Night of the Living Dead 3D Blu-ray (1968) [Region Free] [BD-R]

[Camps]

Originally Posted by Variety Films 3D

I did notice a literal few shots that may have had minimal rotoscoping but the vast majority looked like a flat pushed-back autoconvert.

Well, I for one wouldn't mind were a certain craftsman skilled at 3D upconverts to take a crack at a proper Plan 9 conversion -- or for that matter a few more PD '50s sci-fi's ...

(That's assuming there isn't still some claim Wade Williams' estate is trying to make to this....?)

[reaper232]

The original movie has been in the public domain for years and still Aipop nor Variety have taken a crack at converting this film to 3D, come somebody do something this movie isn't that sacred.

[randomfellow]

Originally Posted by reaper232

The original movie has been in the public domain for years and still Aipop nor Variety have taken a crack at converting this film to 3D, come somebody do something this movie isn't that sacred.

I think the big issue is that the film is still at a minimum being actively monetized by the original production company and Criterion.
After The Film Institute and The Museum of Modern Art worked with Image Ten to create the new 4K restoration from the original negatives Image Ten copyrighted it. I think the copyright is really a courtesy which allows someone like Criterion to pay Image Ten royalties using normal industry contracts and standards rather than just taking advantage of the public domain status. Kudos to them for that.

So while the movie is in the public domain and the copyright really wouldn’t hold water in court, I can understand how a small independent company would decide not to try and monetize it with a commercial release. Just because the copyright isn’t ultimately enforceable doesn’t mean that Image Ten and/or Criterion can’t fire off a lawsuit. If that happens then the other guy is gonna have to show up in court with a good copyright lawyer. I doubt a micro volume boutique studio wants to be in that boat.

[trialobite]

Originally Posted by randomfellow

I think the big issue is that the film is still at a minimum being actively monetized by the original production company and Criterion.
After The Film Institute and The Museum of Modern Art worked with Image Ten to create the new 4K restoration from the original negatives Image Ten copyrighted it. I think the copyright is really a courtesy which allows someone like Criterion to pay Image Ten royalties using normal industry contracts and standards rather than just taking advantage of the public domain status. Kudos to them for that.

So while the movie is in the public domain and the copyright really wouldn’t hold water in court, I can understand how a small independent company would decide not to try and monetize it with a commercial release. Just because the copyright isn’t ultimately enforceable doesn’t mean that Image Ten and/or Criterion can’t fire off a lawsuit. If that happens then the other guy is gonna have to show up in court with a good copyright lawyer. I doubt a micro volume boutique studio wants to be in that boat.

Same boat with the Fleischer Superman cartoons. They’re clearly public domain but Warner is claiming copyright on them (particularly with the new Warner Archive restorations.)

There’s clear precedent that cooyright does not renew with a restoration of an existing work. But dealing with a lawsuit from Warner, even if it is eventually and correctly dismissed, is a total non-starter for a small business. I’m not saying it’s likely to happen, but the risk is unfortunately there.

[the13thman]

I just watched the Plan D conversion of Night of the Living Dead which is in the original black and white thankfully. I hadn't seen the film for years so it felt very fresh in 3D. The conversion keeps everything behind the screen so is not as strong as I would have liked though I think there was a little bit of mild pop out and the depth and separation was pretty good. Most of the film takes place inside a house so boxy 3D suits it and creates a distinct 3D space.

I spotted a few errors here and there but nowhere near as many as Night of the Living Dead Re-Animation for example. Though that one had pop-outs the integration of CG effects made my eyes water. Here almost everything looks natural. A lighter flame, hair, 3D TV, the side of a head turned at a certain angle - just the odd brief thing now and then my brain was telling me doesn't look quite right. The source material was in great condition and the conversion overall is really solid, there's notable volume there and my brain didn't revert back to 2D mode while I was watching it.

I never saw the Passmorelab conversion that led to the creation of this thread but I doubt it was as good as this one. I won't be buying this film in 4K and I don't think I'll be watching my Criterion Blu-ray edition in a hurry either. Wish I hadn't bought it now to be honest, I have watched the film in 2D enough times so it's only going to be the 3D version I watch from now on.