The Man Who Knew Too Much - Restoration Demonstration

Out now on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD: www.criterion.c...

[@TheModernGuy]

Criterion really does show once again they are truly masters at restoration of film.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Actually.... they are good but Arrow and BFI are better.

[@BMPinc]

God bless Criterion! They are saving films. At least you know if you're paying more for their titles, the profit if going back to efforts like this. Thank you Criterion!

[@PupRiku]

I was shocked to see how expensive some of these releases were at first...then I realised just how much effort goes into them to ensure we can not only watch them but also preserve them physically.

[@paulmanningremixes6408]

Fifteen people on Earth gave this a thumbs down. What were they expecting? What was it that they didn’t like about this video? The mind boggles! As a person with some skill in digitally restoring single photographs, I find the whole process of restoring film utterly fascinating. I could happily watch stuff like this for hours, and would be happy as can be chipping away at thousands of frames of film. Great video.

[@trickster721]

Any video with a movie or show name in the title gets downvotes from confused people who are attempting to watch the movie itself.

[@SkemeKOS]

I love watching these restoration videos!

[@PittsBurghFuzz]

I think this is an underrated film, and am glad that it has a Criterion release.

[@CitizenOfTheWorld2025]

This is a noble enterprise. The love, devotion and patience of these artists and technicians is laudable and very impressive. Their work is a gift to future humanity. It would be a sin to lose forever these master works from the dawn of film making. We owe it to the past, to ourselves and to the future.

[@ladamyre1]

I think you mean noble. I doubt the Swedish Dynamite inventor and bomb maker had anything to do with the film or the restoration. Just ribbing you. It's a common misspelling error. I often interpose letters that the spell checker passes on because it is stupid too.

[@GERRYMALONEY47]

I'm so glad there are people like you that take the time to restore these old films we are losing enough of our history and enough of our identity we don't need to lose our films as well

[@tomkvideo]

Is anyone else just grinding through these Criterion Restoration videos in awe like me?

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

Yes.

[@burningmisery]

I've been wondering how they do it for some time, and I'm glad I came across Criterion's videos to find out.

[@robonick3607]

Yeah.

[@happyfeet4506]

I take my hat off to all the amazing people who can work this magic with old films and make them look like they were filmed yesterday. Thank you

[@hcombs0104]

I've always been fascinated with the process of film restoration. Now I wish they could find the early sound Warner Brothers sound-to-disk films that are apparently lost.

[@TheChiptuner]

It’s insane how much work goes into restoring these films, and something we take for granted when we watch them

[@trudi1962]

I appreciate these restorations so much. These movies will live on forever now.

[@blueplanet9917]

So many classics saved in the nick of time.

[@jedigoddess]

Incredible. Saving the history of film, complete and utter magic.

[@ThatsGoodTelevision]

I have never seen this film look this good. So impressed!

[@Orson2u]

An extraordinary story in film restoration and recovery. Thank you for documenting it and sharing.

[@GiftSparks]

Amazing job. The clarity of the image is astonishing.

[@cb_2887]

I LOVE CRITERION. I love the care and detail they put into restoring and preserving films new and old. I dont mind paying for their titles because I know quality will always be top notch!

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

All hail the BFI and Criterion. Making the world a better place one frame at a time. I can't get enough of these restoration shorts.

[@WillN2Go1]

