Lil Brutto

I haven’t posted here in a very long time. The project remained live and well and is finally finished.

Check out the podcast released today where members of this preservation project were kindly invited by Devan Scott & Will Ross of Film Formally to talk about the history of home releases of this film, a bit about this project and our contribution to the upcoming Kino UHD release:

http://sadhillmedia.com/filmformally/s3e10-gbu

You may recall a news article that highlights Will & Devan’s efforts to preserve the International Cut. The article caught the attention of Kino who contacted them, and they put Kino’s people in touch with us to help out with restoration of the International Cut using the MGM/L’Immagine Ritrovata 4K master available to them and filling in some spots with our 35mm scans.

Here’s the link to their National Post article:

https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/how-two-vancouver-filmmakers-are-fixing-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-without-permission-or-authorization

FYI, here’s MisterLime’s (Kino Lorber rep) response to my question in another forum:

MisterLime, many folks have been asking this very question on several forums over the past few days. Will the KL release of the US theatrical cut be sourced from the 2014 4K master (used for the 2014 MGM BD) or a new 4K master? If the 2014 4K master will be used for the US theatrical cut will the image be altered in any way in terms of color, saturation, contrast?

Also, what is the source of the “M.O.S. Deleted Scene of Blondie in the desert finding skeletons”? Did you find this previously unseen footage in the archives or elsewhere?

MisterLime’s reply: The 4K master will be the same master, we’re looking into the yellowishness of the master and see if we can make some improvements. We’ll make further announcements later.

MGM found the M.O.S. deleted scene and offered it to us as an extra, that’s all I know.

TheHutt said:

The newly announced 50th Anniversary of GB&U by Kino Lorber has the following new bonus feature announced:

• M.O.S. Deleted Scene of Blondie in the desert finding skeletons

Did they acquire it from you? Or just “borrowed” it off your Vimeo?

Either they “borrowed” it or maybe they were tipped off by the info provided on the blog that there is one documented print in the hands of Cineteca Nazionale that might have had the same unseen footage but no one bothered to check it before. It’s possible they had that print re-inspected and subsequently scanned if it contained the footage. However, it doesn’t explain why it’s “M.O.S.” considering the CN print should have sound. It’s also possible they came across another source for the “skeleton shot” and other footage. We’ll know the answer when the KL BD/DVD is released.

The priority is to release the International Cut, which is the version that has not seen an official home release since 1998 and definitely does not deserve to be forgotten.

Here are more comparison pics: http://imgur.com/a/eBJdO

This gives you an idea of the basic difference between MGM’s “teal” skies and what it looks like on the print. They also did some major color manipulation on the credit sequence.

http://imgur.com/a/uiBBI

We don’t think so. It’s clear from the translated excerpt breaking down the elements in the studio’s possession (see part 1 of the blog) what comprised the Italian theatrical print.

The conclusion is that this print is an anomaly until more info is made available by the Italians (if ever).

Another visual treat has been posted on the blog at the link below. The “skeleton shot”!

http://theeditroomfloor.blogspot.ca/2016/06/unseen-footage-from-good-bad-and-ugly_7.html

The first of several NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN snippets of footage sourced from the truly mysterious Italian IB TECH 35MM has been posted online. It’s a few extra shots of AE, Stevens and his son looking at each other as AE stands in the entranceway. IMHO it really adds to the ominous mood of this scene, i.e ‘Death arriving at your doorstep’.

A video and a wealth of information pertaining to 35MM elements in the possession of the studios has been provided at the following link:

http://theeditroomfloor.blogspot.ca/2016/06/unseen-footage-from-good-bad-and-ugly.html

Enjoy and let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page (and, of course, here).

There’s a strong possibility of a Grindhouse release, especially given the amount of time and effort required for digital cleanup.

I’m pleased to update you all that, as of today, the scanning phase of the project is finally complete. Ahead is the time-consuming phase of digital cleanup.

TheHutt said:

I suppose that makes my track obsolete.

Not true. The restored audio by Chace sounds crappy.

