just picked this up yesterday for only 8 big ones. i'm not a big fan of old classic black and white horror films being colored but they actually did a real good job with this one. and Mike Nelson from MST 3K fame serves up his usually funny tidbits and anecdotes about the films history on his commentary track.
The other colorized movies from Legend/Off-Color Films featuring Mike Nelson commentary are great as well. They just released "House on Haunted Hill"- I haven't seen it yet, but it should be in my mailbox on Monday.
cool i'll have to check those out thanks.
....period.
Especially movies like CARNIVAL OF SOULS, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (how DARE they!), and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
The colorization of these films isn't what I buy them for. I buy them for the Mike Nelson commentary. I have no trouble sitting through black and white films.
I don't mind any of these films being colorized, btw. I don't consider them high art by any means. Adding color to old classics, like "The Great Dictator" or "Citizen Cane" would irritate me, though.
I think we can still find the Contrast button on the controls somewhere can't we?
If we see a great deal on a colorized King Kong, for instance, we can buy it & fiddle the contrast control until all the color is gone & bingo: You now have a great deal on the original film!!
peter johnson/denny crane
well, i'm not sure they did this on all the discs, but the "night of the living dead" release had both the black and white and colorized versions on it, so i don't see any reason for emotional outbursts.
Well, I think the "emotional outburst" thang comes from the fact that certain directors CHOSE to shoot in Black and White, as opposed to any number of possible Colour processes available at any given times in history.
Colour film for movies has been available since 1924.
There are reasons -- not all of them economic -- that some directors choose not to shoot in colour, and I think we, as viewers, should respect that.
So, to "colorize" a black and white film that wasn't really meant to be that -- eg. King Kong -- is an abomination and disrespectful.
peter johnson/denny crane
I'm with nobody....no, realy!
I'll look for this cause of mike. Any form of MST3K, i'll take. Look what he did for "Reefer madness"!
Post Edited (08-22-05 17:44)
i dunno, i think colorizing these films, while also presenting the original version on the disc is the best possible thing, seeing as a younger audience simply isn't going to want to watch black and white if they can get something else in color, and who knows what that could lead to? they could get interested in other older films, and learn to love black and white films.
say what you will, but it's the same as the current asian horror remake craze here in america. people could just as easily see the originals, but they're too damned lazy or stubborn to read the subtitles, and aren't interested enough to take a step off the beaten path in order to understand some of the cultural nuances.
My kids watch B&W movies....
The "Reefer Madness" disc is the only one I've seen so far...
I have to say, although the colorizing effect was a little disorientating at times, seeing orange and purple smoke made it every bit worthwhile. Also hearing someone reasonably competent talk about/ over a "reefer movie" has a special "rareness" to it.
Curiously, the "Reeferman Song" (I have no idea what it's called) was the most entertaining thing on the disc; "Do you know that reefer man?"
congrats, but i'm thinking they're in the minority.
These people you're talking about, who are too "lazy and stubborn to read subtitles" or who have no ability to watch black-and-white movies wouldn't understand when they're taking a "step off the beaten path." Colorizing classics does them no real good. These people see moving images on the magic box and that's all that matters to them. They'd get nothing else from the experience.
I agree with you about people being too damn lazy to bother with subtitles. I totally enjoy subtitled movies, originals to remakes, etc. If my husband and I hear of a new horror movie "from Japan", we automatically try to find the original and watch that first.
Hey, not everyone that doesn't watch subtitled movies does so because they're lazy. I myself have a difficult time with many movies that I've tried to watch with subtitles simply because I feel that I'm missing what's going on as I'm trying to read and make sense out of what I'm reading. It's not out of laziness. I realize that I'm missing out on some good movies this way but if it's an involved story, I can't do it. I had no problem with Kung Fu Hustle because it was a fairly simple read but much beyond that and I'm finished.
As a kaiju fan, i prefer subtitles for the ability to hear the actors own voice, so i can get a better feel for the performence, even thought i don't speak Japanese.
Same with Kirosawa.
I grew up in a household with only a B&W t.v., so i had no choice. Therefor, i had the chance to see how secondary color is, to a good story.
I mean...look how many color films Andrew has to give a a skull to...sheesh!
The "Reefer Man" song was not on the original "Reefer Madness" movie, any more than color was --
"Reefer Man", as sung by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, is from "International House"(1933 or '34 I think) , with W.C. Fields, Bela Lugosi in a comedy role(!!), Burns & Allen, Peggy Hopkins Joyce, and a dozen other known comic bit-players. EXTREMELY well worth it & very very crazy-funny!!
This film is also in black and white . . .
* * * * *
Re. subtitles. You simply have to see things like Kurosawa and Bergman's "Seventh Seal" with subtitles, otherwise you can't hear the nuances & emphases of the very good foreign actors at work. I don't care how good your dubbing is, something is going to be lost.
peter johnson/denny crane
On B&W: Some movies benefit a great deal from being in black&white, particularly in mood. Horror films and "noir" pictures wouldn't have any power to them if they were colorized (I hate the thought of Humphrey Bogart in a yellow zoot suit like the Mask wore). I think most horror films look better in black&white... even The Thing gains some power by being black&white (I've seen it colorized, and that just makes it look like a goofy 50's B-movie).
On Subtitles: I grew up on dubbed Kaiju films- and while I enjoy the element of unentintional comedy that brings (Invasion of the Neptune Men remains the most outstandingly riduculous dubbing I've ever witnessed, but the Belucci Productions dub of Ghidrah, the 3 Headed Monster isn't far behind)- I am perfectly fine with reading subtitles for most modern Japanese films. GMK subtitled is far superior over GMK dubbed. Personally, I think all Kaiju film DVD's ought to give you a wide selection of various language dubs you can use... at least two different American dubs, some decidely non-Asian language (I vote for either French or German... having heard Godzilla 2000 in French was a real treat for my ears), and the original Japanese track. I also think it would be cool if Kaiju films gave people an alternate dub for the monsters only, because some dubs have people talking over the creature's roars- which is stupid and really detracts from the emphasis on a giant, unstoppable beast leveling a city. How can we hear a news reporter over such a commotion as that? Maybe throw in the music for some of the more dramatic scenes, though...