Wonderful video, thanks. The most beautiful film I ever saw was an original nitrate print of Isle of Lost Souls, Karl Struss cinematographer (& he was there that night! I think he was 96, so he was frail). It had a sepia tone, incredible range from the fog at the beginning to open shadows. We had to have our projection booth in Ann Arbor, upgraded with fire suppression gear in order to show the highly flammable film stock. ( I never found out of the sepia tone was original or caused by time. It was so consistent and wonderful I'm pretty sure it was original. I've sepia toned most of my B&W silver prints, but never to the full orange. It's also both an archival technique and caused by time. Some of those old photographs that are sepia are just old not originally toned. Though in my experience the time caused sepia toning is slight.) I wonder if this print ever made it to BluRay? I grew up watching all the old movies on B&W TV, very very low res. It wasn't until I got to college that I realized most of the Wizard of Oz was in color. In college we showed a lot of old movies always trying to get 35mm prints, but too often having to settle for 16mm 'TV scans' - this is where a wide screen movie was copied into 1.33:1 format to fit the format of a TV screen. I think Giant is one of the most egregious examples. Brilliant color, wide screen, no possible way to fit it to the TV format so they did horrible things. But it's kind of like your dad telling your joke and ruining it. You still can share the original. So any restoration is welcome. Hitchcock's earliest British films were notable for using the German developed technique of lighting the backgrounds differently from the actors - this gave the actors and the scene a three dimensional quality. Once you know something like this is possible and you understand how it works, you begin looking for more techniques. Hitchcock really pushed movie making forward. I don't know if it's been said recently, but Hitchcock was the Kubrick of his day. I recently watched The Man Who Knew Too Much for about the 5th time. Everyone who loves movies should read the book _Hitchcock_ by Francois Truffaut. Back in the day, probably starting in the late 1960s Hollywood would try to make a thriller. It would be billed or promoted as 'like Hitchcock,' and they were almost always terrible (The French made some great thrillers but never felt the need to mention Hitchcock.) Brian DePalma was the first filmmaker I know of who wasn't French who made thrillers like Hitchcock.

[@DungeonStudio]

Got to hand it to Criterion. I just spent the last week salvaging VHS tapes, which was pain in patience enough! What Criterion goes through to restore film amazes me!

[@longlivethemiddleofnowhere3913]

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your work.

[@kjamison5951]

I know the effort needed to work with a single image like a photograph. To work with thousands of images is to truly inspiring. Thank you! Also thanks to the BFI!

[@EXITMUSIC2011]

it looks great. What a job to have saving these old films.

[@HORIE66]

Criterion, i love you!

[@nathanterry8558]

Brought in a shrinkage expert? Who was that..George Costanza?

[@jimwalsh2001]

He's unemployed and lives with his parents...

[@LetsMars]

He was in the pool!

[@MrRondonmon]

Today, that is known as my Ex-wife, she went smaller !!

[@manicirishwriter]

“It Shrinks?” That really, really should not have taken a year plus, guys.

[@barrycohen311]

Herve Villachez.

[@AudioMobil]

You're doing a great job in preserving pieces of movie history!

[@gordonmculloch4904]

That is amazing. Hopefully you manage to restore these great movies before they are lost for ever. 👍

[@MovieStudioZen]

I love watching videos like this!!! Thanks for sharing Criterion 😃

[@lostoverthere]

I'd love to see more videos like this. I find the process fascinating.

[@HBICTiff]

Criterion is out here doing the Lord’s work.

[@doomsdayZen]

Marvelous. Restoration docs are always amazing.

[@oldhatcinema]

Criterion is simply the best. I plan on being a loyal customer for life.

[@bombasticbuster9340]

Wow! I hope they can save the century old films still out there. Great work. I never heard of a wet gate telecine. Magic.

[@ZombieDawg]

There are two versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much. This British version from 1934, and an American remake from 1956. Both version were directed by Hitchcock.

[@andresdelaplaza]

Wow! Amazing job!!! Congratulations Criterion! You've done it! 👍👍👍👏👏👏👏

[@sgtpepper1138]

No kidding, there never seems to be enough of them. Plus, when they ARE on a dvd/BD they always seem too short. Though the videos on restoration can never be too long.

[@TheKrazyJason]

Ahhhh I love film restoration videos. I LIVE for film restoration videos.

[@Kinopanorama1]

Perseverance pays off. Kudos to Criterion for their persistence.

[@ElectrologyNow]

Excellent explanation ... thanks for the heroic work; can't wait to see the film.

