Dracula Restoration: Thoughts?

The Aluminum Falcon said:

...They didn't make clear that the "Swan Lake" in the 1931 Spanish version was the same recording without the speed issues; it could possibly have been another recording.

I'm sure it would be. The Spanish version was filmed alongside the US version with all the same sets, many of the same costumes and even most of the same sound effects. I don't see anything happening here that isn't a part of a proper restoration. Can't wait for the Universal Monsters Blurays!

Yeah, it sounds like an error was introduced into English prints of the film that wasn't introduced into Spanish prints. Thus, it's the original recording, as intended by the director then.

The Aluminum Falcon said:

Was it always in error of speed for the English version? Like from 1931, or was that wear and tear?

 

I dunno about that... but either way it's a "fix" I don't mind as I'm sure it wasn't supposed to be that way ever. Of course, if it was that way in it's original form, one could say that they are making changes. But I'd call it restoration.

Saw that video and pretty much flipped...there's a huge thread over at the classic horror film board that goes into detail but I noticed the "fixed" title cue is actually a different recording, as was on the Spanish edition. All they needed to do was to pull the music on the opening titles of The Mummy, which utilizes the exact same Swan Lake recording as Dracula!!!

The image will likely be over-manipulated as it was on the last 2008 Legacy DVD release, which had the image overblown with brightness and contrast tweaks so that no shadow or darkness remained at all. What I'd like to know is what source was utilized. All I know that Universal has is some fine grain print stuck for TV broadcast prints in the 50's. And the fact that they're just printing the audio onto another 35mm print shows that they aren't going from the original Vitaphone sound discs that have been floating around for years. (This is where the restored "Now I know what it feels like to be God" dialogue came from on the '04 Legacy DVD of Frankenstein-from a collector's disc copy.)

And why is it necessary to de-noise and de-hiss the film? Have they never seen Dracula? The Vitaphone process was not great for sound quality, so the inherent noise should not be erased as it contains valuable dynamic range. But they will do this likely to provide a "cleaner" track. Damn it, the hiss has become part of the film's legacy-just watch any condition copy of Dracula on a big sound system with the sound cranked in a very dark room...and tell me you aren't a bit creeped out.

At least there isn't going to be a 5.1 remix...but I can easily foretell that this box set is going to give me some massive headaches. Universal hardly wanted to do this at all, so they chose the big titles as a test run. They think people won't buy arguably the most famous Universal franchise in HD. Hmph. You'd think they'd finally bite the bullet after all these years and do full scale nitrate transfers with full attempts made to present the films uncut and with the missing bits intact, such as the original ending to Dracula of which the studio has the footage. (but no audio track.)

ray_afraid said:

The Aluminum Falcon said:

Was it always in error of speed for the English version? Like from 1931, or was that wear and tear?

 

I dunno about that... but either way it's a "fix" I don't mind as I'm sure it wasn't supposed to be that way ever. Of course, if it was that way in it's original form, one could say that they are making changes. But I'd call it restoration.

Probably happened in one of the numerous re-printings made from the negative, done throughout the years for both theaters and TV. Nothing survived of the original film, and the best available materials are pretty much the stuff made for TV reprintings in the 50's. Dracula is probably the best example for a popular film destroyed by its popularity. Just horribly treated-horribly.

If Universal screws it up, someone around here will probably try to fix it.

Warbler said:

I think captainsolo has just talked me out of considering purchasing this boxed set.   I want Dracula treated right.  

captainsolo, what do you mean by the original ending?  How does it differ from the ending that had been in the movie? Which ending was shown in theaters in 1931?

Originally, after the end of the film, there was a message delivered to the audience by a man in a tuxedo, like in the opening of Frankenstein. I think that's probably what Capt.Solo is referring to. He warns the audience to remember the film they've just seen because "THERE ARE SUCH THINGS!" Very cool.

It was exactly this, and delivered by Edward Van Sloan's Dr. Van Helsing, much like his intro to Frankenstein a few months later. This is why the film ends so abruptly and awkwardly cut/fades to the End card Universal globe.

I wouldn't stay away from the box set, as it's likely the best these are ever going to look on home video at this stage. I'm just worried that there won't be enough care to accurately present these classic films. It's not like they haven't had multiple opportunities to get it right before. But their "restoration" of Drac has me a bit worried. It's a bit like their in-house work on Jaws which looks to remove all filmlike aspects and present an image that in hardly resembles the film as shot in 1975.

However, Bride of Frankenstein received a full scale restoration some time ago and from reports the 35mm prints struck are jaw dropping. That will be the big draw from me. And depending on how well this sells, Universal might be convinced to release a few more of the sequels. They weren't going to ever release any until now.

If unconvinced check out some of the existing HD versions floating around from HDTV and PS3 store etc. They seem to be just the full HD versions of old masters for the DVDs, but the increased detail does work wonders. But it still doesn't match up to a print. Two years ago I saw two from the studio archive and was shocked to see the good condition they were in. Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman I could maybe understand escaping the wrath of over-popularity, but The Mummy looked almost brand new. 1932 and clean as a whistle.

Here: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/44296/Universal-Horrors-Blu-Ray-Collection-combined-discussion-#.T_sk1PW2aEQ

I always mean to join over there, but then forget and lurk later. This is where the real monster lore is dug up, and the place where it was first announced that the uncut ending to the Hammer Dracula had been found in Japan.

Hopefully these aren't mucked up too badly. It may be simply a case of an overbrightened Drac, but with them doing individual parts of the frame it might be impossible to fix.

With Hammer there have always been rumors of foreign prints that had the bits cut by the British and US censors intact, primarily in Japan. With Dracula, the rumors were true. There's an extension of the seduction of Mina, but most importantly in the ending as has been evidenced by still for decades...Christopher Lee reaches up to his own face and the skin comes off down all the way to his chin. This would be in the sequence before the dummy is shown and is actually Lee in makeup and effects. I was fascinated by stills of this as a kid, because I thought it was such a fantastic image...never once did I think it would ever turn up.

http://www.hammerfilms.com/news/article/newsid/314/dracula-resurrected

Plus, the resurrected studio has been doing work on their titles for Blu-ray releases. Several have been done, and now Curse of Frankenstein has had the uncut shot of the eyeballs restored in a 4K scan from original IPs. The Blu-ray release is set to have both 1.66:1 and the full Academy camera aperture as a bonus version. Dracula and The Mummy are upcoming, with Dracula having the lost parts restored. There is still debate on the correct color tone and saturation of Drac, between the 2007 BFI restoration and the US editions.

In any case the awful WB DVDs here in the States will finally be rectified. the color is crap and the framing too tight in many places.

I shouldn't have been held back from seeing monster movies as a kid...;) Back to Universal-land...

The Aluminum Falcon said:

ray_afraid said:

...but either way it's a "fix" I don't mind as I'm sure it wasn't supposed to be that way ever. Of course, if it was that way in it's original form, one could say that they are making changes. But I'd call it restoration.

I think our definition of restoration definitely differs then. To me, it's like when special effects wires or crew accidentally show up in movies. They weren't supposed to be there, but they ended up there anyway. It'd be revisionist to clean up, as it doesn't represent the original version of the films. In essence, my stance is if it's due to the wear of time, fix it, but if it was always there, leave it be.

No, no. What I mean is that I don't think the sound error was there originally, and so I wouldn't consider it a change, but a restoration of how it was originally presented.

Probably from the 50's era fine grain print made for TV printings they have as the best surviving copy. IIRC this is what has been said is their best source.