Ambersons Blu-ray?

[edmoney]

I wonder if there's another reason besides profitability for the absence of a release receiving the deluxe treatment. I recall a few years back that there was some legal claim that Beatrice Welles came forth with on both Kane and Ambersons that might give Warner Bros. pause. Kane would sell enough to still make it worthwhile for WB, but perhaps Ambersons might not.

Barring something like that, I don't see how WHV or WAC can economically justify the Blu-ray release of some of their other titles but not Ambersons. Would there really be that many more Blu-ray purchases of 42nd Street, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and Ninotchka?

Of course, there's still the outside chance that Criterion could release it. It seems that WB has loosened its policy on sub-licensing their properties to third parties (e.g. Terrence Malick's Badlands on Criterion). And a year ago I couldn't foresee Othello and Chimes at Midnight coming to Criterion, but here we are ...

[RayKelly]

There are no known legal claims. I remember hearing they were searching for better elements -- and nothing came of that. I agree it would seem a better offering than other WHV titles now on Blu-ray.

[edmoney]

Well ... in a live chat with Warner Home Video (including George Feltenstein) hosted by Home Theater Forum on February 21, 2006 (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/site_arch ... fchat.html):

[Warner] We're still looking for better materials on AMBERSONS. We waited for KONG and KANE and it was worth it. It will be worth it for the AMBERSONS, and yes,we will release JOURNEY INTO FEAR when we do AMBERSONS.

In a subsequent chat with the same parties on February 26, 2007 (http://www.thedigitalbits.com/site_arch ... fchat.html):

[WARNER] We have finally found good elements on AMBERSONS, and plan to release both AMBERSONS and JOURNEY in 2008.

Of course, they didn't release it in 2008. We did get the shoddy DVD in 2011 with the Citizen Kane Blu-ray, but there was speculation that that DVD was based on a much older scan. Nevertheless, it sounds like a lack of good elements wouldn't be the reason for the hold-up. Robert Harris (the restoration expert) himself believed that the original camera negative for Ambersons exists (which can't even be said for Kane).

[Le Chiffre]

Unless I'm mistaken, I seem to remember that the 1986 Criterion Laserdisc was taken straight from the film's negative.

[Dan]

Sign up at these two sites for Blu-ray release notification:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Magni ... ray/56156/

http://videoeta.com/movie/34222/the-mag ... ambersons/

[jbrooks]

TCM played an HD version of Ambersons last night (Tuesday, 8/9/2016). Has it aired before? I DVR'd it, and watched the first 20 minutes or so. The image looked quite good. Great details. Very rich blacks and great contrast. (There were some loud pops on the soundtrack but I'm hoping they were just from a glitch in the transmission or in the recording).

[atcolomb]

I also dvr'd it too and watched the first 10 minutes and it's the same print TCM has used for the last few years and looks like the dvd release of a few years ago. Looks good but I think it can look better with sharper detail and when I compared the dvd release to my Criterion laserdisc they almost looked the same. Next year will be the 75th anniversary so I hope Warners or Criterion will release it on Blu-ray with Journey Into Fear as a added bonus.

[edmoney]

Although it may have used the same old print, is this the first time TCM has shown an HD version of the film? Do you mean it's just an upscaled version of the existing standard definition scan for the TCM HD channel or do you think they have done an HD scan of the same old print (without any cleanup or restoration)?

[atcolomb]

Every time TCM shows Ambersons I do watch it for the first 10 minutes or so just to see what they show out of curiosity and I have been watching TCM for over 10 years and TCM HD in the last few years and to my eyes a slight improvement in HD but as to if they are showing a upscale of a standard or a HD scan I do not know but to me it does not look like a HD scan. I hope others have seen it and will let us know but for me the recent broadcast kinda looks the same as the HD broadcast from last year when TCM was showing all of his films for the anniversary of his birth.

[jbrooks]

It was a true HD transfer -- not just an upscaling of a standard definition master. TCM HD used to show only upscaled content, but more recently, more and more of its content is true HD. I'm not sure if this was the first true HD showing of Ambersons on TCM HD, but it was the first that I've seen. Based on my sampling, it looked the best I've ever seen it look on television. Great detail. But I'll need to do a side-by-side comparison to the DVD to truly judge it.

[jbrooks]

Okay. I did a close comparison of the TCM HD version to the DVD and the differences are not as striking as I would have thought. The TCM HD version is sharper, with less video noise and less edge enhancement. But the difference is marginal. Both versions have good contrast. (The cropping on the DVD is tighter in some scenes -- picture information from the sides and top is cut off).

[atcolomb]

I did my comparison too late last night and agree with jbrooks that the TCM broadcast is sharper with less video noise which is very noticeable on the dvd for some reason. The broadcast is a step in the right direction but still looking at it and you get the feeling the film can look better.

[atcolomb]

The year is almost over and no 75th anniversary edition of Ambersons to be released. Not even a blu-ray version yet so i am very disappointed. Lets hope for better luck next year.

[Le Chiffre]

Yes, I don't remember anyone doing much about Kane's 75th last year either.

[RayKelly]

Yes, I don't remember anyone doing much about Kane's 75th last year either.

They issued a cut-down version of the 70th anniversary edition in a new box.