Golden Age 3-D Features

[Camps]

Yep, I deliberately left off Hondo (even though it underperformed the WB releases) because it was still a big number that didn't quite fit my overall narrative as easily. As you note, just think how well it would have done had it been released on 3D.

I'd also deliberately excluded the anaglyph 3D BD of Friday the 13th Part 3. The four issuances listed on BluRay.com, between 2009 and 2017, totaled more than 1500 "collections" -- but again, I'd argue it would have done even better as a real 3D issuance.

I'd overlooked that German BD of Stranger -- but the low (US) number certainly bears out the argument.

Thanks again.

[BleedOrange11]

Is there a story, regarding UCLA?

[revgen]

Apparently, sometime last year, Jan-Christopher Horak, the former Director of the UCLA Film and TV Archive stepped down from his position. His last entry in the UCLA Film and TV blog was on September 27th, 2019. On Jan-Christopher Horak's twitter profile, his tweets stop on September 28th, 2019 and start again on February 16, 2020 when he announces that his blog is now on his own website. He doesn't mention why he stepped down as Director of the UCLA Film and TV Archive or why his twitter account was MIA for nearly 5 months.

[T. Warren Scollan]

Wow! That faded print of "Hannah Lee" isn't looking too good now.

[cinerama]

Originally Posted by T. Warren Scollan

Wow! That faded print of "Hannah Lee" isn't looking to good now.

Where are you seeing it?

[BleedOrange11]

Is access to a Cat-Women of the Moon print possible for restoration?

[BleedOrange11]

So many of these films feel so close to having a release but are just out of reach.

[T. Warren Scollan]

Originally Posted by Robert Furmanek

Access to my former print of HANNAH LEE (that I restored and recombined from a dozen prints) has nothing to do with UCLA, it’s entirely at the whim of David Packard of Packard humanities Institute. So far, he has turned down all requests for access and preservation.

Might it help if we started a petition?

[T. Warren Scollan]

Originally Posted by Robert Furmanek

The real frustrating part about not getting access to Hannah Lee is I had worked for several years on restoring that 3-D print. I had acquired about a dozen prints from around the world and re-combined them shot by shot for a complete frame accurate left/right pair. It was quite a challenge because it was the only golden age feature where the edge coding was screwed up so prints edge coded either left or right were not always the correct side. It was an enormous challenge and the only way to accurately do it was to compare each shot to determine which side I had.

When we screened it in 2003 at the first 3-D expo in Hollywood, Bob Burns commented that I had spent more time restoring the film than they did making it!

Ironically, I have since acquired lab mint reels and the only section I need from the Packard print is part one of the left side.

Perhaps a consideration might be similar to that of "Southwest Passage": a partial 3D release.

Or maybe that's not practical as "part one" might be all of the reels before the intermission!

[petergee]

David must be in his 80's or so now Bob I guess. Do you have a contact email address or some other way that we can contact him - sending polite emails may help (or not?)

[robtadrian]

Originally Posted by T. Warren Scollan

Might it help if we started a petition?

Not that I'm speaking for Bob, but he has dissuaded the idea of petitions here in the past (I believe in reference to Warner)

[Interdimensional]

Originally Posted by Robert Furmanek

The real frustrating part about not getting access to Hannah Lee is I had worked for several years on restoring that 3-D print. I had acquired about a dozen prints from around the world and re-combined them shot by shot for a complete frame accurate left/right pair. It was quite a challenge because it was the only golden age feature where the edge coding was screwed up so prints edge coded either left or right were not always the correct side. It was an enormous challenge and the only way to accurately do it was to compare each shot to determine which side I had.


When we screened it in 2003 at the first 3-D expo in Hollywood, Bob Burns commented that I had spent more time restoring the film than they did making it!


