A Star Is Born - 2010 Blu-ray restoration comparison to 2000 DVD

The top image is the 2000 DVD, and the bottom is the 2010 Blu-ray restoration. I've chosen scenes that had clear color differences - notice that Norman Maine's car has changed from blue to green!

In general, the blacks are no longer blue, and the whites are no longer yellow (look at Glen Williams jacket, the background in "Black Bottom," and Judy's skirt in "You Took Advantage of Me").

Many of the washed out dark areas are now deep and rich (the blacks in the 2010 restoration appear darker on youtube than they do on my TV). The colorist has opted for bluer pallete throughout, it seems.

But the best thing: Judy is no longer green during the "Born In A Trunk" closeup! And the dancers behind her in "Swanee" now look healthy too - yay! The "Peanut Vendor" sets also look much, much better. Also note the striking color difference in the strobe "movie" section of "Someone At Last."

It's also great that they've fixed all the jumps after the dissolves! Note especially the dissolve to "My Melancholy Baby" - in the old transfer there is a big shift in the image, but in the new transfer all the dissolves transition perfectly - sweet!

Everything looks great, except for the marriage proposal scene, which seems washed out on youtube. It looks better on the Blu-ray than it does here, but it is clearly more muted than the 2000 DVD.

Finally, I used the used the extended music-only track for "Somewhere At Last."
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Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Star
• Is
• Born
• restoration
• comparison
• Judy
• Garland
• George
• Cukor
• yt:quality=high

[gerryu21220]

The DVD looks better to me. The Blu-Ray looks too pink. I keep wanting to adjust the "Tint" knob. The reds don't look red on the Blu-Ray; they look pink. It's not my monitor either; I've looked at it on three different computers, and still the DVD looks better overall - colorwise.

[boinx1234]

@gerryu21220

You really shouldn't judge the Blu-ray based on this youtube clip. It's far superior to the DVD in every way. No question. This was just to show how different colorists obtain different results.

[boinx1234]

@dannybex

Pardon me - the 2010 Blu-Ray of the 1954 film, to be precise.

[dannybex]

@boinx1234 They made Blu-Ray's in 1954?  :)

[boinx1234]

@KrazyKartoonKid

The film is PD, but the restoration is not.

George Feltenstein of WHV said in an interview that they planned to release it.

[KrazyKartoonKid]

@boinx1234 WHV?! The film is public domain but the original negatives are owned by Walt Disney through ABC. Walt Disney/ABC owns the majority of the Selznick Library.

[boinx1234]

@KrazyKartoonKid

The actual 1937 print was restored over a decade ago. WHV had planned to include it as an extra on the 1954 Blu-ray, but then said it deserved its own release. So I'm hopeful it will be out in the next year.

[KrazyKartoonKid]

I wish someone would restore the original 1937 version. Don't get me wrong, this version is brilliant!

[hebneh]

"My heart keeps saying

You drink too much..."

[LadyBeatle]

great vid :D