Check out the naked spur on Blu-ray with James Stewart and Janet Leigh. I don't know what they filmed it in but it looks like it's a 4K but it's Blu-ray and the movie is pretty good
It really doesn't matter, but in my opinion the 'classic' era for America is roughly between 1930-1970. This applies to films, music, TV/radio broadcasts, cars, fashion... pretty much everything. This era was the peak of American culture. It doesn't matter how long ago the film was made, it matters what year the film was made in.
That’s why a 4K of The Searchers is overdue. It’s bluray was one of the most beautiful early blurays. A 4K would look incredible. Vista Vision is the greatest filming process ever.
It is a great 4K. They had really good elements (the OCN for Oz, and an interpositive for Kansas), and it’s easily one of the best transfers out there. The big downside of that release is that there’s no mono track and most of the legacy special features are missing.
It's great to see your continued dedication to giving classic films their well-deserved attention! I'd love to see you devote a "top ten" video to each decade from the silent era through the present!
Excellent list. Check out The Ladykillers (1956) too Fully agree 4k format breathes new life into the classics. The grain is finally allowed to be showcased and dance on the screen naturally
you give me hope as you are a young person who has amazing appreciation for true classic movies. too many young people I encounter wont watch anything that is more than 25 years old
We need The African Queen (1951) on 4k. Was filmed with the Technicolor process, i.e. 3-strip camera. Bogart, Hepburn, and most stunning is fact much of it was filmed on location in Africa! Location filming was still rare at the time and couple that with the difficulty of the 3-strip camera, physical and technical.
I love that film, would love a 4k. It would be interesting as it is a very grainy film (I love Grain feels like you are watching film) All I am saying is would it Pop?
I have a few of the movies you mentioned, but definitely need to buy the rest of these. Thanks for another great video! Love that you take the time to talk about classic films.
I love these lists. I'd love to see a Films At Home website someday with running FAH top 10 lists, and maybe another user voted list next to it for different genres. Discussion board, etc
I also suggest checking out BFI's 4k of Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" (1957). There are some issues with the subtitles, but the AV quality is really top-notch. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen a bigger increase in quality from Blu-ray to 4k.
I bought the Blu-ray last year second hand because I think it had gone out of print? Frustrating on one hand to see it come out in 4K months later! But also obviously very good. Definitely worth the upgrade?
@@lukekingsland5851 To my knowledge the Criterion Blu-ray isn't out of print. But the BFI 4k version is a definite upgrade and well worth it. Notice how grainy the Criterion Blu-ray is, especially in the beginning? That grain is barely noticeable on the 4k version. And the image is so much sharper and more detailed overall. Though like I said, there are issues with the subtitles--they're kind of clumsy.
@@vinvanveen I'm in the UK, I don't think it's been released over here! The version I have is the Tartan Video version! I want Come and See on Criterion too, but it won't get a release over here due to some of the films content I believe? The US version has both regions of the film, but I'm not sure how much I would have to pay to import a blu ray?
@@lukekingsland5851 I haven't seen "Come and See" (yet), but I would be careful importing ordinary Blu-rays, unless of course you have a region-free player.
Speaking of classics, finally, Lawrence of Arabia is being released in early June as a single film, not the Columbia Collection. 60th Anniversary 4K UHD. Ordered my steelbook yesterday.
I recently watched the wizard of oz 4k version and it´s just on another level. Is one of my favourites movies of all time and seriously I got really emotional during the visionation of the movie. Is the seventh art at it´s maximum
Thanks for sharing your list. The HDR grading truly does work wonders for black and white films. My first experience was "The Elephant Man" whilst not a "Classic" in this sense instantly sold me on delving deeper into 4k black and white films. Psycho is certainly a worthy mention and a huge inspiration for my favourite modern horror director in Argento.
I forgot to mention as well that the 4K restoration of "Breathless" by Jean Luc Godard looks amazing as well. Beautiful grain texture and greyscale gradients and tones
Great selection! I agree totally! I have them all - except "The Red Shoes." I only have the Criterion blu ray thus far (which is quite good, of course). I'm waiting for the next half-off sale!
Just bought Frankenstein and Vertigo Steelbook 4k last weekend during Best Buy's sale. Looking forward to checking them out. Sounds like I'm in for a treat
I love so many great classic movies in 4K including psycho by Alfred Hitchcock and Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus are masterpieces and vertigo and would love to add more to my collection soon in your list
Sony's 4Ks are killin' it. See also, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." Criterion's 4K of "Mullholland Drive " is stunning, too.A revelation For David Lynch fans.
Was glad to read your praise for Criterion's 4K Blu-ray edition of Mullholland Drive, since I bought it during Barnes & Noble's 50% off Criterion sale, during this past summer, but still haven't had a chance to view it on our Sony OLED.
The Birds is the only movie that ever scared me. Of the thousands of movies I’ve seen, The Birds is the only one that ever scared me. Other movies got close, but nothing like The Birds.
Thanks for this list, especially the links. I added a few of them to my Wish List. I have the Monsters set, especially love the Spanish language Dracula, it's an amazing movie. Just subscribed.
