Depends entirely on what the source film was shot on - for example, 2001 was shot on 70mm film, which is natively a higher resolution than 1080p hdtv in the first place. You can't take something shot on stock and make it look way better in HD.
Makes me sad every time I watch Brideshead Revisited. Minor miracle that one was made in the first place.
Colorization is still ty. Ted Turner ruined a ton of movies that way and it has only gotten marginally better since. Was able to stand it for WW I in color but a flat no to features. The contrast in those movies is usually pretty great in b&w.
Some damn good ones in there. The 30 minute episodes are better than the hour long ones. It is uncanny & a sturdy testament how they can tell a story in 25 minutes of air time. I watched one the other nite en led "Road Hog" and had the estimable Robert Emhardt as a traveling salesman of gambling devices (punch cards) and light pornagraphic implements who travels the back roads selling this . They give a fleeting glimpse that he may also be a child molester/abuser early on, but, it's left alone as the story takes on it's significance. He blocks a man and his sons from passing on a dirt road and the man's son dies of his wounds from being gored by a bull. Vengeance is then taken in a most ingenious way and it is thru this act that we're informed as to the victim's father's place and power in this small community.
This is fine television, just superb story telling, acting, production and execution.
It's meant to be in black and white because that's how the director made it.
That King Kong colorization is hideous. I'm not saying that the black and white version is perfect, but considering the level of technology at the time it is at least innovative. The problem with colorization is that the colors run together like water color. There hasn't been a method developed yet that contains the colors within an "outline" so the edges are "crisp" and realistic----I don't know if that describes what I mean. Also, it's not possible to interpret the lighting and shadows that the director intentionally used to achieve the final product. Directors like Hitch were geniuses with the black and white, there is absolutely no reason to manipulate his work.
Bygone eras should just be left as is. Changing it would tamper with the mystique of it all.
Also, colorization of Citizen Kane was attempted by Ted turner in the 80's. Luckily, Orson Welles had made his dislike of colorization well known and the only way would be to obtain legal permission from his estate. He's not the only director who made sure his films were safe from it, thank goodness.
As we know back then it cost a lot more to deal with color in film, keep in mind Casablanca was made in 1942, few color films had been made by then. But, I do remember something about black and white being the choice anyway.
I'm a big fan of King Kong, and it was cool to see it in color, and would be really cool to see it in HD also. I own the black and white original so if I need to see the original, there it is. Why not have it all?
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