Quote:
Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist
I know what a protection master is, there was no need for clarification. The point that I repeatedly attempted to make here is that even when one looks only at the screencaptures posted above, it is very clear that some interpreting has been done by the people in Germany as there are obvious color discrepancies on the Blu-ray. In other words, I am not at all convinced that the release is "historically accurate".
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On the other hand, Criterion have very clearly stated that their transfer reflects how Cronenberg wants his film to look now. There is no mystery there.
Pro-B[/QUOTE]
If I'm reading the pertinent posts correctly, the comparison caps from Subkultur are from a raw scan of a German release print and the their transfer based on the protection master. They also state they did not use the release print, which implies they were more satisfied with the protection master, or perhaps that the protection master was close enough to the print to be considered "accurate", at least within the inevitable variation range of the photochemical process.
If I have interpreted their statement correctly, then the logical conclusion is that the Subkultur transfer is as close to the intended look of this film in 1981 as is reasonable for 33 year old elements from a 33 year old "B" movie.
It is equally obvious that Criterion's transfer diverges relatively dramatically from what the film looked like in 1981. I look forward to making a comparison myself as I do have the German transfer and plan to get the Criterion release.
Of course it is the director's privilege to make alterations in a film he directed. It should be pointed out that Cronenberg would not be the first respected director to F*ck up a transfer.