Grading old Hong Kong movies (1980s-90s) original theatrical prints as if blu-rays

[toddly6666]

So I just watched Tsui Hark's DRAGON INN at the BAM ROSE theater in Brooklyn, NYC yesterday. It was an original print (with Chinese subtitles and bad English subtitles).

I watched this movie in the theater pretending I was watching a Fortune Star blu-ray of a 90s Hong Kong film, and guess what? The theatrical print of DRAGON INN had a very similar quality to what one would find typically in a Fortune Star (K&R) blu-ray.

For all the old Hong Kong films I've seen re-released (not remastered prints) in art-house theaters, this is how I would grade the quality of the theatrical versions as if I would be grading a blu-ray:

DRAGON INN
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 3/5
English subitles: 2.5/5


ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 2
Video: 3/5
Audio: 3/5
English subitles: 2.5/5


Can anyone else think of old (1980s-early 1990s) Hong Kong films you've seen in the theaters, remember how they looked and sounded, and grade them as if you were grading a blu-ray?

[benricci]

I've seen City on Fire on the big screen, and it looked like complete garbage in 35mm. The new HK blu-ray is way better than the beat up old print than they were showing.

I don't know what it originally looked like in the 80s, but they certainly haven't taken care of the theatrical prints that survived.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by benricci

I've seen City on Fire on the big screen, and it looked like complete garbage in 35mm. The new HK blu-ray is way better than the beat up old print than they were showing.

I don't know what it originally looked like in the 80s, but they certainly haven't taken care of the theatrical prints that survived.

Cool, and how did it sound as well? Did the blu-ray sound better than how it sounded in the theater?