The Saragossa Manuscript & The Hourglass Sanatorium (Wojciech Has) - Mr. Bongo

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Doomhunter

Be interesting to see how the April release of Hourglass looks

Not really. No word of a new master and there's only 1 known HD master out there.

[Doomhunter]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Not really. No word of a new master and there's only 1 known HD master out there.

Ah well, worth a try. I do have the Mr. Bongo release anyhow

[cirik]

Actually there is a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, created by Fixafilm in 2020. But I'm not sure if April release will be from that new master.


https://www.fixafilm.pl/en/2020/08/1...the-58th-nyff/

[Lope de Aguirre]

Hope this is the 4k restauration!

[Mr. Thomsen]

So, am I understanding it right that The Saragossa Manuscript is bit of a DNR mess, and there are no better releases available (not even on DVD)?

[Lope de Aguirre]

Has anybody ordered the new US Blu-ray of "The Hourglass Sanatorium" and can say if it has a different scan than the 2015 UK Blu-ray?

[russweiss1]

Review:

http://www.mondo-digital.com/saragossa.html

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Lope de Aguirre

Has anybody ordered the new US Blu-ray of "The Hourglass Sanatorium" and can say if it has a different scan than the 2015 UK Blu-ray?

I don't know but at least the US release has extras unlike the UK release.

[Sleazeaddict]

hope for the new master

[nicwood]

Unfortunately the Saragossa Manuscript is NOT a new master. This is clearly an older scan from a higher-generation source as there isn't much fine detail. I think this master has seen a grain pass too in certain moments (not the entire thing) and the encoding on the Yellow Veil disc isn't 100% optimal either, but we're looking at an 184-minute film.

Having gotten the new 4K master would have made watching the film easier. I can imagine waiting a little more to see if someone releases the restoration. Don't get me wrong, the disc is certainly watchable but there is big potential for more.

[cirik]

I guess you are talking about The Saragossa Manuscript, right? It's not a surprise for me - never heard of a new restoration for that one, but The Hourglass Sanatorium theoretically can be something new - Fixafilm made a 4K restoration from the original camera negative in 2020.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

Review:

http://www.mondo-digital.com/saragossa.html

Thanks for the link. Very well-written and interesting review.

I just received my copy from VS, and this made me put it on top of my to-watch stack.

[cirik]

I see there is already review of The Hourglass Sanatorium:

http://www.mondo-digital.com/hourglass.html

It's the same restoration as on earlier Blu-ray editions. Let's say missed opportunity...

[RWZMJL]

Checked out my copy today. Horrendous quality. DNR-d into oblivion. Unwatchable in my opinion.

[Eidolon]

Hourglass Sanitorium BD is only £5 on the Mr Bongo site at the moment, but I gather from this thread that it's a bad release then? The DVD seems to be oop. Decent cover art on the DVD, its a shame that the BD doesn't use it.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Eidolon

Hourglass Sanitorium BD is only £5 on the Mr Bongo site at the moment, but I gather from this thread that it's a bad release then? The DVD seems to be oop. Decent cover art on the DVD, its a shame that the BD doesn't use it.

I think the Hourglass blu looks pretty alright. It is filtered but not to the horrible extent that people are making it out (it's certainly no Predator wax-fest). The underlying master is good, I'm sure it beats any DVD out. Check the screens out at Beaver and make up your own mind.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-r...um_blu-ray.htm

[Eidolon]

Originally Posted by ravenus

I think the Hourglass blu looks pretty alright. It is filtered but not to the horrible extent that people are making it out (it's certainly no Predator wax-fest). The underlying master is good, I'm sure it beats any DVD out. Check the screens out at Beaver and make up your own mind.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-r...um_blu-ray.htm

I was going to order it, but the postage costs are high and practically double the price.

[Doomhunter]

Just watched The Saragossa Manuscript (great Napoleanic era comedy / realist fantasy). I imagine fans of Marketa Lazarova, Ivan the Terrible, Viy etc would enjoy it. Great cinematography. The Beethoven sequence at the beginning makes me wonder if Kubrick was inspired by that sequence for A Clockwork Orange.

[GaryCouzens]

I'm not sure what scope there is for much 4K restoration for Saragossa as as far as I know there was only one print of the full-length version, which was Wojciech Has's own copy. Not sure of the negative etc. status of the shorter versions which were released.

The first time I saw the film was a showing in London just after Has's death. They had hoped to show the full version but the only 35mm print they could locate was of the 150-minute version. There was also a 125-minute version. The film takes some following on a first viewing even at full length so that might have been close to incomprehensible.

I'm told there are likely to be things happening for Has's centenary next year, certainly in London, don't know about elsewhere.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Someone mentioned in the Arrow thread, that a new restoration of Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45 done by Arrow is being shown at the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Italy later in the month.

Among other interesting titles shown at the festival, there is also a brand new 2025 4K-restoration of the director's cut of The Saragossa Manuscript. The restoration was based on the OCN.

The previous restoration, and the available DCP, had some issues with DNR, where grain was almost completely scrubbed in some scenes. Hopefully this will look better.

Maybe a title for Radiance, BFI or Criterion?

https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.i...directors-cut/