DVD-Produzent Bret Wood von Kino on Video hat sich mit DoBlu.com über die am 10. November 2009 erschienene “Der General / The General” [USA 1927, Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton] Blu-ray unterhalten. Darin berichtet er über das verwendete Filmelement, Carl Davis’ Score, die digitale Restaurierung und Virage usw.. Außerdem stellt er Blu-ray Discs von Fritz Langs “Metropolis” [D 1927], Sergei M. Eisensteins “Panzerkreuzer Potemkin / Bronenosets Potyomkin” [UdSSR 1925] und Andrei Tarkovskys “Opfer / Offret” [S / GB / F 1986] in Aussicht.

Vor allem die Einstellung des Labels zu Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) ist erfreulich:

It is Kino’s new policy that films should be released on Blu-ray without digital noise reduction, so that what the viewer gets is an accurate representation of what the 35mm film looks like, grain and all. Hopefully a system will be developed that clarifies the image without reducing the sharpness or creating visual artifacts, but so far we haven’t seen it.

The DVNR technology of the DVD era is not subtle enough for the 1080 requirements of the Blu-ray age. In fact, when I look back at some silent films that were released on DVD, heavily treated with digital noise reduction, I cringe.  I now recognize the degree to which the film’s natural grain and sharpness have been glossed over for the sake of a smooth image. I worry that this has spoiled the consumer, who will now expect every film to look this way when the actual film never looked that way to begin with!