Report on the ancient films...
I was right about The Thing from Another World - unless we ever want to listen to John Carpenter's fanboy commentary (which is on the b/w original version) we will always watch the digitally cleaned version, which is as crisp and clear (particularly the sound) as when it hit the cinema. The brightness will need adjusting as the white is too bright, but once I had turned that down it was terrific. The colourised version is just as scratchy and faded as the untouched-up black and white version, so I suppose it was made from it some time in the 1970s, and the colour has faded since. It is, however, an excellent movie.
The Prisoner of Zenda in the black and white version of 1938, which is superior to the colour version in that the casting is better, has not been cleaned up, but the transfer is quite good and the sound acceptable.
The Prisoner of Zenda in the black and white version of 1938, which is superior to the colour version in that the casting is better, has not been cleaned up, but the transfer is quite good and the sound acceptable.