SUSPIRIA:
The New 4K Master - Why Such Differences In Different HD Transfers?
Over
the years, I have had complaints about Blu-ray that go something like
'they take a good movie, then they put it out on Blu-ray and ruin it'
meaning the transfer does not look like the feature film and I agree
that does happen, then I have to explain that is not always the case
and that is why we review so many titles so our readers can find out
the gems from the duds and disasters. So now as we enter the
4K/2160p Ultra High Definition era of home video, et al, you would
think those doing the transfers of films shot on photochemical film
would be more careful.
However,
this is sadly not the case already and the most curious early example
is of the new editions of Dario Argento's classic Suspiria,
which has a new 4K transfer and we've already covered two Blu-ray
editions of on regular 1080p Blu-ray. You can read about the Synapse
U.S. edition at this link with a link to our coverage of the
Australian Umbrella Entertainment edition here:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15138/Man+From+Earth:+Holocine+(2017/MVD+Vi
That
gives us a fine, color-accurate version from Umbrella and one that
was too toned down for its own good from Synapse, first issued in a
steelbook edition limited to only 6,000 copies for which we have used
its cover for this essay posting in the upper right hand corner.
Just
as we scratch our heads at those differences, we are seeing screen
captures of a THIRD VARIANT of the film that is even darker than the
Synapse version from the Cult Films company in the U.K. (region B
only) that is so dark and color-dulled that makes it look like it is
from some kind of weird, faded print. Daylight looks like digital
overcast and the color looks awful and way off.
We'll
update you on further developments and versions until someone starts
addressing this, but a lack of standards, copyright holder input and
just an inability for some people to not be able to concentrate and
show a film the way it is meant to be seen is a big problems for our
film heritage and consumers who deserve to the the vision of the
director & cinematographer without such extreme errors.
Input
is welcome.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
