Great video John, subscribed! I'm getting the 4k from Amazon UK. Can you tell me if the Blu Ray included region free or region B?
It doesn't have a zone listed on it anywhere so that suggests it has to be zone free or all zones. Took me a while to find the disc on the shelves. What a great release it is too but that's due to the squeezed VistaVision Super Technirama format successfully shrinking down onto our video discs. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks again John. Nice to know it's region free. Love your reviews, keep it up!
I have to agree sir,
Le Mans 66 was one of the best modern movies i have seen in some time,
I have actually reverted back to re-watching classic B&W movies,
Simply to avoid the numbness of the most modern releases..
Doing a Hammer House of Horror binge at present.
Keep up the good work sir.
The sound on Le Mans '66 is amazing. It's excellent video quality but such a shame it doesn't have the unmistakable look of real film. Would have been difficult to get a 35mm camera in the cockpits of those replica GT40s though so it's understandable they opted for video cameras. Great image quality nevertheless.
We watched a classic 60s horror recently on My5 - 'Night of the Big Heat'. I have always remembered the immortal line "I found his body, he's dead!" but the film is actually good fun and not the complete tosh I remember as a child. It's not a Hammer but with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee it feels like Hammer.
The movie title "Le Mans '66" threw me for a moment, but I quickly realized this great movie was released here in the States as "Ford vs Ferrari." Thanks for another great video review!
I still need to see that! I've heard so many good things. It seems the US release has a different title.
I remember seeing Zulu on television back in the seventies when I was a kid. It was impressive enough on that miserable format. I can hardly imagine what it must look like on Blu Ray but thanks to your recommendation I am about to find out.
I hope you like it as much as I do ninline2000. I do actually have a 16mm 'Scope in Technicolor but the Blu-ray is better, damn it!
John.
Great review have you got Columbia Classics Vol I would love a technical review of Lawrence of Arabia 4K on that set? The
No, but I do fancy it. Maybe if we can get out to HMV soon at it's on the shelves I may not be able to resist. A friend has the 4K of Lawrence of Arabia and he says it's pretty darned fabulous.
John.
Hello-
I'm still a bit confused when it comes to 4K discs. In reviews of 4K discs that get decent but nothing special reviews
why is that? is it because the 4K transfer was done half-assed or is the 4K-ness of a 4K disc really dependent on
the way the film itself was originally shot?
A lot of it is dependent on how the film looked when it was shot. Many films of the 60s and 70s had quite coarse grain negative film stock so they will always have a gritty sort of look to them. To many people today that isn't a good look but for me a film such as the Jane Fonda/Donald Sutherland thriller 'Klute' it's absolutely perfect. But if that were to be released as a 4K UHD Blu-ray there would be people up in arms about "a dreadful transfer" when in fact it's how it was made. It's far easier to make a film today even if shooting with film because there are high quality video feeds coming from the viewfinders so the shots can be checked as they're made and then scrutinized further immediately afterwards.
A good title to get is 'Le Mans 66' ('Ford Vs. Ferrari' in the USA) which was shot entirely on video and it's almost flawless to look at.
John.
great video John 👍 Going through the back catalogue here... lol I think I will definitely pick this up. I loved the starz produced Spartacus series. Lots of needless sex and violence in that interpretation but it was really enjoyable regardless and probably quite true to the time! Anyway I've never seen this movie but I feel I want to watch it now just as much as homework and to watch the special feature on how it was remastered! Very interesting. Great shout with le mans 66 also 👌I have that 4K and it's fantastic disc. Thoroughly enjoyable movie too
Le Mans '66 may well still be the best movie shot on video in my collection. Top Gun: Maverick may have just pipped it to the top spot though. As for Spartacus, the Super Technirama 70 format (basically VistaVision with a 1.5X 'Scope lens) is what makes gives this one such fabulous definition. The colour ain't bad either due to the Technicolor dye transfer process. I can't remember which is better now, Spartacus of The Ten Commandments. The latter has richer Technicolor though.
