New Mary Poppins DVD: Is it too dark? Too much contrast?

[Dan C]

I was really excited about this reissue. On the up side it has some great bonus and commentary, and the original stereo mix is included along with surround remixes.

However, I watched it on two different TVs and there seems to be far too much contrast. The dark scenes, especially the great chimney sweep dance on the roof tops, are pretty hard to see.

The picture is very sharp and the colors saturated, but it's impossible to see into any shadows. The actor's eyes sometimes show no highlights or detail. Pretty creepy.

The setups I watched it on aren't really reference quality, but I can usually get a pretty good idea of how things look. I recall the last VHS reissue looking better (for the medium) than the new DVD.

Anyone else own this? What do you think?

dan c

[BGLeduc]

Picked it up last week, but have not had a chance to screen it yet. If you are so inclined, here is a link to a discussion at the HTF:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=219229

Lots of aggravation about the sound...not so much about the PQ.

BGL

[therockman]

According to the review over at Home Theatre Forum, the picture and blcak contrast of this new DVD is superb, it is the sound that sucks. Although I bought this disc a week ago, I will not be able to watch it for a couple of days.

[deadcoldfish]

Well, this is from the hometheaterforum.com review and to me it seems he has a concern on PQ:

Before I share some of my “concerns” let me reiterate that, overall, the image looks beautiful. Keep that context as you read my more critical remarks...

Firstly, contrast--it just never seems like the image gets bright enough, though it may very well be correct. The former DVD and non-archive laserdisc look the same way; it feels like every scene was shot on an overcast day and I keep waiting for the clouds to part and the sun to shine. I know it's supposed to look like "London" but even the indoor scenes that are brightly lit still have a character that feels a little on the dark side. While I hardly suggest that the archive edition laserdisc is a reference point for concluding what the 35mm film presentation should have looked like, I find it interesting that the archive LD looks much brighter (though it looks a little "pumped" and it probably too bright), and day-time scenes look like the sun is shining. Those of you with a better memory or knowledge of the intended 35mm film presentation in this regard please share your insights. I wouldn't have wanted the DVD producer to artifically brighten the image to suit my tastes...I'm more interested in clarifying that this is indeed the intended look of the film.

He later talks about the color quality of the previews included in the extras having a more natural looking skin tone than the film presentation.

[Paul C.]

Haven't seen the new edition, but the earlier Australian version (Which I believe matches the US) is also very dark in some scenes including the rooftop dancing scenes. Bear in mind that this film was pretty much entirely shot in studios, and so the colours never have that vibrancy that you get with real daylight. I have always thought the DVD presentation was quite good, notwithstanding the dark bits here and there.

There are also some scenes which appear very fuzzy or grainy in comparison with the rest, because of the way they did the special effects - eg. when Mary is pulling her hatstand out of her carpet bag. I imagine these will be no different on the new DVD,

[BGLeduc]

We watched the first half or so last night (up to the "I love to laugh" sequence).

Blacks do seem crushed in spots, but not always. It does vary by scene. And we played the 5.1 HT Mix.

Without doing any sort of A/B with either my VHS or previous DVD copy, I am not hearing anything to complain about. Dialog is clear and properly centered (subject to its limited fidelity which is in the source elements), the music seems nicely spread across the front, and there are some nice effects tossed to the back.

Reading some of the comments, I was expecting it to sound like it was fed through an echo box. I do hear some depth to the music, but it just sounds to me like I am hearing an orchestra from a ways back in the concert hall....nothing wrong with that, since I normally do not sit on stage with the musicians!

When time allows, I guess I will try the theatrical 2CH mix, and see how that compares, but so far I do not understand what all the griping is about. It just strikes me as similar to the guys that committed suicide when they discovered the cellos in SW EPIV where supposedly mixed into the wrong back channels.

Oh well, to each his own, I suppose, but I enjoyed what I have heard and seen thus far.

BGL

[therockman]

We watched the first half or so last night (up to the "I love to laugh" sequence).

Blacks do seem crushed in spots, but not always. It does vary by scene. And we played the 5.1 HT Mix.

Without doing any sort of A/B with either my VHS or previous DVD copy, I am not hearing anything to complain about. Dialog is clear and properly centered (subject to its limited fidelity which is in the source elements), the music seems nicely spread across the front, and there are some nice effects tossed to the back.

Reading some of the comments, I was expecting it to sound like it was fed through an echo box. I do hear some depth to the music, but it just sounds to me like I am hearing an orchestra from a ways back in the concert hall....nothing wrong with that, since I normally do not sit on stage with the musicians!

When time allows, I guess I will try the theatrical 2CH mix, and see how that compares, but so far I do not understand what all the griping is about. It just strikes me as similar to the guys that committed suicide when they discovered the cellos in SW EPIV where supposedly mixed into the wrong back channels.

Oh well, to each his own, I suppose, but I enjoyed what I have heard and seen thus far.

BGL



Thanks, I have still not watched mine yet, hopefully today.

[BGLeduc]

Hope you enjoy it Rocky. We finished it off Wednesday night, and my opinion is unchanged; it was a very enjoyable presentation.

Then again, I was OK with the audio on SW EPIV, so that pretty much shows what type of cinematic heathen I am!

Cheers and Merry Christmas,

BGL

[Dan C]

Perhaps someday when I have a better set up it will look better. For now, I'm pretty happy with this DVD but I still wish there was a bit more detail in the dark scenes.

I only watched it with the original theatrical mix as well. I like it! Haven't had time to explore all of the extras yet, I'm really looking forward to them.

dan c

[therockman]

OK, I finally got a chance to sit down and watch Mary Poppins. I do own the previous DVD version, and I have had the laserdisc version for years, so my remarks about the new 40th anniversary edition are qualified by my previous experience with this movie. The thing is, maybe I am not that critical, because I really enjoyed the new 40th Anniversary edition. To my tastes, it is clear enough; vibrant when it needs to be and dark at the right times. Also, ,aybe I am not a purist because the soundtrack seemed just fine. Sure the firework scene was a little over the top, but only a real purist would even notice it. Overall I feel that this version is just fine, although I do agree with the concensus that movie studios should never muck around with history.

[Mister Kite]

Here is an interesting review (http://www.ultimatedisney.com/marypoppins.html) of the new Mary Poppins DVD from UltimateDisney.com. Even more interesting, is this three-way comparison (http://www.ultimatedisney.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6639) from the UltimateDisney.com Forum of the LD and both DVD releases. It is a long read, and sometimes a bit difficult to follow, but "deathie mouse" provides an in-depth discussion on the film's OAR along with an extensive, across-the-board comparison of picture quality.

[Ken_McAlinden]

The new DVD looks fine and sounds fine provided you stick with the 2.0 prologic re-purposing of the original mix. The cropping is a bit of a head scratcher, but it's also within the margin of error for most theatrical presentations. It has always been a bit "high contrast" in appearance as are a lot of the classic Disney live action films.

Regards,