Upgraded Version of Alfred Hitchcock Holocaust Documentary to be Broadcast

Image: austinchronicle.com

In 1945, Alfred Hitchcock helped create a documentary that depicted the macabre reality of the Nazi extermination machine. The director used footage Allied soldiers shot in Bergen-Belsen and other concentration camps. According to an article in the UK newspaper The Guardian, the movie did not see the light of day for decades, apparently due to "political reasons." A truncated version was shown in Berlin about thirty years ago. In 1985, the US television network PBS broadcast the film, but one The Guardian article claimed was "poor quality."

The UK's Imperial War Museum completed a restoration project that has brought the Hitchcock documentary to its complete form and visual integrity. The film will be shown this year on British television.

Meanwhile, Time noted that HBO will broadcast a Holocaust documentary called Night Will Fall, which will include the story of the footage that Hitchcock used, and show some of it. Of course, the opportunity to view "unseen" Hitchcock work should not be missed. The larger reason to view the film became evident recently, courtesy of the massacre of Charlie Hebdou staffers and related, hate-inspired murders in a Paris kosher supermarket.

HBO will show Night Will Fall on January 26th, with a repeat presentation on HBO2 the following day. Viewers are advised that some footage will be graphic and disturbing.

To HD or Not HD? That's a Question for HBO and "The Wire" Creator David Simon

As an avid fan of the HBO series The Wire, every impulse in me would want to obtain the HD version of the series. HBO is creating such a product, but it's worth considering show creator David Simon's perspective on HD vs. a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Simon expands on this conundrum in his blog, the gist of which was captured in a recent post on theverge.com. Some of Simon's concerns about how technical advantages of 4:3 play into The Wire's depiction of character and narrative. The series was also shot so that splitting the display between HD and plain vanilla 4:3 would disrupt The Wire's visual continuity. While Simon disliked the divided format, he did see some of the HD look's virtues.

It's an interesting piece, both for its discussion of the series' technical background and its clips to demonstrate the differences between high-def and "regular."

HBO Squeezes Netflix In Streaming Dispute

For some time now, Netflix and content providers such as Sony have been at war. The movie studios, distributors, and outlets (such as Starz) are furious that Netflix outfoxed them in deals that enabled Internet streaming into consumers' homes and devices, as well as permitting mass rentals for home DVD delivery.

The studios have essentially become a pack of raptors intent on savaging its designated victim. According to an Associated Press story appearing in today's San Jose Mercury News, the most recent foray comes courtesy of HBO, Time Warner's pay TV brand. Home Box Office has escalated its hostility by stopping the bulk sales of its DVDs to Netflix.

The situation for Netflix will become more dire in March, when Starz pulls out its roster of Sony and Disney products.

A word to the wise: enjoy Netflix's streaming while it lasts.

HBO Coming to an Apple, Google Device Near You

HBO, which has resisted putting its programming outside the pay-TV circuit, has decided to join the media surge into Apple and Google-driven devices. The story made its quiet way into today's LA Times.

This is a big deal for the cable-only programmers, such as HBO, Showtime, and others. In essence, HBO has offered a white flag to the new, increasingly dominant media device providers. One impact of the decision will be HBO's sales team can now approach prospective and existing advertisers and tell them about the new audience they can now reach via devices such as the phone and tablets. That audience will happen to be defined by, from an advertising perspective, a very desirable demographic profile.