DVDBeaver
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: DVDBeaver
What happens when the new Blu-ray you're reviewing somehow looks worse than the nearly fifteen-year-old non-anamorphic DVD? Well, you make this rather tortured argument:
In what is certainly a rare occurrence for DVDBeaver, I'm going to say that the image quality here is beside the point, for even if certain moments looked crisper on the DVD, they now have an almost ethereal, shot-on-video-and-projected glow. The film utilizes a mixture of media (Video, 16mm, Super-8 in either black & white or color) in its presentation, and I believe that this is a realistic presentation of Jarman's original intentions although it shows less information in the frame than the DVD (notably the right edge) and the BD visuals can look horizontally stretched. For those looking for a crisp glossy image - well, this film was never meant to look that way. The expansion to 1080P does create artifacts and some edge-enhancement. We would like to compare this to the BFI Blu-ray one day.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: DVDBeaver
"It's worse, but for once, we don't care because worse might actually be more faithful, despite the 15yo DVD obviously showing details are available on whatever original elements were used then".
Joke aside, I do wonder what happened here. The BD looks like a mis-aligned 3-strip Technicolor movie, despite having been marketed as a "NEW 2K REMASTER OVERSEEN BY PRODUCER JAMES MACKAY".
However, I checked my BFI Jarman Vol. 2 set and The Garden is (with Glitterbug) the only movie not to have any technical details in the included book, and the movie definitely looks equivalent to those Zeitgeist Beaver caps.
Note also that Gary is wrongly attributing the disc to Kino.
Joke aside, I do wonder what happened here. The BD looks like a mis-aligned 3-strip Technicolor movie, despite having been marketed as a "NEW 2K REMASTER OVERSEEN BY PRODUCER JAMES MACKAY".
However, I checked my BFI Jarman Vol. 2 set and The Garden is (with Glitterbug) the only movie not to have any technical details in the included book, and the movie definitely looks equivalent to those Zeitgeist Beaver caps.
Note also that Gary is wrongly attributing the disc to Kino.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: DVDBeaver
What on earth went wrong here!
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
- jsteffe
- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:00 am
- Location: Atlanta, GA
Re: DVDBeaver
I arranged for a 35mm print screening in Atlanta a while back, and the film had an inherently inconsistent quality because of the mix of smaller formats and SD video footage. There were also lots of effects with some kind of rear screen projection combining video and film, with *very* apparent seams around the actors and the scenes behind them. You can see examples of that in Gary's screencaps. The old DVD version looks "cleaner" and the color is punched up, but I find the new Blu-ray more faithful to what I saw on the big screen. Gary is right in this case about the superiority of the Blu-ray, for the reasons he states.
- RitrovataBlue
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:02 pm
Re: DVDBeaver
I can’t speak for the DVD, but the film is a mix of SD video and 8mm film, not high res formats by any stretch of the imagination. I like the misaligned Technicolor comparison - that’s a fairly accurate descriptor for the film’s aesthetic. It’s the closest Jarman came to a Guy Maddin film.
- John Cope
- Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2005 5:40 pm
- Location: where the simulacrum is true
Re: DVDBeaver
It's funny that this comes up now as there's a whole discussion about it as part of the box set over on Amazon back in March.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: DVDBeaver
Here you go. Thanks for that.John Cope wrote:It's funny that this comes up now as there's a whole discussion about it as part of the box set over on Amazon back in March.
-
- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:48 am
Re: DVDBeaver
The Amazon link has a more plausible explanation of the color fringing, apparently from the BFI. The color fringing is not present in the DVD, and it's not the increase in resolution in the BD that's made it visible. The BFI note does beg the question of why the 35mm print is considered the reference element when higher-resolution materials are available.
For the BFI's new Blu-ray release we worked closely alongside The Garden's producer to create a new 2K master using that original 35mm master negative, which had been used to create the original 35mm distribution prints (approved by Jarman). Older home ent releases of the film were mastered directly from the video tape that was used to create the 35mm negative and do exhibit better definition, however they don't represent the film as it would have looked in cinemas in 1990.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: DVDBeaver
Is it not possible that the folks who made the original 35mm master screwed up?
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: DVDBeaver
From what I read here, it seems to me the movie was supposed to look low-rezzed in post production, hence choosing for reference a print who got through this process.
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: DVDBeaver
Question: Does Tooze hang onto all the discs he reviews? Would it be some kind of breach of whatever form of journalistic ethics apply to him to sell some of them off?
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: DVDBeaver
I'm sorry but the mental picture of Gary shivering while huddled under a blanket because the dude decided to buy movies instead of paying the heating bill is hilarious. Funny though, I didn't think begging for a handout was part of the bootstrap messaging of his beloved Republicans
mfunk: He says in the linked plea above that he does sell some of the discs
mfunk: He says in the linked plea above that he does sell some of the discs
- cdnchris
- Site Admin
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:45 pm
- Location: Washington
- Contact:
Re: DVDBeaver
He sells them openly on Facebook. I'm actually not sure about the ethics behind selling them. I usually box ones that I will never watch again.
*cough*Microwave Massacre*cough"
*cough*Microwave Massacre*cough"
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
- FrauBlucher
- Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
- Location: Greenwich Village
Re: DVDBeaver
That sounds toxic
-
- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: DVDBeaver
All of a sudden, I feel so sane and sensible with my money.
-
- Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2016 11:30 am
Re: DVDBeaver
His business plan is to pre-order everything at either full or near-full price?
-
- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am
Re: DVDBeaver
That explains all the nudie algorithims...even random shots of mothers bathing their offspring get uploaded.
- mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
Re: DVDBeaver
Sorry, I didn't click because I'm at work and (I wish I were making this up) the site is blocked for porn. Guessing it was quickly swept for nudity and they found a ton, coupled with the name of the site which is still a bizarre one to medomino harvey wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:56 pmI'm sorry but the mental picture of Gary shivering while huddled under a blanket because the dude decided to buy movies instead of paying the heating bill is hilarious. Funny though, I didn't think begging for a handout was part of the bootstrap messaging of his beloved Republicans
mfunk: He says in the linked plea above that he does sell some of the discs
-
- Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:50 pm
Re: DVDBeaver
This is so insane to me. I’ve only know of him for as long as I’ve been a member here, but I assumed he was some old internet fixture who still got press releases, like Harry Knowles. He’s just pouring his own money into this, for 20 years? Why?CantelopeSkiz wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 6:22 pmHis business plan is to pre-order everything at either full or near-full price?
- cdnchris
- Site Admin
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:45 pm
- Location: Washington
- Contact:
Re: DVDBeaver
He gets press releases from a lot of labels I believe but certain ones don't send them (he lists Shout!, Network, Warner Archive for examples), and part of it could be because he's located in Canada, though I'm not entirely sure.MongooseCmr wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:00 pm
This is so insane to me. I’ve only know of him for as long as I’ve been a member here, but I assumed he was some old internet fixture who still got press releases, like Harry Knowles. He’s just pouring his own money into this, for 20 years? Why?
- Finch
- Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
- Location: Edinburgh, UK
Re: DVDBeaver
What else is there other than caps a holic? I'm not giving Blu-Ray.com my traffic with the morons they masquerade as reviewers on there.