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Yeah, who knows how much of the flaws are actually on the original negative?


There are a variety of different flaws. Some are bits of dust and dirt on the original neg that can be removed physically, but those are the minority. However, in the optical shots, some of that dust and dirt was on one or the other pieces of film when creating the composite in the optical printer, so they got printed into the film. In essence, you're looking at a picture of a piece of dust, not actual dust; it's always been there and always will unless you remove it digitally.

I would be all in favor of using digital technology to clean up the damage caused by the ravages of time, but do you correct flaws that have always been there, and reflect the technological limitations of the period? That's a tougher call to make.