The Bridge on the River Kwai Blu-ray vs DVD vs HDTV Comparison

Originally Posted by manco455

The HDTV version holds up pretty well.

Originally Posted by manco455

The HDTV version holds up pretty well.

Originally Posted by sub24ox7

The Blu-ray is from a NEW master and was scanned at 4K.

Originally Posted by El Paso Times

"River Kwai" has been restored twice before, Crisp said, but this is the first time it's been done from the original camera negatives using "all these digital tools that allow us to fix things we couldn't do before." He said it's the second restoration -- "Dr. Strangelove" was the first -- on which Sony has used high-resolution digital technology, called 4K workflow.

"We scanned the original negatives at a high resolution and have been working to correct all the flaws in the film, like removing dirt or scratches or, in the case of this film, there were a lot of camera problems when it was actually shot," Crisp said. He noted that the film at times "jumps slightly" and had color registration problems.

[...]

Most of the corrections and changes won't be noticeable to the average viewer. But they are to film restorers like Crisp, which is one reason he's flying here to see "River Kwai" on the Plaza's 45-foot-wide screen. Crisp said he's never seen it on a big screen. He's been watching the restoration efforts on an 8-foot-wide monitor.

"This is our passion here, this kind of work, and it's great to put out Blu-Rays and all of that," he said, "but actually restoring it and seeing it in a big theater with an audience, the way it should be, is like the ultimate performance."