I've just seen your email Andy so I'll give that another read in the morning. It looks like a bespoke HMV update video might be next as there are a couple of others I've got to showcase so I expect I'll include another extract from yours. I think everyone else is shooting 29.98fps NTSC whereas I'm 25fps PAL so I might have to change that to avoid the staggering effect due to frames being skipped. It doesn't look too bad though and many people won't even notice.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 no rush John, just get to the e-mail when u can 👍 Yeah i will likely check out 10 commandments also but Spartacus as movie is something i’m more interested in so will start there. Re. the HMV footage… yeah i film in 30fps. I did film in 4k 24p to begin with but storage space became an issue 😩 i dropped to 1080p as a result which on my iphone 11 only goes down as low as 30fps. I need to invest in better equipment but it’s all i’ve got for now
@@ElectricGeek Spartacus is the more timeless of the two films as The Ten Commandments does have a little too much religious doctrine in it but then again, it's The Ten Commandements so it would be wrong if it didn't. The colour and VistaVision definition are what sets that disc apart though but because it's so good you'll pick out every single optical and matte painting shot on a small screen. Put it on a 70 footer though and you'd probably get away with it!
I shoot PAL 25fps because that was the standard over here and since setting up in business making documentaries it was the only option in order to create the end product on DVD. It's easy to convert PAL to NTSC for DVD release but the PAL items are always better as there is 100 extra lines of information. PAL is 625 lines and NTSC 525. I could change the camera settings for each particular shoot so that I got these RUclips videos in NTSC 29.98fps but then if I ever forget to reset back to PAL 25fps I could mess up the next disc release. It all gets a bit complicated at times so I try to keep things as simple as possible.
John.
Great video and very interesting information. Have to agree that Spartacus looks fantastic on UHD (the restored Blu-ray was great already though). Would love to see a 70mm print in the cinema at some point in the future. A little mention about Zulu on Blu-ray: The UK Paramount release has been DNR'ed to hell and back and doesn't look like organic at all. The U.S. Twilight Time release is not affected by this practice and looks much more organic. See Caps-a-holic for comparisons. The score on Spartacus sounds wonderful through the Atmos-mix by the way. Love your videos, please keep up the great work 😊.
I have Zulu on a 16mm Technicolor dye transfer 'Scope print and rest assured the Blu-ray looks better. If it were a new/modern 16mm print that probably wouldn't be the case but the Blu-ray I watched was outstanding. If there's a better one out there then I'll have to get that one now... damn it! Thanks for the heads up.
Perfect! I was hoping to find a comment with which version of Zulu is the best. Thank you
@@MyFireVideos My pleasure. Glad my comment was of use to you.
I want to upgrade to a 4k version of this movie, but I noticed that there's 2 different versions: a 2 disk release that's 3 hrs & 17 minutes runtime and a 4 disk 3 hrs & 59 minutes 60th Anniversary edition. Why the descrepancy?
I hadn't actually come across that four hour version Krusader53 and I don't know anything about it. What I do know is that I saw the three hours and seventeen minute version at the cinema and that is what is on this 4K release I've reviewed. I've learned a lesson over the years with so-called 'special editions' of films and that is that when the running time is increased it means that outtakes have been re-incorporated and all they do is spoil the film. The 4K of 'Superman' (next review I plan) is the same although the information on the inlay or slip cover doesn't mention that the extended version of the film is only on the Blu-ray and certainly doesn't mention that every extra scene included is pointless, spoils the pacing of the film and generally ruins the enjoyment.
My advice is to beware of that four hour version of Spartacus because it could ruin a great film. But if you do get it and enjoy it then please let me know because then I'll want to see it!
John.
@Frank Silvers I have never seen that extended version of The Exorcist but I dread to think what it has done to what is the definitive horror movie. It's all about money and most people mistakenly think there is a new extended 'Director's' version of a film therefore they need to buy that one. I'm sure there have been one or two films that are better in their altered forms and I know many people prefer the longer version of Aliens and The Abyss, but I don't.
Call of the wild does have a 4K release and the reviewer Shane from the channel spare change reviewed it and said it’s a really good looking transfer
Is that here in the UK though because fellow subscriber Nick had to import his 4K of the film from the USA and will be comparing the 4K to the Blu-ray for us. Should be interesting given the Blu-ray is absolutely fabulous. John.
I wonder how good Ben Hur would be mastered into 4k seeing as they used premium stock 65mm film when shooting it. I have the blu ray and the picture upscaled by my 4k player was excellent to say the least, it was like watching it for the 1st time again!
Ben-Hur should be another cracking release but you may find that the only perceptible difference to the Blu-ray will be the superior colour and contrast on the 4K disc provided by HDR. We really need enormous screens to see the difference and until I've got room for something around 15 to 20 feet wide I think it is always going to be difficult to perceive the increase in overall clarity.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I totally agree, I only live in a terraced property but have managed to have a set up using a 6ft wide screen due to room limitations although I am thinking of going 7ft wide in future but that would be the most I could go given how close we sit to the screen.
