Midnight Cowboy (1969)

[Khronikos]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

DVDBeaver caps are not at all accurate to what the disc looks like. They have been known to showcase their screenshots in the wrong color space.

No. His caps are fine, and they fall right in line with what Capsaholic has.

https://www.caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a...9&l=1&i=0&go=1

Jesus this looks absolutely pitiful. While I personally would have tamed the warmth about 5-10% on the MGM disc, the new one looks absurd.

https://www.caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a...2&l=1&i=7&go=1

Also, loss of depth here in the whites. While this one doesn't look as blue, and there are many good shots in the film, some of it looks hideous.

https://www.caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a...&l=1&i=11&go=1

Again, not all scenes look awful, but this white is gross. Something is just wrong with it. All it would take is a tweak of say 15% and it would look so much better. I don't know what happened.

Check the blue vase out there on the table. It's completely teal now. That isn't what it was supposed to look like IMO, but that isn't the problem. It just looks bad.

Also, the artwork for this release is way over the top for me.

Still, like is said earlier it is possible HDR would make this look right. IDK. HDR has fixed issues like this a bit in the past, but this still looks a bit weird.

[Khronikos]

https://www.caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a...3&l=1&i=6&go=1

Big time. Here you go. Proof they had no idea what the hell they were doing. Look at the paint on the washer. It completely bleeds straight into the metal LMAO. Hideous for a character drama like this.

And no that is not proper reflection or refraction, and don't try to illogically claim so. The entire image is doused in teal blue, and the chrome is neither reflective nor new on that machine. The old shot is a galaxy far away from the newly recolored mess of this film. It looks like some horrid SDR converted badly from HDR.

Now I can see what they were going for, but they did it wrong IMO. Tame that color saturation by about 60% and it would look nearly perfect. They went way overboard with this.

[AlexIlDottore]

Originally Posted by Khronikos

https://www.caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a...3&l=1&i=6&go=1

Big time. Here you go. Proof they had no idea what the hell they were doing. Look at the paint on this car. It completely bleeds straight into the metal LMAO. Hideous for a character drama like this.

Now I can see what they were going for, but they did it wrong IMO. Tame that color saturation by about 60% and it would look nearly perfect. They went way overboard with this.

that's no car. that's a dirty laundry machine. nothing wrong with the shot.

[mikesncc1701]

Just blind bought this for the current Amazon price. Can't wait to finally see it!

[blankford]

Originally Posted by mikesncc1701

Just blind bought this for the current Amazon price. Can't wait to finally see it!

Same!

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by mikesncc1701

Just blind bought this for the current Amazon price. Can't wait to finally see it!

Originally Posted by blankford

Same!

You both won't regret it. It's an excellent film, definitely one of my favorite Best Picture winners, and the Criterion is a top notch presentation.

[Khronikos]

Originally Posted by Harryhausen AF

That ld was totally garbage just like the first DVD way too green. Good thing I have the old blu with natural colors unlike the Criterion which has a blanket green tint. Criterion do have a history with revisionism recently I had to sell off the Criterions of Silence of the Lambs and Straw Dogs and just kept the MGMs for the more natural colors.

I'd have to disagree with you on Silence of the Lambs. Nothing they did there was even close to what we have here. That film fits its style perfectly, and the new transfer looks amazing to me. Claiming revisionism when the cinematographer did the newly restored version is what it is... but in this case it doesn't make much sense as the MGM disc is just awful looking and not natural in the slightest. Why do people think a blanket red tint is natural? I absolutely hate the red tint of the 80s and early 90s dvds/blurays, which is why I actually really like the newly restored versions of sci-fi classics because they don't scream, "I'm from the 80s."

What I am almost certain about though is that the SDR versions of these films are lesser than the true HDR versions they probably already have done and sitting there. But this one still looks off to me. Even Silence is only VERY marginally different from the MGM. This one is basically black and white when juxtaposed with the previous release. I will hold out and say that it is possible an HDR version will minimize that teal color, but I won't be buying this then anyway. They referenced an old print of this from 2004, so I am definitely not very impressed with how they colored this in SDR. Then again we can look at the Matrix bluray to see just how awful an SDR version can look versus its HDR counterpart.

Also, I am unclear how you came to the point to sell the your Criterion of Silence for such a poor and terrible version of a film. The MGM has a red blanket tint across the whole thing, while the Criterion only marginally looks a tiny bit greener from what one might call actual skin color, which perfectly fits its themes IMO.

