Cutting down on scope

This is just a quick one-off this morning. I got up this morning and caught 'Matewan' on IFC. Generally, IFC is great about giving films a full presentation on TV. They go letterboxed, they use a good sound mix, the color correction is pretty good. But this morning, that's not what I got. The picture was slightly washed out. The sound was muffled. And don't get me started on the full frame mutilation of Wexler's beautiful compositions.

I was lucky enough about three years ago to see a restored print of the film at the West Virginia Filmmakers Festival in Sutton. I was told the restored print came directly from IFC. The richness of picture and quality of sound - it was so far superior to the VHS copies I had run ragged over the years. Was it the pristine Criterion restoration I person would hope for? Probably not, but it was really nice.

And here, on cable, this great film of scope and majesty - looked like the same VHS print I saw in history class in high school.

I have high hopes for my little movie. Near the top of that list is a greater appreciation for the brilliant work of John Sayles and Haskell Wexler. That appreciation only comes through when you can see a quality print of this great movie.

j.brown