@@darkvader7231 Honestly, just project as big as you can irrespective of where you are sitting because I have a rule of thumb which is "the bigger, the better." But 7 feet is pretty big. We have a ten foot drop down screen in the living room and we sit only about ten feet away which makes a great impact.
@@moviecollector5920 Wow 10ft, that is big. Unfortunately I cant go bigger than 7ft due to the distance of the projector from the screen and I dont fancy a laser short throw projector which sits in front of the screen. 7ft would be maximum with the projector fully zoomed out.
@@darkvader7231 You're gonna need a wider lens! Seriously though, sounds like seven feet is going to look very impressive. I'm going to want photos when you've got it all sorted!
John.
Hey John just wanted to know that do all the studios that shoot their movies on "film" format to this day have 3 separate "colour matrices" negatives? What if the colour matrices negatives get unusable with the passage of time (old films)? How do they colour correct the film then? What is their reference point?
Hello again Abdul. Not many films are being shot on film these days sadly. Even fewer are being screened on film. Video started to take hold in about 2003 and because there were few complaints at the awful image quality back then they got away with it. The situation is much better now but a lot of cinemas still have those early 2K video projectors so beware. About 50% have 4K now.
Imbibition Dye-Transfer Technicolor was the best colour ever applied to film. 35mm productions could be shot with Technicolor cameras but even if they weren't Technicolor could optically produce three dye colour matrices so that Technicolor could still be achieved, albeit to a slightly less impressive quality. 65mm productions did not have the genuine three-strip Technicolor option but I need to refresh my memory on that as I might be talking cobblers. I think 35mm release prints could be Technicolor using the optical matrix process though. George Lucas had Technicolor do this with Star Wars back in 1977 but I'm not sure there were release prints in this format, I think it was just a couple of safety copies and he kept one of them. Just as well he did because it was his Technicolor print that saved the film for re-release in 1997 because the original camera negative had faded so badly in a few places that dupe negative sequences were made from the Technicolor print.
Technicolor stopped the dye-transfer process in the late 60s I think and if I remember correctly the last production was the British film 'The Ladykillers'. Low fade film stocks were introduced by Kodak in 1979 and became mainstream in 1982. Film after that tend to look as good as the day they were filmed. For example, the Batman trailer I show on 35mm in the Batman 4K review is a print from 1989.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Hello John, thank for your lengthy yet detailed response.I had no idea the theaters still play movies on a 2K Projector (thinking all of them have been replaced by BARCO 4K Projectors). You are doing an excellent job with your channel that has opened up my knowledge base to many folds. Keep up the great work!
Sir l expect Mackenna's gold movie blue ray/4k disc , which type is superior in showing details of the desert?
It was shot on 65mm so it should be just about perfect when transposed down to these fabulous little 4K discs. It won't be 70mm but to get close to 35mm quality on our tiny home screens was unimaginable until these discs started appearing with such great transfers.
John.
The Le Mans 66 movie was released in Australia as Ford Vs Ferrari. I thought the front jacket photo looked familiar as I bought it on DVD. Great movie because I am a big fan of the Ford Mustang cars. I hope they release Bullet (1968) on 4K disc soon. I must admit that the price of the 4K Bluray discs is expensive in the UK. I bought two 4K movies for $20.00 on sale. Some movies on Bluray are as low as five to six dollars.
Funny it had the US pseudonym in Oz because I'd have though Le Mans '66 would have been more relevant given our shared history. Quite a surprise. Great quality disc and interestingly I watched it again here in our new home cinema and there was evident film grain so I need to re-check my facts on that one as I read that it had been shot entirely on video. Could explain why it looks as good as it does.
John.
Spartacus is magnificent in 4k, and totally agree with you on the standard bluray version of Zulu - it looks absolutely beautiful, always a favourite film of mine.
Zulu has been one of my favourites since I was about seven years old and my father took me to see it at the cinema. I actually have a 'Scope IB Tech 16mm print but I have to admit that the Blu-ray looks much better. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks for the reply John. Your reviews are great. I'm an Aussie classic film collector. The restoration work on Lawrence of Arabia and Cleopatra are phenomenal. Those two films on the current standard blurays are virtually 4k quality. Cheers, James.