STENDEC said:

Hey all. I’ve got a quick question - has anyone confirmed if the 01 distrib version of GBU/BBC that came out in Dec 2013 - this one - is the same master as the 2009/2012 Mondo release - this one? I put in an order for it on Amazon Italy yesterday. It hasn’t shipped yet so I’m wondering if I should cancel it and order the Mondo 2012 release instead. I don’t want to have it turn up looking the same as that god awful 2014 MGM release.

They’re the same master but I would get the Mondo BD since it’s not region locked, whereas the 01 is.

On March 13 and 16, Cinemark is showing the DCP as part of its Classic Series at participating theatres listed in the following link:

http://www.cinemark.com/cinemark-classic-series

Is anyone here able to check it out? I’d really like to know how it compares with the MGM 4K BD.

SkyderHouseMafia said:

Just stumbled onto this. Wow very exciting stuff! Any updates on this? It’s been a while since anyone has frequented this thread…

Thanks for your interest. This project is very much alive and the work is ongoing. Updates to follow.

alexp120 said:

odskaggs2 said:
10-Sep-2014, 8:07 PM
Just curious. If someone donates how would the finished version be distributed?

I would like to know that, also.
I feel that if a person donates to a project like this, he shouldn’t have to have the hassle of going through a torrent to get the completed project.
Perhaps if this project can be uploaded for a limited time. The link of this project can be sent to those that donated to the project and they will have limited time to download it before the file is removed.

It’s premature to commit to any dissemination strategies since options for our v1 release are continually changing over time. For now we’re focused on the task at hand, which is to compile the International Cut using IB TECH 35MM elements available to us.

If you’d like to donate to the project you’re most welcome. If so, please send me a PM.

poita said:

I am more excited about this than TFA :)

 You're credited for catalyzing this project! 

I'm pleased to know interest hasn't waned in this preservation project.

We're inching closer and closer to a "grindhouse" release.

Nothing to report at the moment.

There's a guy selling a 35MM print on 35mmforum:

Song of the South reel 4-IB tech. This seems long for a single reel of this film- may be part of reel 5 as well. About 2000' $100

Here's a 5 min sample clip of an IB tech of the US cut that was generously provided to us for 4K scanning:

https://www.wetransfer.com/downloads/a6a3d9a03c02f0f218da989c6d6b181520150911002537/c6955cc388a12e41a9b171c59d78741220150911002537/b622de

My partner-in-crime, who is very experienced in video editing (it's actually his day job), converted the HDR files using DaVinci Resolve. 

I asked him to keep the digital tweaking to an absolute minimum; that is, only perform a color correction (we're about 90% there) based on my notes from the IB tech theatrical presentation at the New Beverly in LA.

Here is what he did: ‘Skin tone balanced one light color correction. No stabilization, dirt removal or damage repair.’

I look forward to your feedback.

Enjoy!

Looking forward to seeing your edits, jimbotron.

The New Beverly is screening an IB tech print of GBU at the end of the month.

Anyone here lucky enough to check it out? 

If so, I envy you.

This one is region locked, though.

jimbotron235 said:

Mondo is OOP, but the master lives on with another release, right?  Can someone link me whatever the current product is on Amazon?  Thanks

 http://www.amazon.it/Il-Buono-Brutto-Cattivo/dp/B00G2UUURK

TServo2049 said:

I find it interesting how we're seeing theatrical color timings for films...turn out to be more teal than we've gotten used to with the earlier video masters, yet clear daytime skies are never that sickly greenish teal we sometimes see on Blu-Ray regrades.

Is it that the modern grades are skewing toward the wrong shade of teal, or is it just that digital grading pushes the skies in ways that photochemical grading didn't do?

Well said! You just articulated EXACTLY the issue we're contending with on the GBU project.

We've gotten so used to the color timing of decades of home releases that strayed from the original "look". However, modern regrades somehow manage to miss the mark. Although certain aspects of the GBU 4K BD image are certainly more true to the theatrical prints, it's understandable why we'd dismiss the whole thing when when obvious things like the skies and even teeth take on that nasty teal.

I too wonder if this may be a limitation of digital grading.

So glad we were able to scrounge up sufficient funds to buy this print before it was too late. 

Individuals who donated to the GBU project sent funds to my PayPal account and I kept a tally in an Excel spreadsheet. It was pretty straightforward.