The New Dracula Show Print in Universal Horrors Forum

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The New Dracula Show Print

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hollygoth1931	The New Dracula Show Print	Lead	[-]
Jul 13 12 8:20 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I saw Universal's 35mm show print of the digitally restored "Dracula" today at the Film Forum in NYC. On the whole it's pretty nice (expectations are particularly raised with the title card, on which Carl Laemmle is now "President" instead of "Presient.") The title music is the 1931 recording, with the wobble fixed, not the 1992 re-recording for the Spanish film. Specks and dirt are gone, image is as crisp as we're likely to ever see it, but with the added sharpness there's frequently more visible grain, too. Biggest disappointment: the old audio hiss is in full force from start to finish, despite all the studio hype to the contrary. No curtain speech, of course. But I had the fleeting impression that the wires of the three window bats at the castle may have been digitally dealt with, but I could be wrong. Hope the Blu-ray release finally does something about the godawful hiss, though. Was this theatrical print just rushed out, unfinished?
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WalesGuy		#1	[-]
Jul 13 12 8:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The hiss is certainly not there on the 100th anniversary promo is it
HalLane		#2	[-]
Jul 13 12 8:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	hollygoth1931 wrote: The title music is the 1931 recording, with the wobble fixed, not the 1992 re-recording for the Spanish film. Eck-cellent! Best news I've heard all day! The hiss never really bothered me, but if David Skal says it's got to go, then I'd guess I'd be ok with it gone.
Wich2		#3	[-]
Jul 13 12 9:20 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Good news, David. Now, doesn't this mean that some of you jamokes can relax about the music? Didn't cooler heads advise holding your fire until we were sure what the dealio was there?
rvoyttbots		#4	[-]
Jul 13 12 9:49 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	In that restoration piece there is a clip of them working to remove the hiss.
The Batman of Gotham		#5	[-]
Jul 14 12 4:11 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	HalLane wrote: hollygoth1931 wrote: The title music is the 1931 recording, with the wobble fixed, not the 1992 re-recording for the Spanish film. Eck-cellent! Best news I've heard all day! The hiss never really bothered me, but if David Skal says it's got to go, then I'd guess I'd be ok with it gone. I'm with Hal. I was never really bothered by the hiss - I guess it made it seem somehow atmospheric. But, be that as it may, the news of this newly restored digital print is very exciting! - GJS
Hunch and Judy		#6	[-]
Jul 14 12 5:53 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	hollygoth1931 wrote: Was this theatrical print just rushed out, unfinished? I was wondering the same thing. While there was hiss it was VERY low - certainly not the loud hiss on dvd pressings (it sounded a bit loud only because the cleanup was so good that the movie was very quiet and that made the very faint ...I wouldn't even call it hiss all the more audible. I noticed things on this showing I had never noticed before, so the cleanup on the print was astounding. I'm going to check the last legacy cleanup to make sure I was not losing my mind! I turned to a guy I met up with there and wispered "Wow, it looks as crystal clear as Frankenstein now" and he agreed. I have never seen or heard this film look as good as it did last night. Another strange thing- it seemed like they DID NOT use the paste over from swan lake, rather they cleaned up the warble to the point where it was virtualy unoticable. It was not the paste over from spanish drac from what I could tell. I am convinced this is a hybrid half cleaned up version as you suggest and having the film grain intact was a pleasant surprise as it did not have that "over processed look" that some of these new restorations nowadays can have. You know, the super smooth pic with almost unatural cartoony clarity. It was a pleasure to behold and I swear to you guys it looked as crisp as Frankenstein for the first time in 80 years. Now I'm wishing they could include this "restored, but grain intact" version along with the other versions on the Blu Ray. hollygoth1931- Are you the fellow I turned to and said "holy crap, its restored to look like new!" and then after came up to me to say "You were right, it looks incredible" or something to that affect? If that was not you, too bad it was not as we could have got together afterwards with my friend and wife and enjoyed our dinner discussion on the two beautifrul prints! Great evening all around. I was wearing a black metropolis shirt with a very pretty girl in tow. Jim Jim and Judy's Horror Models WWW.jimandjudyshorrormodels.com The Music WWW.earthmanout.com
Joe Karlosi		#7	[-]
Jul 14 12 6:14 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Wich2 wrote: Now, doesn't this mean that some of you jamokes can relax about the music? Didn't cooler heads advise holding your fire until we were sure what the dealio was there? "Jamokes"? Anyway -- No, it means we'll have to wait and see if the actual Blu-ray is like the theatrical screening -- which means that it's just as premature to celebrate cooler heads without seeing the disc as it would be to complain without seeing it. (But honestly, what were we supposed to go by? The Universal promo clearly demonstrated music used which was certainly different). The DRACULA clips didn't sound 'hissy' on the 100th anniversary promo, as WalesGuy said. "Guy named Squeamy got thrown from the fifth floor. He's deader'n a mackerel." Last Edited By: Joe Karlosi Jul 14 12 6:31 AM. Edited 3 times.
