"The Searchers" - 70mm Screening at the Aero, Santa Monica, CA, USA |
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| Written by: Bill Kallay, Los Angeles, USA | Date: 10.05.2024 |
 The
70mm print of "The Searchers"
was flawless and stunning. Very natural appearance and the colors were
spot-on. Film grain was natural and not not appear to be digitally cleaned
up.I have not seen this film projected in a theater, only on VHS way back in the 1980s. Thus my impression of seeing the film the correct way is a mixture of nearly a 40 year-old memory of seeing it in a subpar format, compared to this brilliant restoration. • Go to "The Searchers" Restored by Warner Brothers and Released in 70mm • Go to "The Searchers" VistaVision Scan Examples At first, the restoration of "The Searchers" looked somewhat underexposed to my eyes. I guess I was expecting more brightness to the film projected on screen. I bring this up because I tend to remember the 1996 restoration of "Vertigo" appearing brighter and sharper, as that was also shot in VistaVision. They are different films. This is a very minor observation on my part and not critical of the original film's look or the restoration. The 70mm print and restoration/transfer show whatever lens softness and original film negative "drawbacks" the film had. These, in my opinion, are not drawbacks at all. I like film "flaws," just as I like hearing tape hiss or feedback on an old analog recording. The 70mm print really showcases the brilliance of Winton C. Hoch's cinematography, John Ford's direction and staging, and the excellent acting by all. Going to 70mm was a superb choice. |
More in 70mm reading: in70mm.com's page about VistaVision "The Searchers" Restored by Warner Brothers and Released in 70mm “The Searchers”: The 70mm Presentations "North By Northwest" in 70mm at the Tribeca Festival 70mm Blow Up List 2024 - by in70mm.com Theo Gluck - A Master Class in Film Restoration Die Cinerama-Archäologen The Cinerama Archaeologists in70mm.com's Library Presented on the big screen in 7OMM Peripheral Vision, Scopes, Dimensions and Panoramas |
 The
sound was presented in "big fat" mono, but sounded very good for a film of
this age. Some of the gunfire was surprisingly crisp and had a "pop" to it.
I'm not sure how much clean up was done on the sound, but it was very good
for a non-stereophonic soundtrack.Warner Bros and Fotokem deserve an Oscar for their work on "The Searchers." Their work on this restoration is flawless. Though the film may be considered slowly paced to today's audiences, they're missing out. It's a really great film. Bring on the restored 70mm version of "North By Northwest"! Special thanks to Michael Coate and Thomas Hauerslev |
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