_City Lights_ and Panchromatic film
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:30 pm
So what's the deal with the poor contrast of this film? I know this was CC's first picture that was shot in the new Pan film. Every print I have ever seen is dark, and has very muddy blacks, and I was always disappointed that this film never looked as good to me as The Gold Rush or The Circus. The next feature, Modern Times, looks much better, and yes I do realize that it was released five years later.
My questions are these: was this simply a function of panchromatic film being new, and was it subsequently improved upon? Did Chaplin dump Pan film for his later features? What exactly was the difference between Pan film and what was being used before? The prior films look beautiful and crisp when seen in a good print. Have the contrast issues been addressed in the recent MK2 reissue of City Lights?
Thanks!
My questions are these: was this simply a function of panchromatic film being new, and was it subsequently improved upon? Did Chaplin dump Pan film for his later features? What exactly was the difference between Pan film and what was being used before? The prior films look beautiful and crisp when seen in a good print. Have the contrast issues been addressed in the recent MK2 reissue of City Lights?
Thanks!