The Mist - Black & White version

[Chindogu]

I rather like this movie, and the idea of it being in Black & White works really well in my mind as a throwback. I haven't seen it this way yet and was thinking of picking it up the 2 disk B&W Collectors Edition. The thing is it costs more than than the 2 disk Blu+DVD Collectors Edition. Not a lot more, but enough that I could put it towards getting another film too.

Does anyone here know exactly what was done to the film to make it B&W? How much remastering and contrast tweaking they did, or was it just a matter of doing a global De-saturation digitally? I've been doing some Googling looking for an answer but to no avail. If De-saturating my TV would just create the same effect then I don't really see a point in spending more money then I have too.

On a side note, I just watched Jurassic Park III (DVD) by De-saturating my TV and thought it worked great. Liked it about 100x better then the last time I watched it in colour.

Thanks gang.

[csdot]

i watched it in black and white first and after seeing it in color i definitely prefer the black and white version.

[dfms23]

Originally Posted by csdot

i watched it in black and white first and after seeing it in color i definitely prefer the black and white version.

I think it may have been filmed in the first place in both black and white and color. That's what I seem to remember but I am definitely not positive

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by dfms23

I think it may have been filmed in the first place in both black and white and color. That's what I seem to remember but I am definitely not positive

No. Filmed in color and processed to B&W.

B&W didnt work for me. Too many modern technologies clashed with the "old school look". Cell phones, computers, weapons, vehicles. Really looked odd and the B&W not being native was distracting for me.

LOVE the movie though....especially the ending.

[bboisvert]

Originally Posted by Chindogu

I rather like this movie, and the idea of it being in Black & White works really well in my mind as a throwback. I haven't seen it this way yet and was thinking of picking it up the 2 disk B&W Collectors Edition. The thing is it costs more than than the 2 disk Blu+DVD Collectors Edition. Not a lot more, but enough that I could put it towards getting another film too.

What two releases of The Mist are you comparing here? Other regions?

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by bboisvert

What two releases of The Mist are you comparing here? Other regions?

Alliance has the Canadian distribution rights and they originally released the same set as the US with the color and black & white versions on two Blu-rays.

Then Alliance, in a bid to push the Blu-ray market in Canada, took that release off the market and now sells a two-disc color Blu-ray and color DVD combo set.

The US release is still a two disc BD set with the color and black & white versions.

iNetVideo lists the 2 BD set for $12.99. You might want to email them to verify that it is the older release.

AxelMusic has the out of print Canadian 2 BD set for $20.92.

The new BD/DVD combo is $22.15 at AxelMusic.

Family Video has the US release for $19.99.

[Alkaline]

Frank Darabont conceived it as a b&w film to begin with, but the studio wasn't "feeling" that idea. They compromised and permitted him to release the b&w version as a supplement on dvd/blu. I remember reading an article around the time of the dvd release and it was clearly said that there was a lot of further tweaking done to get the b&w version looking "just right"--not the equivalent of just turning your tv's color to zero. I think the monochrome works really well for it, personally.

[Chindogu]

Thanks for all of your replies.

At HMV (in Canada) there are two versions, a 2 disk Blu+DVD and a 2 disk Blu with the Black & White version. The Supplemental Material is exactly the same on each set. The Art Work is also exactly the same, with only the disk 2 contents being listed differently on the back, ie. DVD vs. Black & White. If I hadn't of double checked I probably would have gotten the Blu+DVD combo by mistake, as it's $15 (or 2 for $25) compared to $20 (or $15 with a DVD trade in). I scratched my head for a bit wondering why the same disc was two different prices.

Frank Darabont doesn't strike me as a Director who would do little more than just zero the colour, but I was hoping there was a nerd out there who actually compared a De-saturated Colour version with the Black & White. Guess that'll be my job when I pick this up! I know myself too well, I'll get the B&W version even though it does cost more.

[Jim Purcell]

You know what looks strangely awesome in Black & White? Battlestar Galactica (2003). I was playing around with my TV color settings trying to make my BSG DVD upscale picture look better and accidently turned the color off. The show felt strangely 'right' in b&w.

Now I'm curious about this The Mist B&W version, it's on every copy of the US release Blu-Ray?

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by Jim Purcell

Now I'm curious about this The Mist B&W version, it's on every copy of the US release Blu-Ray?

Yes.

[MaCruz]

I love The Mist, but I've never watched it in Black & White yet.

[obiwopkenobi62]

I watched both the color and the B & W version and have to say I loved the B & W version better.

[Adrock]

Originally Posted by MaCruz

I love The Mist, but I've never watched it in Black & White yet.

+1. I just picked up the Mist about a week or two ago and just watched the regular version a few nights ago. Great movie, I will definitely have to check out the B&W version soon.

[HanaBi]

DVDBeaver has a review with some comparisons. Interestingly, the DVD B/W version has a slighly greenish tint, while the BD B/W version has no hue.

[Alkaline]

Originally Posted by HanaBi

DVDBeaver has a review with some comparisons. Interestingly, the DVD B/W version has a slighly greenish tint, while the BD B/W version has no hue.

I think it's just a byproduct of NTSC vs the 1080p rendering. NTSC has a green push. You can also notice it in screencap comparisons of a NTSC vs PAL version of a movie taken from the same master.

[witheygull]

I love good black and white cinematography and I love The Mist, but I do not like the B&W version of the movie. The film was not designed to be shot in B&W - the costumes, sets, and lighting are all different from what would have been done for a true black and white film. The result is a soft, blurry mess where the lack of difference in grayscale values causes costumes, props, sets, and CGI to frequently blend together when they shouldn't.

This is not a knock against any of the people involved in making the movie, because I think it is a damn fine film (in color). If it had been designed and shot in black and white originally, then that would be a different kettle of fish; but the B&W version we have is visually unappealing to me.