'A Fistful of Dollars', 'For a Few Dollars More' and 'GBU' all on the BIG screen

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

VERY good news for Melbourne and Victorian Clint fans.

I was having a look at the 'Astor' movie guide, and noticed in the backdated section that they had screened 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly' on October 4 .  Imagine my dissapointment!

BUT....

As I scrolled down the list, Joy of Joys:

Sunday Jan 11 and Monday Jan 12:  'GBU'.

AND THEN

An entire THREE WEEK SEASON from Feb 15 to March 6 of 'A Fistful of Dollars' and 'For a Few Dollars More', screening together in the same session.

That is all three classic Clint Eastwood spagetti westerns lovingly presented in their correct aspect ratio as the director intended up on the big 20 metre Astor screen!  

You can get up now, it really is true .

WKC

[philo]

Wkc ,

You already know of my recent invite ....

That is very tempting.  


Philo.

[KC]

Thanks, wkc ... Here is a link to the Astor Theatre's home page ... you'll find schedule details, directions, etc. there. And I found an article from The Age, Melbourne, about the restored GBU, titled The Good, Bad and Restored.

[philo]

Now that is where they deserve to be seen.

I wouldn't care how up to date it may or may not have become. The atmosphere in a theatre such as this just can't be beat.

Sad to say in the UK they are harder and harder to find.


Philo .

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

Wkc ,

You already know of my recent invite ....

That is very tempting.  


Philo.

Well Philo,

if you do come out, and are in a position to travel thru Victoria and Melbourne, let me know.  

Best,

WKC.

[AKA23]

Sounds great. It makes me want to be in Australia

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

OK,

I am saddened to admit that due to a monumental planning blunder I never got in to see GBU, but this Saturday March 6th I will be sitting in the Astor theatre eating choc tops and watching AFFOD and FAFDM.

Hopefully they will re-screen GBU soon.  Hopefully...

WKC.

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

I saw them and will make a few comments if you will humour me.....

Fistful of Dollars was a very weathered looking print.
Fortunately, For a Few Dollars more (my favourite of the two) looked brilliant and crisp in comparison.

They are both supposed to be remastered prints.  I guess Fistful was in pretty bad shape .

It was a real treat to see these two ultra classic Eastwood films on the gigantic wide screen.  It was the final night of a three week run and the large cinema was quite full.  Melbournites must still love their Clint Eastwood .  

There is another one night rescreening of these two coming up mid year, and that will be followed by a single night rescreening of GBU, so luckily I have not missed out on seeing it after all..    I think I may even rewatch the first two again!

I really feel like a very lucky Clint Eastwood fan .

WKC.

[philo]

Wkc,

How were the colours?


Philo .

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

How were the colours?

Hi Philo,

keeping in mind that I am very mildly colour blind....

Skin/hair/eye colours were good, with fairly deep rich natural looking tones.  Cloth garments etc seemed generally drab and dusty but overall looked soft and natural. Colonel Mortimer's garb (mainly his vest) stands out in my memory as a bit of an exception, being very richly coloured and textured.  Indoor scenes had rich colours in the furniture, old wood panelling, walls/cupboards etc.  Outdoor scenes, the villages and huts etc looking pretty much like you'd expect them to, dry and dusty and muted under the glaring sun.  

I suppose you would describe the overall intended look of the films colourwise as subdued but deep?  For the most part nothing seemed overly colourful (excepting skin tones, some clothing, some furniture textures etc), but everything seemed fairly naturally and richly textured.

WKC.

[philo]

I wish there was some way I could scan a frame from my Technicolor source and show the deep colours such as red that is included in the original materials.


Philo .

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

I wish there was some way I could scan a frame from my Technicolor source and show the deep colours such as red that is included in the original materials.

Keep in mind that this is just my take on the colours Philo... Perhaps there are others who have seen the same prints and would disagree with my analysis.  Colours are not my strong point .

WKC.

[KC]

I wish there was some way I could scan a frame from my Technicolor source and show the deep colours such as red that is included in the original materials.


Philo .

Would it be possible to capture a frame from the DVD and alter it in Photoshop or another program until, in your judgment, it matches the Technicolor source? Then it could be posted side by side with the unaltered image, to give the rest of us some idea of the difference.

[philo]

Hi KC ,

I am going to try one better than that and get an original frame scanned.


Philo .

[Philo Beddoe Jr]

So Philo,

I take it you are saying the original prints are very deeply colour saturated?  

WKC.