Comes a Horseman (1978) 1/17/17 from Twilight Time

[Fred Sliman]

Finally gone from the wish list is this beautifully shot (by Gordon Willis) post WW2 set Western that gave veteran stuntman Richard Farnsworth an Oscar nomination and put him on the roster for great roles for the rest of his life. An early role for Mark Harmon also supports the three great top liners.

[MikeZ.]

Just posted in our TT blu-ray catalogue section:
COMES A HORSEMAN (1978).
A NOTE ABOUT THE TRANSFER: while Twilight Time believes Comes a Horseman to be a fine, and generally overlooked hidden treasure from the 1970s, and worthy of a second look by Blu-ray aficionados, we recognize it has not survived in the greatest of shape. We hope that those of you who care enough to buy a copy will forgive the unusually high (for a TT release) level of “speckling” (minus density) and general debris that mar the work of master cinematographer, Gordon Willis, in this hi-def presentation. We have rejected many other titles and transfers for similar reasons, but after some consideration decided this film was too important to let go. In light of this fact, we are offering it at a reduced price to encourage those on the fence about it. TT strives always to strike a balance between a duty to preserve the legacy of film history, as well as presenting the very best version of a film in hi-def as possible under the circumstances.

[oildude]

Pre-order date: Wednesday, January 4th at 4 pm EST

Special Features: Special Features: Isolated Music Track (with some effects) / Original Theatrical Trailer

[hockeyshark91]

To anyone that has purchased a copy- how good (or bad) is the transfer? Worth $15+ shipping?

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by hockeyshark91

To anyone that has purchased a copy- how good (or bad) is the transfer? Worth $15+ shipping?

It's not terrible. Worth paying $15 for sure. It's about the same quality as some of those older MGM masters that Kino have released.

[Dickieduvet]

Originally Posted by hockeyshark91

To anyone that has purchased a copy- how good (or bad) is the transfer? Worth $15+ shipping?

A few screens on this review.

http://moviemansguide.com/main/2017/...sahorseman-bd/

[Richard--W]

I recommend the blu-ray.

Comes a Horseman is a very special film. I went to see it repeatedly in the theater just
to wallow in the mood, the atmosphere, the color and the lighting. Jason Robard's
shadowed and hollowed-out eyes remains an unforgettable image in my moviegoing.
There is one astonishing lap dissolve of a painting into a landscape. The painting is of the
ranch a hundred years ago, and the dissolve showing the same landscape today tells us in
purely visual terms that these younger, smaller ranchers are going to kill off the old
cattle baron before his time is up. Some critic called the film "Jane Eyre" on the prairie
because of past sins catching up; unrequitted love gone too far and turned hostile. You'd
be hardpressed to find another film remotely like it. it is distinguished first and foremost
of Gordon Willis's "prince of darkness" light capture. It must be a problematic negative
to transfer. But the story's good, the cinematography is at the highest state of the art,
and the performances by everyone are deeply felt. The film is characterized by stunning
and symbolic images; the Pakula of The Parallax View and All the President's Men is at
his most observant here, only it's a film about heritage and culture instead of politics so
the symbloic imagery is different than you may at first expect. It's an authentic western
to the early 1940s, as well, if that matters to anyone.

It's a shame Twilight Time did not provide a commentary to put the film into pespective
for today's moviegoers. And to explain just why Gordon Willis's negatives are so tricky
in the digital era.

[hockeyshark91]

Thank you all for you replies. Will pick this up for sure.

[RCRochester]

One thing I recall from the film was the end

[Show spoiler]when the guy was being dragged behind the horse, I thought “fack me, that looks dangerous”... then I found out that the stuntman was actually killed

[Fluid]

Watching this for the first time right now, and it’s a very moving and reflective piece of filmmaking.

[Wtdk]

Does anyone have the reissue of this? Is it the updated transfer from the German release or the Twilight Time release?

[uncledougie]

The Twilight Time release came with a disclaimer and I held off hoping for a remaster. The new Sandpiper release I’m thinking is likely from the same source, as may be the Region 2 BFI release. I’ve only seen it the one time in the theater, but recall the lighting and mood and performances being quiet affecting and striking. Maybe if I go ahead and order this, a new 4K scan will be announced, since that’s been known to happen (recently with Silent Running).

[Gunsnroses092789]

Originally Posted by uncledougie

The Twilight Time release came with a disclaimer and I held off hoping for a remaster. The new Sandpiper release I’m thinking is likely from the same source, as may be the Region 2 BFI release. I’ve only seen it the one time in the theater, but recall the lighting and mood and performances being quiet affecting and striking. Maybe if I go ahead and order this, a new 4K scan will be announced, since that’s been known to happen (recently with Silent Running).

Honestly, the transfer is solid. It has lot of little scratches and specks, but it's nice looking, in my opinion. And while I love the film, I can't see it getting a 4K scan any time soon, unfortunately. This is it for a while, unless a filmmaker like Scorsese or Spielberg champion it and do a full-blown restoration of it through The Film Foundation.

[Wtdk]

Originally Posted by Gunsnroses092789

Honestly, the transfer is solid. It has lot of little scratches and specks, but it's nice looking, in my opinion. And while I love the film, I can't see it getting a 4K scan any time soon, unfortunately. This is it for a while, unless a filmmaker like Scorsese or Spielberg champion it and do a full-blown restoration of it through The Film Foundation.

That's unfortunate. The German release supposedly features a better transfer. Guess I'll have to import it. It's a pity that Sandpiper (if they did) just sourced the same transfer rather than paying a bit more for the German release transfer. Wonder who did the restoration or newer scan for that? I know that the company releasing the German one has issues with encoding but, if the encode is at least decent, the improvement in image quality would be a big plus given that this supposed has been cleaned up and is a new 2K scan of the interpositive. I don't expect a miracle but the damage to the Twilight Time transfer in the beginning was distracting to me.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Wtdk

Does anyone have the reissue of this? Is it the updated transfer from the German release or the Twilight Time release?

Originally Posted by Wtdk

That's unfortunate. The German release supposedly features a better transfer. Guess I'll have to import it. It's a pity that Sandpiper (if they did) just sourced the same transfer rather than paying a bit more for the German release transfer. Wonder who did the restoration or newer scan for that? I know that the company releasing the German one has issues with encoding but, if the encode is at least decent, the improvement in image quality would be a big plus given that this supposed has been cleaned up and is a new 2K scan of the interpositive. I don't expect a miracle but the damage to the Twilight Time transfer in the beginning was distracting to me.

There is no new transfer. Explosive Media just use whatever the licensor gives them.