O/T Day of the Triffids

[Brian Denton]

Why is the print of this film (which I'm just watching on BBC4) so poor in parts?

[Peter Chadwick]

I've NEVER seen a good print of this film. When the BBC started showing widescreen versions several years ago my hopes were raised, but it was no better than previous showings. Anyone know what the DVD print is like?.

[Ian Beard]

Marginally better than what was used in the Wyndham doco last night, but still looks like a blurry b/w print that has been badly colourised!

[Andrew Pixley]

I've never seen a decent print either - even when it first turned up on the BBC in the early 1970s. But the BBC4 print of the film looked like it was off NTSC video in places. Certainly in the opening credits, the writer credit had been inserted as a video effect to give the screenplay writer's real name rather than the name had had to use originally because he was blacklisted at the time.

[Barry Hodge]

Andrew said:

I've never seen a decent print either - even when it first turned up on the BBC in the early 1970s. But the BBC4 print of the film looked like it was off NTSC video in places. Certainly in the opening credits, the writer credit had been inserted as a video effect to give the screenplay writer's real name rather than the name had had to use originally because he was blacklisted at the time.

Indeed, and all the credits seem to have been 'reformatted' for 4:3 at some point - is this how they originally played? Also, anyone know why BBC4 used a pan-scan transfer?

[John G]

This print dates from the 4/3 era when instead of using widescreen and causing black bars or missing some of the picture , you could have a print (usually 16mm, sometimes VT) which had been zoomed into the original widescreen film and panned and scanned before hand.
The alternative was to do it live as the film was showing,
which on rare occasions produced hilarious results (Benny Hill did a sketch on it) in the wrong hands .

As people have said the BBC have been using this Triffids print for yonks and yonks . you would have thought they would have seeked out a proper widescreen version by now?

[Michael the first]

Has anyone ever noticed the wording on the back of the VHS/DVD release of the Triffids film?
It says that the film is owned/copywrited to the British broadcasting Corporation.
I did'nt think that the BBC owned cinema film libaries,only it's own product.
The question of the coulor may be down to the fact that the film print in question could be an American print where you get a lot more red for some reason.
I have seen the print on one of it's terestrial screenings and it seemed like the coulor was a bit like The Ladykillers-which was technicolor-was'nt triffid's in Eastmancoulor?
And there are a couple of outtakes I have seen from the film-one in 4.3 and the other 16.9 widescreen;these were filmed at Marylebone station but not included in the final print.
If anyone wants to see the two outtakes,pick up a DVD entitled "Steam on 35mm Vol 2",Video 125 label.