@@James.Fife05 Thank you James. Both Cleopatra and Lawrence of Arabia were shot 65mm for 70mm release so that should mean they are better on Blu-ray than most 4K releases, many of which are low quality video upscaled to 4K these days. Zulu was Super Technirama 70 just like Spartacus and although that large format film frame isn't quite as big as the 65mm frame, the 1.5X squeeze meant it just about matched the 65mm frame perfectly (2.20:1) and was therefore released in 70mm. Hence the '70' label that went with Technirama. All the best 4K and Blu-ray releases so far were shot on large format film.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks for the explanation John. Now I know why a Certain percentage of the modern 4k releases leave a lot to be desired in terms of picture quality. And here in Australia they're always $10-$15 more expensive than the standard blurays. I now understand why most of the classic movies made in the wide-screen formats of the 50s and 60s (Ultra Panavision, Super Technirama, VistaVision, MGM 65, etc.) come up really well after restoration.
@@James.Fife05 That is exactly it. But don't discount many of the movies shot on 35mm which can almost get up there with the best of them. Quite a few titles such as The Shining, Jaws, Apocalypse Now and a few other classics have astounded people with how good they look. There is much work that goes into producing a 35mm general release print but I lived in the centre of London and mainly saw master prints and 70mm blow-ups from the original 35mm camera negative and that is why I'm so cheesed off by the comparably low image quality we get at cinemas now considered to what the premiere houses were showing us until the latter part of the 1990's. Not all prints could be struck from the original negative otherwise all the original negatives would have been worn out and that is largely why a whole process was gone through which meant general release prints were three generations further down. Movies shot on 35mm today don't tend to look as good as older productions because the negative is scanned into a computer and the final release prints struck from the video master which is usually only 2K. The recent 70mm release of Death on the Nile was struck from the 4K master and that's why it didn't look quite as good as it should.
John.
Every time your red curtains open I hear the opening scene from The Robe with that great Alfred Newman music and Richard Burton talking about Rome.
Do you know, I'd not thought of that but you're right. The introduction of CinemaScope.
John.
Great video! I will have to seek out Spartacus on 4K, and thank you for the recommendation about Zulu. I have not seen Zulu yet.
Apparently there's an even better Blu-ray of Zulu out there than the Paramount copy I have. If the other version looks even better you'll be in for a treat there. One of my top ten movies of all time probably but it was one of the first films I was taken to the cinema to see so I'm probably a little biased towards it.
John.
this is one of my favourite movies and would love to see projected one day in its original version
I never saw the original version in a cinema either Andrew but this 1990 re-release version is very, very good.
John.
Could you review Gladiator on 4K please? Was surprised to see you had never reviewed it and I value your opinion!
I've only ever seen that film on film Zippee so I can't really guide you there (a friend has a 35mm print). It was a 35mm shoot but on modern fine grain stock so it should look very good on 4K but not one of the best you'll see. Spartacus was the 1.5x squeezed version of VistaVision that was dubbed 'Technirama' so it will be markedly superior quality to Gladiator. That's the basic premise really, the bigger the film format the better a resultant home video release should look. Gladiator did also have some lower quality computer effects shots so they possibly don't look as good as the rest of the film either but the same can be said for films like Spartacus where optical and blue screen work was done.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 thanks John really appreciate your comprehensive response!
I wonder if other epic films from this era, like Quo Vadis, will be granted the remaster treatment someday?
I expect bigger, better known Technicolor epics will such as Ben-Hur but Quo Vadis may be a little obscure nowadays.
John.
Looks like my reply may not have come through Boss so I've put this blurb in just in case it manages to get sent this time. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Messages since received, thanks, John. As a fan of cinema at large, I think it's a shame that prestige films such as those are not restored. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but they are filmic achievements, even if the narrative or acting styles may be more antiquated by modern tastes.
@@tyo101 Cleopatra will surely be one of the most likely epics Boss but even that may struggle as it may not have a big enough market today. The film industry is a business and for any film to go through an expensive restoration of any kind it has to be financially justifiable. In other words, the re-release has got to sell and bring a profit in otherwise future restorations will be brought into question. Spartacus and The Ten Commandments seem to have done rather well so there's hope for more of the old epics to be done too as a result. Surely Ben-Hur has got to be at the top of that list. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Valid points. It is show *business after all, as you highlighted, but the art fan in me wishes they would take a chance on some more classics being restored.
Ben-Hur would be at the top of my wish list for a 4K disc release, a truly epic film, with cinematic vistas that have been rarely, if ever, equalled in terms of physical sets and production values.
