ADDITION: - HD-DVD June 2007:

CAVEAT - We more than realize that the screen images for the HD-DVD are far less permissible than our standard. They are taken with a digital camera and although they accurately reflect the image I am seeing on my professionally calibrated plasma television - it is still not a fair representation of the DVD in many aspects... including detail, contrast and brightness. What this comparison hopes to impart to you are the variances in the color representation, framing, subtitle placement and overall digital cleanliness of the HD-DVD next to the original and Ultimate Collector's Edition. PLEASE DON'T EMAIL ME AND SAY THE HD-DVD LOOKS WORSE. In this forum it may be true in some areas - and we are very aware of that fact. We are using the images to explain other attributes or foibles of the DVDs.

We have included the television name (Samsung) at the bottom of the slightly skewed images of the so as not to attempt to 'fool' you in thinking they are derived in the same manner as the other two editions. Also these captures are not exact frame matches in most cases - but they are as close as I could get without donating my life to it.

Okay - like the Ultimate Collector's Edition - we have some positives and negatives about the HD-DVD. Although it is brighter, sharper and colors are far more vibrant, it appears to more closely support the CE's flawed color scheme. This is evident right from the titles sequence.

Original DVD Release		2006 DVD Release

2006 HD-DVD Release

This indicates that although many were hoping for a 'fixed' restoration using a better IB print - in fact - Warner have not and probably never will. This is it for the films hampered ratio and altered color palette.

What is most evident in the HD-DVD is the improvement in the area of detail - at times it looks almost 3D! (opening door scene is a prime example) - and, of course, the lack of digital artifacts. I now suspect, after owning 15 HD-DVDs, that this latter attribute may be one of the most important factors in the desirability of new format DVDs. However, the new HD-DVD of The Searchers is not totally free of this distraction (not unlike Casablanca HD) - but I only noted two highly noticeable instances. This is an immense improvement over the CE with all the vast mono-sky shots, terrain vistas and blanketed snow scenes. This, to me, is the biggest difference to giving the most film-like appearance possible. It no longer looks like a great DVD folks - it looks like film. The sharpness becomes an added bonus - one that can actually distract from the narrative - it is so distinct. Be careful not to swoon too much!

2-disc CE		HD-DVD
	Look at the thingy on the back of her hat...

The orangy / dusty-brown coloring in the CE is replaced by a more reddish image with brighter whites and darker blacks. I suspect that with HD's superior resolution they can get away with the higher level of contrast without impinging upon the clarity. NOTE: I don't put this down to, what is know as, a 'plasma effect' as I have been quite diligent in seeing to the systems calibrations. But in truth, I really don't know why HD-DVDs, on my system, looks brighter (well brighter scenes look brighter - darker scenes look darker) with richer color (than previous releases) - unless of course this is one of there perceived benefits. I suspect it is.

Audio - I noted no differences from the CE in the sound quality - it is very clear and consistent.

One of the negatives of the new HD-DVD is the framing. For some reason we are actually losing some information on all 4 sides. It is not a lot (see captures below), but I have no idea why this is the case.

Other minor differences with the CE - addition of English - hearing impaired (as well as standard) - subtitles on the HD-DVD and an optional Spanish DUB. We do lose all the liner notes goodies though - Reproduction of 1956 Dell comic book, Reproduction of original 1956 Warner Bros. press book, Reproductions of filmmaker memos and correspondence and 10 postcards with behind-the-scenes photos. Perhaps they couldn't fit in the smaller case. I could care less as I am not a fan of most of these repo nostalgia treats.

All digital extras appear to be the same - intro by Patrick Wayne, Bogdanovich commentary etc.

I was recommended this by a friend and although it is not one of my favorite films (or even westerns) I am thrilled that I own it on HD-DVD. Only Casablanca HD hypnotized me as much. I started watching and could not stop. It looked stunning - detail is outstanding and the colors are... chilling - if misrepresented. Ohh yeah - the HD-DVD is almost half the price of the CE ($36 vs. $20). For fans of the film this may be a reason to get one of those Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD players. You won't ever regret it. DVDBeaver guarantee.  

