Mighty Joe Young UK DVD ADDED

[Darrel_Griffin]

Title: Mighty Joe Young AKA Mr. Joseph Young of Africa (1949)
Country: UK
Region: 2
Releasing Studio: Odeon Entertainment
Case Type: Keep Case
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Anamorphic?: No
PAL or NTSC?: PAL (NTSC -> PAL conversion)
Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 2.0 dual mono
Subtitles: none
Cuts: no cuts (93:47 NTSC -> PAL)
Commentaries: none
Extras:

Image Gallery (15 images) (1:20)
Theatrical Trailer (1:33)

Notes:

Mostly Black and White, but some shots are tinted.
Opening credits are slightly window-boxed.

Easter Eggs: none known
Amazon ASIN: B0040XZI6E
Source: I own a copy


Additional Notes:

1. My stating that it is an NTSC -> PAL conversion is my assumption, but is based on the runtime (being almost identical to the Blu-ray releases) plus the fact that some frames have 'ghosting' (2 frames blended) while other frames do not.

2. I have just bought the Warner UK Blu-ray, and it also includes tinted shots. I believe this is as per the original theatrical release. My guess is that other releases also have tinting in some shots. I can't recall whether or not you normally mention when a release has tinting, but I thought I'd mention it just in case!

[Brent_Reid]

In the audio commentary, Ray Harryhausen states that the burning orphange sequence was tinted red by Technicolor. It was on all original release prints but not carried over to reissue and TV prints. It was reinstated for Image's 1990 LaserDisc and all releases onwards.

Interesting, re Odeon's apparent NTSC-PAL transfer, as their Son of Kong DVD has PAL speed-up. Of course, both titles are licensed from Warners, as part of the old RKO library.

The US MJY DVD timing is 93:39. Its "Ray Harryhausen and Mighty Joe Young" featurette is 11:55 and the US re-release trailer is 1:40.

Re the UK MJY BD:
Notes: "Initial pressings come with a slipcover." is incorrect: slipcases are standard for the Premium Collection range.
Footnotes: "No major differences." should be altered to "Identical releases."

THE US DVD Son of Kong trailer is 1:46.

[Darrel_Griffin]

Thanks Brent.

To my eyes it looks more orange than red, but whatever, it looks gorgeous, especially on the Blu-ray. In some ways I think I prefer tinting to full colour!

On IMDb, under the 'Mighty Joe Young' Technical Specifications page it also mentions some sequences were processed using 'Sepiatone'.

I have the 'Son of Kong' UK Odeon DVD myself, although I plan imminently to upgrade to the Warner US Blu-ray.

Which reminds me, the UK Mighty Joe Young is also part of the 'The Hollywood Studio Collection' range. Can whoever adds this entry please include this too? Also please add Brent's timings and other notes for the various 'Mighty Joe Young' and 'Son of Kong' DVDs and Blu-rays. Although I am not sure about changing the MJY footnote to 'Identical releases' - the disc contents seem to be identical, but the UK release includes the physical extras (slipcover, poster and art cards) which I don't think are included with the US release.

P.S. Brent - do you have the exact runtime for the Son of Kong US DVD? Currently the database just says "~69:00".

[Brent_Reid]

Hi Darrel,

Good catch: I didn't pick up on the current listing being approximate. The US SoK DVD is 69:26.

On the audio commentary, first Harryhausen says of the orphanage sequence, "Oh, it's the red scene!" Then Terry Moore mentions it being done in sepia, and Harryhausen corrects her, saying Technicolor originally did it in red, bemoaning it now only being "a timid orange." Then he says Technicolor "put two colors in it," with "the flames in yellow..." But his memory is playing tricks there.
In actual fact, the restorers replicated the original colour as closely as possible, and it's sepia toned (as opposed to tinted) -- Terry was right!

I'm a big fan of tinting and toning too, especially the latter; you should check out some of the eye-wateringly beautiful silent film restorations available, particulary on BD.
In case you didn't know, silent film prints were very commonly coloured. Widespread tinting and toning only ended with the coming of sound, as the dyes used interfered with the optical soundtrack. Yup: the movies gained sound but lost colour! Thus, silents themselves have mostly only been known via transfers derived from later, inadequate B&W safety copies. But thankfully, their original colour schemes are often now being reinstated using digital tools.

By "Identical releases" I'm referring to the discs themselves. Alternatively, "Identical specifications" works too.

[Darrel_Griffin]

Thanks again Brent.

Regarding 'identical releases', I said I was "not sure" about whether that should be used in this case, which is ambiguous phrasing - apologies for that, but I meant it literally - I really don't know what the rules are regarding this, so I will leave that for others to decide.

GENERAL NOTE: THERE ARE NO OTHER DATABASE CORRECTION SUGGESTIONS IN THIS REPLY, JUST GENERAL DISCUSSION.

Personally I have very broad tastes in movies, although perhaps my favourite era is the 1970s, especially European movies. But I have made a point of trying to familiarise myself with movies from all eras, including the silent era, and I do have quite a few early movies, such as ones directed by F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, mostly on Blu-ray. I haven't actually watched many of them yet, but plan to watch the rest in the not-to-distant future. The earliest feature film I have is the original (at least I think it's the original) 'The Student of Prague' (1913), although it is a poor quality version that is massively sped up and is also missing a lot of footage. I also have the Eureka UK DVD of 'The Golem' (1920), which I think has some tinted shots. By the way, I've just found out that it looks like Sony are due to release 'The Golem' on Blu-ray in Germany in two weeks. I assume it will have German intertitles. I don't know if it will have English subtitles, but it's potentially another one for my wish list!

