MovieChat Forums > His Girl Friday (1940) Discussion > Has this film been restored?

Has this film been restored?


I haven't watched this one in many years but picked it up for a view recently. I wasn't totally bummed about the picture quality but there is still quite a bit of noticeable snow.
It seems a shame to let a picture as good as this one be even a little deteriorated. I have seen lesser pictures restored to greater glory then this one is in.

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I have a DVD copy that I picked up in the early to mid-2000s and I feel like the copy is pretty pristine for a 1939/40 movie (passed the muster when I showed it to an AP class in 2009).

We're watching it on TCM right now and it seems like it's a similar copy. But I haven't heard if it has been restored or not.

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I wanted to add that the trivia section mentions that since HGF is in public domain, there are poor quality copies in the marketplace. Perhaps that's why yours is a poor copy and mine isn't?

I have no memory of where I purchased my copy, but I have bought many/most of my DVDs at Barnes and Noble (both online and in-store). I also distrust third-party vendors who operate through Amazon and B and N, and Amazon's license to burn-on-demand (I've been 'burned' by the quality).

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If you have a very good quality dvd, meaning only how the film looks and sounds (transferred) please let me know the COMPANY that made it. I don't care where it was purchased. If there's a good copy out there I would like to buy one...and I'm not the only one. Thanks!

"Wow. Our town has only had a Whole Foods for three weeks and we already have our first gay kids."

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Sorry to take so long getting back.

I popped the dvd in to take a look before answering and while the audio is very good (no crackling or hissing), the video is a tad fuzzy although playing it in the correct aspect ratio improves it. The distributor is Westlake Entertainment, but I noticed a "remastered" digital copy available at Barnes and Noble. Check with TCM.com to see what they have because the version they played-- about the same time I replied to your query--was pristine. (Maybe it's the remastered that B and N carries?)

Good luck.

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Everyone -- I just posted news that His Girl Friday will be released by Criterion on January 10, 2017. Details are in my post with that subject line, together with some information on previous releases, including the one from Columbia (Sony) itself, which is now out of print.

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Belle, see my reply to Ghetto_Defendant for news of a restored copy of HGF.

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Thanks hobnob53, I wouldn't have known without your response directly to me. In January I'll be a happy woman indeed 😊.

"Wow. Our town has only had a Whole Foods for three weeks and we already have our first gay kids."

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You're most welcome, Belle. Glad to have helped!

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