Ironically, I have since acquired lab mint reels and the only section I need from the Packard print is part one of the left side.

a dozen prints, wow! That must have been very frustrating, and tedious, but ultimately satisfying. Is that edge coding error part of the reason why Jack Broder sued Pathe labs? I imagine that would have caused chaos in orchestrating a 3-D release.

Very exciting to hear that you tracked down new material for this title. I hope a final piece of the puzzle can be located, even if not as mint as the newly acquired reels. Are left side prints rarer than right side for that title; - was the currently missing section hard to locate originally? Fingers crossed on this one, maybe nothing comes of it, but the situation seems a little more hopeful.

[JediFonger]

hey Bob (and others), with all that's going on right now, i gotta assume golden age 3D is the last thing on studio's mind. are 3D releases going to continue? or will it be something like 3-5 yrs later when "Avatar 2" might revitalize 3D again? what's the 'state of union' as it were on 3D right now.

[revgen]

Right now, Wings of the Hawk (1953) is coming late 2020 or early 2021.

If there is anything else in the works, it hasn't been publicly announced yet.

[cinerama]

Latest from Bob:

Right now all efforts are focused on Dynasty and finishing Wings of the Hawk/The Hypnotic Hick.

Next on the schedule is Revenge of the Shogun Women and The Bubble Roadshow plus a few unannounced surprises along the way!

[JediFonger]

that's good. glad it's still being progressed!

i got into 3D late >) hoping the train keeps going . i think i've got about 10+ pairs of glasses now... ofc... pandemic means people can't hang out w/me in my HT *sigh*....

[Interdimensional]

Originally Posted by JediFonger

hey Bob (and others), with all that's going on right now, i gotta assume golden age 3D is the last thing on studio's mind. are 3D releases going to continue? or will it be something like 3-5 yrs later when "Avatar 2" might revitalize 3D again? what's the 'state of union' as it were on 3D right now.

Like a lot of businesses, I imagine the studios are in survival mode right now. Let's face it, Golden Age 3-D was never top of their agenda, even in more prosperous times. In the immediate short term, it may be a tough sell. We're sort of in the middle of a dark tunnel right now, so you have to have faith that there'll be a glimmer of light at the end the tunnel.

In spite of all this, 3-D remains as marvellous and eye-popping as ever. We're lucky to have this technology, it's a wonderful thing. Don't lose sight of that. There are several titles I can reference right now if I ever need to be reminded, including some great Golden Age titles I once thought I'd never have the opportunity to see, ever.

My particular worry at this point is for theatrical exhibition and physical media. These have been the backbone of digital age 3D. Some people seem to want these to go the way of videogame arcades. Misguided and premature. The next phase of 3D isn't quite on the horizon yet, but I'm sure it is coming. We're at a point where the hype has died right down. That's not the worst thing in the world, because those of us who talk about 3D are coming from a place of enthusiasm and sincerity. Ten years ago, much of the talk about 3D was from people trying to sell you stuff. Some of them didn't believe in their own product, they were just trying to make a quick buck. The old lines about 3D being forced on us out of corporate greed no longer apply. These days, it's something you choose for yourself and have to actively seek out. 3D is no longer approached as a get-rich-quick scheme.

We'll just have to wait and see what the future holds for 3D. I intend to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Originally Posted by JediFonger

that's good. glad it's still being progressed!

i got into 3D late >) hoping the train keeps going . i think i've got about 10+ pairs of glasses now... ofc... pandemic means people can't hang out w/me in my HT *sigh*....

Good for you! This train just keeps going, it's always great to see new people boarding at every stop on the line.

[robtadrian]

I'm convinced that a large swarth of people still think it's anaglyphic

[T. Warren Scollan]

The last thing I remember Bob saying about the "Golden Age" titles was that were 4 or 5 possible new ones but at least one in the lineup after "Wings" that was coming for sure. There's been a lot of speculation about what that one might be, and like everybody else, I have my own guesses, too. Only time will tell.

[Steedeel]

I’m intrigued to see what those special features are for the new version of ‘The Bubble’.