Loved your list. I found it cuz I was googling for best 4k releases of movies from the 60s. I like to binge movies by decades. So, while your list barely entered the 60s, I certainly couldn't argue with any of your choices. Nicely done. If you're taking requests, I'd love to see you top **20** from th 1960s. 🙂
Nice. Definitely a few to check out there.. Could you do a top ten digitally shot 4k releases please? Let me know if you're getting bored of me asking 🤔🤣
I have The Wizard of Oz on 4K Blu-Ray and I agree with you. For the movie from the Thirties it's absolutely amazing. I also have The Bridge Over river Kwai on a normal Blu-Ray and I'm thinking about the upgrade. So I will trust you and I'll upgrade 😉
Thanks to your previous recommendation, I have most of these but you sold me on picking up Spartacus. I'd like a 12 Angry Men 4K or The Cowboys. I was surprised that Citizen Kane didn't make your list.
its amazing that these films didn’t look anything as good as they do now on these 4K discs. So back then people did not have this experience. Imagine what Kirk Douglas would’ve said after watching Spartacus in 4K 🙂
Great stuff. Speaking of b&w, I scored a solid win on my 4K set by going into settings and just shutting off all the color. My "toned down" PQ looks fantastic, on top of everything else. As far as other films, I'm still waiting for the Technicolor 4Ks of Robin Hood and Gone With The Wind.
Hey Jeff, Out of this list I own the Ten Commandments, and the Wizard Of Oz on 4K. Do you happen to know if "The Sound of Music" is ever coming to 4k? I own it on Blu-ray, or Ben-Hur, etc. The Red Shoes sounds like a musical, and by the screenshots looks like one, but I've never seen it, or heard of that particular title.
Sound of Music was a Fox film, so unfortunately (since that means it's up to Disney) that is probably not going to happen :( I really want that too though, not just because I love the movie, but also because it is my Mom's favorite movie of all time (she even visited Salzberg in college to find filming locations) and she would LOVE a 4K edition... :(
@@clumpyschlipz7571 At least I own a Blu-ray copy, which is still much better than the DVD release. As Jeff said though, as an older movie I'm sure it would also benefit from the 4k and HDR treatment.
The 10 Commandments was filmed on VistaVision, but it still has scenes that seem dated as you can see issues with optical compositing (example, outdoor scene with chariot and reins and there's extreme clipping). You say older 4K film restorations might be less optimal, but that doesn't make sense: they were done in cinema 4K resolution with HDR formats. I think you were asking about that with Red Shoes because it was after your Godfather review. Keep in mind that Godfather was a very challenging restoration because of the lack of source negatives. I'm someone involved with 3D animation, photography, and am a cinemaphile. UHD media is great for older films and even digital movies done in 2K: it's less about the increase in resolution as it is HDR formats (home media was always 8bit: older cinema video formats were 10bit to 12 bit....now there are video RAWs that are 16bit).
Might be time to do a Part II of this video. Movies such as, "Casablanca"(1942), "Singin' in the Rain"(1952), and "War of the Worlds"(1953) would be a good start.
Great list--I do have a question. Is it worth upgrading to certain 4k titles if you don't have Dolby Vision? I have a Samsung 4k TV and it doesn't support Dolby Vision. The Wizard of Oz on 4k has received mixed reviews from viewers, saying that the 4k actually subdues the color scenes, specifically compared to the blu-ray version. I don't know if those criticisms come from those without Dolby Vision capability, but curious about your thoughts on this.
That is the reason I avoided Samsung. It will still play the HDR10 which is still plenty beautiful. I would go for it. If you ever get a Dolby vision tv in the future, you will get even more out of your collection.
I bought the Anatomy of a Murder 4K secondhand from someone that I guess was breaking up their set and I have to say I think it was totally worth the $40 I spent. This is gonna be in my collection for a long time with many rewatches so I’ll definitely get my moneys worth at $40. The transfer looks unbelievable. I do wanna say though that I hate when studios gatekeep certain movies like this on 4K. I’m just not a fan. I think everyone should be able to access a movie at it’s best quality not just the select few that can afford to either buy a boxset or secondhand with a significant markup.
I only have the universal classic monsters out of your list The Alfred Hitchcock 4K set in your video didn't get a release here in Australia but i have those movies in a Alfred Hitchcock The Masterpiece Collection Blu ray box set which I also had to import from Amazon Us a couple of years ago
Hi Jeff, great channel. Wondering if you've ever discussed your preferred viewing mode on your TV? I know if can vary depending on the movie and personal preference but do you have a go-to? Standard, cinema, custom, etc.
I’d LOVE to get the 4K of It’s A Wonderful Life, but, from what I know, it’s not the uncut version of the film that was released on DVD back in the early 2000s. Every Blu-ray and DVD since then hasn’t had the cut footage, so I’d assume the 4K would follow suit. I’m sure it’s an amazing transfer, but growing up with the uncut version is sure to make the 4K all the harder to watch because it’ll feel incomplete.
What, exactly, are the differences between the versions on Blu-Ray / 4K and the "uncut"? I'm 66 (almost 67) and the versions I see now are the same ones I grew up on.
@@milescoburn1845 I believe in the uncut version has an extra line or two in the bushes scene, where George tells Mary that she’ll have to come out and get her robe. It was edited for the TV version of the film when it briefly went I to the public domain, and most home video versions have been the edited version ever since, with the exception being the Original Uncut Version DVD from Republic Pictures.
Yeah, before 1970 is the classic era. 1930-1970, in my book. The way Jeff is calculating it, 80s and 90s movies will soon be 'classics'. Except they're not and never will be classic.
A great list! But I would say that, since I own most of them.. ;-). I got the Universal Classic Monsters 8-movie Bluray collection, which is, of course, from the same 4k restorations. With the wonderful 4-film Hitchcock set I feel quite content with that director for now (so no Anatomy Of A Murder), and The Red Shoes is on my Criterion shopping list; otherwise I own, and agree with everything you say! Older films on 4k is for me the best of 4k!
Jeff, I'm sure you know by now, but inn the next couple months, River Kwai is getting a Steelbook 65th release coming out around the same time along with FINALLY Lawrence of Arabia individual released in 4k
Really want to get Spartacus never seen it but I like Stanley Kubrick . Also Wizard of OZ haven't seen that since VHS days don't even think it was 480i format probably even worse quality.
