One of the most ingenious shots in film history wasn't ingenious enough for the remastering team behind the UHD of The Wizard of Oz.
For those unaware, the magical moment when the sepia goes into colour was achieved in camera all in one shot by using a monochrome-painted set and a Dorothy body double wearing a monochrome dress, lit with a brown tinted filter over the set lights. As the camera moves through the door, Judy's double moves out of shot and the actress herself enters in her blue dress.
For the UHD, a power window was drawn around the doorway and everything inside the house, doppleganger included, has been digitally converted to pure black and white, then graded sepia.
Here's a comparison, with brightness raised for a clearer view, between the UHD and the 1997 MGM DVD which shows the unaltered colours.
UHD:
![[Image: DKNo4IH.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/DKNo4IH.jpg)
1997 MGM DVD:
![[Image: Yf2k0GZ.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/Yf2k0GZ.jpg)
It really is astonishing just how many of these digital "fixes" are poisoning cinematographic history.
For those unaware, the magical moment when the sepia goes into colour was achieved in camera all in one shot by using a monochrome-painted set and a Dorothy body double wearing a monochrome dress, lit with a brown tinted filter over the set lights. As the camera moves through the door, Judy's double moves out of shot and the actress herself enters in her blue dress.
For the UHD, a power window was drawn around the doorway and everything inside the house, doppleganger included, has been digitally converted to pure black and white, then graded sepia.
Here's a comparison, with brightness raised for a clearer view, between the UHD and the 1997 MGM DVD which shows the unaltered colours.
UHD:
![[Image: DKNo4IH.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/DKNo4IH.jpg)
1997 MGM DVD:
![[Image: Yf2k0GZ.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/Yf2k0GZ.jpg)
It really is astonishing just how many of these digital "fixes" are poisoning cinematographic history.