The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – The Archive Conversation

[trench]

Originally Posted by Stephen@Cult Labs

.....we won't be seeing Bird released in anything but Storaro's impossed ratio for a while.

That sends a shiver down my spine, it really does. I feel sorry for anyone that doesn't own the Blue Underground release. I feel equally sorry for Arrow. It really is insanity that you don't know what state the materials are in before you buy them (not specifically Arrow, just in general). Why is that? Is there a good reason for this?

[Der Spieler]

Surely you can ask for details about what you are buying. This sounds ridiculous.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Der Spieler

Surely you can ask for details about what you are buying. This sounds ridiculous.

Ridiculous? Undoubtedly. However, that's the way the industry works as those who spend time and money on an HD master probably don't want to show their goods to everyone until the money is in their hand.

[Der Spieler]

I'm not talking about showing the actual movie to a crowd of people. I'm talking about technical questions like "what's the aspect ratio?" and so forth. I just can't believe anybody would say "Ah! You'll see when you buy! Surprise!"

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Welcome to the murky world of distributing horror films. If you thought buying the discs was hard enough in order to find the one with the right (as you see it) colour balance, level of DNR/edge enhancement, imagine buying the rights and gathering extra features so, when you do make and sell the discs, you actually turn a profit!

Most people will have a different opinion about which Blu-ray of a given title, say Inferno, best represents the director's intention and you don't know what your opinion will be until you put the disc in your Blu-ray player.

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by Der Spieler

Have you seen the film theatrically? Do you have any evidence that the Arrow color scheme is the right one, aside from having seen it before the BU?

From the screencaps at DVDBeaver, I think the BU looks superior; contrast is better, detail is improved (look at those close-ups!) and the colors look far more accurate.

Well, for a start, the Arrow colour scheme on the basis of screencaps, is closer to Camera Obscura and Wild Side. I very much doubt all three can be wrong. Plus some of the colours are curious- lime green on black replacing light blue against a golden wall when Mark escapes the chamber does not seem right.

The close-ups are impressive on BU - I suspect largely because the brightness has been turned down. But if you think DNR is absent from BU - I think you'll be disappointed; it's not that grainy.

But anyway, we're getting off point - my point is this. If it was actually confirmed that the BU colours were wrong, could you envisage BU doing a replacement program like Arrow did for the Beyond. Reflect on that.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Okay, I think that's enough Inferno for this thread and there are couple of designated threads each you want to talk about it further, so can we please get back on topic and talk about The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (if there is much more to say!).

[springjack]

Originally Posted by Almar@Cult Labs

I don't know why it wasn't available but Arrow do try every avenue. You don't get to see materials before you buy a film - weird but generally true - so you can end up then having to search yourself for better materials but at some point, when you've exhausted options available to you, you go with the best you can.

Originally Posted by Almar@Cult Labs

I'm afraid you don't have a choice when buying a film - you usually don't see materials first.

I believe someone in the past posts said that this version was the same as the French version that is available from some months now...

The French version was backlashed since day 1.

[zombeaner]

Originally Posted by skyofcrack

BTW, Diabolik will have more copies of the BU BD later this week for those that missed out.

I hope I can get to it quickly, I don't want to miss it again!

[Djangooo]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Welcome to the murky world of distributing horror films. If you thought buying the discs was hard enough in order to find the one with the right (as you see it) colour balance, level of DNR/edge enhancement, imagine buying the rights and gathering extra features so, when you do make and sell the discs, you actually turn a profit!

Knowing how the Italian popular film industry worked (actors not being paid when they were told they would, calling certain films sequels when they weren't etc) this doesn't surprise me at all.