[@PkmariO64]

These people who restore films are wizards

[@mwmingram]

Excellent archival work. Thank you.

[@robcostigan8757]

Fantastic job. It was like I was watching a clever remake.

[@kittykuroki]

The reveal at the end is so amazing

[@petersolomon8894]

I own a number of Criterion restored/ remastered feature films. To be sure, I'm with all lovers of classic or historical film in being grateful for Criterion preserving select film and making it commercially available. However, we should not think Criterion are the only company undertaking this work; and neither are the laws that govern sales of Criterion products free from useless politics. In a "post film world" digital film restoration is an inevitable enterprise that has been elevated to an art form. Most countries have national archives that are underfunded and understaffed; archives that given half reasonable budgets would waste no time in digitally restoring and preserving their cultural heritage. Martin Scorsese has generously begun restoring the feature films of legendary British filmmakers, Powell and Pressburger. And where Scorsese's motivation to do this is no doubt about expressing gratitude to his longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker (who was formally married to Michael Powell); it is also about Scorsese the film-goer holding the flag for other great filmmaker's work. In my view a huge disincentive to purchasing Criterion's products - should you reside in a country outside of the United States - is the stupid American law that prohibits Criterion from selling online to consumers other than American. This law is parochial and xenophobic. Criterion doesn't "own" world cinema: it re-presents it. Furthermore, it is about time the nonsensical zoning system for DVDs and Blue Ray disks was done away with: it protects the cultural and mercantile interests of no one.

[@nikosvault]

+Peter Solomon Too bad you can make your Blu-ray player region free and easily buy Criterion products from other vendors.

[@0pensourcegamer]

+nikosvault I guess he meant that worldwide art distribution is more important than local laws. However, Criterion most likely has very strong legal reasons to make their Blu-ray discs region A. Instead of buying region free PS3, I got an optical PC Blu-ray drive and it reads discs of any region, feels like the best decision.

[@petersolomon8894]

Dave F., Well yes. And it is fine if viewers have an interest in Blu-ray. I do not.

[@shanerollins3736]

Sorry for the downvote, computer fucked up hitting read more

[@leoinsf]

I frankly love this version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" than the 50's version. As a mystery thriller, black and white works so much better. Color and Doris Day really took some of the horror out of the 50's version. The song did not need to be brought in because this suspense story is all about suspense, not entertainment. The early version really captures the suspense even though it is a bit primitive. I absolutely love the early Hitchcock masterpieces better than his later American suspense films. He was in the suspense mode, not the entertainment mode. "Psycho" is impactful because it is all about suspense, not entertainment. His later American films were about entertainment (Cary Grant, etc.).

[@RebornAudio]

Absolutely fantastic

[@Troy_nov1965]

Just saw this movie , looks great !!! Wonderful job .

[@Howard8]

Showed at the BFI as part of the Peter Lorre season Saturday September 6, 2014.

[@bradwickham]

Really intriguing stuff. I've always wanted to see what your raw scans look like.

[@spamspaz]

You should do stuff like this more often, this was very interesting.

[@starcrib]

Excellent commentary and Explanation: as of 2 /1/21/ - hopefully the newest technologies have even taken film restoration to even higher levels. 🕊🌿🕊.

[@Robert_Manners]

I prefer the 1934 version to the 1956 version as I simply don't see why he felt the need to remake the film. We all know about the tension, suspicion of Hitlers military buildup and fundamental distrust of what was going on in Europe at the time, leading up to the second world war. English filmmakers responded to the German threat by making films that alerted British citizens to the impending danger. A lot of the 1930's films like 'secret Agent' and especially 'Sabotage' from 1936 with Sylvia Sidney and Oscar Homolka focused on this upcoming danger. What place this had in 1956, especially when Hitchcock had moved to America 🇺🇸 and had been making films there since 1940 really challenges my understanding of the need to remake a film rather than just make one more relevant to the world and audiences of the time. So to summarise the 1934 version really makes sense to me both as a film and why it was made. The 1956 film feels like a waste of time and a missed opportunity to produce a film we all could have related to and enjoyed during in a from that time. Can you imagine a world where we never got to see 'Dial M for Murder' in 1954 because he had used that time to remake 'Sabotage' again.

