This is a good opportunity to plug Steve's wonderful newsletter Element X Cinema.The Narrator Returns wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:06 pmFor the other side of this story, film writer/programmer Steve MacFarlane posted and deleted a tweet yesterday very strongly suggesting that he'd be getting an interview with Christopher Doyle about his falling-out with WKW and how WKW had possibly "sabotaged" the new restorations.
World of Wong Kar Wai
- Grand Wazoo
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
- hearthesilence
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- Location: NYC
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
YIKES.The Narrator Returns wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:06 pmFor the other side of this story, film writer/programmer Steve MacFarlane posted and deleted a tweet yesterday very strongly suggesting that he'd be getting an interview with Christopher Doyle about his falling-out with WKW and how WKW had possibly "sabotaged" the new restorations.
Didn't Doyle already give an eye-popping bridge-burning interview not too long ago?
- deathbird
- Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2021 12:19 am
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Is it my imagination or is this thing perfumed? It smells like a "Pier 1 Imports" in a college town circa 1976 (firsthand experience, sorry).
Also, why on earth is there printing on the inside of the booklet folds? What kind of perverse, indulgent pranksterism is that? No wonder they call this a "French Fold" -- need a goddamned Guillotine to access the innards
Also, why on earth is there printing on the inside of the booklet folds? What kind of perverse, indulgent pranksterism is that? No wonder they call this a "French Fold" -- need a goddamned Guillotine to access the innards
- The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
It'd have to be very recent given that he did an interview last year where he said he and Wong had been talking about doing something together, which I'm not exactly holding my breath for. Not that the bridge couldn't have been rebuilt and then burnt again.hearthesilence wrote: ↑Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:43 pmDidn't Doyle already give an eye-popping bridge-burning interview not too long ago?
- schellenbergk
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:03 pm
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
As I mentioned in the other thread we're wrapping up "Fellini Fridays" so I will be instituting WKW Wednesdays!!! (Hey you gotta do SOMETHING in these Covid Times to track the days....)
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- Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:12 am
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
An update from Novamedia, since I know some of us were waiting on their release(s):
"Director Wong Kar-wai's remastering works will be released individually, and the first one will be "In the Mood for Love" Also, it will be released as an exclusive steelbook.
Currently, it is under design confirmation, and future remastering works by Wong Kar-wai's, such as Happy Together and Fallen Angles will be released as exclusive steel books.
When it comes to disc configuration, we've produced Blu-ray discs and UHD discs (including HDR), and there's little difference in quality, so we're going to make it a exclusive steelbook of remastered Blu-ray (1 disc) versions."
A bit disappointing, I don't know what Nova's threshold is for "little difference".
"Director Wong Kar-wai's remastering works will be released individually, and the first one will be "In the Mood for Love" Also, it will be released as an exclusive steelbook.
Currently, it is under design confirmation, and future remastering works by Wong Kar-wai's, such as Happy Together and Fallen Angles will be released as exclusive steel books.
When it comes to disc configuration, we've produced Blu-ray discs and UHD discs (including HDR), and there's little difference in quality, so we're going to make it a exclusive steelbook of remastered Blu-ray (1 disc) versions."
A bit disappointing, I don't know what Nova's threshold is for "little difference".
- MichaelB
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Ah, so it's Fallen Angles that we've been talking about all along.
There was I thinking he'd been messing about with Fallen Angels. Phew!
There was I thinking he'd been messing about with Fallen Angels. Phew!
- Mr Sausage
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Non angeli, sed Angli.
- Finch
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- mhofmann
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Ouch.Finch wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 1:25 pmrevisionist In The Mood For Love at caps-a-holic
That green looks revolting!
And green aside, it looks like this new transfer has been de-grained quite a bit. An "unretouched" 4K scan would have somewhat finer grain than the previous 2K master, but not a lot less of it, like we see here.
- Gregory
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Last year I sold the WKW Blu-rays I owned in anticipation of this set. Fortunately I forgot to sell In the Mood for Love, as I will not be adding this set to my collection after all, for obvious reasons. I also preemptively sold off nearly all the Tati, Varda, Bergman, and Fellini stuff that I could when those box sets were being prepared, a practice that this whole WKW affair has made me reconsider at least if a filmmaker is still living and there's any chance they'll tinker with or reimagine their past works.
- Finch
- Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
- Location: Edinburgh, UK
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Glad it's not just me thinking, where did all of the grain go?
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Some earlier titles made me reconsider for the same reason, and man, that was a pain in the ass - selling off shit than rebuying it all over again.Gregory wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 2:39 pmLast year I sold the WKW Blu-rays I owned in anticipation of this set. Fortunately I forgot to sell In the Mood for Love, as I will not be adding this set to my collection after all, for obvious reasons. I also preemptively sold off nearly all the Tati, Varda, Bergman, and Fellini stuff that I could when those box sets were being prepared, a practice that this whole WKW affair has made me reconsider at least if a filmmaker is still living and there's any chance they'll tinker with or reimagine their past works.
- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
I know it's ridiculous for me, a simpleton on the internet, to question Wong Kar Wai's methods, but it's really funny to see the output of In The Mood for Love with his commentary about re-envisioning his films for where he currently is in his life and accounting for 20 years of aging. "Ah, I just feel if I was in an impossible relationship with a neighbor in my hallway....I would feel so much greener about it today.
- soundchaser
- Leave Her to Beaver
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
A man never steps in the same river twice, especially when that river has a serious algae problem.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
A man might never steps in the same river twice, but a colorist maybe.
