A Matter of Life and Death - is a Blu-ray Disc getting closer?

Pecker

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SEE UPDATE IN POST 15 - 14th APRIL 2014

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Well...it's like a download service...

The Greatest Film Ever Made ™ is on C4 and C4 HD this afternoon at 13:10, and again on C4+1 at 14:10.

As neither Sony nor Granada/ITV have still not released this on Blu-ray Disc (despite them having a very recent restoration) this is the only way to see it in HD at the moment, and for the foreseeable future.

Presumably on C4 Catch Up, too.

Steve W
 
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Bugger, I hope this is repeated over Christmas (I'm on the verge of buying a HD Freeview card for the HTPC)

I've only just watched The Red Shoes on Criterion BD and am already going cold turkey for some more Jack Cardiff Technicolor loveliness*




* oh ok I'll have the black and white bits too
 
Fingers crossed for a blu release in the new year. I believe they are also working on sprucing up The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp for HD.
 
Fingers crossed for a blu release in the new year. I believe they are also working on sprucing up The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp for HD.

It was the premiere of the restoration of Blimp at the NFT earlier in the week.

That'll be getting a Blu-ray Disc release in 2012, I have little doubt. But AMOLAD is difficult. It's owned by Sony in the US, and they released a DVD of it the other year (in the BD era) but no BD. ITV/Granada have it in the UK, but they didn't chip in for the restoration done by Sony & Scorsese's Film Foundation (unlike The Red Shoes). This does not instill me with hope.

Steve W
 
Excuse me, I've just had 'a romance explosion'.

:blush:

I'm buying this is a beat. Don't care if it's £25, £10 to import, 1080i/50, and only marginally better than the DVD - I'll happily double, triple, quadruple dip (and more).

Forced subs aren't an issue, as long as they're not burned in. I rip my films and can rip without the subs if they're not part of the picture.

Steve W
 
Not having AMOLOD is such a massive hole in my BD collection. I hope it gets a proper restoration and soon.
 
I love this film, the story, acting, concept are all top notch:thumbsup:

Why it's not been released yet on BR is beyond me:thumbsdow
 
Ohhhh.. POO! Missed it :(
 
Not having AMOLOD is such a massive hole in my BD collection. I hope it gets a proper restoration and soon.

The film got a costly photochemical restoration a bit of over a decade ago, which should still look good. All it needs is a decent transfer.
 
At last! :thumbsup:

Monster Films also have another favourite of mine lined up for BD release, the 1940 version of The Thief of Baghdad, a film co-directed by Michael Powell.
 
Here's the French page where the news came from:

Une salve de cinéma anglais chez Elephant - Dvdclassik

And here's a typically dodgy Google translation:

Google Translate

The 'bad' news is that there are two 'waves' of releases mentioned there, with the first wave coming in December. AMOLAD is listed as coming after these two waves (the third wave?), so it may be well into next year before it appears.

There appears to be some sort of tie-in with ITV Studios, so hopefully it'll get a UK release.

Steve W
 
A surprise Christmas release from ITV Studios would be rather nice!
 
A quick update:

Thelma Schoonmaker introduces AMOLAD at the recent TCM Festival:



I also noticed this news story:

http://filmfestival.tcm.com/a-matter-of-life-and-death/

"Sony Pictures’ Grover Crisp was on hand to see his company’s splendid digital restoration of A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, which may not have been original Technicolor but gave a very close approximation, with saturated colors and rich contrasts."

Grover Crisp performed the photochemical restoration a few years ago. It now looks like Sony have updated this with further digital work.

Hopefully this bodes well for a future (hopefully the near future) Blu-ray Disc release.

I see also:

http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/2014/04/tcm-classic-film-festival-site-live-blog-day-two-chinese-multiplex-our-new-home

"By the way, the new restoration of A Matter of Life and Death looked gorgeous. Sony needs to put out a Blu-ray edition immediately."

Steve W
 
Please someone give this the treatment it deserves and release it soon. I promise I'll make it a day one purchase.
 

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