The latest restoration project we have done for Film4 and Finishing Post Productions is the 1987 classic film, A Month in the Country. Directed by Pat O’Connor and featuring both Colin Firth’s and Kenneth Branagh’s screen debuts, the story about two WWI veterans is considered a bit of a hidden gem.
A Month in the Country is set during the great British summer of 1920. However, in true British form it was actually shot in really wet weather. This posed a bit of a challenge for Anthony and the restoration team, as they were working with the original negatives from the mid-80s. They had to treat the grain and get the balance between the vibrant colours of summer and the actual conditions right.
We started the processed by creating a new conform because the negatives were A/B roll cut. They also needed stabilising, and the dissolves and fades recreating. We then used our ArriScan to capture a super 2k DPX sequence, and multiple non-destructive restoration tools, including Cinnafilm Dark Energy, to achieve a clean master and treat grain structure. YoYo was then used for a full DATA grade. Finally, we restored the audio to remove the hissing and crackling.
We delivered the HD master back to Film4, and the film is set to air later this year.
A note from Film4’s Kate Robinson: “A Month in the Country is a bit of a forgotten classic with a first-class director and cast. We wanted to bring it back to life and take it to international audiences. It was in need of an upgrade though, so an HD remaster was essential – the result is excellent.”
