4. HD Transfers Of Old Movies
The prospect of seeing some of our favourite movies in greater detail than ever before is certainly an exciting one, but has anyone stopped to think if this is really what the filmmakers would have wanted? There's nothing like watching a film you know back-to-front on Blu-ray for the first time after having endured through scratchy VHS copies and low-fi DVD transfers; it is a staggering leap, and is capable of making films half a century old look like they were filmed yesterday. The results are often more fascinating than anything, the ability to discern the presence of make-up during close-ups, and the aging lines in an actor's face. Blu-ray gives us more detail of a movie, but is this really
fair given that the directors would have never anticipated us viewing it in such a capacity at home? We're now able to scrutinise every last drop of sweat on a character's face, far beyond what the filmmakers could have possibly expected. While Blu-ray will inevitably be seen, as it should, as the superior means to watch movies, I can't help but think that the John Hustons of this world might not be too thrilled with seeing how their works are being presented nowadays.