At any rate the old MGM disc is purely trash with terrible grain and detail.

[Trace Buster Buster]

My old blu ray of this started freezing at certain points so I needed a new copy. The new criterion version was only $5 more than the old mgm version at the time so I figured why not? Reading through this thread gave me some hesitation but I"m glad I bought the criterion version because this transfer is a revelation. Every aspect of it blows away the old one. Make no mistake though, there is a green/tealish cast to some of the scenes now, especially the indoor scenes. It's kind of jarring the first time you watch it but by the second viewing it didn't bother me anymore and I actually prefer it now. It adds to the overall dinginess of the movie. I'm going to assume the look is accurate due to the great information presented in this thread but whether or not you like it is personal preference. The rest of the new transfer is so good that if you can accept the new look of the film you're in for a real treat. It was also nice to watch the movie with the original mono track (I've only heard the 5.1 on the old disc) which I also prefer now.

[CineSicko]

A friend of mine, who is a longtime fan of the film, asked me if I have the Criterion release. I told him that I have it, but that I also have the older MGM disc, which I prefer because the colors are far more natural than those on the Criterion. He requested that I bring the Criterion over because he was curious about the new color scheme. We watched it in silence, and afterward he said: "They really put the 'blue' in 'Blu-Ray', didn't they?" I found that amusing. Watching it again, I was really struck by just how outrageously teal the bulk of the image looks. Such a shame, as the grain is so beautifully resolved on the Criterion. Were not for the extras, I would've likely sold it by now.

[Dailyan]

Received the StudioCanal German Blu today and decided to do some comparisons with the Criterion. The biggest difference is that SC adjusted the some of the grading for, roughly, the first five minutes (after Joe leaves the dinner). Other than that, the rest of the film looks the same as the CC.

Criterion top and SC bottom for each shot:

[Show spoiler]

[BluProofie]

Got this during last month’s sale. The disc looks fantastic, IMO.

[LMFAObros]

Overall is the older disc better or is the newer one?

[nitin]

The newer one is way better.

[Filmmaker]

Originally Posted by LMFAObros

Overall is the older disc better or is the newer one?

Originally Posted by nitin

The newer one is way better.

It’s not even a contest.

[Bellicose]

Originally Posted by Filmmaker

It’s not even a contest.

I think they both have their merits. Not even a contest lol? How so? One has quite a different color scheme. The other one has a little more blue and green in it. Both look good, but they are vastly different presentations. The older one has a great bitrate too.

I'm not gonna lie, the old one is too red, and the new one is too green/blue. A UHD can hopefully resolve the issues.

[Filmmaker]

Originally Posted by Bellicose

I think they both have their merits. Not even a contest lol? How so? One has quite a different color scheme. The other one has a little more blue and green in it. Both look good, but they are vastly different presentations. The older one has a great bitrate too.

I'm not gonna lie, the old one is too red, and the new one is too green/blue. A UHD can hopefully resolve the issues.

If you can look at the aged, faded, markedly less detailed and less accurately framed MGM disc and say it’s on equal footing with the Criterion, may I kindly suggest you never make the move to 4K UHD discs. Their virtues will be lost on you.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Bellicose

I think they both have their merits.

You're right about that. The MGM disc is great for resting your drink upon while you're watching the Criterion version.

[Bellicose]

Originally Posted by Filmmaker

If you can look at the aged, faded, markedly less detailed and less accurately framed MGM disc and say it’s on equal footing with the Criterion, may I kindly suggest you never make the move to 4K UHD discs. Their virtues will be lost on you.

I mean the color timing is perverse on the Criterion disc in some sense. That is simply not how it looked in any presentation I have seen. I didn't say I loved the old one. I said they both have their merits. You guys are pretty touchy on this. I see a couple banned people in the thread too lol. I think you people need to chill out.

Originally Posted by RCRochester

You're right about that. The MGM disc is great for resting your drink upon while you're watching the Criterion version.

I don't imagine the Criterion will be anything different when a proper UHD comes out.

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by Bellicose

I don't imagine the Criterion will be anything different when a proper UHD comes out.

It’s an MGM catalog title. Don’t hold your breath.

[Filmmaker]

Originally Posted by Bellicose

You guys are pretty touchy on this. I see a couple banned people in the thread too lol. I think you people need to chill out.