The Batman of Gotham		#8	[-]
Jul 14 12 6:39 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hunch and Judy wrote: hollygoth1931- Are you the fellow I turned to and said "holy crap, its restored to look like new!" and then after came up to me to say "You were right, it looks incredible" or something to that affect? If that was not you, too bad it was not as we could have got together afterwards with my friend and wife and enjoyed our dinner discussion on the two beautifrul prints! Great evening all around. I was wearing a black metropolis shirt with a very pretty girl in tow. Jim You mean you wouldn't recognize David Skal if you were sitting right next to him? - GJS
Hunch and Judy		#9	[-]
Jul 14 12 7:11 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I had had a few drinks by this time so.......no. Jim and Judy's Horror Models WWW.jimandjudyshorrormodels.com The Music WWW.earthmanout.com
Scoundrel		#10	[-]
Jul 14 12 7:22 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	You should ... Never drink ...wine.
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Wich2		#11	[-]
Jul 14 12 8:22 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	>While there was hiss it was VERY low - certainly not the loud hiss on dvd pressings (it sounded a bit loud only because the cleanup was so good that the movie was very quiet and that made the very faint ...I wouldn't even call it hiss all the more audible.< Thanks for the claification, Hunch. If you listen closely, especially to the snippet of Bela on the stairs, there is a little b.g. hiss still present in the DVD demo. And that's a good thing! Because it means that unlike many modern cleanups, they didn't cut too deep. -Craig
dracsback		#12	[-]
Jul 14 12 8:31 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yes and it may mean what you saw in the theater amplified this "hiss" a bit depending upon the sound system - so my guess is when the BD comes out there will be differing opinions as to the level of the hiss depending upon one's sound setup. Watching the clip on YouTube might not be a good representation - although the promo reel seemed to show a vast improvement. I guess, regarding the audio his - ANY improvement would be welcome as that is one of the biggest distractions in the versions I have seen so far. "I saw what I saw when I saw it!"
Wich2		#13	[-]
Jul 14 12 8:46 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	>Yes and it may mean what you saw in the theater amplified this "hiss" a bit depending upon the sound system - so my guess is when the BD comes out there will be differing opinions as to the level of the hiss depending upon one's sound setup.< Exactly, drac (see DVD thread.)
hollygoth1931		#14	[-]
Jul 14 12 9:32 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hunch and Judy wrote: hollygoth1931 wrote: Was this theatrical print just rushed out, unfinished? I was wondering the same thing. While there was hiss it was VERY low - certainly not the loud hiss on dvd pressings (it sounded a bit loud only because the cleanup was so good that the movie was very quiet and that made the very faint ...I wouldn't even call it hiss all the more audible. I noticed things on this showing I had never noticed before, so the cleanup on the print was astounding. I'm going to check the last legacy cleanup to make sure I was not losing my mind! I turned to a guy I met up with there and wispered "Wow, it looks as crystal clear as Frankenstein now" and he agreed. I have never seen or heard this film look as good as it did last night. Another strange thing- it seemed like they DID NOT use the paste over from swan lake, rather they cleaned up the warble to the point where it was virtualy unoticable. It was not the paste over from spanish drac from what I could tell. I am convinced this is a hybrid half cleaned up version as you suggest and having the film grain intact was a pleasant surprise as it did not have that "over processed look" that some of these new restorations nowadays can have. You know, the super smooth pic with almost unatural cartoony clarity. It was a pleasure to behold and I swear to you guys it looked as crisp as Frankenstein for the first time in 80 years. Now I'm wishing they could include this "restored, but grain intact" version along with the other versions on the Blu Ray. hollygoth1931- Are you the fellow I turned to and said "holy crap, its restored to look like new!" and then after came up to me to say "You were right, it looks incredible" or something to that affect? If that was not you, too bad it was not as we could have got together afterwards with my friend and wife and enjoyed our dinner discussion on the two beautifrul prints! Great evening all around. I was wearing a black metropolis shirt with a very pretty girl in tow. Jim hollygoth1931: No, it wasn't me, but I would have enjoyed meeting you. I saw the 2:30 matinee on Friday.
John Bissonette		#15	[-]
Jul 14 12 6:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	WalesGuy wrote: The hiss is certainly not there on the 100th anniversary promo is it If it was rushed out before all the fixes were complete, we could still get that SWAN LAKE replacement in the final Blu Ray. Didn't they sort of fix that wobble in the last DRACULA DVD? I seem to remember they did something, but I don't think that section was replaced with the newer, Spanish version.
