The new 4K Third Man

[Wellesnet]

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/ju ... r#comments

[tonyw]

THE GUARDIAN review is fairly basic but this is the case with most journalistic UK criticism these days as Jonathan Rosenbaum remarked in Woodstock, IL. However, the comments are interesting. People are starved for real cinema these days in the UK as well as USA and a film like THE THIRD MAN (although it has too many canted angle shots) does show what was possible at one time.

[A Sled in Flames]

If anyone is wondering from where the restoration was sourced, a post on forum.blu-ray.com states a second-generation 35mm nitrate element was scanned at 4K with dirt later removed. Theoretically, this sounds good, with the original negative apparently no longer in existence.

I should hope Studio Canal wasn't overzealous in their post-processing. Their scrubbed Blu-Ray releases of Purple Noon and Don't Look Now make me wary.

[A Sled in Flames]

Got a chance to view Studio Canal's new disc of the Third Man, sourced from the 4K restoration and currently only available in Europe.

The video and audio are top notch. Everything looks great in motion with a fine grain structure still in place. Encoding could possibly have been improved with someone like Arrow in charge, but it appears that Studio Canal has learned after the catastrophes of Purple Noon (Plein Soleil) and Don't Look Now. The greyscale is appropriate; in any case, it's faithful to the DCP projections that have been going around the country.

All in all, it's not only more detailed than the old Studio Canal disc but also the Criterion. If you're a BD collector and a fan of the movie, I recommend a purchase, as there seems to be only a few scenarios possible:

1) You own the old Studio Canal BD. This beats it completely. The old one is a lower resolution master with a dull greyscale and digital processing.

2) You own the Criterion BD. That BD has become an almost legendary collector's item, so it's probably best to not play it too often, especially considering the new disc trumps it visually and aurally. You could even sell the Criterion before the prices start descending.

To be honest, what the screenshot comparisons won't tell you is how much film dirt the Criterion has. It's not only a dated transfer (albeit one without digital processing) but also a worn source. A full blown restoration, this is far more beautiful. It maintains the look of a clean, vintage nitrate print.

3) You don't own it. Well, it's a pretty good film.

[RayKelly]

StudioCanal UK will re-release Carol Reed's The Third Man to British theaters in September 2019 to mark the classic movie's 70th anniversary.

A gala event is planned for the actual 70th anniversary of the film's premiere on September 1.

There will be a pre-screening exclusive live musical performance from Cornelia Mayer, a Viennese zither player who trained with Anton Karas, followed by a 4K screening of The Third Man at Picturehouse Central, Piccadilly. After the showing, there will be a Q&A hosted by film critic Danny Leigh and featuring script supervisor Angela Allen, one of the last remaining crew members.

http://www.wellesnet.com/third-man-70th-anniversary/

[Wellesnet]

StudioCanal has reissued its limited edition ‘Third Man’ DVD/ Blu-ray/ CD four-disc set.
The PAL, Region 2 set is priced at £25, or about US $31.

http://www.wellesnet.com/studiocanal-third-man-set/

[atcolomb]

Was going to get the single disc release at £12 but now I might spend the extra money and get the limited edition.

[JMcBride]

Someone I know (from Ireland) adamantly prefers the American
revised version Selznick did with Joseph Cotten
replacing Carol Reed as narrator and some other changes. I prefer the
original version with Reed's dryly ironic narration.
But I respect my friend's view, and at least both versions
should be available, but we have been unable to find
a complete print of the American version on homevideo.
Any suggestions?

[atcolomb]

I saw on Ebay some old dvd releases of The Third Man that might have Joseph Cotton doing the narration.

[JMcBride]

Thanks. I will look for the Cotten-narration version, though
I have before and it usually is not that one.