I did finally buy the Blu-ray of 'The Lost World' (1925), but not watched that yet either. But I think that has some tinting in it. I did watch a small section, and was somewhat disappointed at how much the image density seems to fluctuate from frame to frame, causing it to flicker quite a bit. Although perhaps I shouldn't have been too surprised, given that it is released on a label called 'Flicker Alley'!

I really don't know anything about 'sepiatone', and I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that on 'Mighty Joe Young' sepiatone was only used at some other point(s) in the movie, as the orphanage scene colouring looks to be a very vibrant orangey-red, and nothing like sepia photographs I've seen which are more like a mild brown hue. But perhaps the sepiatone chemical process can be adapted and/or used in conjunction with other processes to create a variety of hues. Obviously, digital tools can create any hue desired, so when tinting is created digitally there is no reason to automatically assume that the result is close to the original chemical process that it is attempting to emulate. However, I feel that the normal brown sepia look I am used to would not look very impressive when trying to create the spectacle of a burning building, so I can only assume there must be more to the sepiatone process than that. Can you shed any light (no pun intended!) on this Brent?

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Added and updated.

[Darrel_Griffin]

You could add that the 'Mighty Joe Young' Odeon UK DVD is also part of the 'The Hollywood Studio Collection' range (the same as is already in the database for 'Son of Kong' Odeon UK DVD).

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Done

[Brent_Reid]

The words "limited edition" should be deleted from the UK BD notes.

Darrel, if you're relatively new to silents, I very strongly recommend avoiding the well known, important, 'war horse' films and starting with some later comedies instead. You simply cannot go wrong with Chaplin's and Keaton's features...

The Lost World restoration on Flicker Alley's BD is an incredible job: the film's in far better condition and more complete than at any time since its premiere. It's very unlikely it will ever look any better, given the condition of extant materials. Google "Flicker Alley London" for the origin of the label's well-chosen name...

"Sepia" describes a broad range of shades going through various browns and ambers to as far as the almost-orange of MJY's orphanage scene. You can rest assured the colour used in its superb restoration is absolutely spot on.

Happy viewing!

[Darrel_Griffin]

Thanks Brent.

Yes I should say that my remark about the Flicker Alley name was somewhat flippant, but no more than a cheap joke. I am genuinely glad they've released 'The Lost World' on Blu-ray, and that it is the longest version available. But I was also genuinely surprised at how much the image density seems to fluctuate, although I only watched a small portion of the movie. But there are digital tools available that improve the stability of image density, so I would have expected it to be better in this regard. Still, I plan to watch it properly soon, and I'm sure I will enjoy it.

Here in the UK, when I was a child, a lot of typical children's TV time slots were filled with early comedies, including Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, as well as Harold Lloyd and many (mostly non-silent) Laurel and Hardy shows. I did greatly enjoy them, although I am not sure if I will find the time to watch more in future. I won't rule it out, but life is short... so many movies, so little time...

[Brent_Reid]

Hi Darrel, I actually know those responsible for The Lost World's restoration, and what was involved in getting it to its current state. Believe me me when I say that everything reasonably possible has been done, both in the photochemical and digital realms, to achieve the current result. There is only so far you can go with digital tools before you actually begin to compromise the integrity of the original image, especially with older elements like those the team had to work with. I'm sure you know about the horrors of excessive DNR and revisionist retiming (eg the "teal effect"), etc, even on modern films.

Granted, with unlimited time, budget and resources, a little more can be done with any restoration, but in The Lost World's case, it isn't much at all. Before viewing your BD, I suggest you check out some of its many unrestored public domain releases or any of the previous best-available but still-woefully incomplete DVDs. I promise they'll make you profoundly thankful for the quality of its restoration!

I remember those cut-up, sped-up, awful quality L&H, Keaton and Chaplin clip compilation shows too. They and similar programmes were how many current silents fans and industry professionals were introduced to those works. They were terrible in restrospect, but the sheer artistry still shone through.

The trouble with the often-worthy war horses is that for all sorts of reasons too lengthy to go into here, they're far less likely to turn you onto silents in a big way. Start with the comedies!

[Darrel_Griffin]

Actually I've not heard the term 'teal effect' before, but checking online there are lots of references to an 'orange/teal effect', which I am guessing is the same thing. I've certainly noticed with lots of modern movies, especially those shot with digital cameras, that the colours look very unnatural, with blues looking a bit green, and reds and greens looking yellow. I find these almost unwatchable.

In general I know more about audio than video, although in the past I worked for a visual effects company, and did learn a certain amount about various image manipulation techniques, and still continue to try to educate myself. DNR can certainly produce good results when used judiciously, but if the settings are too extreme then I agree it does more harm than good, such as making people's faces look too smooth or 'waxy'.

I've not seen any public domain releases of 'The Lost World', but when contributing to the thread for it on this site (now kept as a reference), I did mention that I had both the American 20th Century Fox and UK Eureka releases. The Fox one is very sped up, but the Eureka one is quite good. But the Flicker Alley Blu-ray obviously improves on resolution, as well as having more footage. And as a general point I do realise that, painful as it may be, often movies are not restored to the maximum extent theoretically possible purely on budgetary grounds. Unless they expect to sell huge numbers of the end product, they simply wouldn't break even.

Regarding old comedies, my memory is very hazy, but yes I think what I watched was mostly clip shows, although with Laurel and Hardy I think they usually broadcast shows in their entirety.