The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – Technically Speaking
 

I'm leaving this one closed for the time being and will open it when the discs are released and you can see the picture quality, aspect ratio, framing and comment on the soundtrack is properly.

As it seems the discussion about the aspect ratio (which no one has yet seen) won't die down, I'm opening this earlier than I intended to so other threads in this section can be left on the intended subject.

Re-framing
 

I've now received a review copy of the disc and having skimmed through the film quickly, I have to say that the Storaro re-framing is disappointing - it often seems like he's just hacked off a certain amount of the left of the frame throughout the entire movie (without any regard for original compositions). But that's not all, I presume that he's also overseen new colour timing for the film during the remastering process, and it's now a much colder looking film with very pale skin tones. And if that's not enough, the shots representing a camera view finder are now in black and white (and, naturally, are completely missing the viewfinder crop marks on the left of the image).

I have done a grab from the Arrow Blu-ray that can be used to compare with one of the Blue Underground grabs found on DVD Beaver, but don't seem to have done enough posts to upload it anywhere and link to it here. So if anybody want to do it themselves, drop me a PM with your email address and I'll get it over to you ASAP.

:(

Blu-ray comparison
 

Just tried posting the pictures. That didn't work at all. Anybody willing to get in touch about hosting and posting the comparison pictures themselves?

That sounds even worse than I imagined. The more I hear of this the more I can't believe Arrow are going through with it. I guess since review copies seem to be filtering out, I can look forward to seeing some comparisons, but it's not looking good, is it?

I think we all pretty much knew that attitudes towards Storaro's reframing and tinkering with the film would be negative. Whatever possessed the man to do this to one of Argento's films? Unforgivable.

I really do feel sorry for Arrow in this situation as there was clearly nothing that the label could do - from past experience with Apocalypse Now and The Last Emperor, it seems that what Storaro wants Storaro gets on DVD/BD. I'd just love to know what Argento himself thinks about the new Univisium framing of the film. Maybe in a decade he'll pull a Coppola/Apocalypse Now and we'll finally get to own the film has it was originally meant to be presented.

Let's look at it this way: we get a different version of that movie. Arrow will certainly have specific reasons for releasing this edition. Of course, it sounds stupid to convert a 2.35:1 aspect ratio into a 2.00:1. But although Mr Storaro seems to be a bit stubborn, I could not imagine him or anyone giving an OK to an aspect ratio that would destroy the movie's original style. Right, Univisium is his pet, but as he was the director of photography and as Argento isn't going to take legal measures concerning this release it shouldn't be that bad.

Just my two cents - now start out to stone me. :lol:

Blu-ray Comparison
 

Okay, I've posted a comparison in a story over on the Home Cinema Choice website if anybody cares to have a look.