Japan has restored the original ULTRAMAN to 4K image quality. In fact, they had restored it once as early as the 1080P era. This time they re-polished and adjusted HDR. It feels like it has been edited to look like a movie with a blue tone, without the TV drama feel. Is it repairing for the sake of repairing or restoring the original colors? (When restoring ULTRA SEVEN for 4K, the staff also asked the original production staff to verify the colors.)
If back then LD only recorded the master tapes and BD eliminated impurities, then 4KUHD just retouched the colors based on the staff’s memory?
This 4K version has not yet been released on 4K discs, but TV stations will broadcast it first.
Personally, I feel like the BD and 4K UHD versions of Batman 1989 are different, and the 4K version is a different movie. The colors are more vivid, such as Superman’s red, the wet areas are brighter, and the face is more detailed, but because the dark areas are darker, the details are not visible.
I took a screenshot to compare the 1080P and 4K versions, but there are still differences in the color and HDR of the original film. For example, the red color on Superman seems to be deep red in the picture, but under HDR it is a very bright orange-red, which is different from the light orange-red of 1080. However, the version on hand is an early version, and this 4K is probably also a newly revised version of the previous BD Ver3.0.
Early 1080P version
Newly restored 4K version
What’s interesting is that when I shared these pictures on social platforms, people who usually buy 4KUHD DVDs for their collection said they liked and appreciated the newly renovated picture quality. But those who are nostalgic for the special photo area have a different reaction!
They believe that old films should remain as they are, and if they are changed, they will lose their flavor! And the old film should have a faded and worn-out feel. I can’t help but wonder? Although the old photos of our grandparents are all in black and white, does that mean their world is black and white?
Moreover, since Japan has its own color movies, the colors are very rich, just like the restored version of Sao’s movie. Most of the Superman movies back then were edited versions. If we look at the two movie versions of the first generation Kamen Rider, they are also very colorful~! Why don’t I see anyone complaining? (Although there is a difference of 10 years in years)
The 1972 Kamen Rider theatrical version was restored, but no one ever complained that the film’s colors were too bright and not old enough.
Could it be that everyone’s reaction now is the same as when everyone first heard the CD sound but criticized it for being too fake and not as good as a vinyl record?
So what is the correct or standard tone for a movie?
The first is the tone the director wants.
The second is the true color of the environment at that time.
As for some people who say: When I was a child, the colors and what old films should look like are not correct!
The images you saw on CRT TVs when you were a child made you think that the picture quality should be old.
Image quality after restoration.
The staff re-invited the production staff of that year to newly identify the “restored color”.
Superman was a work broadcast in Japan in 1966. I believe that Asian Chinese will not be able to see it until the 1970s. How can the picture quality of color TV and radio programs in the past be compared with today?
I have watched the production special of the 4K version of Superman VII. The production staff specially invited the staff back to the time to identify the colors of the props and fields in the clip. For example, the stars that simulate space are actually in color, but in the past, we could only see white light on TV.
old version of stars
The newly restored picture can restore the colorful stars of the set at that time.
In the past, I have also written about whether the color of Kamen Rider No. 1 is blue or green. This means that what I have seen in the past does not necessarily mean that it is the real color!
Moreover, in terms of restoring the picture, Toei always pays great attention to Tsuburaya’s works. Except for the fact that some of Tsuburaya’s TV series were shot on film and can be converted into high definition, even the tapes have been restored very well.
On the other hand, except for Toei’s theatrical version, which was shot in high-definition on film, the picture quality of TV dramas is generally not ideal. In recent years, with the help of AI, Showa’s TV series have been restored to a barely watchable 4K state.
For example, Kuwo was shot in 2000, although it was claimed to be shot with 1080I equipment. However, 480P is still used when doing post-production CG, so the image quality when released on DVD is pretty good, but the image quality when released on 1080P Blu-ray is terrible…
The quality of my Blu-ray is very poor.
However, the picture quality of the Blu-ray version of the theatrical version after 2000 is not ideal. For example, DCD’s theatrical version ALL RIDER VS Overhaul Card, Toei did not even polish it at that time, it was the TV version tone, and the picture was jaggy. It wasn’t until Kamen Rider W Gaiden-Accel that Toei began to shoot and polish in 1080P.
The picture quality of DCD’s theatrical version of BD is not that good either.
The videos after the end of the W series have been shot and polished in 1080P, which is a huge improvement in picture quality!
So my conclusion is that the 4K version of the first-generation Superman may have a different polish than the original version due to its saturation, but it is definitely better at restoring the actual color at that time than the earlier version.
I went to the Kamen Rider Exhibition in Malaysia earlier, and after seeing the actual products, I was even more convinced that all the leather cases were heavier and heavier than what I saw on the screen. Many times the leather cases we see in stills or dramas are due to lighting in the studio! Allows you to see details clearly.
For example, in the current issue, I posted the monster “Bemora” that appeared in the first episode of the first generation of Superman. The 4K version was retouched in a darker color and lacked many details compared to the 1080P version. But it looks scary as a monster! Although the details of the shiny version can be seen clearly, the lighting exposed all the details, and the monster looked like a fake leather case.
All details of the old version are clearly visible.
The new version’s dark parts have been restored, making the monsters look even more terrifying.
The photographer “Suzuki Kiyoshi” who was in charge of ULTRA SEVEN at that time advocated that the dark details should be restored when restoring the image quality.
So I personally think that 4K restoration lies in restoring the image you wanted to present at the time, just like the first episode of Alien. You can’t make it so bright that you can see all the details of the alien clearly, right? Look at the sky set board used in the shooting. The 1080P one is lavender, so that shouldn’t be the color of the sky, right?
4K is at least a blue sky. Of course, let me explain again. The above 4K pictures are converted from HDR to SDR. This can only be accurate when playing the native source on a 4K HDR TV. To the naked eye, 4K film sources are actually much darker.
First edition set plate sky.
The new version restores the blue sky.
Attached is a still from the photo taken at that time. Although film printing can also correct the color, do you dare to say that it is not light orange and red and cannot be restored?
The last thing I want to say is that many times we criticize things from a non-professional perspective as non-relevant workers. In fact, this is very funny. Especially in the age of AI, everyone thinks they can do editing, color correction, and subtitles, but often the finished product is full of errors. If you are interested, please join the discord group and study tokusatsu with like-minded friends!