NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: ITV DVD Blu-ray July 09': Just to clarify a few things first - this Blu-ray is indeed region 'B'-locked as verified by my Momitsu.

I've watched it once and will get onto the extras this evening although quite a few seem duplicated from the Carlton DVD including - "A Profile of The Red Shoes" documentary (24:14) + "The Ballet of The Red Shoes" featurette (15:23) but there is some new stuff that I will comment on at a later date. I will refer to an opinion I greatly respect, David Hare from our DVDBeaver ListServ:

"On that subject I've been watching the ITV Red Shoes Blu-ray - the photochemical restoration of this is a glory and a testamentary labor of love by all involved. There are details that catch your eye that I don't remember seeing since 35mm screenings decades ago - one such is the scene of Vicki in Princess gown and turquoise tiara proceeding up the overgrown star is at Monte Carlo to go to the production meeting with Lermontov, in which Powell and Cardiff have obviously used a huge reflector panel behind the camera to cast a spot (within the actual daylight shooting conditions) just above Vicki's head to "guide" her up these mysterious stairs to her destiny. Details like this abound. The color blue in particular is extremely vibrant now and the transfer conveys something like real IB inky blacks and a huge tonal range of whites and grays. The three strip scanning has been meticulous and there is no trace of Technicolor (uneven YCM strip) "pulsing", and the image overall is spotless with not a visible scratch, tear, rip, speck. A couple of shots - which both follow complicated opticals look "soft" but return to sharpness with the next clean edit.

The ITV package, if you can call it that, is less than brilliant. Far too few chapter stops for instance, and the ballet is only heralded by the Titles Booklet, without a further chapter at the opening curtain. And the disc itself begins with an atrocious "trailer" reel for some VERY unrestored minor titles which would be of zero interest to Powell and Pressburger fans. But the movie's the thing..."

I would tend to agree, in general, with most of what David has said at this point, but will give further comments when I have 'lived' with the Blu-ray disc for a while (at least 1 more viewing).

From Steve in email: "Your correspondent, David Hare refers to this latest restoration as a photochemical restoration. They did try that, but it didn't work. That's why it took so long and cost so much. They finally decided to do it digitally. Digitising the original Technicolor negatives and the soundtrack at a very high level of accuracy (bit rate), much higher than that used by any Blu-ray or other HD system.

Thelma Schoonmaker has done a series of stills and short clips to show the damage to the original negatives. There was mould growing on them!
They had also become mis-aligned as some of the three strips shrank at a different rate in different parts. There were scratches and other physical damage. The soundtrack has also developed a few hisses, crackles and pops. One of Thelma's examples shows one of the best prints that was previously available and then does a screen wipe to show the same scene after the restoration.

I saw it when Martin Scorsese premièred it at Cannes and I've just seen it again at the Bath Film Festival. It really is stunning. But I do agree with what David says about the light from the reflectors now being visible. I noticed it at Bath and it's not a thing I had ever noticed before despite having seen the film many times. I have even seen the nitrate print (shown with firemen standing by). But this new restoration is far better than any of those."

NOTE: I can concur with David in that the Dolby Digital 2 track audio is very slightly out of synch although the PCM track appears to be fine.

 - Gary W. Tooze

 - Gary W. Tooze