Alan partridge loves this film and finishes his viewing with corn beef hash
Sounds like a plan. I'll put it on the menu next time I run the 4K disc!
Pretty sure call of the wild is available in 4k...it is definitely in 4k on Disney+
Agree with you on Le Man's 66, my fav new film of 2020 although I didn't see many sure it still would've been high up in many a good year.
Call of the Wild didn't get a 4k release in the UK for some reason, I imported it from a USA ebay seller for a decent price.
Greetings Tom and Nick. I wonder if it actually got to cinemas in the UK, I'll have to take a look. But it's possible that it was a complete failure due to the impending crisis with Covid-19 at that time. I certainly wouldn't have risked sitting in a cinema then... or now for that matter. Whatever the reason for the lack of a 4K release, the Blu-ray is so good I can't imagine there is much perceptible difference so over to you on that one Nick - comparison please!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Hi John, I've only visited the cinema once since last March to watch Tenet in IMAX, I think its a real shame that the cinemas have mostly shut due to covid-19, I hope peoples preferences don't change long term to streaming as I much prefer watching a film for the first time on a large cinema screen. I think it would be a huge shame if they mostly shut down permanently.
I checked the US blu-ray disk for the region codes and it is not US region locked so I should be able to compare the two, looking at the back it seems the differences are HDR and an Atmos soundtrack on the UHD blu-ray, and DTS-HDMA 7.1 on the blu-ray. I'll give them a watch and see if I can notice any difference :)
@@nick1635 I only visit a cinema now when I'm in London as there aren't any local ones here in Cornwall and the nearest ones in Plymouth aren't exactly inspiring. There is a new one about to open once we're through the worst of the virus and that is claiming to be an IMAX which it isn't. I see the Odeon Manchester is actually a genuine IMAX so which IMAX did you see 'Tenet' in? I thought there were only three (Bradford, London Waterloo and London Science Museum) so it's good to know there is at least a fourth in Manchester. I saw 'Interstellar' in the Waterloo in 70mm IMAX on the 90ft wide screen and that was a cinematic event never to be forgotten. Saw 'Gravity' there the previous year in 2K 3D and that was a crap experience but I loved the film. 'Gravity' is much better at home on the 2D Blu-ray.
I'll be interested to know what you think of 'Call of the Wild' between Blu-ray and 4K because I think the Blu-ray is one of the best so far.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Hi John, I saw Tenet at the IMAX Odeon Milton Keynes, I didn't realise there were different types of IMAX cinema, I thought only the screen sizes were different, I wasn't aware that there was IMAX Digital branded the same as genuine IMAX, I've learn't something new! I agree about Gravity, I saw it at the cinema in 3D and much prefer it in 2D, I'm looking forward to the upcoming 4K version in April.
I had some time to look at the Call of the Wild blu-ray and 4K, the biggest and very noticeable difference that I saw immediately was the wider colour range and the much brighter snow, I haven't done a side by side comparison before and it was surprising how "flat" the 1080p version was compared to the much more colourful 4K. I also noticed some more detail in the 4K version, one example is chapter 2, where one of the actors is wearing a dressing gown with a detailed pattern, on the 4K you can see more detail in the pattern, and on the wallpaper in the background. I thought the CGI dog looked about the same in both versions, but the colour between the two was quite a big difference.
Call of the Wild is in 4K in the US
And I hear the picture quality on the US 4K disc is even better than the Blu-ray. Such a shame the film did not get a chance in the UK owing to the damned worldwide lurgi.
John.
i own the 4k copy , but i noticed some blurriness in some scenes, dolby vision .
I expect those are the scenes I mentioned fmulder1989. Out of focus shots are to be expected in films of the era but the photographic effects shots also had some fuzziness to them on occasion owing to already shooting the live action in Technirama meaning a bigger gauge film wasn't really an option.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 scenes in the senate for example with charles laughton are somehow fuzzy
@@fmulder1989 Could be they were shot slightly out of focus or you are noticing increased film grain due to low light levels. Other than that, ensure you have all digital processing turned off on your projector or television, particularly if there is a 'sharpness' option which is only there to bugger up the image quality!
Received Spartacus today, tomorrow’s watch. Also found used copy of Zulu for $5!
Two great films Gary. Both were shot in the Super Technirama 70 process which is VistaVision with a 1.5x anamorphic squeeze lens. The '70' in the name is used because the resultant frame ratio fits a 70mm frame and so release prints were optically unsqueezed for 70mm prints. I saw the 1991 Spartacus 70mm re-release and it was just about perfect.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 When you have a chance hop on over to Blu-ray.com and check out my unique home theater. My user name is Okiephile. Tell me what you think.
