[In progress] The Shining - German Version

[TheHutt]

After Barry Lyndon, I decided to give the other Kubricks a try. And my next preservation will be the German version of...

Things to be addressed:

• 4:3 Fullscreen version in HD
  
• German and English mono audio
  
• German intro credits
  
• German intertitles
  
• German typewriter footage
  
• German End Credits
  
• 70s WB logo
  

[TheHutt]

Contributors:
- Pinheadraiser (project idea, VHS version, TV version)
- Thaddäus Tentakel (4:3 1080p version)
- SpaceBlackKnight (directed me to where to obtain the 4:3 '70s WB logo)
- pipefan413 (directed me where to obtain the mono audio for the US cut which then will have to be cut down to the EU version)


Sources:

Eurocut BluRay (2007)



Eurocut Web-DL (4:3)



German 4:3 TV airing. The intro sequence and intertitles have been redone digitally, but it does contain the typewriter scene in good quality.



German VHS (for time reference).

[pipefan413]

Sources:

Eurocut BluRay (2007)



Eurocut Web-DL (4:3)



German 4:3 TV airing. The intro sequence and intertitles have been redone digitally, but it does contain the typewriter scene in good quality.



German VHS (for time reference).

Oh, cool! Didn't know there was a 4:3 web version.

[TheHutt]

Oh, cool! Didn't know there was a 4:3 web version.

Yeah, this will be my main source. It suffers from a somehow low bitrate, but that's the best 4:3 source I have.
If I am not entirely happy, I'll also attempt a 16:9 version, but the 4:3 has definite priority.

[TheHutt]

The Intro Credits

As it is well-known, Kubrick (at least up to and including The Shining) used to do complete localization for credits for his movies. The Shining is no exception in this matter. The entire intro sequence is in German.

I had two sources of German credits. One was the VHS version, the original theatrical sequence was used. Unfortunately, it has a rather bad quality.
Then, the version by TV station ZDF. This has been re-created digitally.

After several attemtps of upscaling VHS footage, I was quite unhappy with the results. Neither the AI approach, nor my AVS filters could produce anything of at least of a decent quality, even after color-correction.



So I decided to take the English footage and rotoscope out the titles that need translation. For that, I broke up the relevant sequences into single frames and edited them one by one.

My first approach was using Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill feature. That worked quite okay, however, it had noticeable flaws at high-contrast areas. Then it tends to produce artefacts which I deemed unacceptable. They are especially visible in motion (see the random piece of rock at "L" in "STANLEY"). But what's even worse, are the boundaries between the mountains and the sky. That was quite inacceptable.



After that, I had to refine my workflow. The German TV version has proved quite helpful, as the credits are rolling there at different locations and with a different speed. Therefore, I could combine the two footages (albeit after alignment and color correction) in order to cover up the credits in original footage.
As there were still differences in color, brightness etc., I have combined the two approaches. After that, some retouching by hand frame-by-frame still remains though.

Here a video sample I am quite content with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9CjRbTVCas

[valien]

What you're attempting to do is great, however it seems to me that the color of the credits in your version is turquoise - as are those in the last two official masters of the film, which is incorrect - rather than light electric blue as in the original version.

[TheHutt]

Well, I am not intending to touch the colors. I am sticking with the color palette of both the 2009 BluRay and the 4:3 1080p (which are +/- identical).

[valien]

Well, I am not intending to touch the colors. I am sticking with the color palette of both the 2009 BluRay and the 4:3 1080p (which are +/- identical).

The color of the credits in the BD editions of the film (2007 and 2019) are incorrect, since they are turqoise/azure rather than electric blue as in the original version. The credits in the 2001 DVD are even worse, as you have noticed yourself. The color of the credits in any pre-2001 edition (i.e., prior to the digital restorations) is like that of your German VHS.

[TheHutt]

I might look into it, whether it's possible just to selectively correct the one color tone in the video footage without affecting the others.
Although I don't give it too much priority, other things are more pressing. Removing English credits is quite a challenge.

[TheHutt]

Status update: front credits are finished! Rather happy with how it turned out.

Couldn't achieve good results with changing the color of the titles, so I'll leave it be for this time.