[@aguasclarasdoc]

Amazing work!

[@chinabluewho]

Congrtatz , I only like a film about once a year and you earned mine this year.

[@RebeccaMorningstar]

I used to have a 1 dollar bargain bin DVD of this movie, and I remember it looking pretty awful and the sound was really muffled. I really enjoyed the restoration of Godzilla and The Great Dictator, so this might be something I buy.

[@nigelcarren]

Fascinating, thank you. I have always wondered about this. 🤔🏆

[@tortysoft]

Oh, that's wonderful!

[@TheKrazyJason]

I agree 100&. Btw, love the thumbnail. Now that's a film that needs to be brought to light and appreciated. Criterion BD release of TWOSAT? One can dream....

[@kalvarnson]

Looks great! Nice work.

[@sgtpepper1138]

100% agreed (btw, love your channel). I hear Mike Jittlov still has a nice 35mm print of it.

[@NiftyPlymouth]

Awesome work 😎

[@hebneh]

Hitchcock himself acknowledged how much better his 1956 version of this film was, compared to the original. You can see how much better right here, in this famous scene. Doris Day's scream in the '50s is far more impressive because of the lead-up which creates considerably more tension.

[@jeffreysantner3717]

The Hitchcock remake was restored in 1983 along with Vertigo.

[@Philflash]

Nitrate base films are stunning!

[@ryanellis4474]

You are doing God’s Work God Bless you. I will pray for America. Please pray for me.

[@josephcarlbreil5380]

Very informative video. Thanks for your upload.

[@glipk]

Beautiful

[@sgtpepper1138]

I also loved on the Wizard of OZ BD, the doc on the restoration was in SD. I guess it was too much to ask to have it in HD.

[@robfriedrich2822]

Could a scratchy copy help to correct a warped copy?

[@willagar8986]

Enlightening. Thank you!

[@frenchjr25]

Watching this in 2021. I'm wondering if the film will eventually be re-scanned now that 8k, pinless scanners are available. I'd love to see a campaign to start scanning in all surviving film in the highest resolution possible for the physical film. Digital restoration can always take place later.

[@steelyfan7745]

beautiful

[@timwilmott1208]

You don't use water in wet gate printing or telecine process. Usually, its a liquid called Perc (Perchloroethylene) although I expect they have something less toxic these days.

[@Simonjose7258]

Incredible!

[@Derpy1969]

Isn’t the a copy made from an original negative referred to as a master inter-positive?

[@tom0900060]

Peter Lorre!

[@JamJells]

Wonderful!

[@toyguy1956]

I used to work at criterion 10 years ago restoring 16mm films a lot of times you have to make a judgment call on what to save and what is unrecoverable I worked on cartoons mainly because I knew most of thi

[@mrsnoo86]

0:31 dab

[@niknikktm]

I sure hope the are scanning in 8K by now. 2K just doesn't cut it. I realize 4K is sufficient to accurately reproduce a 35mm frame but with 8K already here it seems the obvious choice.

[@TheJFGB93]

At least, Criterion is mostly sticking with 4K scans these days, though they're still only releasing 1080p blu-rays. 8K would be most suited for 65mm or IMAX-shot films, since 4K is far less than what those types of film can show. 8K for 35mm would probably be overkill on the detail side (like scanning 16mm on 4K - see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, for example), and too expensive to justify.

[@spookylemon4947]

It’s just not cost and time effective

[@the-NightStar]

8K is just ridiculously unnecessary at this point.

[@spencechan]

A "shrinkage expert" sounds like something straight out of that one Seinfeld episode

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

I don't think I've ever seen this older version. Both Hitchcock/Peter Lorre, it seems.

