Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Doctor Zivago /Sound of Music newer prints

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Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 10-16-2007, 06:47 PM:

Hi !
Did any of You get near the latest generation Doctor Zivago and Sound of Music prints ?
Were they as nice to look at as the original ones ? -Were digital soundtracks good ?

In advance tanks

Per

Posted by Richard P. May (Member # 3598) on 10-17-2007, 09:53 AM:

The restoration work on DOCTOR ZHIVAGO was done by Turner Entertainment Co. in 1995. The sound was remixed for Dolby A and DTS. It was done at the Warner Hollywood Studio. I can't say how it compared with 30 years earlier, but it is, to me, very good.
The original photography was 35mm scope, with many blowup prints to 70mm with 6-track mag. sound. Again, it is hard to compare, as there are no original prints to match. Since they were all Eastman Color, they would be badly faded, anyway.
I supervised the restoration while at Turner. Pre-print lab work was done at the now closed Crest National, and release prints by DeLuxe.

RPM

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 10-17-2007, 12:38 PM:

Thanks, Richard

My reason for asking was that the first Dolby A reissue prints of SoM didn't exactly sound good, compared with neither 35mag nor 70 (have not been running Sound of Music since 1990, så I don't now the newer ones). Zivago sound was just splendid on both original formats, but did not do well at box-office last time around, so local UIP branch junked an almost unused 70mm print - so sad !
Hoping for a reissue later, -and Your words did not stop the hope [Smile]

Per

Posted by Paul H. Rayton (Member # 1817) on 10-19-2007, 03:08 PM:

Hi, Per -
The newest 70mm print of "The Sound of Music" is available from Fox, it is now about 4 (?) years old, was made with a DTS soundtrack, and sounds wonderful. The DTS sound is recorded in DTS' "special venue" format, which means that, assuming proper playback setup, it captures exactly the complete, original 5-across-the-screen Todd-AO speaker array, plus mono surrounds, and the marvelous original audio mix.

The new 70mm print has shown a few times already in Europe at certain 70mm festivals; for many more details contact your countryman, Thomas Hauerslev, who runs the "in70mm.com" website.

[URL=http://www.in70mm.com]web site

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 10-19-2007, 04:41 PM:

The new 70mm SOUND OF MUSIC print which I saw two years ago had a very nice DTS mix, quite impressive when compared with original R&H 70mm mag sound print of SOUTH PACIFIC shown at the same theatre.

BUT something really went wrong with the picture - no trace of Todd-AO, looked more like OK Super-35 with a very soft image and bad shadow detail. The difference between SOM in 70mm and the other new Fox Todd-AO prints (THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY and CLEOPATRA) is like Super 16 compared to 35mm anamorphic.

Of course there might be different prints with variations in image quality, so I'm just speaking for what I saw.

Posted by Thomas Hauerslev (Member # 566) on 10-20-2007, 01:15 PM:

Hi Christian, I think you have had too much good German Hoepfner when you saw SOM in Todd-AO ;-)

And for Per, SOM (in sub standard 35mm), was shown in Århus in 2005 in Dolby Digital.

http://biografmuseet.dk/historier/2005/sound/music.htm

DTS Special Venue requirements: http://www.in70mm.com/news/2007/dts_70mm/index.htm

Posted by Christian Appelt (Member # 1067) on 10-21-2007, 06:07 PM:

Hi Thomas,

didn't touch the Hoepfner, just a few cups of strong Schauburg coffee! [Smile]

- Maybe Super-35 is a bit harsh, but compared to the razor-sharp new Fox 70mm prints of PATTON, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY and CLEOPATRA (the year after), SOUND OF MUSIC looked more like 35mm anamorphic.
Maybe we can get a vintage S.O.M. print in 70mm for next years Todd-AO festival so you can enjoy the wonderful experience of hearing Julie Andrews' singing dubbed in German... [Big Grin]

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 10-23-2007, 09:54 AM:

Thanks, Guys

Yep, Thomas. I am avare of the Aarhus running, and I was sure, it could get around me too by that ocasion, -but the print was very buzy, obviously. -It had to go back to London at once...

Of course it is a question of memory, but I think, that SOM has always been just a little bit softed. Both "Patton" (35) and "Agony & Extasy" (70) were some of the most sharp pictures ever, as Christian tells. I have never touched Cleopatra, neither 35 nor 70mm.
Didn't You see the Michelangelo when I ran it in 3F, Thomas ?
If You didn't, that does not make You any speciel. -The rest of Copenhagen did not, either.... [Frown]

Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 10-23-2007, 02:52 PM:

Another problem is that there seemed to be substantial negative fade on SOUND OF MUSIC, and the timing on the final 70mm print seemed off.

AGONY AND THE ECSTASY, on the other hand, looks (and sounds) incredible.

Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 10-23-2007, 03:08 PM:

In addition to the inevitable negative fade on SOM, seems to me I heard that there was a major lab scratch in the OCN resulting from all the road show contact prints they made, which Fox solved by using some earlier second or third generation elements. If true that could have a bit to do with the sharpness of the new prints.