MovieChat Forums > Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) Discussion > Quality of new DVD

Quality of new DVD

posted 21 years ago by drn5
17 replies | jump to latest

At last, "Sunrise" has been released on DVD, as part of a 'Fox classics' box set. I'd like to buy this, but I am wary. The only copy of 'Sunrise' I has ever seen was a horribly poor, dirty, scratchy print, made worse by a bad VHS transfer. I could see that 'Sunrise' was incredibly beautiful film once, but only by imagining away the accumilated murk of many decades.
If anyone has seen the new DVD, could you tell me whether it presents a restored print? I want to see this film as beautiful as it originally was, as I'm not prepared to keep using my imagination!

[–] damanjeff6 21 years ago

http://207.136.67.23/film/dvdcompare/sunrise.htm

check out the review there. they have screenshots :)

[–] 21 years ago

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[–] ensignp 21 years ago

I watched the DVD version last week. It is an excellent transfer given how old it is and the limited available sources. The restoration is not the best I have seen, but would rank an 8 out of 10. The DVD has some nice extras (can you believe out-takes?) and the orchestration is supurb.
It is as you said an incredible film. It will make a great addition to my collection.

[–] didi-5 21 years ago

The DVD version is close to excellent quality, I'd say; better than many other silent ones I've seen. And the film is close to perfection (loved the extras).

-d-

[–] terrypeters_01 21 years ago

It's my favourite DVD, a hell of a lot better than the faded and grimy VHS copies that were doing the rounds up until now.

[–] 21 years ago

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[–] brower8 21 years ago

It is a beautiful movie, and I see nothing wrong with the restored print on DVD. If you don't have the other Fox classics, then don't let the pretensious subtitle (A Song of two Humans) put you off. Get it. Maybe you get the box set and sell the duplicates...

I got my copy as part of the "buy three Fox classics, get Sunrise free" (except for shipping and handling). I'm not going to compare the DVD to a recent movie, but instead to some other restorations of movies, such as the m2k treatment of Gold Rush and the Kino restoration of Metropolis -- and it looks very good. I have seen bad transfers of movies from the 1920s.

I cannot imagine this print as anything other than a restoration; it is too good to be a cheap transfer from an old film print. Get it; it is great.

[–] koenlommelen 20 years ago

I own the Eureka dvd, two disc set.
It's simply great. Real good quality for a 1927 movie (and a great movie!), and the effort they made for the extra's. There's a 40min documentary about '4 Devils', the presumed lost Murau film. And there are outtakes, and... and...

Great dvd. Buy it.

[–] RDJarden 20 years ago

Apart from the buy-three-get-Sunrise deal, is it release in stores yet, and if not when? I've been looking for it.

[–] Joe-280 20 years ago

Just sent you a note but was cut off. If this is a duplicate, then ignore. Otherwise, read on :-)

"Sunrise" is my alltime favorite film. Ever since I was a teenager I have viewed it on screen, 8mm, vhs, and now DVD. I am quite pleased with the quality of the transfer. A running joke with the company was that i had bothered them so long and hard that they promised me "The very first copy." Well, no idea id that is true or not but my copy was sent out the first day of the disc production.

Yes, it is super movie. Have lectured on it at various times and places with numerous festival events including at MOMA. So, sit back enjoy the movie and I am sure you will like the print!

Joe

[–] The-Silent-Photoplayer 20 years ago

The only flaw with the FOX DVD is that the aspect ratio is wrong (it should be a Movietone, not Academy ratio)

-J. Theakston
The Silent Photoplayer
http://www.thephotoplayer.com/

[–] XsneakybillX 20 years ago

I was at a film festival last fall at Cal State Long Beach, and the restored version of this film was selected for screening. It was very nice and the film, two of the people who worked on the restoration were there to talk about it. It's definitely worth taking a look at, they worked really hard on it.

[–] radiohed-1 20 years ago

I saw this film in a theater the first time. Not too long after, I came across the DVD of this film in a used CD and DVD store with no intentention of trying to find it since I didn't know it was out on DVD. Well, the quality is probably the best I could hope for a silent film of which the original negatives are lost, and I doubt even a company such as the Criterion Collection could improve on it very much.

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] davkli 19 years ago

Cinematographer John Baily's commentary track is worth the purchase price. It's insightful, intelligent, and intersting: one of the best I have ever heard. As has been stated, the original negatives are lost. I'd give this Fox box print a 7 out of 10.