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Restored version: Sound and color, questionable?

posted 12 years ago by rick-220
3 replies | jump to latest

Yesterday I watched the restored version on the big screen.

Great film, great restoration, fantastic to see it back in theaters.

Two things however i'm not so sure about.

First is the added sound effects. I know that in a re-issued version shortly after the film's original release some type of sound effects were added, so in theory adding them to the restoration seems correct. But frankly I think they went way overboard and found it rather jarring versus the visual experience.

The other thing is the added colour for the fight scenes and crashes. Again, enough evidence that this was somehow incorporated in the original as well, but for the restoration I would have liked a little more restraint and better integration in the source material.

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[–] BrianRaess_Is_FinallyGone 12 years ago

When you say "restraint," restraint from what? Restraint from how it looked on VHS, or restraint from how it was intended to look and sound in theaters in 1927? Since we're not privy to the filmmakers notes and memos in regards to their color and sound intentions, then it's easy to also argue that the restoration used too much restraint. The only area I feel they took a lot of liberty was using a 5.1 sound mix, but I'm happy overall.

[–] gribfritz2 12 years ago

Overall, the effects were fantastic for 1927. However, those crash and burns were horrible. The film is in black and white. Having the flames in color only brings attention to their fakeness. The flames actually don't look half bad on the closeups. But they look terrible in the distance shots. And every time a plane cracks up, we are treated to watching it float and spiral for an eternity.

So I'm guessing the "flames" were in color in the original. If so, Wellman should have shown restraint. Not sure why the flames were in color. The most fantastic fire in the entire film is when the German balloons go down in flames which is real and in black and white. The added effects look poor but the genuine fire looks great. Who'da thunk it.

[–] on3gin 10 years ago

I was amazed at the quality of the restoration, not a scratch on two-plus hours of film on the DVD. The colored flames were an odd touch, a distraction. Another distraction was Clara Bow being in constant motion, bouncing up and down, flailing her arms about, as though she thought she had to because it was a "moving picture."