The Inn of the Sixth Happiness is a 1958 film staring Ingrid Bergman based on the life story of Gladys Aylward, taking a few liberties with the truth along the way. I decided to take a quick look after seeing some screenshots on a review website that looked decidedly ‘tealed-up’. So: did they orange-and-teal the blu-ray ? And is the iTunes version any better ?

So the first step is finding a basis for comparison. Fortunately I happened to have a PAL DVD copy of the film, as well as access to the iTunes 1080p version.

The 2005 PAL DVD version possible suffers from being a pan-European version with five audio tracks fighting for space with the video, but seemed okay at the time.

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness iTunes HD Version

The iTunes 1080p download is available as a rental or to buy, it clocks in at around 5.15 GB, and has an average bit-rate of 4.5Mbps with peaks as high as 14.4 Mbps. It features a AAC stereo English soundtrack. Total running time is two hours thirty seven minutes and fifty one seconds. Aspect ratio is a slightly unusual 2.365:1

Comparing iTunes, Blu-ray and DVD Versions

The PAL DVD is hopelessly soft compared to both the Blu-ray and iTunes version, but it’s immediately apparent that the DVD and iTunes edition must share the same master.

The Blu-Ray is considerable sharper than the iTunes version. In the comparison screenshot matrix below, look at the fingers of crowd members in the Blu-Ray version, compared to the iTunes version. Additionally the Blu-ray appears to add information on both the left and right hand side of the frames, and a few pixels on the bottom.

This additional information is probably the result of a different ‘un-squeeze’ algorithm applied to the image. Early CinemaScope lenses tended to perform poorly at the edges, as well as ‘fattening’ or squeezing objects outside a narrow range of operation. It’s possible that someone has figured out a way of getting transforming the image in a way that allows more of it to be presented without unacceptable geometric distortion. It’s nice to have, but doesn’t add much of value.

Comparing the Blu-ray (top) framing with the iTunes version (below), also the iTunes version has been ‘cooled’ to simulate a cooler printing, but still comes nowhere close to the Blu-rays extreme color-correction look.

Unfortunately, you guessed it: the Blu-ray appears to have drunk a tin of teal paint. The top most screenshot shows this best, notice the elevated greeny/bluey blacks.

Now I’ve made an argument before (see Desk Set review) that some of these films were probably intended to be printed a bit cooler than older DVD transfers. I’ve attempted to simulate a cooler printing of the crowd scene, showing the framing differences. Even making the shot cooler using something approximating printer lights, it’s impossible to simulate the ‘teal’ pop that the Blu-ray version has.

Conclusions

Once again a classic film from the 20th Century Fox vaults has got the orange-and-teal treatment. It’s disappointing because the actual image on the Blu-ray has an extraordinary amount of detail compared with the even the iTunes edition.

So what should you do ? For purists I would suggest sticking with the iTunes edition, from normal viewing distances it is acceptable, and it’s currently a four dollar rental, so you can take it for a spin before committing any serious cash.

The Blu-ray has an impressive amount of detail, but I can’t get passed the color changes. Your mileage may vary.

Screenshot Comparison

Screenshot comparison matrix for Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Blu-ray on the left, PAL DVD in the middle and iTunes HD on the right. Blu-ray screenshots from www.dvdbeaver.com

 FTC Disclosure: I am an iTunes and Amazon affiliate advertiser, this means that if you click on one of the links above, I get a very small amount of money.