*****

On the Original vs. CE Comparison:

APOLOGIES - For some reason I have met with delay after delay to get my hands on a copy of this new John Ford / John Wayne boxset. I won't bore you with the details but we hoped to have this comparison posted 2 weeks ago.

ADDITION: Warner (Ultimate Collector's Edition) - Region 1,4 - NTSC - June 06' - I have some issues with the new release - it has color flaws but lets take it one step at a time.

The new Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD is NTSC standard coded for regions 1 + 4 making it sellable in South America as well as North America.

1) The framing - I was astounded at how much was removed from the original DVD image - mostly on the top, bottom and left edges! Using graphic programs to count pixels I estimate it to be almost 18%! This alone is a valid reason to lean towards the new issue.

2) Colors - here is where we require a certain amount of speculation. I've been informed by sources 'in-the-know' that the color scheme of this new release is way off - meaning it is quite different than when it was shown theatrically. Skin tones can tend to look very red/tan/yellow at times in the new Ultimate Collector's edition.

I have been in communication with many experts on The Searchers - people who have actual 35mm prints of the film and are extremely familiar with all aspects of this classic western. Here are some anonymous quotes:

"Anyhow, I do think the color is "wrong." Which is not to say that the old color was "right." But they have really turned up the yellow, and I think too far."

"I've owned both 35mm and 16mm IB prints of the film - the first DVD, which was taken from the laserdisc transfer, obviously isn't nearly as sharp as the new transfer, but the color (especially on the laserdisc as opposed to the DVD, which had many other issues) was totally accurate on the laser transfer. At the time of the laserdisc release, I reviewed it for the Director's Guild of America magazine, not because I'm a reviewer, but because I thought it was an astounding restoration. I talked to the men who did it - they told me they timed the laser transfer to the Warners IB Tech reference prints, which was and is in excellent condition. That is why the blue of the sky is so perfect in that transfer - it takes your breath away and it's not a sickly greenish-white as in the new DVD. Just look at the shot where Wayne unsheathes his rifle before riding to the burning ranch - in the old transfer the sky is blue blue, in the new DVD it's white. Blechhh. "

"[Warner] have now admitted it, and are now fixing it, using an IB Tech print as a reference. "

"As an aside, for about ten years, in the 1980s, all the 35mm prints in distribution were ORANGE -- with green skies."

"On Gary's new page, some of the new frames don't look so bad. I don't know what is "correct," but comparing the two versions on Gary's page, I would opt for something in between the old and the new."

"Gary says there's 18 percent more picture. Well, there's probably another 18 percent where that came from. The Searchers was one of the first VistaVision pictures and was shot in the original horizontal format. Some cropping was supposed to occur; the entire camera frame wasn't supposed to be projected. I have no idea what cropping is "correct." One could find out, maybe, because there was some publicity for the industry at the time -- a card which included actual celluloid frames of the VistaVision format."

3) Detail - the new Ultimate Collector's Edition is brighter and has better sharpness. It also none of the slight damage and speckles that the original release had.

4) Extras - obviously this is an easy choice the newer release is stacked with all sorts of goodies from an excellent Bogdanovich commentary to a reprint of the original Dell comic book (whoppee!).

BOTTOM LINE: What I think - personally I am not so stridently opposed to the colors of this new DVD. But I might not put the film in my Top 10 westerns list (which would preferably include THESE), but I do think it is an important film and worthy of a strong release - one that represents the original color scheme as accurately as possible. I can see for myself that there is excessive yellow in many scenes, but if we balance that with the positives: significantly more frame information - extensive extras etc. then weighing goods vs. bads I think the new Ultimate Collector's edition is an easy choice. Will it be replaced? I don't know. Do I think it should be replaced? If it is possible to improve the accuracy of the colors - absolutely. The new release looks damn good in my opinion but not perfect and it may never be exacting enough for some of the film's more diligent followers. I, of course, hope that they are satisfied with the expected replacement, which, if it transpires - I will be surprised .      

Gary W. Tooze