Magnificent Ambersons on PBS HD

[Josh P]

tomorrow, saturday august 29th, the magnicent ambersons will be on at 9 on PBS, which also has an HD channel.

should be interesting to see what type of HD transfer this is.

[Roger Ryan]

I suspect it will be similar to the majority of films shown on the HD channel version of Turner Classic Movies; meaning DVD quality, but not quite high definition.

[Joshua]

great, thanks for the heads up.

I have Time Warner HD, and I never knew there was a TCM HD channel. I just have the regular one.

[Josh P]

yeah i didn't know there was an HD channel for TCM. i'd like to find out if theres one in my area.

[purplepines]

Pretty sure there's no TCM HD.

I saw Ambersons on PBS HD last night, it looked good. Can't attest to how new the print was, but it certainly wasn't blemish free. Good depth, though, and more lines of resolution (I saw it on a 40 inch 1080p Samsung) means better by default. I've never seen the Criterion version. Having purchased the soundtrack on iTunes (which is very inexpensive for that much music - also included is the Kane soundtrack), I never realized that the far superior original piece for the first letter scene narrated by Cotten was replaced with different music. Thank God they kept the sobering "Ostinato" piece when Fanny and George are arguing on the stairs. And I never noticed how the music comically cuts when the front door shuts at the beginning of Wilbur's funeral (comical in MY opinion). My conclusion is that, looking towards the eventual DVD release, I hope Warner at least puts the original music back in (I hope the audio's still in multi-track somewhere if that's how it works).

[The Night Man]

My conclusion is that, looking towards the eventual DVD release, I hope Warner at least puts the original music back in (I hope the audio's still in multi-track somewhere if that's how it works).

I would be very surprised if any of the music elements still exist for either Ambersons or Kane. Things do turn up unexpectedly, of course, but apparently few (if any) of RKO's music tracks from this period have survived.

I don't believe that even actetates (the fragile one-of-a-kind discs often cut for the composers) exist for these scores or any portion of them.

I'd love to be proved wrong, though.

[The Night Man]

I don't believe that even actetates (the fragile one-of-a-kind discs often cut for the composers) exist for these scores or any portion of them.

That should be "acetates". (I thought this board had an edit function.)

On reflection, though, purplepines, I seem to recall having heard once long ago that some stray acetates do exist for either Kane or Ambersons but that they're so worn out as to be almost unlistenable, which doesn't really change the situation.


Edit: I see this post does have an edit button but my previous one does not, which suggests that the edit function disappears after some period of time. How odd!

[purplepines]

I think new recordings of the pieces would be preferable for use in a restoration, recordings that could then be made to sound slightly aged so as not to sound mismatched with old dialogue.

[Roger Ryan]

Well, there is a TCM HD channel as I have it on my cable system - Bright House Networks, Channel 237 (which is easy for me to remember since it's the same number as that most disturbing of all hotel rooms in Kubrick's THE SHINING!). The main advantage of the channel is not the HD image (not many films are in high-def), but the fact that widescreen films are shown in anamorphic resolution. At any rate, the image is better than the simply digital version of the channel.

"Thank God they kept the sobering 'Ostinato' piece when Fanny and George are arguing on the stairs." - purple pines

I agree with the above sentiment, but disappointed that the "Scene Pathetique" cue is missing from the first staircase scene.

According to Christopher Husted's notes for the Preamble CD release of the AMBERSONS score, there is a "...single surviving acetate from the 1942 sessions [containing] a rehearsal of Toujours au jamais in Waldteufel's orchestration and a take of the Second Nocturne."

[Joshua]

Did some searching on line, and it appears that some (of course including you Roger), do have TCM HD. I find it odd then that I have Time Warner Cable and do not have it. I think I'll be doing some calling to see what I can come up with. I would LOVE to have that channel.