@@moviecollector5920 watched Zulu today great movie and the Blu-ray was exceptional. The audio in stereo only was a disappointment, kinda like a movie in b/w.
@@garyharper2943 I expect they'll come up with an original 70mm six track one day but that will have to be re-worked for modern decoders as 70mm magnetic was five channels at the front, one at the rear and nothing will reproduce that at home.
@@moviecollector5920 The Spartacus soundtrack was great, so I guess there is a lot they can do. Spoiled with multichannel sound. Zulu sounded like old tv sound 2channel no dynamics even the upmixer didn’t help. Oh well the picture quality made up for it.
Yes I think Zulu was reshone in Cinerama later
I wonder if that re-release of Zulu might have been D:150 Philip. It's pretty much the same as single hole Cinerama though so not much in it. John.
Yes I think so as well
Hi John,been catching up with your older videos.I wish that picture of Heather wasn’t behind you,it’s far too distracting.
Right now she's in a box with a lot of the other framed front of house sets. I have put the set of eight Alien images up though and currently wondering where to stick the original Star Wars set. I'll get there Philoe.
John.
Finally someone else that actually likes Call of the wild! Got Zulu and Spartacus on blu ray, will have to get 4k of Spartacus, although it's probably my least favourite Kubrick, The Shining being the best.
'Call of the Wild' is fabulous, I just don't think many people have seen it yet so we'll have to try to spread the word. I'm not the biggest fan of 'The Shining' but Kubrick did create another masterpiece by the name of '2001 A Space Odyssey'... even if no one actually knows what the hell it's about!
John.
Perché non inserire i sottotitoli anche in lingua italiana
Because I don't speak Italian. And even if I did I would then have another several hours spent on RUclips videos.
HMV has a Spartacus 4k steel book with Japanese writing and poster selling for £9.99 with any other purchase. Bargain. In the Milton Keynes store at least. ⚔️
Now that certainly is a bargain. I was in the Bath HMV on Friday and didn't spot it. I wonder if they're selling them off on their web store... nope - just looked and it's £19.99 so if anyone wants to head in Milton Keynes you'd better get there quickly! Here's the link to this steelbook on the HMV web site for the full price: hmv.com/store/film-tv/4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray/spartacus-(hmv-exclusive)-japanese-artwork-series
Who is the woman over your right shoulder?
That's the young lady who plays Heather in Highlander (Beattie Edney I think) in a publicity shot, front of house/lobby card from her role in Highlander. Another of my favourite films.
John.
It’s called Ford v Ferrari in the US lol
Yes. That title was what I was expecting but Le Mans has much more significance here than it does in the USA so I suppose it was considered a more suitable title. John.
sorry but i disagree with your 20K comment. I hope you were joking or exaggerating because even a Technirama frame doesn't come near 20k resolution. Which is about 200 megapixels. Largest resolution film is IMAX and even that hardly reaches 12k resolution or 40-50 megapixels. I've done still film photography and scanned negatives myself. I've scanned 120 and even higher such as 4x5 sheet film and 8x10. I'll tell you unless they used some magical film stock you are barely going to get a 200 megapixel image on 4x5 sheet and film and only if you are lucky and thats using something like velvia 50 stock. 4x5 being over 3 times the size of IMAX. 8x10 Theoretically can give you 800 megapixels but not in practice because of diffraction and focus issues you are only going to getting marginally sharper images than 4x5. Technirama is the same size as a still photograph 35mm film and theres no point in scanning film anymore than 3000 dpi. at that rate it should give you about 12-18 megapixels per frame of resolvable detail. Not even fully 6K. Ideally they should have scanned in 8k because higher is always better than lower but even that could be considered overkill. Anything higher would be a waste of data space.
A bit tongue-in-cheek. But I was told when all this started way back that uncompressed 35mm film was 40mb per frame when scanned and negative 35mm was over double that. Really I was just making the point of the superiority of film which I expect we both agree on.
Do the new movie Is IT
Greetings Marko. Is 'IT' a new horror film? I don't think I've heard of this one yet. I am planning to do the 4K of 'Alien' in a couple of weeks which I'll compare directly to a 35mm print. Next review I'm currently working on is 'Tenet'.
John.
Look what movie is the ring is rated R