To my mind, the most recent Blu ray of "Oklahoma" (Todd-AO) is light years better than previous versions. It looks pretty spiffy.
Here's what Robert A. Harris had to say in his comments about this film at Home Theater Forum:
"Oklahoma! is a magnificent, problem film. Always has been. Always will be.
Photographed in the original 30fps 65mm spherical Todd-AO process, the immense negative was created to be projected on huge curved screens at special Roadshow performances -- a concept replicating the legitimate theater.
An early Eastman Color 5248 production, the film's dyes have not stood the test of time.
As viewed from the original negative (which shows the wear and tear of more than half a century of use), or even from the most recent 65mm interpositive, produced long after the original had lost much of its yellow dye layer, the imagery flickers, has uneven fading, and does not allow reproduction of the film as it was meant to be seen.
Wet-gate printing of the original neg to the IP solved a number of problems, the greatest of which would have been an image filled with positive and negative scratches and wear.
Without our current digital tools, which have been used here to perfection, Oklahoma! would not be a pleasant experience on Blu-ray, and even less so on the large screen. It's really by an odd confluence of events, the original elements going through restoration while there is still enough life in them to make them work, and the 8k scanning and 4k digital tools necessary to make the film appear as it should.
When the restoration of Oklahoma! was premiered at the Chinese for the opening of the Turner Fest several weeks ago, I left the theatre thrilled with what I had seen and heard. The only problem with the performance was not the fault of the film, but rather with the theatre's silver screen (a necessity for 3D projection) which yielded impossibly uneven illumination.
I probably look at films of this type a bit differently than the normal viewer, but even from my odd perspective, grain structure (which was unavoidably very slightly heightened - no, you won't notice it), resolution, black levels, color, overall image stability and cleanliness, were all magnificent.
Projection at 30fps yields an even sharper, and slightly more grain-free image, which comes across as a very special experience. Because of the film's projection speed, any horizontal movement occurs cleanly, and without "picket fencing."
Bottom line is that Fox's Schawn Belston has taken a project in serious need of heavy (and expensive) restorative efforts, and delivered. In spades.
To my eye, the new Blu-ray (part of the new Rogers & Hammerstein Collection) is one of the most exciting releases in the last few years. Replicating the 30fps projection produces an extremely beautiful and stable image, while the uncompressed audio correctly reproduces the original magnetic recordings -- originally run separately from the image via dubbers.
Those who like to contrast and compare are welcome to view the 35mm alternative, also included in the set (along with The Sound of Music, South Pacific, State Fair, Carousel and The King and I).
You can do it. But I wouldn't recommend it, as the difference is so huge, it makes the 35mm version appear far less stellar than it really is. And there's nothing wrong with it.
The restored Oklahoma! on Blu-ray is the closest that fans will get to seeing the film as it was created and meant to be seen, short of finding a theatrical 4k screening, which hopefully will be forthcoming.
A great film, directed by the incomparable Fred Zinnemann, finally on Blu-ray in absolute top form.
Image - 5
Audio - 5
Very Highly Recommended.
RAH"
