Well, dear readers, I am most certainly glad yesterday is over. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I am most certainly glad yesterday is over. Not that yesterday was a bad day, mind you, it was actually quite a pleasantly pleasant day. But I awoke after only five and a half hours sleep feeling extremely nauseous. Thankfully, whatever was nauseating me didn’t get worse, but it did remain all day and then it finally abated a little bit so that I could finally actually eat a little something mild. But there was no time to deal with the nausea, as I had to immediately go meet the helper at my storage facility. Once there, we got the five prints of Nudie Musical and the two cardboard boxes that contained the internegative and optical soundtrack unloaded. I looked at a little of the internegative and it does seem to be in very good shape and what we need. However, these things are notorious for fading so until it’s properly looked at and checked we won’t know how useful it’s going to be. After that, I was really feeling sketchy so I came back home. I couldn’t even sit at the computer to work, so at noon I went and lay down on the couch like so much fish. Next thing I knew, it was two o’clock. Then I did some work on the computer, listened to a potential upcoming project that sadly is not of sufficient quality to issue, and I dropped noted film preservationist Robert Harris an e-mail, and he called me soon thereafter. Prior to the call, I’d spoken to a lab about getting the internegative looked at, but when Robert called and we discussed everything, he arranged for me to take the reels to a lab he works with where they’ll spend an hour with me assessing the quality of what we’ve got. It still will have to be inspected by whatever lab is going to do the work, but if there’s something wrong with it at least we’ll know before incurring that expense. Mr. Harris has agreed to advise me through this process, so I feel comfortable because he knows what he’s doing.
I then began watching a very long motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Barry Lyndon, a film of Stanley Kubrick, starring Mr. Ryan O’Neal. I don’t know how it happened, but I did not see this film when it came out. I was a huge Kubrick fan but I think the reviews may have scared me off of it – which was silly, of course. When the DVD came out, I got it and watched the first ten minutes, but it was of lousy quality and I figured that since it was going to be my first experience with the film that was not the way I wanted to view it. So finally this grievous oversight was taken care of, because the new Blu and Ray is stunning. I was immediately taken with the film. Yes, it is very long, very leisurely paced, but that’s part of why it works so well. It just draws you in very slowly, but the whole look and style of the film is so mesmerizing that if you just surrender yourself to it then there’s no way not to be captivated by it. The gorgeous photography by John Alcott is reason enough to see the film, but I liked everything about it, and that includes the much-lambasted performance of Ryan O’Neal, who is really good in it. In fact, it’s a perfectly cast film right down to the smallest dress extra. You simply could not make this film today, nor could any of today’s directors even come close to creating what Mr. Kubrick creates. And Mr. Kubrick creates it with no CGI or special effects. Today it would be ALL CGI and special effects. He really puts you in this world and that is what moviemaking is all about. It’s not for everyone, but for anyone who loves filmmaking and a director who, like him or not, was completely and utterly unique, well, it’s a must-see, especially with this ravishingly beautiful transfer. The classical score, adapted and arranged by Leonard Rosenman, works perfectly. It was a treat to finally see it. There has been the usual chatter on the usual websites about how the aspect ratio should be 1.66, as if these know-it-all armchair experts actually know that. The fact is, it’s framed perfectly at 1.78 – in the US it was absolutely shown at 1.85 and in some countries it may well have been projected at 1.66, but Mr. Kubrick was not an idiot and he knew where his films would be getting their biggest exposure, and that would be right here in the United States of America. It’s really kind of a perfect transfer and someday these know-it-alls who have to complain about something, well, maybe they’ll actually get a brain and then they can just enjoy the movies without sticking their noses up against their 100 inch screens with their “calibrated” projectors – I got news for you – I don’t trust any of that calibrated crap – because every time I read these people’s comments it seems that what their projectors are doing is making everything muddy, which the calibraters think is film-like. No. No. And no.
After that, I had to go down to the Gardenia to retrieve my sunglasses, then I went and had two poached eggs on white toast, with some white rice. It was good to get some food in me, but I still felt a bit queasy. I came home, listened to our new master (I’ll announce the title here tomorrow at midnight), and wrote the blurb and got the sound clips to the Kritzerland designer.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really need a good night’s sleep but do have to be back at the storage facility just before ten.
Today, I’ll pick up the internegative from storage just before ten. Then I’ll try to do some writing up until I have to mosey on over to the lab in the Bank of Bur, where I hope and pray the news will be good. After that, I have to meet Barbara Deutsch at Grant Geissman’s home environment, to go over her book stuff with him. After that, tummy permitting, I might eat something light.
Tomorrow, I have a ton of stuff to do, and then I’m attending a birthday partay somewhere that’s quite a drive. Sunday is not the Tony Awards, so I’ll just write and also pick the Kander and Ebb songs, figure out the cast, and we’ve already pulled some of the charts, and I’ll get the rest of the music so we can actually give the singers more than three weeks with the material.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, pick up film cans, do some writing, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up a package or three and an important envelope, visit a lab, go to Grant’s to do book stuff, and then I’ll hopefully be able to eat something light. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player. I’ll start – CD, I’m about sixty CDs behind in my listening so I’ve got to start catching up. Blu and Ray – Dario Argento’s Cat O’ Nine Tales and many others. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hopefully to awaken nausea-free.