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Comments
In the cinema I thought it was mostly blue, but closer to the 4K.
Funny thing about the title sequence colors. I remember the 2006 UE DVD of LALD being over saturated in red to the point the images bled. Same with the gunbarrel blood. Thankfully that was corrected on the BD.
It does make me curious of how the overall look in the widescreen FOX/CBS LD looks. I may have to snag it someday just for comparison sake.
While I have a 4K TV, they don't strike me as such an obvious upgrade from the Blu-Rays, curious to see what you guys think!
So, about the 4K... HOLY CRAP, this is a seriously grainy looking film to the point I kind of found it distracting at times, and this is mainly during the ten minutes after the titles like in the interrogation room with Sanchez, Killifer and the other Agent Johnson (no relation), Felix's office, Sanchez hiding in Krest's lab. I haven't watched the whole film yet, but I imagine it's in later scenes set at night, the cocaine lab, etc. There's a considerable amount of flickering going on that can't be conveyed in a still image. I suspect Lowry did what they could to smooth the rough edges with a considerable amount of DNR work for the blu-ray, but MGM's 4K remaster seems to have left the grain alone or at least gave it the minimum amount of attention because it's kind of all over the place. Sometimes the same shot will have flickering, then stop and look more stabilized, then flicker again. Because this film was shot primarily in Mexico, they used their local film stocks (credited Kodak Mexicana) which accounts for why LTK never looked as rich as TLD even though they both have the same DP Alec Mills. I suppose the grittier look fits the darker tone of this film. Wish I had the proper equipment to upload a sample of the footage in true 4K to really show you how it looks. Meanwhile, here's the caps.
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
1994 MGM LD
1999 MGM SE DVD
2009 FOX BD
2017 iTunes 4K
The only scenes in the cinema that evoked the old style Bond glamour were the casino sequences. Talisa's red dress really popped as did Carey's purple. The red filtered shot of Diana Lee Hsu in the titles was a very deep red in tone. Same with the gunbarrel blood.
From those caps, it seems like the color timing is reasonably consistent, though.
I remembered that review, forgot of that comment about the dirtiness brought up. Makes sense.
Good point. Unlike all the previous films, I initially had a hard time selecting screencaps for this one because I wasn't seeing as much of the usual Bond glamour when I actually tried looking for it all across. It's not a movie to pick for visually arresting vistas aside from brief moments like Bond taking a look around Sanchez's home, and even then that home is mostly bathed in pastels. It's a movie that pushes viewers more into the grime than Bond films ever did prior. By the end of the movie, I almost feel like Dalton after surviving the last explosion: weary. I suppose that's the intention, and John Glen had been wanting to make a harder Bond movie since FYEO and because Dalton was game for a grittier take they almost went a bit too extreme in 1989.
Back in the '80's and '90's the Atlanta cable station TBS used to play old Cannon Chuck Norris, and Charles Bronson films. They always looked grainy and faded. I remember having a conversation with a friend discussing how LTK in the cinema actually looked like a grainy Charles Bronson movie as broadcast on TBS. Pretty accurate comparison.
I love that about LTK.
In my dream Bond 17, Jan de Bont would've been the cinematographer.
I'm sticking with the blu-rays after being unimpressed with CR and QoS on 4K, the two titles that mattered the most, but holy hell did SF look fantastic. I mean, the blu-ray was already great, but it somehow popped even more and was simply stunning. I'll definitely pick up a standalone version of that on 4K if it ever arrives.
Even the ones on download from Amazon, I've been impressed with. I know there
are many more expert in this medium than Me, But even Kingsman 1 & 2 look
great.
The quality always varies. Some 4Ks are actually not as good in many ways compared to their blu-ray counterparts whereas others are huge improvements.
Funny you mention Kingsman: The Golden Circle, as I think that was one of the best looking titles I've ever seen on the format.
for well under £20. To see if it was worth buying the Craig collection
Like I said, every disc will end up different, so it's tough to judge other films based on particular ones you've seen. Give blu-ray.com a chance, they almost always review the newest 4K titles and go really in depth with the picture quality, audio quality, etc. It's typically a great indicator of how a new product fares.
movies. It would only be Bond and a few favourites that I'd splash the cash on.
Recently I've even been buying up DVDs of older series that I loved but can't seem
to find. Like HUSTLE, SPOOKS, Banacek, The Rockfor files and Millinneum
Given tech history, as soon as you've built up a 4k collection, You'll have to start a new 8k one
Widescreen VHS !
Right? "There's no way it'll ever get better than this!"
It’s a pity, because CR and QOS would have looked great if EON had spent a little more money on mastering them at 4K when they were in post-production. Instead they’ll forever be stuck where they are. It’s all in hindsight I suppose.
SPECTRE I didn't bother with.
I'll let you know when I've watched them around Christmas what I thought. I'm planning to watch CR & QOS before my Bridge Water Hall screening of SF in Concert on 29/12/19.
Let me know if you need screencaps from any of the other UE DVD's @MakeshiftPython!
Thanks! If you could do screencaps of OHMSS that would do great!
Here's a link so you know which ones specifically: https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/comment/1030193/#Comment_1030193
The gunbarrel blood in the cinema for GE was darker than the other Brosnan's. More maroon than red. All home video versions I've seen from VHS to Blu-ray have brightened the blood considerably. I wonder if the 4K restores the original film version?