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Twilight Time. Blu-ray Release. 2016.
A film director who risks an adaptation of a hallowed work of American literature such as Melville's Moby-Dick is sure to attract a murder of critical crows. It is rare that any attempt to film a literary classic is powerful enough in its own artistic integrity to break free from the inevitable dismissals and to shine forth with a life of its own. John Huston's 1956 film, Moby Dick, is such a rarity, and it can now be revisited for a fresh evaluation. Twilight Time has released a 60th-anniversary video release of the film in a 1080p high definition/1:66.1 format. The edition is limited to 3000 units. The disc includes an isolated track of Philip Sainton's acclaimed film score. An audio commentary with film historians Julie Kirgo, Paul Seydor, and Nick Redman, occasionally marred by inaccurate recollections of Melville's novel, runs through the entire film. A large collection of posters, lobby cards, and production stills is surprisingly engaging. The original theatrical trailer is included, as is an option for English subtitles.
Greg Kimble, a master in film restoration and visual effects technology, spent eight months registering three-color negatives, cleaning dirt and mold, and color timing the film, often frame by frame. Timing is a tedious process that tames harsh color differences between scenes and harmonizes the look of the entire print. A special feature, "A Bleached Whale: Recreating the Unique Color of 'Moby Dick,'" with voice-over by Kimble, offers a short history of the neglect and poor condition of the original film elements and demonstrates the complicated process of rebuilding the sixty-year-old artifact.
The overall results of Kimble's work are revelatory. One example will suffice here. At 3:32 in the new Blu-ray print, the figure of Ishmael can clearly be seen as he runs along a darkened, rainy street, hand clutching his coat at the neck to stay dry, and finally reaching the door of the Spouter-Inn. In my old 2001 MGM DVD edition, this scene is so smudged, blurred, muddied, and dirty that one hardly knows what is going on. The definition, contrast, and cleaning are evident in every scene of the new print: Moby Dick has never been seen at this resolution on any...