Timing changes were not uncommon on video, even before teal-orange. Phantom Menace looked much better in theaters than the pinkish purplish low-contrast mess we got on EVERY home release. And The Matrix, Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, they all looked different on video.

I do think Jackson and Lesnie (or someone) tinkered with the color for the pre-BD masters, even if just to make it read better on TV sets. They definitely had to for the EE DVD, because they had to put in the deleted footage that likely didn’t get to the grading stage in the theatrical release.

And that bootleg may be an interpositive transfer rather than a print, it does still look like it was lightened or brightened to read better on video? Regardless, it’s not how my EE looks.

I wish someone could track down that bootleg, or a screener, or something.

I concur though, how does the Council look in this project?