Hunch and Judy		#16	[-]
Jul 15 12 8:27 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	David- Probably saw you on the way out as The wife and I were at the next showing. It was such a treat to finaly see Dracula in almost pristine condition, who knows, if the blu-ray is over-restored this may be the best we'll ever see it so I'm very glad I went. A note on frankenstein- there seemed to be two jump cuts early in the film that I dont remember but one of them may have been attributed to a hasty reel change. The other appeared to be IN the print. Hope its not on the blu-ray. John Bissonette- The print seemed like a more advanced restoration of that dvd, only without the bad sound. The swan lake was fixed even a bit further than it was on the Legacy stand alone disc and could just barely be heard and the picture was beatiful but did not seem to have the darkening, digital tweaking work that it showed on the crypt steps in the "100 years of" restoration snippet, so it would appear that the heavy restoration or heavy lifting was not completed yet. The grain is all but GONE in the restoration snippet but was apparent in the print I saw. Very pleasing all around. Jim and Judy's Horror Models WWW.jimandjudyshorrormodels.com The Music WWW.earthmanout.com
hollygoth1931		#17	[-]
Jul 15 12 2:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hunch and Judy wrote: David- Probably saw you on the way out as The wife and I were at the next showing. It was such a treat to finaly see Dracula in almost pristine condition, who knows, if the blu-ray is over-restored this may be the best we'll ever see it so I'm very glad I went. A note on frankenstein- there seemed to be two jump cuts early in the film that I dont remember but one of them may have been attributed to a hasty reel change. The other appeared to be IN the print. Hope its not on the blu-ray. John Bissonette- The print seemed like a more advanced restoration of that dvd, only without the bad sound. The swan lake was fixed even a bit further than it was on the Legacy stand alone disc and could just barely be heard and the picture was beatiful but did not seem to have the darkening, digital tweaking work that it showed on the crypt steps in the "100 years of" restoration snippet, so it would appear that the heavy restoration or heavy lifting was not completed yet. The grain is all but GONE in the restoration snippet but was apparent in the print I saw. Very pleasing all around. There were several abrupt reel changes at the "Dracula" screening as well.
n0s4a2		#18	[-]
Jul 15 12 6:14 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	hollygoth1931 wrote: The title music is the 1931 recording, with the wobble fixed... I always loved that wobble; it sounds so old and creepy.
Hunch and Judy		#19	[-]
Jul 17 12 3:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	hollygoth1931 wrote: Hunch and Judy wrote: David- Probably saw you on the way out as The wife and I were at the next showing. It was such a treat to finaly see Dracula in almost pristine condition, who knows, if the blu-ray is over-restored this may be the best we'll ever see it so I'm very glad I went. A note on frankenstein- there seemed to be two jump cuts early in the film that I dont remember but one of them may have been attributed to a hasty reel change. The other appeared to be IN the print. Hope its not on the blu-ray. John Bissonette- The print seemed like a more advanced restoration of that dvd, only without the bad sound. The swan lake was fixed even a bit further than it was on the Legacy stand alone disc and could just barely be heard and the picture was beatiful but did not seem to have the darkening, digital tweaking work that it showed on the crypt steps in the "100 years of" restoration snippet, so it would appear that the heavy restoration or heavy lifting was not completed yet. The grain is all but GONE in the restoration snippet but was apparent in the print I saw. Very pleasing all around. There were several abrupt reel changes at the "Dracula" screening as well. I also noticed a strange blackish rectangle towards the top of the frame when the little black reel change cue appears in the upper right of the screen, but I'm sure it will only be present in theater showings. I would think that it is there to assist the projectionist in changing reels (in case they miss the black circle?!?), although as you stated as well as I, there were some abrupt reel changes. Still a great print and wonderful way to spend a Friday afternoon! I'm a bit worried now though, that the blue-ray will be overdone in the grain cleanup dept after seeing the snippet on the "100 years of" youtube video. If they could just keep it the way we saw it at the forum it would be a sure winner, as IMO the hiss only "seemed" loud at the theater because the movie is so quiet in general (which I think adds to its charm, just like Frankenstein) and I dont think people will find it nearly as annoying as some of the video incarnations that were distracting to the point of ruining the whole experience. Dracula has never been my favorite Universal but seems to have elevated itself in stature (almost to the point where it looks as good as Frankenstein, and I thought that would be impossible without locating better material) with the new restoration work that was apparent in the show print. Heres hoping that they have done some work to The Black Cat and that it will rear its head on blu one day in the future. Wish I could afford to see it on the 27th . Jim Jim and Judy's Horror Models WWW.jimandjudyshorrormodels.com The Music WWW.earthmanout.com
hollygoth1931		#20	[-]
Jul 17 12 5:32 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The grain got pushed too far in two particular shots: The close-up of Lugosi in his coach-driver get-up, and Mina getting hot and bothered about Harker's neck. As she moves forward, the viewer is totally distracted by the grain swarming on her forehead like an ant invasion. Regarding the hiss, Universal did a show print several years ago in which the sound basically cut out completely between dialogue, sound effects, and music. It was just as annoying as the hiss.
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The New Dracula Show Print

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