The introduction of the VHS machine in the 1980s caused a huge change in films and the way that we view them. No longer did we have to travel to a cinema to view both new and classic films, or wait for television stations to air movies. In this blog entry I will examine home theatre as it exists today. To achieve this I shall look at the filmography of one of the most renowned film directors of all time, Alfred Hitchcock. I shall sample a portion of his body of work and ask whether or not viewing films within the environment of the home can compromise the director’s vision?
In recent years home theatre technology has advanced greatly. The traditional CRT televisions have been replaced by the likes of plasma screens and LCDs. High definition is the latest technology in the audiovisual business and it promises viewers a closer replication of the director’s original vision of a film.
Older technologies such as VHS tape and DVD produced a film image that consisted of 480 lines of picture resolution. These are the lines that create the overall image that the viewer sees on screen. 35mm film is generally the standard in Hollywood film productions. 35mm has a picture resolution that is far greater than 480 lines of resolution but due to its analogue nature it is difficult to gain an accurate figure in comparison to a digital medium (in this case DVD). Therefore it is difficult to say exactly how many lines of resolution 35mm film has, however it is far greater than that of a DVD. High definition material delivered upon a source that is compatible can deliver a resolution of 1080 lines of resolution. Meaning that high definition has double the amount of resolution and clarity than that of a standard resolution DVD. This means that high definition can create a transparent replication of the original source material, therefore audiences can now enjoy a completely faithful screening of there favourite films within there own home.
This is of course highly exciting for film lovers but as with any technology there are a series of complicated issues at stake when attempting to achieve a cinema experience within ones home that is faithful to the original vision of the director. When I use terminology such as “faithfully recreating the director’s original vision” I am talking about enjoying a film that reproduces the film with complete transparency.
Allow me to use an example, Vertigo [1959] is widely regarded as being Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, a deeply personal film for the master of suspense and depending on which way you swing on the matter, the work of an auteur. In 1996 Vertigo was given a restoration to help fix the faded and damaged print and to restore the film to its former glory. The intention was to re-release the newly restored film into cinemas (since it had achieved “classic” status) and release the film on the DVD format. The people in charge of the restoration performed beautiful work on the print of the film, making it look as good as it must have in 1959. However, a shocking discovery was made during the restoration process. The original audio track no longer existed, either it had become damaged overtime or perhaps destroyed altogether in the late 70s – early 80s, during a time when older films were looked at as being worthless by studios (before older films became profitable again, thanks to the VHS boom).
It is not clear exactly what happened to the original audio track of Vertigo, only that it was gone. Of course there were still audio tracks available for the film but they were several generations away from the original. Instead of attempting to restore one of these tracks, the studio decided that they would create a new sound mix. They would achieve this by running one of the surviving audio tracks from the film (albeit several generations away from the original) through the latest sound processors. Whilst using the latest sound effects technologies to help “enhance” the sound track.
In 1996 Vertigo was no longer a mono film; it was now in DTS 5.1 surround sound! The original sound effects such as the gunshots from the police officers at the films opening were replaced with modern effects, with added bass, and of course the sound effects of the bullets now whizzed around the surround speakers like many an action film during the 1990s. Vertigo is a very deliberately crafted film; it features an ethereal, dreamlike quality. Car doors shut and doors open without a noise. All deliberate choices by Hitchcock. Yet here, within the “restored” version of the film, the sound effects are changed. Modified for a modern audience.
One of the benefits of the DVD format over the previous VHS tapes is its ability to feature many different soundtracks on a single disc. Unfortunately this feature was not utilized in the initial Vertigo DVD release which only featured the newly remixed soundtrack of the film. This is how Vertigo existed until Universal released the film again in America on the DVD format in 2005. The Vertigo: Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection featured a mono track, that whilst several generations from the original master and was completely un-restored (lots of hissing and popping), was never the less a faithful reproduction of Hitchcock’s original sound-scape of the film. The kind-of tampering present in the Veritgo 5.1 remix is akin to the colourisation of black and white films during the 1980s. Attempting to modernise a film to appeal to a new, younger audience is a dangerous methodology. Since altering a film in such ways adjusts its fundamental values as a piece of art. How can a director such as Hitchcock be discussed as an auteur when there films are being changed and modernised?
The vast majority of Hitchcock’s filmography is now available for purchase on the DVD format (with the exception of The Mountain Eagle [1926] which is considered a lost film). Many of his earlier films are now out of copyright and therefore lie within the public domain. These films tend to have the worst DVD releases, unless rescued by the BFI or the American branded Criterion or Kino labels.
The Vertigo mono track was finally represented on DVD, thanks to the Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection. This meant that audiences should be able to screen Hitchcock’s film as it was originally meant to be seen. Prior to the 2005 DVD re-release, Universal Studios decided to give the film a digital scrub-up since restoration technology had come a long way since the initial restoration in 1996. The opening shot of Vertigo, just prior to the Saul Bass opening titles, is a rather striking image. It features a close-up of a female eye, in black and white; within the eye is a swirling of bright colours that moves closer until eventually engulfing the image. The film then moves into its wonderful opening title sequences. One of the technicians, who helped re-author the film for DVD, must not have been familiar with the film. Since the Hitchcock Masterpiece Collections features the opening shot of the eye in full colour. Fans may decry that it is only a small detail and it does not matter within the grand scheme of things. However I argue that at least part of what makes Hitchcock’s films so brilliant and still relevant in film related discussions today, is that Alfred Hitchcock was a director who took great pride in the smaller details of his productions. He was not just a director for hire, when you hired him you got a “Hitchcock Picture”. Whether we discuss the arrangement of the hotel and the Bates house locations in Psycho, or how the woman’s scream and the trains whistle are juxtaposed in The 39 Steps [1935] or even Hitchcock’s increasingly comical cameo appearances. All of these things amount to smaller details that add tremendously to the greater whole.
