Rayon Vert wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:09 pm
Can't people both in the know and in some position of influence do something about this? Write pieces, etc.? Or does the outrage only happen on internet discussion boards?
The issue is that with color gradings, it's so delicate and so easy to manipulate that it's impossible to know exactly how it should look. Which is why I don't know myself, I only strongly suggest it's impossible for all these movies to look so similar to each other, but I can't say how they should look.
And that's one line of defense used even by some in the know : "ooh, but who are you to say it's incorrect ? what is correct then ? which references are you using to say that ? it's Ritrovata they know what they're doing, they don't put the same LUT on all these movies, you just prefer standardised flat color gradings like the American or the British are doing".
So even those people aren't doing stuff about it, and are actually thinking this is right. I myself sent an email to the French branch of Ritrovata, which I was told was forwarded to the direction, but I never heard from them again. I might update it and send it again.
The only piece I've read was James Steffen's about The Colour of Pomegranates. Otherwise, there are a couple of rants from Camera Obscura about Ritrovata. And that's it.
Note that the same could be told about Eclair, except their stuff is blue rather than yellow. But still : I can pretty much guess they're the ones behind a restoration without looking at the credits. That's for instance the case on several Claude Berri movies recently restored for Pathé.
And that's the culprit here : how one can think it's correct when within all the realm of possibles offered by photographies in movies, the one thing you can instantly guess is the lab who graded the restoration ? Before guessing the DP, the stock used, the light bulbs used.
It's so contrary to the mere basis of restoration to leave such a heavy signature : it should look invisible.
Can you imagine looking at a Michelangelo fresque or a Picasso painting and guess "Oh, look at these blues and yellows, this has been restored by Paolo Ritrovata, it's so obvious !" ?
John Cope wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:14 pm
Why does Tooze act like this is okay? Isn't he supposed to be one of those people?
He's sadly not, as Rayon Vert emphasised here.
I suspect Svet isn't going to publish a review rather to give a bad score to a Criterion release, just like he did with The Tree of Wooden Clogs.