The original DVDs have the correct color palette, and you can see the clouds in the sky during the daytime scenes. They are a bit muted compared to the current release, but much more natural and with a greater range of color variation. However, the discs suffer from a lot of compression artifacts and the Region 1 NTSC conversion was poorly handled.
The new DVDs and Blu-Rays were digitally color-corrected to give everything a yellow and brown tint, I guess because a lot of American period films use this color scheme (which all started with Godfather II). It's really unfortunate when compared to the original because the films look almost monochromatic at times. They boosted the contrast to deepen the blacks and brighten the whites, which means that in many shots the sky has become totally white; obliterating the pale blue sky and clouds. If you put on the recent release, and watch the scene where Le Papet and Galinette visit Pique-Bouffigue's spring for the first time, the trees against the sky behind them are a perfect example of the damage done to the "remaster". By blowing-out the sky, most of the thin twigs at the tops of the trees have been smeared out of existence. The Blu-Rays were also subject to indiscriminate noise reduction which removed almost all the grain. (Grain is good!) The aspect ratio is off too.
Do not buy any discs from Korea. They are poor transfers of the original DVDs, with even worse compression.
Unfortunately, there has yet to be a decent transfer of these films in any region. Even the French Pathé and Renne releases have the same problems. (I've bought these films 3 different times: US, French, Korea). You'd think for such famous films, they'd do things properly.
Here are some screenshot comparisons of the DVD releases (the third comparison down shows you the tree tops against the sky):
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompare/jeandeflorette.htm
As for the book (really 2 books but sold typically together in one volume), the English translation by W.E. van Heyningen is quite good. Perhaps a little prosaic in places, although I haven't compared it to the French edition to see if that was Pagnol's original style. I read it shortly after seeing the films, and couldn't put it down. I will say watching the films after reading the book is a revelatory experience. You will find, however, that the English subtitles are missing a lot compared to the book, which inspired me to spend about 6 months translating the films with a set of French subtitles, the English novels, and a critical ear.
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paleolith
14 years ago
Thanks for all the info. Just wanted to say I haven't forgotten (and still have this thread open in the browser) but other things have pushed themselves to higher priority status for a while.
Cheers,
Edward
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