So far I have only discussed the faults of the studios who release these films on home video formats for public consumption. To deliver a screening of a film that is accurate to the director’s original vision works on both ends of the spectrum, it is important that the studios release a product that is an accurate reproduction of what audiences saw in cinemas upon their original theatrical release. However it is equally important that audiences who want to view films at home and wish to maintain a level of accuracy within the presentation, seek out the correct information of how to achieve this within there own homes and budget constraints.
In today’s home theatre world, a film studio will often release a film on a home video format in two separate versions. There will often be both a widescreen and fullscreen release of a feature film. It is important that the viewing audience who wish to maintain a level of faithful accuracy when screening films within there homes choose the release that maintains the films original aspect ratio. For example The 39 Steps was shot in the then standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio, therefore it would always be prudent to select the DVD that maintains that aspect ratio, watching The 39 Steps in 2.35:1 widescreen would not accurately represent the directors final version of the film, in fact it would most likely mean that the film has been severely cropped and that you are loosing visual information on all four sides of the image.
Unfortunately things get a little more complicated from here. North by Northwest for instance was shot in 1.85:1 but its DVD release from Warner Brothers was released in 1.78:1. This may raise suspicions from an educated buyer; however 1.78:1 is an extremely close approximatation of 1.85:1. So much so that you are in fact loosing no visual information between the two aspect ratios other than a thin black bar that usually sits at the bottom of the 1.85:1 image. Dial M for Murder [1954] is another complicated release with regard to the films original aspect ratio. Being a 3D picture, the film was released in two different formats during its original release in 1954. In 3D theatres Dial M for Murder was released in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio. For it’s screening in regular non-3D theatres Dial M for Murder was released in the wider 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This essentially means that the film has two official aspect ratios. For its DVD release in America, Dial M for Murder was released in 1.37:1 which was a faithful reproduction of the aspect ratio of the films 3D release (though the DVD was not 3D capable). However interestingly for its UK release, Warner Brothers released the film in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, which is faithful to the films original non-3D theatrical screenings. This means that the audience can effectively choose which aspect ratio of Dial M for Murder they wish to screen within there own home, as neither one is more correct than the other.
Calibration is the final point that I would like to highlight within this essay. I shall make my point by again referring back to Alfred Hitchcock’s Veritgo. As mentioned earlier within the essay, Vertigo is one of Hitchcock’s most personal films, it is therefore one of the best movies within his filmography to look at when discussing the auteuristic approach. One of the many interesting elements to Vertigo is Hitchcock’s use of colour within the film. He uses dark reds and greens to great effect; in one sequence Hitchcock even drains the colour gradually from the scene. During another moment in Veritgo Hitchcock cloaks the character of Judy in a light green fog. This touch is a subtle one; in-fact it’s a touch that an audience may miss upon there initial viewing. Here the colour green is used as a subconscious link between the green of Madeleine’s clothes earlier in the picture and it also gives the moment a ghostly, paranormal feeling. Both the choice of colour, in this case green and even the shade of green have been carefully chosen by Hitchcock to elicit a specific response within the audience (after all that is what Hitchcock liked to do with his films – gain a response from his audience). It is fair to assume then that the use of green within this particular moment in the film is of great importance when discussing an audience’s reaction to Vertigo. When the film was screened theatrically, the print ran through the projector, the light hitting the celluloid and then projecting the image onto the screen, Hitchcock’s vision was intact, the green within this moment in the film was accurate and faithful to what he wanted to appear at this precise moment.
When viewing the film within the home environment the process again becomes more complicated. Television sets whether they are CRT, plasma, LCD or even if the audience is using a digital projector will all feature a set of factory settings. Colour, contrast, brightness and sharpness are just some of the settings that come with each of these viewing units and each one of these individual settings can be altered. Setting the colour to “55” on a Sony television and then setting it to “55” on a Panasonic brand television will elicit a different response from each set. Therefore it is difficult for a consumer to calibrate their display to show the correct values in colour, contrast and brightness. Therefore the green that the audience at home views during the Madeline scene may be of a different shade than originally appeared during that moment in the theatrical release, therefore eliciting a different response from the audience than originally intended by Hitchcock. A simple calibration of the television would fix this problem. This can be achieved by using a calibration disc such as Digital Video Essentials or using a disc that features the THX logo, which always include a THX Calibration section. Using either of these tools will allow the viewer to calibrate there viewing device with the universal colour, brightness and contrast settings. This means that the television will accurately display the video contained on the viewing transport whether that be VHS, DVD or Blu-ray Disc.
Viewing movies within the home environment is one of the most popular ways to consume such material in today’s world. However if one wishes to view the films with a transparency between the home and cinema environment, then one must aim to achieve a faithful screening of the directors vision of the film. Using just some of the methods highlighted within this essay they can help to achieve this. It is important to strive to re-create an accurate presentation of the film that you are screening. If a viewer does not aim to screen a film with such precision within the home environment, then we must question their ability to firstly critique the film. Secondly we need to draw into question whether or not they are able to look at the films themes and messages. As in the Madeline and the green hue example highlighted earlier, a filmmakers message can be clouded by something as simple as a television being set to dark or to bright.
In closing, a film enthusiast striving for a transparent presentation of a film within the home is a healthy endeavour. Allowing the enthusiast to view the film knowing that his thoughts on the film will not be compromised by inaccuracy within his home theatre and allowing the film to communicate the director’s filmic vision. To ignore these fundamental parts of today’s home theatre world is the equivalent of looking at Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa with 3D glasses on.
Written by Dale Ankers, HOTpopcorn.
