Thoughts on cleaning up old movies?

[UFAlien]

A friend of mine on a horror forum said this, specifically regarding Friday the 13th on Blu-ray:

"Ya know when you keep cleaning up 80's slashers, they lose their 80's feel."

My response was:

"No... the Blu-ray feels VERY 80s. You don't need dirt, specks, and blurriness to make it 80s."

To which he replied:

"Yes you do, not the only one who said that, like all my friends agree, and like a ton of sites have said this..."

To which I said:

"Good video quality doesn't take away the goofy hair, story, fashions, settings...

You do realize that when the movie was shown in theaters, it was a new print? i.e., little to no print damage, best possible clarity (film has a much higher resolution than even Blu-ray), pure sound? This is the way it was seen in the 80s - making it the most 80s version released since the theatrical showings."

So, not just for slashers, but films in general, do you feel that restoring them takes away their feel or charm?

Of course, this doesn't apply to films made that way intentionally, like Death Proof, 300 and the like.

[McKellars]

Originally Posted by UFAlien

So, not just for slashers, but films in general, do you feel that restoring them takes away their feel or charm?

Not at all.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by McKellars

Not at all.

agreed lol I could understand wanting to watch a vhs just to say wow this is what would watch b4 blu-ray ... but to not ever get the amazing blu quality! that would be very bad!

[Anthony P]

no iea what the guy is talking about

[ckent22]

No, that's a little ridiculous. Does the guy even appreciate Blu-ray? It doesn't sound like it.

Take other older films that have been cleaned up for a Blu-ray release. Did they lose their feel because they have been given a Blu-ray release? I think in most cases and the general consensus would be NO.

Oh and ask him what sites have said this.

[Sloan78]

Tell your friend to watch this 80's cheesy classic and see if there's a difference!

[zicmubleu]

Its called nostalgia. However you saw the movie the first time, if you were in a good frame of mind at the time, only the original format will bring you fully back to that state.

[ckent22]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

Its called nostalgia. However you saw the movie the first time, if you were in a good frame of mind at the time, only the original format will bring you fully back to that state.

I think the success of Grindhouse proves that you can take something with that old flair to it and make it look incredible in HD.

I realize it wasn't made in the 80s, but it has that old flair to it while still looking better than the DVD version IMO.