Imitation of Life 2-Movie Collection (1934 - 1959) - April 7, 2015

[Akijama]

Finally available for pre-order

Back cover:

[Show spoiler]

[JackTwist]

Originally Posted by Akijama

Finally available for pre-order

Back cover:

[Show spoiler]

I've never pre-ordered so fast. Thanks for the update!!

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by JackTwist

I've never pre-ordered so fast. Thanks for the update!!

You're welcome.

It's a good price for two classic flicks. Or one and a half classic? Lol.

[SolidBlu]

great cover art, pre-ordered

[*PREACHER*]

Pre-ordered...great deal for both, thank you Akijama for always keeping us up to date with releases and such!

[lukejosephchung]

Universal seems to be getting back into the blu-ray catalog release game...they're also releasing "Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun"(1969) & "Silent Running"(1972)on the same day...

[Deep]

This is the last of the Universal Legacy Series DVD sets to be upgraded. I can't wait to pick it up ...

-D

[flixyflox]

A couple of responses to the reviewer.

First I have no problems with the Stahl 34 version transfer which is superbly handled for detail, grayscale rez and grain management.

But I have several major issues with the Sirk transfer which makes it to me unacceptable.

The AR is simply wrong and has been pulled out of the air by someone who decided to reinvent the film without any regard to historical or archival accuracy. There is certainly a small amount of extra picture information on the LH edge, but absolutely no extra image info in the headroom and it would appear to me the bulk of the cropping has been made by masking into the footroom. This creates a series of its own problems in terms of composition - it unbalances wide shots in which people walk across the framey. Worse, every time Sirk sets up a profile MCU of two shot or three shot (the girls in the apartment and elsewhere throughout the movie) the heads get cut off mid hair line. There are further instances which are too many to even allow for the revised AR on this to score a tick. It's plain simple WRONG.

And the new mastering's color timing has been done with no regard for any original Eastman (printed by Pathe) prints. The extremely hot pumping of reds now bears no resemblance to any original master, and the only time Sirk uses red as a "signal " color is the fire hydrant outside the School before Sarah Jane is "outed" as black be her mother. It's not a recurring motif color they way it is in ATHA or Written on the Wind. What the reviewer describes as rear projection or process during the early exteriors is almost always simply high level grain from second unit photography and it is simply a part of the original record. In fact every wides shot for exteriors or locations replicates this heavy grain. It's inherent, unfortunately. But the very hot and overly bright color temp is another misapplication of digital tools IMO to blow out of all recognition this Eastman stock picture into something it never was. They seem to have been to turn it into a facsimile of IB Tech printing which is simply is not.

One can only hope the 4K isn't like this, and indeed still retains the original matte. Bad and overly manipulated as the German BD is it is in fact more accurate for the record than this rubbish.

I should add 16mm prints I handled of the film during the 70s were all hard matted to 1.85.

[Jumpman]

Originally Posted by JackTwist

I've never pre-ordered so fast. Thanks for the update!!

Agreed! Oh, my Lord, how I've waited for the announcement of the '59 film to hit Blu!

That film is a masterpiece of the highest order!