New Lady From Shanghai Restoration in 2010?

[atcolomb]

The Digital Bits is reporting that Sony plans on releasing in 2010 a new restoration of Lady From Shanghai for dvd and maybe a re-release in theaters. Lets hope so....

[Roger Ryan]

atcolomb - could you possible provide a link to Digital Bits announcement?

This news seems a bit odd given that SHANGHAI (what's left of it) appears to be in really good shape judging from the existing DVD release. I imagine Sony may be planning a Blu-Ray release which would require the now-standard 4K scanning and could result in a limited theatrical run to promote the product (as was done with THE WIZARD OF OZ a week or so back).

Director Kar Wai Wong is supposedly preparing a film entitled THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI for release in 2010 (not related to the "If I Die Before I Wake" story reportedly); is someone confusing this production with the Welles original?

[atcolomb]

Not good in copying links so i copied the article instead. If you go to their website it's under 10/5 Barrie Maxwell: A New Coming Attractions.

In other Sony news that updates the timing of some releases we already were expecting, the Rita Hayworth box set has been definitely delayed into early 2010 partly to give more attention to the supplement package, but also recognizing the healthy slate of other classic releases from the studio in the final quarter of this year. The titles to be included are: Tonight and Every Night (1945), Salome (1953), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), Cover Girl (1944), and Gilda (1946). The latter two, both previously released on DVD, are being restored and remastered for this new release. It would be nice to see Sony give them a Blu-ray release at the same time, although there's no suggestion that that's going to happen. Again according to Sony's Grover Crisp as reported at the Home Theater Forum, Hayworth's The Lady from Shanghai will receive a new restoration in 2010 and may get a re-release at some point though nothing is scheduled as of now. A possible second Rita Hayworth box set is likely very much dependent upon how well the first one sells.

[Roger Ryan]

Okay, this makes sense. Sony is probably going to clean LADY FROM SHANGHAI up a bit and do a 4K scan in preparation for a potential Blu-Ray release. I would say the possible "re-release" simply means the film will be issued in a new DVD/Blu-Ray edition, not a theatrical re-release.

By the way, atcolomb, you can use the same approach to linking to a webpage as you use to "copy-and-paste" an article: highlight the webpage address ("http://thedigitalbits..." for example) in the search window at the top of the screen (when you're on the page you want to create a link to), right click, choose "copy", then "paste" that address in the message body when posting here. When your post is submitted, the pasted address should automatically turn into a hotlink that readers can click on to go directly to the correct webpage... which is what I did right here:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/ ... 00509.html

Hope this helps and thanks for the additional info.

[atcolomb]

Thanks Roger...kinda of new when it comes to computers and emails! It would be nice to see this on the big screen like Kane or Othello when they were re-released in theaters but blu-ray would be the next best thing...

[RayKelly]

"The Lady" is getting a 4K cleanup and will be shown at the London Film Festival in October 2013. Read more at http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=7494

[Le Chiffre]

Terrific news. I've seen several 4K restorations on the big screen recently, including Harold Lloyd's SAFETY LAST and Alfred Hitchcock's silent film DOWNHILL (part of the "Hitchcock Nine" series that's been going around the country), and I've been very impressed with them. I'm no expert on the subject, but they look just like a 35mm film to me - very crisp and clear - and it'll be nice not to have to worry about print degradation. In general, I've been lucky with LADY FROM SHANGHAI. Over the years, I've seen it four times on the big screen in 35mm, and three of those times it looked gorgeous, but one time it looked pretty beat up, which unfortunately can happen quickly to film.

I'm not one of those who bemoans the loss of film, just as I didn't bemoan the phasing out of LPs twenty-five years ago. There are simply too many major advantages to the digital age. I look forward to more 4K Welles.

[tonyw]

Mike, Both can co-exist. Vinyl is now making a comeback. My stereo finally has a new amplifier so I can enjoy my LPs. Also, they never totally disappeared and many complaints occurred over CD as they have over Blu-Ray that often does not show the film in the way it was intended to be seen.

[Roger Ryan]

Also, one might add that no one is quite sure what the shelf-life is for digital products. Some suggest that changes in technology and storage procedures could render today's all digital 4K restorations unplayable in as little as fifty years whereas the original 35mm film (if properly cared for) would still be fine. While studios have pretty much stopped sending out 35mm prints of older films, I believe most newly-created digital restorations are transferred to at least one 35mm print for the archive because it remains a relatively stable method of preservation.

[Jay]

Also, one might add that no one is quite sure what the shelf-life is for digital products. Some suggest that changes in technology and storage procedures could render today's all digital 4K restorations unplayable in as little as fifty years whereas the original 35mm film (if properly cared for) would still be fine. While studios have pretty much stopped sending out 35mm prints of older films, I believe most newly-created digital restorations are transferred to at least one 35mm print for the archive because it remains a relatively stable method of preservation.

Indeed. For an interesting primer on the subject, check out the documentary "Side by Side" (currently streaming on Netflix and available on blu/DVD). It discusses the fallacy that digital is a more stable method of preservation than 35mm film, including a tidbit about how studios are still archiving their films on 35mm because it lasts much longer than digital. It also discusses how some digital films such as "Toy Story 2" were almost lost completely due to their digital-only nature--in that case, the main computer with the entire film on it crashed and erased it, and it was only due to one employee's foresight to make a personal backup copy that kept the film from being completely destroyed. Also, since the advent of digital video recording, the methods of recording and storing data have changed dozens of times, endangering the viability of older digital formats that have been left by the wayside of the ever-changing digital landscape.

[tonyw]

This shows how problematic it is to ditch older formats. I remember somebody who destroyed all his vinyl records 25 years ago when CDs appeared. I've always though that new technologies are not always as durable as their proponets claim.

[Le Chiffre]

I've kept a couple milk crates full of Lp's. They're rarely played, but I keep them for nostalgia's sake. You're right there is still room for all the old mediums. I still play VHS tapes once in awhile.

[Wellesnet]

The Guardian, Oct. 10, 2013: Grover Crisp, executive vice-president of film restoration at Sony, says the studio is "planning to record out to a new negative for preservation purposes and a few prints. The film will also finally be released on Blu-ray shortly."

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/oct/10/orson-welles-london-film-festival-lady-shanghai

[Roger Ryan]

Similar to what I thought four years ago when this restoration was first announced, I'm surprised the camera negative was in such bad shape. The various prints and home video releases I've seen over the years looked better than any other Welles film of the 40s. Still, I'm thrilled the effort was made to restore the film and will happily purchase the Blu-ray release. I'm just hoping this is a wide release and not relegated to the Twilight Time label which limit releases to 3,000 copies.

[atcolomb]

Found this on BLU-RAY.COM website today:

Grover Crisp, executive vice-president of film restoration at Sony Pictures, has confirmed that Orson Welles' The Lady from Shanghai (1947) will soon be available to purchase on Blu-ray. The film has been recently restored in 4K.

A preliminary street date for this upcoming Blu-ray release has not yet been revealed.

Synopsis: Classic noir film based on the novel by Sherwood King. When unemployed Irishman Michael O'Hara (Welles) saves Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth) from some thugs, she obtains him a position on her invalid lawyer husband Arthur's (Everett Sloane) yacht, as a deckhand. It soon becomes clear that Elsa now has designs on O'Hara, and also wants her husband out of the way. O'Hara, although resisting Elsa's advances, finds himself becoming embroiled in a web of intrigue and murder. The famous hall of mirrors sequence is considered to be one of the greatest scenes in film history.