[@stinji]

Love it!

[@hjander]

Amazing

[@tomitstube]

cool, about the last scene, "uh, we need a hit man, one who knows music..."

[@antonmarino6568]

Where can we see.this film?

[@EJA91506]

wetgate printers use chemical solvents, not water...

[@truefilm1556]

Fantastic work! Now how to store the huge digital files? On hard drives where data can become corrupt or unreadable? I guess archival quality 35mm prints (in this case full frame, 4 perf "Super 35mm"), using all available image space, still are the very best option for long term storage. Now about the sound? Noise, crackle and hum reduction algorithms - and any form of "enhancement" (=adding stuff like harmonic distortion and sub harmonics: the equivalent of PhotoShop image sharpening) that just isn't there in the original, but it sounds great) are becoming better and better as we speak - so any "restored" sound track would be obsolete in about 10 years from now because future software will work way better. I guess (just an idea) making a clean, separate (!) analog back up of the optical sound track with frame (sync) reference would be great, so it can be restored just like an image before being transferred into any digital audio workstation. I'm sure people already thought about that and are hopefully doing just that. Thanks for the upload - I love this stuff! Hats off to the dedicated expert craftsmen and film lovers!

[@0pensourcegamer]

Digital data is easier to archive. M-Disc lasts up to 1000 years, for example. You can also create a RAID massive and data would be stored in multiple copies on several hard drives. It's surely more reliable and cheap than just storing analog film!

[@truefilm1556]

+Dave Flynn O.K. thanks for the information. There is a lot of debate going on regarding how well hard drives and other digital storage media will hold up over time and if these will remain readable by future software. If all that is covered: I'm all for storing the digital uncompressed data. After all: a 35mm film storage print is once again one generation away from the restored film in digital data form. I'd say: please just don't destroy the camera negs (or fine grain intermediates) used for the restoring work. I'm sure digital technology will greatly evolve over the next decades. There's is still some loss during scanning (even on the best ones at highest resolution). Anyway: many a great recent restoring looks fantastic by any standards. Again: hats off to the dedicated people who bring out the best possible image and sound, preserving it, always carefully considering what was originally intended, so we and future generations can study and admire the camera work, lens choice, composition and lighting - among many other things. Thanks again.

[@shanerollins3736]

Well, I don't know if this helps, but inside Criterion releases, there's either a letter (in the laserdiscs) or a page in the book (in the DVDs and Blu-Rays) that explains the restoration. While I don't own The Man Who Knew Too Much, I do own the 2004 DVD of Videodrome (the Blu-Ray was released in 2011), and I'm sure that to a certain degree, they treated the two films the same. "ABOUT THE TRANSFER: Videodrome is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from the 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the 35mm magnetic tracks, and audio restoration tools were used to remove clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1 channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound." So, although it's not identical to the story of The Man Who Knew Too Much, I'm sure the audio/video restoration tools were similar. Hope that helps!

[@mierbeuker8148]

I prefer "The man that knew to little". Bill Murray is the man!!!

[@MarkusFlorence]

impressive!!

[@johnjon1823]

Was the shrinkage expert from Seinfeld?

[@adikravets3632]

3:47 the original looks good

[@chopin65]

How does Criterion feel about the remake?

[@dragonstone6594]

Very cool.

[@therestorationofdrwho1865]

Do you think they would have doctor who films? Also this is a great video.

[@rassilontdavros3004]

The Restoration of Dr Who There is a team of freelance specialists known as the Doctor Who Restoration Team who have restored the original series. In terms of film as in film stock, there's very little Doctor Who material.

[@LeeDarkParadox]

Great video 👍 ++

[@davidjames666]

I have my Great Great uncle Alfred’s films in my basement. heck, there are even some never released film spools, and much other stuff. I didn’t know his junk was ever missing. take it, my wife keeps stepping and tripping on it

[@ABCDEF-cx1ic]

fascinating