It also looks quite smooth indeed, something I didn't notice when I saw the restoration in theaters (while I did spot how Flowers of Shanghai was thoroughly degrained)
It also looks quite smooth indeed, something I didn't notice when I saw the restoration in theaters (while I did spot how Flowers of Shanghai was thoroughly degrained)
- hearthesilence
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Did the movie really look this cyan? I've seen it projected in 35mm long before the pandemic and the new restorations (no earlier than 2009), but is it possible the English-subtitled print got the color wrong?
FWIW, the very noticeable but far more subtle greenish tint that you see on the Hong Kong Blu-ray (the kind of green tint a relative used to have on his old pair of eyeglasses) looks like it could be right - I didn't know about it so I couldn't compare it after that screening years ago.
- Boosmahn
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
The changes to In the Mood for Love baffle me. What does Wong Kar-wai gain by making it this green? With Memories of Murder, at least it can be argued the darker/greener colors give the film a grittier look; here, I've got nothing. Maybe WKW is trying to mix the film's famous reds and new greens to suggest it's been a Christmas movie this whole time?!
- Grand Wazoo
- Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 2:23 pm
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Wasn't there an interview with Christopher Doyle where he said this was originally totally green and no home video version ever got it right? If so then maybe this is the only new presentation which is more accurate to the original prints. Or perhaps I'm misremembering and just desperately want some aspect of this set not to suck.hearthesilence wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:15 pmDid the movie really look this cyan? I've seen it projected in 35mm long before the pandemic and the new restorations (no earlier than 2009), but is it possible the English-subtitled print got the color wrong?
FWIW, the very noticeable but far more subtle greenish tint that you see on the Hong Kong Blu-ray (the kind of green tint a relative used to have on his old pair of eyeglasses) looks like it could be right - I didn't know about it so I couldn't compare it after that screening years ago.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
We don't know for sure if he wanted it green willingly or if it's just a side-effect from the lab color signature.Boosmahn wrote:The changes to In the Mood for Love baffle me. What does Wong Kar-wai gain by making it this green? With Memories of Murder, at least it can be argued the darker/greener colors give the film a grittier look; here, I've got nothing. Maybe WKW is trying to mix the film's famous reds and new greens to suggest it's been a Christmas movie this whole time?!
- grayskale
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
I sampled a scene from the new ITMFL - there is a scene at the earlier section of the film - where they first move in - one of the moving guys that Chow Mo-Wan is conversing with, is wearing a sleeveless shirt with daylight streaming through the window - he is not lit with interior lamps etc - it looked white on my Sony LCD set to Expert 1 - is his shirt white or green or everyone's display i wonder?tenia wrote: ↑Tue Mar 30, 2021 1:52 amWe don't know for sure if he wanted it green willingly or if it's just a side-effect from the lab color signature.Boosmahn wrote:The changes to In the Mood for Love baffle me. What does Wong Kar-wai gain by making it this green? With Memories of Murder, at least it can be argued the darker/greener colors give the film a grittier look; here, I've got nothing. Maybe WKW is trying to mix the film's famous reds and new greens to suggest it's been a Christmas movie this whole time?!
If indeed it is a side effect of the grading work - wouldn't his shirt be tinted green as well?
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
DVDBeaver has the quote from an interview pre-dating Blu-ray releases where he said they had to get the Japanese DVD because other DVDs took out the green altogether to make it look "normal." Maybe there's more to it, but if the quote can be taken as a complete assessment of the DVDs he had seen, it was the difference between the presence of a green tint and the removal of it altogether.Grand Wazoo wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:52 pmWasn't there an interview with Christopher Doyle where he said this was originally totally green and no home video version ever got it right? If so then maybe this is the only new presentation which is more accurate to the original prints. Or perhaps I'm misremembering and just desperately want some aspect of this set not to suck.hearthesilence wrote: ↑Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:15 pmDid the movie really look this cyan? I've seen it projected in 35mm long before the pandemic and the new restorations (no earlier than 2009), but is it possible the English-subtitled print got the color wrong?
FWIW, the very noticeable but far more subtle greenish tint that you see on the Hong Kong Blu-ray (the kind of green tint a relative used to have on his old pair of eyeglasses) looks like it could be right - I didn't know about it so I couldn't compare it after that screening years ago.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
It can has an improper sheen of green (or rather a lack of blue and red) without being overtly green. The same way that with Eclair's gradings, many white shirts look light blue now. They don't look navy blue, but they do look like the grading either is extremely cold or the shirts are light blue. In any case, it's visible but it looks more like a shift towards a bluer colder grading that a blanker tint. The same is true for Ritrovata's grading : things aren't green or yellow, but shifted towards these colors.grayskale wrote:If indeed it is a side effect of the grading work - wouldn't his shirt be tinted green as well?
- yoloswegmaster
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:57 pm
Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that a company called One Cool was behind the color timing (under the supervision of WKW), and that Ritrovata was only used for the scanning and restoration.
- tenia
- Ask Me About My Bassoon
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Re: World of Wong Kar Wai
Yes, that was my understanding too, but the tech credits at the end of ITMFL weren't that clear, and some of those restorations' gradings clearly look Ritrovata'd.yoloswegmaster wrote: ↑Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:10 amI'm pretty sure I read somewhere that a company called One Cool was behind the color timing (under the supervision of WKW), and that Ritrovata was only used for the scanning and restoration.