MovieChat Forums > Yoidore tenshi (1959) Discussion > Visual Quality of new Criterion disc?

Visual Quality of new Criterion disc?

posted 16 years ago by dshortt-1
6 replies | jump to latest

Anybody had a chance to watch the new Criterion release of Drunken Angel yet?

I recently bought the disc, and have to say I'm somewhat less than impressed. There is a white line on the right side of the image, at times expanding into a band displaying a significant amount of combing. On my copy, the line/combing is present for almost the entire movie.

Considering the age of this film, and the source, and after reading some of the reviews, I was expecting some print damage to be evident on the disc - but nothing of this magnitude. Some of the pre-release reviews mentioned the white line, but apparently down-played the amount of combing that is actually present. This is certainly not up to Criterion's usual standards.

On the other hand, I'm wondering if maybe my copy is defective, or if the trouble can be attributed to my DVD player (mid-priced progressive scan, region 1).

Anybody got any feedback on this issue?

[–] Suzume-san 16 years ago

Only to say that the BFI edition doesn't have anything like that, so it can't be a problem with the original.

Kambei of the Descending Gormful Bedafter Gumi.

[–] deanowest 16 years ago

I have the us criterion and I dont have any white line or bands.

I'm not sure what combing is.

there are a few obvious scratches on the film itself, but they dont last the entire film. i think your dvd may be defective.

[–] Cardiff-Giant 16 years ago

Same story for me. The copy I just borrowed from the library and watched had a vertical white line near the right side of the screen for a good chunk of the film. The print clearly had some damage. Come on, Criterion, you're supposed to be the gold standard (and usually are).

[–] communicator-1 16 years ago

I have just watched the Criterion Edition of Drunken Angel, and I must say that I am disappointed in this transfer, especially since it is Criterion. Too many times there are vertical lines running down the frame of the film. This is especially disconcerting during an emotional close-up of Takashi Shimura near the end of the film. Although this may be the best available print of the film, it seems to me that with today's technology in film restoration, a better transfer could have been achieved.

[–] russdaren 15 years ago

yeah, white line down right side on mine also.
Its kind of disconcerting because it doesnt look like a film scratch.
It doesnt move back and forth at all. Maybe they stitched two films together to get an acceptable print?

[–] Falconeer 11 years ago

Yes the print is far from perfect; but we don't know just how damaged the original surviving prints were. This is a very old movie. I think the quality is fine, and sometimes scratches and imperfections add to the whole experience of watching an old film noir like this. I'm just grateful that we can see the film at all. Sometimes the British label Bfi does have better quality releases though. For instance the Bfi dvd of Pasolini's "Arabian Nights" is superior to Criterion in every way, including packaging, and the beautiful booklet that is included, plus they offer the longest cut of the film. You just have to do the research before making a purchase like this i suppose..

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